Nathaly:

She crumpled the creamy slip of parchment beneath her fingers effortlessly. Nathaly considered herself to be quite skilled in tracking, being top of her class. Definitely not as good as the Montagues but good enough that she thought that she could most definitely track two star-crossed lovers. But it seemed that the princess and prince were smarter than they looked. She wouldn't say it outright, but passing into the realm of the humans was a relatively smart move. But it also meant that she would have to go into the human world to find them as well. Her upper lip curled at the very thought. Humans were nothing to marvel at, leading boring lives. But she tried to avoid them as much as she could; the less they knew, the better. 

The small party of three had taken a short stop at the location of the coffin, and had decided to camp there once Nathaly got the note from her brother. Kodiak paced restlessly, growling to himself. Nathaly had gotten dizzy just watching him stomp around tirelessly. Eithan just stared numbly at the coffin, unbelieving. Kodiak looked up and narrowed his sharp eyes at the Capulet.

"Why don't you try to do something useful?" Kodiak snarled. Eithan didn't look up but replied with equal fire.

"Don't try with me now, Montague," he warned, deadly silent.

Kodiak's eyes flashed with challenge. "What if I do?" Unable to hold herself back anymore, Nathaly snapped her head up.

"Listen, both of you are acting like children and while you do, those two are running farther away. Have some honor and try to be respectful. Or even better, don't look at each other. I'm not your nanny, and I will not deal with your petty arguments for the rest of this trip!" Nathaly bit, straightening the parchment with a snap. They went silent and resumed their separate activities. Nathaly scanned every word, every letter, looking for anything else that could help them. Her brother's message was painfully blunt, stating facts and nothing else. Nothing to indicate that he had any love for her at all. But it was probably for the best; she didn't want to get distracted with any other thoughts but the mission. 

Folding the paper up, she got up and brushed the dirt off her cloak, which she had used as a pillow. 

"I'm going to bathe. Please, for the sake of my sanity, do not kill each other," she retorted dryly as she stumbled to the bubbling stream with her stiff joint. She set her bag on a branch, satisfied as it managed to hold the weight. She peeled off her tunic and trousers, stripped to her undergarments. She waded into the chilly stream, letting the water rush over her bare skin like whispery, cold hands. Tilting her head back, she let the water soak her scalp, a shocking cold. Nathaly relaxed and let herself forget her mission, her dreams, everything for a moment before she was snapped back into reality by the snapping of twigs. From the heavy steps, it sounded like a man. Grabbing knife she kept ready in her breast pocket, she clutched the hilt and glared at where the sound had come from. But it was just Eithan. Nathaly let her hand drop slightly, but still held the dagger in his direction. He barely noticed it-or her- as he greedily gulped the stream water. The clear liquid fell in lazy waves down his toned, muscular arms. 

Stop looking at his arms, she chided to herself. 

Clearing her throat, Eithan started. His eyes widened and he flushed before looking down.

Nathaly smirked. "I did say I was bathing."

"I didn't know you were bathing here," he said weakly and Nathaly waded to the bank, stepping on the mucky banks.

"Turn around, Capulet." Nathaly barked as she clasped her cloak around her sopping wet body. He turned as Nathaly squeezed the ends of her dark locks.

"What's the plan?" Eithan asked.

"Camp out, leave to the border in the morning. Then find them."

Eithan snorted, kicking at a smooth pebble. "Not much of a plan." 

"Do you have a better idea?" Nathaly brushed past him, jostling his shoulder as she did. She climbed up the steep banks and made her way back to Kodiak, who was observing his sword. He looked up, looking at her clingy underdress beneath her cloak. Her skin burned, but not uncomfortably. 

"I've set up our bedrolls. I'll take first watch," Kodiak said, gesturing to the neatly made mats spread around a small fire. Eithan glanced at her briefly before studying a map rolled out and stabbed into the ground with daggers. Their silver hilts gleamed in the retreating sun. His eyes ticked back and forth, marking every town, every city. 

Kodiak stood and leaned against a tree, crossing his arms as he did. Nathaly took out the letter again, worn from the kneading of her fingers. Her brother's handwriting, so familiar, relieved some of the tension. He had taught her well. She would succeed. There was really no other choice. 

Under the soft light of the moon, she felt sleep come for her. With the letter safely under her body, Nathaly succumbed to the darkness. 

She awoke with a start. Nathaly saw Eithan's sleeping form and the solid statue of Kodiak, still leaning against the same tree. She slipped out of the soft felt that had been placed on her, quickly missing its toasty warmth. The fire was long gone but Nathaly could still see the tendrils of smoke curling into the sky. 

The stars winked in the sky, like small diamonds on a large navy silk. They shined, their light never blowing out. 

"They astound me, as well." Kodiak rumbled. His voice was different from before, less savage and now softer, thoughtful. After a moment, she replied.

"I can take the next shift. You should sleep," she offered. He shook his head, once. 

"No, I couldn't sleep now." Kodiak sighed, sounding surprisingly weary.

"Well, I can't have you dozing off while riding on that creature. Lord knows how you control it." Nathaly shook her head with wonder while he barked out a low laugh.

"Good point." He turned fully to face her now, and Nathaly could make out the harsh lines of his beautiful face. While she would never admit it out loud, Nathaly knew the two men were handsome, very much so. But she also wasn't the type to gush and moon over pretty men, lose all sight of reason in their presence.

"You were the one who put the blanket on me, weren't you?" Kodiak's slight smile said everything. Nathaly felt fiery veins of heat spread through her and restrained a shudder. 

"I couldn't let you die of cold," he said with a half-shrug. "We need you if we're going to find them."

They stood in silence, watching over the wide sky of sparkling stars. 

"What's going to happen to them, once we find them?" Nathaly bit her lower lip as she watched Kodiak's face darken with the shifting clouds in the distance. 

"I... don't know. I know something worse will happen to Yasmin, because she committed more than one act of treason. I can't say." His voice was heavy and he slumped, hands dropping to his side. Nathaly felt her fingers fidget and resisted the urge to comfort him. 

"Were you close to Orion?"

He nodded, almost too soft to see. "He was like the vision of the Montague clan, what we all stood behind," he shook his head. "We believed in him." 

"That sounds nice," Kodiak looked at her curiously. "To have a family, so many people supporting you." She added. Nathaly smiled wistfully. "It's always been me and Calum. I've never had a family, parents, any of that."

His grip was like molten fire, searing into her skin like a brand. 

"I'm sorry, Nathaly," she startled at the gentleness in his voice, and the kindness in his wolfish eyes. They stood like that, enraptured in a trance they were powerless to break. Nathaly's mind scrambled for a reason for this feeling, this emotion that captured her helplessly. 

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," a voice snapped from behind them. Nathaly wrenched her wrist out of his grasp and whipped around to see Eithan glowering at both of them. Kodiak straightened, glaring back coolly.

"It's my shift," Eithan pointed out. "You two can go do... whatever you were doing at the campsite." Nathaly hurried away, not looking back. She couldn't look back, couldn't afford to become trapped again in those eyes.