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It was a rare day of calm. No bandits. No interruptions. No one hunting Flame for once. He took advantage of it.
He packed his crossbow and a handful of arrows, then went to dig his horse Cinder out. Ashen followed at his side as always. Once Cinder was ready, Flame rode toward a stretch of forest he knew well enough to move through without thinking.
Near a lake, he dismounted and left Cinder behind, trusting the horse to not wander off too far. From there, Flame and Ashen slipped into the woods, moving quietly between the trees.
Flame took his time, waiting for clean shots. Rabbits mostly, quick and small and one bird flying from a branch. Each time, Ashen was there in seconds, retrieving the catch and bringing it back. Flame stored them into his inventory for later.
By the time they were done, he had eight rabbits and two birds. On the way back, Flame gathered wood, snapping branches and stacking them under one arm.
At the lake, sat Wemmbu at the edge of the water, line cast out, posture loose, till he heard footsteps approaching behind him. His body tensed on instinct, only to relax again the moment he recognized Flame.
Since Wemmbu had declared Flame the strongest, something between them had shifted. Not quite friends, but more than the temporary alliance they had shared.
They didn’t bother with greetings. One look was enough. A grin answered it, sharp and mutual.
Both reached for their weapons. Flame drew Fragger, the familiar weight settling easily in his grip. Wemmbu answered with Gambit, spinning it to show it off.
The spar stayed light. No real intent to hurt, no old tension bleeding through. Just movement, quick strikes, near misses, and laughter threaded between blows. It was the kind of fight that existed purely because both of them enjoyed it.
Flame scoffed when Wemmbu hit him with his maze again, accusing him of hiding behind tricks.
Wemmbu shot back without missing a beat, voice amused, saying the strongest would win either way.
Flame laughed and came at him harder, because if Wemmbu was going to say that, he intended to prove him right.
By the time the sun sank lower, a fire burned near the shore. Fish from the lake and rabbit from the hunt rested over the flames, simple food cooked slow and steady. Ashen lay close to the warmth, ears flicking at every sound. Cinder stood at the water’s edge, drinking quietly.
Flame still checked on them both, habit more than necessity. Wemmbu noticed, gave him a look, but chose not to comment.
The calm broke when a twig snapped at the edge of the forest.
Both of them reacted at once. Flame’s hand went to Fragger. Wemmbu tensed, ready to draw. Their attention locked on the bushes, every sense sharp.
Then the leaves parted. A wolf stepped into view, a cub held carefully in her jaws.
Flame relaxed first. He recognized her immediately. Ashen’s sister, from his old pack. Ashen lifted his head, tail giving a slow, cautious wag as the tension drained from the clearing.
„It’s just a stupid wolf,” Wemmbu said, unimpressed, „what’s it doing here?”
„I don’t know, bro,” Flame replied, already watching more closely, „but wolves don’t just come close like this for fun. There must be a reason.”
The wolf moved closer, slow and careful, each step deliberate. Her eyes stayed fixed on Flame, sharp and assessing, while Wemmbu only earned brief, wary side glances.
Ashen stepped forward to meet her halfway, pressing his face against hers in a familiar gesture. She leaned into it, tail low but wagging once, relief clear in the way her shoulders eased.
„I think your wolf has a girlfriend,” Wemmbu snickered.
„Eww, bro, that’s his sister,” Flame shot back, scrunching up his face in disgust.
Wemmbu recoiled a little. „Well how was I supposed to know,” he complained, „I’m not an animal whisperer.” Flame rolled his eyes and ignored him.
For once, Wemmbu stayed quiet, curiosity winning over, as the female wolf stopped in front of Flame and carefully lowered her cub to the ground. She didn’t retreat. She waited. Ashen moved to her side, nuzzling into her once more, a silent reassurance that everything would be alright.
Flame knelt, slow and unthreatening, offering his hand. The cub sniffed cautiously before allowing the contact. Only then did Flame lift it, careful not to startle him. One of the cub’s front paws hung at an odd angle.
Flame frowned and examined it more closely. A thick thorn was lodged deep in the paw, dark with dried blood.
„Poor bro,” Flame murmured, voice soft as his hands, already working to help.
The cub whimpered softly but didn’t pull away. His mother stayed close, tense but trusting, eyes never leaving Flame’s hands.
Flame shifted his grip, steadying the small paw between his fingers. „Hold still,” he muttered, more to himself than the cub. He pinched the skin just enough to get a grip on the thorn and pulled.
The cub yelped once. Then the thorn came free.
A thin line of blood followed, but the paw relaxed almost immediately. Flame pressed a clean cloth from his inventory against it, firm but gentle, waiting until the bleeding slowed. The cub squirmed at first, then went still, exhaustion taking over.
Wemmbu watched the entire thing with his arms crossed, attention fixed on the way Flame’s hand moved gently: „You’re surprisingly good at this,” he said, voice low.
Flame didn’t answer. He was just focused on the task at hand, carefully wrapping the cub’s paw, after it had fully stopped bleeding.
He lowered the cub back onto the ground. The little wolf tested his paw, hesitant at first, then took a few careful steps. It wasn’t perfect, but it was clearly better.
The mother let out a low sound, something between a breath and a restrained growl. She nudged her cub close, making sure he was really fine. Then she looked back at Flame and dipped her head once with gratitude, before she grabbed her cub and disappeared back into the woods.
Ashen wagged his tail.
Flame straightened and finally turned back, only to find Wemmbu staring at him far too intently. „What?”
Wemmbu clicked his tongue, a grin breaking through. „You’re such a Disney Princess,” he said, already laughing.
Flame blinked. „Bro, what?”