Page 94 of Alien Warlord's Fury
"From the highest points, you can see for days in all directions."
"Is that where you learned to hunt?"
"Yes. My father took me on my first hunt when I was barely tall enough to draw a bow." The memory surfaced unexpectedly clear.
"We tracked a snow hart for three days before making the kill."
Claire slowed her pace slightly, allowing me to walk beside her where the path widened. "What about your mother?"
"She was a weaver. Her tapestries told the history of our clan." I felt a pang of something I rarely allowed myself to feel.
"She died when I was young."
Claire's hand found mine briefly. "I'm sorry."
"It was long ago." I squeezed her fingers once before releasing them. "What of your family? You've never spoken of them."
"Not much to tell. My parents were both environmental engineers. They designed biosphere systems for off-world colonies." Her voice took on a distant quality.
"They died in a shuttle accident when I was in university. I was already planning to join theSeraphynemission, but after that... there was nothing keeping me on Earth."
"So you sought a new world."
"And found this one instead." She gestured to the forest around us. "Not exactly what I signed up for."
"No. But perhaps what you were meant to find."
She gave me a sidelong look. "That sounds suspiciously like fate, Nirako."
"Perhaps." I felt the corner of my mouth lift. "The Aerie believe that some paths are written in the stars long before we walk them."
"And our path? Was that written somewhere?"
"If it was, the writer has a strange sense of humor."
That earned me a genuine laugh, the sound warming something deep in my chest. Even exhausted and injured, she could find moments of lightness.
We walked in comfortable silence for a time, the sounds of the forest and the movement of our group filling the space between us. I found myself increasingly aware of her—not just through the bond, but in the small details. The way she tucked her hair behind her ear when thinking.
How her eyes tracked movement in the trees, always alert. The careful way she tested her footing on uneven ground.
When we stopped to make camp for the night, I insisted on helping Claire tend to her bandages before seeing to myown. The healers had provided salves and fresh wrappings, but Claire's injuries required careful attention.
"This might sting," I warned as I applied the salve to the burn marks where Hammond's energy had rebounded through her system.
She hissed but didn't pull away. "It's not as bad as yesterday."
"The worst of the energy damage is fading." I worked methodically, keeping my touch clinical despite the intimacy of the situation. "Your markings are stabilizing."
"I can feel the difference." She watched as I wrapped clean bandages around her forearm. "They don't burn like they used to. Even when they activate, it's more... controlled."
"The Nexus connection has changed."
"Hammond's corruption is gone." She flexed her fingers carefully. "When I touch the energy now, it responds instead of overwhelming me."
I secured the bandage with a small clip. "You've learned to work with it rather than fight it."
"I had a good teacher." Her eyes met mine. "Your turn."
