3. Chapter 3 #3
“You’re going to look very foolish when it was just an antebear,” I commented, though who knew. Maybe other elves tromped through the forest like me with a complete lack of finesse. She was the mercenary after all, so she probably had some skills with tracking.
“I’ll take the risk,” she commented dryly. “Though if we can find your pagwai and my mark in one go, all the better, right?”
“True,” I said as we headed down the less-traveled path. Twigs and branches stuck out in either direction from errant bushes, and jagged stones jutted up along the way like purposeful tripping hazards. The deep blue berries on a bush ahead caught my attention.
“Oh, look,” I said, slowing to a stop. “Zingerberries. We should gather as many as we can if we’re going to make this trek. Keep our energy up.”
“Didn’t realize tracking would come with a side of berry picking. Are you sure you’re cut out for this?” Kali asked, a brow lifted.
I didn’t respond, grabbing a spare bag from my sack and filling it with as many ripe berries as possible.
They stained the insides, but the mess was well worth it for such a filling treat.
Zingerberries were high in nutrients and often energizing, and even if Kali could survive long stints without food, I knew I couldn’t. I’d never regret being prepared.
Once the bag felt heavy enough, I popped a few in my mouth, savoring the sweetness, and then tied the bag off. When I glanced up, Kali stared at me with a curious expression.
“You’re unique,” she said, shaking her head. “I’ll give you that.”
“Want a berry?” I asked as we continued down the path.
“I’ll pass.”
***
We’d walked for hours, and in that time, we’d already eaten a quarter of the sack of zingerberries.
Kali caved quickly, and any complaints from my earlier pause to berry pick vanished.
The air between us was comfortable, the conversation easy.
While I’d expected a few shared orgasms would help break the ice, I was well aware that wasn’t always the case.
I’d had my fair collection of fumbling hookups turned awkward after.
Kali let out a humm noise and slowed down, so I followed suit. She paused in front of a particularly spindly bush, a scrap of dark fabric waving from it like a pennant. “Well, if Dynlan is the one traipsing through here, he left a souvenir.”
“Or a well-dressed antebear,” I commented.
She rolled her eyes. “You’re not letting that go, are you?”
I shook my head. “I’m very determined when I want to be.
It’s a good trait for a farmer, though it hasn’t always been helpful in other aspects of life.
” Past partners hadn’t liked my focus, thought I was too intense, too devoted to berry season.
Given they knew I was a farmer going into things, I found the criticisms a bit ridiculous.
The berries weren’t going to pick themselves.
Still, even some of my friends on the commune that I’d hooked up with had gotten frustrated with the amount of time I spent on work, so maybe I was missing something.
“It’ll be useful in finding your pagwai.” She tucked the scrap of fabric into a pocket and continuing down the path.
The fading light descended, stark through the darkening of our surroundings, which were murkier due to the overhead trees.
The chill slipped in as well, all the telltale signs of dusk.
We’d marched a fair way into the woods, to the point we’d have to walk hours through the darkened forest to find our way back to the Everend Market or even the abandoned cabin we’d desecrated.
So much for my campsite that I’d rented.
“Should we think of setting up a camp?” I asked. Despite having decent night vision, I was a big proponent of resting when needed. Everyone needed sleep, so it felt practical.
Kali heaved out a sigh. “I was hoping we’d find him by now, but you may be right. He’s not going to be running nonstop, especially when he was on the go all day. And pagwais get a fair amount of sleep, so my guess is she’s already found a spot to nestle into.”
I snorted. Socks loved sleep more than the average pagwai. There was a high chance that was how I’d find her too, curled up in the hollow of a tree. Maybe her fur stained from eating too many berries.
“Let’s pause at the next clearing,” she said, taking confident strides forward.
I didn’t mind walking behind her, as the flex of her thick muscles in action, the round curve of her ass was a feast for the eyes.
As was the memory of what she’d done to me, how she’d sensed out every kink and quirk of mine with ease. A shiver ran down my spine.
My nose twitched from the surrounding greenery and dirt as we continued to bypass lush trees and laden bushes, a verdant explosion.
