The quiet settled like snow. I could literally hear the blood surging through my ears. Dante breathed sharp and shallow, his face buried deep into the bark of the tree. I could feel the breathing rhythm of his body against me, as his lungs worked hard.

Doing as I'd promised, I kept my eyes shut, but listened intently to the forest around us. It was as though the world had switched off. Not even the rustle of leaves broke the silence. The longer it went on, the more I felt the urge to take a peek. When I thought I could no longer stand it, the cold came.

Like a solid, physical presence, a wave of icy cold air passed over my body, from head to foot. Feeling it first, Dante quivered and literally shrank tighter to the tree. I gripped closer to his back, wishing I could get right in under our clothing to him. Body to body. The drop in temperature hit so sharply that my fingers and toes lost their sensation and I panicked about losing my hold.

Dante must have realised I was letting go and he slowly slid us down to the ground. By the time we reached the forest floor the terrible cold had passed. He spoke to me in his usual manner, so I assumed that the threat had gone.
"You can open your eyes now, Tyke."

I did so, but I wasn't quite ready to let go of him physically.
"What happened?" The time had come for answers, I had tired of doing as expected for no apparent reason.

Dante wrenched himself free from my grip and turned to face me. He looked tired and drawn.
"I have no words to describe it. You have to believe me, this is not something you want to mess with, okay?"

"Alright, I get your point, but I still want to know what's really going on here. Why is daybreak so dangerous? As far as I remember, it never used to be. Why won't you trust me with the truth?"

My indignation at constantly being treated as a worthless child by this man I adored, carved an open wound in my heart. He obviously had no idea of my inner turmoil.

He took a step back from me and stared, unflinching into my eyes. His intensity made me feel uncomfortable.

"I don't think it's such a good idea to tell you everything just yet, Poll." His voice had softened and I could spot a hint of regret in his manner. Something I had not expected to hear. "The rebellion is working on something new. They have a strategy for checking and controlling what's living in each region every morning, let's say that I know we are in safe hands now."

"Oh. Okay."

Message received and understood. If he had no intention of taking me into his complete confidence, then I would be under no obligation to trust him completely either. Although, it was pretty clear to me that I would anyway, against my own better judgement. I took him in, standing there in the pale, virgin light of the new day. Somehow he didn't seem that much older than me anymore, he had the expression of an older teenager, kind of lost, but awkwardly sure of themselves.

"Why don't you try telling me the truth for once?"

It burst out of my mouth before I could stop it. He raised his eyebrows and gave a big sigh, his shoulders drooped under an unknown weight.

"Can you cut me some slack for once? If I start to explain it to you, we'll be here till tomorrow morning, trust me, let's get moving, please. I'll give you everything you need to know in due course, okay? Can we agree to get on with it for now, please?"

His open, clear and honest eyes led me to believe that he'd given me the truth. So I'd have to be content with it for the moment. However, that was all I intended to be content with.

"Alright, what do you propose we do next?"

Dante pulled at his backpack and brought out a canister. He crouched down on his haunches and unscrewed the top, no longer agitated or distracted by our surroundings. Once open, he poured a thick, brown liquid into the plastic top of the container. It steamed in the cool morning air.

"Here." He offered the cup to me. "Drink it up, it'll do you good."

I took the cup and pressed it gingerly to my lips. I ran my tongue over my lips to taste the liquid. Sweet and spicy, it made my taste buds come alive. I took a big sip. The resulting euphoria of flavour brought me down to my knees, to the same height as Dante.

"Wow!" I shivered with surprise. "I've never tasted anything like that before."

Dante grinned and took the cup from me, draining the remaining liquid for himself. He looked at me and smiled. An honest, friendly smile.
"That's good stuff, yes? Real, naturally produced maple syrup and ginger root. I found it myself, the stuff we're given on rations doesn't bare any kind of resemblance. Now let's get moving, we need to clear the forest before the end of the day."

We both stood up and stretched, ready for the walk. I guess I would have followed this man anywhere, a realisation which unnerved me.

We continued through the trees, battling our way against dense undergrowth for the next few hours. Neither of us had the will or energy to pass the time in frivolous small talk. The sun had lost its strength of the day before, and the canopy of branches shielded us from the worst. Abundant birdsong and the odd rustle of some animal or other scampering away from our approach kept us company.

Taking a quick rest, I sat with my back against a broad, leafy tree, and took off my trainers.

Dante sat on his backpack opposite me, rubbing the sweat from his face with his sleeves. He watched me as I slid my left foot from the sock. The little toe had crusted with dark blood, and I'd lost all sensation in it. He kneeled forward, slipped off his backpack and got out a bottle of water. Reaching over, he poured it over my foot, gently easing away the dried blood. That's when the sensation in my toe came back tenfold.

"Ah! Damn it, Dante."

He sat back and glowered at me, his lips pursed tight. Then he put his hand inside his jacket and brought out a small spray can.

I looked down to see what damage had been done, the outer edge of my little toe had gone, the flesh red raw. Gasping, the sting of the wound made itself known.

Dante rested his hand on my ankle, holding it steady. He shook the can, then glanced up at me.
"This is going to hurt for only a few seconds. Be brave and don't scream."

"Since when do you think I'm the type of girl who screams? I can't believe you'd even make that assumption."

Dante shook the can again and as he started to spray a light red mist over my toe, I swore I saw a glimmer of pleasure in his eyes.

It took only two seconds before I scrunched up with agony.  A blinding fire of pain forced its way right into my bones. Unable to breathe, let alone scream, I struck out at Dante, slapping him hard across the face.

"Hey!" He jumped up, yelling at me. "Don't blame me, you ungrateful little beast."

Catching my breath, the throb of my foot began to settle down. I hardly dared to look at it.

"Go on." Dante touched his cheek while it began to turn red. "Take a look, not that I expect you to thank me for it."

My toe was pink. Bright pink, but more surprisingly, it had completely healed! I wiggled it, testing the reflexes. The nerve endings functioned perfectly and the pain had completely gone.

"Wow. That's some powerful stuff."

Dante bent down and picked up my blood stained sock. He leaned close to me and frowned, then smacked it across my nose.

"Now we're even. Get yourself together, we have to go."