GEACOB

   "Here, hold still." I said and poured the whiskey over her wrists. She let out a cry and I shushed her again. "It need's to be cleaned."

   "But it hurts."

   "Of course it does, but it still needs to be done. You're lucky these didn't get infected on your way from Florn." Actually, they looked bad enough that I feared they may already be infected, but I didn't dare say that or she'd be whining about it for days I'd bet. "Last time. Then the ointment Trinna sent with us."

   "Who's Trinna?"

   "Nevermind." I gripped her fingers so she wouldn't pull away. She whimpered and started crying again. "It hurts."

   "How old are you? Eight? Nine?"

   "I'm nearly fourteen!" She said, insulted.

   "Then act like it!" I snapped. "All you do is cry." 

   I found the ointment in the bag and twisted the jar open. When I looked at her next, she was biting her lip hard as if physically stopping herself from crying. I felt a little guilty, thinking about all she'd been through and sighed. "Sorry." I told her, putting the ointment over both her wrists, then I reached for the cloth. "I know it couldn't have been easy taveling with Fat Biddy. If it makes you feel any better, I'll have you know he's dead."

   She tensed a moment, then relaxed. "Actually, it does." She admitted quietly. Then, "I'm sorry I keep crying. I'm not used to... I've never seen anyone die before."

   Definitely had a sheltered life then. "You get used to it." I said. "Not that it's any comfort." I added and started wrapping her other wrist. "I never killed anyone before tonight."

   "Really?" She sounded shocked.

   "Really. Hurt some people, but never killed anyone."

   "Is that why you're an Outsider? Because you hurt people?"

   "Ranger." I corrected. "We're not outsiders."

   She huffed as if irritated at hearing it repeated. "Outsider. Ranger. What does it matter? It's only a name."

   "Outsider implies that we're outside of everything. That we are nowhere of importance. But we're everywhere. We're Rangers. We range across places that others cannot reach. We belong to no kingdom, but range them all. The world is our own personal kingdom." 

   Finished wrapping, I picked up the whiskey again and went to lift her shift. I realized my mistake when she flinched away from me. "Just your knees." I promised. "I know they were bleeding at The T."

   Her face flushed in embarrassment at the memory but she lifted her skirt herself. They weren't as terrible as I had assumed, but still needed cleaning and there was a splinter or two that needed digging out. I leaned closer and tried to pinch it with my fingers.

   "You didn't answer my question." She said quickly, as if to distract herself from the pain.

   "What question?"

   "Why are you an Out... a Ranger?"

   I got one splinter out and worked on another. "I don't remember you asking that." I said, but answered. "I was raised as a Ranger."

   "Raised? Your mother was a Ranger?"

   I got the remaining splinter out then washed both knees with whiskey, making her jerk and hiss. "Anywhere else?"

   "Feet." She ground out and lifted one. I shifted for a better look and grimaced. She yanked her foot back. "What is it? They're ugly aren't they?"

   I raised my eyebrow at the odd question. "You've been dragged through ash, dirt, and filth." I reminded her. "If your feet were beautiful at this point, I'd call you a witch." I took her foot back forcefully. "They're tore up bad and it looks like they were burned, too. Charred even."

   "In Florn." She said quietly. "I walked through the city. My parents' house... I hadn't noticed the pain at the time."

   "This will hurt." I said simply, expecting her to complain.

   She shrugged instead. "They don't stop hurting so do what you need to do, so long as you promise they'll feel better afterwards."

   Still, she cried out when I began to clean the wounds and this time, I didn't blame her. Chunks of her skin was actually missing and other parts hung in flaps. Really, I'd like to have burned most of it off to ensure there would be no infection, but I wouldn't do that unless absolutely necessary. In fact, I wondered how she had been walking at all.

   But then, as I wiped away miltiple layers of dirt and grime, I realized what was causing most of her pain was a twig stuck an inch into her foot and broken off. Puss leached out from around it, showing infecton and I grimaced again. The rest was only scrapes and minor cuts.

   No, the flaps of skin had actually healed that way --- must have done so by being on a horse most of the time instead of walking on them. Even where chunks were missing, they were only scars now. I had a feeling most of it had been done before she was captured and had healed along the way with the help of the ashes.

   I decided I wouldn't tell her this and instead simply wrapped her feet, keeping the skin close together and hoping it would heal together over time on its own.

   Done, I handed her some shoes and then carried her over to the stream and gave her the cloth. "To wash yourself." I explained when she looked at me oddly, then set some clothes on her lap.

   She grimaced at them. "Pants. I can't wear these! They're for men!"

   I gave her a look. "They're clean and convenient. If you want to keep wearing your shift, you're more than welcome, but I thought you'd like these better."