I didn’t often venture into forests since my commune was on more open fields for tilling, but I appreciated the change of scenery as well as the companionship right now.
Maybe the vacation was still offering what I’d been searching for, even if it wasn’t restful.
We turned a corner, and an open copse lay in front of us, a forest bedding of leaves, dirt, and twigs in the center.
Perfect timing too, as the light had waned even more.
While I had planned on sleeping under the stars at the campsite at Everend Market, this worked just as well, protected by the thick branches and woodland cover.
Plus, I had a companion, which I already preferred to camping by my lonesome.
“I’ll collect wood,” I offered, dumping my back onto the ground. Kali hummed to herself, checking the trees, as if she expected a critter to come leaping out. Granted, in her line of work, maybe she was used to murderous critters.
The task of collecting sticks and branches was a meditative one, similar to plucking berries in the field.
I loved jobs like this, where I could shut off the worries and focus on the present.
Socks was out there, but she was scrappy and resourceful, probably terrorizing others more than being terrorized, and Kali’s mark was running, so it didn’t seem like they would actively attack us.
I accumulated a hefty stack in no time, and this was one of the instances where I appreciated my strength and size, as I could carry the load all over in one trip.
When I returned to the clearing, Kali had moved some of the debris to make a space for a fire.
She had pulled out a few dried provisions from her pack as well as a small pot that somehow fit in her sack.
Relief flooded through me. As much as the zingerberries were fortifying, we needed a bit more for sustenance, but it seemed like she’d planned ahead.
I hadn’t anticipated woodland frolics in my trip to Everend Market, so I’d needed to pivot.
My original plan was to sample from the market stalls, which I regretted missing a little bit.
Aisling sold the best jewelberry cakes that I couldn’t replicate, no matter how hard I tried, and I was endlessly jealous as much as I craved them.
Maybe I’d be able to swing back there before heading home.
“Here,” I said, dropping the bundle of sticks and branches down.
I crouched and started arranging them to prepare for a fire.
I’d made many in my day, as the commune liked to regularly congregate around a bonfire.
I missed my community whenever I left the farm, but I also appreciated the chance to see beyond the land I tended to day in and day out.
I’d barely sat back when Kali launched in with a tinder to set the twigs ablaze. We worked together well, which added to my constantly growing attraction to her. While she might not have been kidnapping me for a marriage proposal, I wasn’t ready to walk away from this curious mercenary.
Within a few minutes, the flame caught and spread, licking up the twigs and branches. We kept a stack in reserve to feed the fire, though I’d definitely need to make another trip or two tonight. Not like I minded an excuse to stretch my legs.
“Hungry?” she asked, her voice husky and low.
Heat flared through me, and I shifted in my seat.
A sharp laugh exploded from her. “Not like that, but I’m not opposed. You’re stunning.”
I preened. Folks didn’t often notice me for looks, and I was so used to being more background, a cog in the machine, that Kali’s attention lit me up inside. “Careful with the praise. I might get attached.”
“Getting attached to a mercenary is folly,” Kali said, her expression darkening somewhat. “We’re always on the move, never settling down.” She pulled out what looked like dried meat and her flagon of water and splashed some onto it in the pot, then placed it in the corner of our blaze.
“Do you just roam?” I asked. “Or do you have a home base of sorts?” I’d never had a reason to deal with mercenaries, and her life fascinated me. Truthfully, everything about her fascinated me.
“Had,” she mentioned, then licked her lips. “Casualty of coming from a family of mercenaries. My parents’ place ended up torched by an Emberleigh mage. Revenge for an earlier mark.”
My stomach curdled at the thought. That sounded terrible, yet Kali was putting on such a brave face. If my home had gotten torched, I’d be devastated. My parents had raised me there, and I’d grown up around so many people with too many good memories. “Where are your parents now?”
“Roaming between jobs,” she said. “They’re still trying to figure out where to settle and lay low. Don’t want to place another large target on themselves, not yet.”
Quiet settled between us, one I was hesitant to break. She’d shared more of herself in the past few minutes than she had in hours, and I didn’t want to ruin the gift by saying the wrong thing. “Do you want a place to settle, a home base of sorts?”