   "It's a nightdress." She mumbled. By her face, she didn't think it was much better, but nodded. "Very well, then."

   "I'm going to catch some dinner." I told her.

   She perked up. "If you could find some deer, I'd be happy. I've been craving venison."

   I went to hunt, severly hoping she had been jesting seeing as there as no reason whatsoever to take down a whole deer for one person, even if I managed to come across one

ALIENA

   I had very little skills at hunting. I had the knowledge, knew the tricks, had even watched it done and joined others on hunting parties. However, that had been rare and were usually for furs and so wolves or snowbears.

   My aim, however, was good. Especially with the crossbow and I needed some meat to feed the wolves as well as keep for myself.

   I'd finally made it past the mountains and into the sparce trees that dotted the land, covered in trails of all kings, I set a few snares for rabbits, then went off in search for bigger game, staying down wind seeing as I smelled heavily of wolves. I spotted pleanty of fresh tracks, indicating the thickness of game and it was only an hour before I spotted a deer.

   I was a practiced walker of snow, but not so much on twigs and sticks. Lucky for me, the storm had covered most of it and I was able to move close enough to the munching deer to shoot it.

   I crouched to keep myself better braced and lifted my crossbow, pulling it back as silently as I could, then aimed and let loose.

   "Yes" I shouted when I got the young buck in the neck and rushed over to it, setting my mitts aside. I pulled out the long, thick leather I would use to pull the carcass after I cut what I needed from it. That set, I went to work.

   After splitting open the belly of the young beast, I immediately went for the heart and cut the sinew away, then the spongey substance as well and, holding the heart, I spoke to the Mother, thanking her for the food and promising not to waste it. That done, I ate the heart, tough with muscle but filled with hot blood loaded with what I needed to keep going. I saved a bit for Chia, wiped my face with snow, and found the purple-pink liver. I slived a few pieces off to eat as I walked but packed snow around the rest. I made sure to cut up through the bottom of the jaw to reach the tongue as well and packed that in snow too for a tasty treat later.

   Then it was skinning and cutting the meat --- the harder part.

   Hours later, I had the deer skin rolled up and packed with salt and snow, plus a sack of the most choice meats also packed with seasalt. I hauled the deer carcass with the remaining meats onto the leather and stuffed the ribcage with the rest of the organs, not leaving anything left behind except for red stained snow. I tied it down, then wrapped one rope around my hips, the other under my arms, picked up my crossbow, and headed back, dragging the carcass behind me.

   The wolves went crazy at the smell of fresh meat and I lay out the deer and organs then removed my own food before letting them off their leads. As they ripped and chewed over the carcass, Chia being the aloha she was being sure the pups behaved, I built up a fire with the last of my coal and began skinning the rabbits I'd gotten on the way back, nibbling at the liver as I did though only a little --- I'd give the rest to the wolves in the morn.

   I melted some snow to use in order to make stew with the rabbit and then built my shelter up for the final time.

   Final, because from here on, I could no longer take the sleigh. I'd send the wolves back in the morn and leave on foot from now on. I could only take as much as I could carry and live of the land from there.

   So using wood, I set half the meat to smoke down into jerkey and the rest I salted thoroughly and packed tightly. The skin I cleaned and scraped then hung above the fire to dry overnight. On a stick, I cooked the tongue and chewed it while I packed the stew into the bladder and buried it in the snow for the next day. Then I filled another bladder with snow --- I'd put it under my blanket to melt overnight so I could have water in the morn to start my journey.

   Then I went though my pack.

   It was harder to narrow down than I thought it would be, but I packed my flint, axe, small-saw and twine. My needle and some thread along with some ointment, herbs and cloth in case I was injured again. My pinky itched at the thought.

   I washed the small iron pot and packed it, stuffing it with bags of salt which I still had pleanty of. This still gave me room for the meat in the morn. The rope I would coil around the leather once it was dried which I'd roll a single fur in, I'd hook my bow and quiver onto my bag, shove the whiskey in my pocket, and tie the bladders, blades, and bolts to my belt.

   Lastly, I hung the rabbit furs up to dry as well to later make mits or to line some new boots in case it was needed --- having to cut off my own finger had made this a priority, even above water at this point.

   Just before the sun set, the wolves were full and sleeping so I searched the carcass one last time and added two new things to my bag --- a jar of brain matter in case I needed to make glue, and some sinew which I set up to dry overnight but would pack with the cloth as it was perfect for stitching.

   I wanted to take a few of the bones to carve up as bone knives or handles, maybe even some new arrow heads if I came across some good wood. I stopped myself though, knowing I'd be weighed down enough without bones joining the weight. Still, I eyed the skull for a bit and decided to boil and clean it one night in case I needed to grind some herbs or to better eat stew.

   Wary of any wolves or bears that may come at the scent of so much blood, I dragged the carcass away as well as the blood soaked snow on the leather and washed myself as best I could. Returning to my shelter, I leashed all the wolves but Chia who would stay in the shelter with me to help keep me warm on this last night. I shifted the coals, checking to be sure they'd keep going all night, then went to bed with my bladder of snow, knowing it would be the last time I'd sleep with the safety of the wolves near to warn me of danger.

   I hugged Chia close and she nuzzled my arm, full and content for the first time in weeks. The deer had been a good catch, I thought to myself as I fell into a deep sleep.

LORYN

   "Loryn? Are you even listening to me?"

   "Huh? I mean, pardon?" I came back into focus to see the Ranger boy giving me a bland look.

   "I was talking about the objects in the vision." He reminded me.

   "Oh." I said. "What about them?"

   "The five objects. The talon necklace, the rose ring..." He motioned to our jewelry. 

   "The eye, the wood bark, the scale. Yes, I remember." They were seared into my memory as if planted there, unable to forget though any who listens knows I've tried. "What about them?"

   "The silver eye. The silverwood bark. The mermaid scale." He emphasized. "When I was thinking on it before, I assumed they represented the five castles burning, but now that I know it's people I've noticed the silver eye doesn't exactly fit with Nascia. Ovbiously its a necklace of some sort around someones neck, someone else who had the same vision as us."

   "Mm hm." I nodded along.

    "So that makes sense to me now, but I'm assuming since you came from Garden City, the needle didn't point south-east like mine had."

   "North-east." I agreed.

   "Right. So we can assumed that we were meant to meet each other. Maybe the others are the same and we're supposed to meet up with them somehow. So I assume next we either go to Tark in the east or Averton in the west." He tapped the ground as if seeing a map drawn in the dirt. "Most of the Rangers that came thorugh The T were heading east due to the richer fields. It's less guarded there compared to Averton and Dargolyn. Nascia is simply too difficult to reach at this time of year. Tark is going to be especially dangerous now, so I say we try for Averton. The problem is, the pass through the mountains aren't well known so if whoever has the silverwood necklace was supposed to head our way, would he or she even know to go through the pass? It would be much safer than Mountain Road, but a lot slower, and the Rangers are... Loryn are you even listening to me?"

   "I want to go home!" I burst out. "I don't care about the stupid vision or whoever else is out there! I'm cold and I'm tired and I don't want to walk anymore! I just want to go home!"

   Many emotions crossed his face, from surprise to anger to pity. Finally he just looked tired but his tone was firm enough to make me listen.

   "To where?" The question was demanded.

   "T-to home."

   "What home, Loryn? Do you have family somewhere awaiting your return? Does anyone even know you're alive? Say I take you back to Florn, where are you going to go?"

   I wiped fresh tears from my eyes and looked down in shame because I couldn't answer. My father was dead, my home gone, no one knew I was alive. I had an aunt in Dargolyn, but she and her husband lived so close to the castle that she had more than likely perished, too.

   I heard Geacob sigh. "Look. We had these visions for a reason. I have no idea why we had them, or where they're leading us, or where they came from, or even how long it will take to figure it al out, but I just killed to figure it out. Worse, I broke two of the Ranger Laws to do so. If you're coming, I need to know now. No more whining like a child."

   "I am a child. I'm thirteen."

   "Nearly fourteen. And I'm only fifteen. My age isn't stoping me and I'm not wallowing around in self-pity, sobbing about the cold and pants when, for the sake of all the gods that listen, it's not even that cold!"

   "Feels cold to me." I mumbled, then I remembered something he'd said. "Rangers have laws?"

   "Only three. Don't kill each other, don't steal from each other, and don't rat on each other." He ticked them off with his fingers. "I killed to steal you, breaking two lays. Now, are you going to grow up and help me find the other three, or am I pointing the horse toward Garden City and sitting your arse on it?"

   I thought a moment, fiddling with my ring. "I don't trust you." I told him. "I don't trust Outsiders."

   "Noted. So are you coming or not?"

   I didn't have much of a choice. "I'll go with you." I said, tugging the uncomfortable shirt tighter around me. "But I want a cloak. A warm one." He sighed and when he started to remove his black cloak, I added quickly, "A clean one."

   He threw up his hands. "Find your own way back to Florn---"

   "Okay! Okay! Alright!" Please don't leave me alone. "I'll come with you. Give me your cloak."

   He glared hard at me but removed his cloak and threw it at me. Before I could even sort it out to put it on, he was grabbing onto my waist and tossing me up on the horses back. He picked up the reigns and started walking the horse toward Averton... and further away from Florn. I couldn't help but look toward the south and think that turning away intentionally was even more of a commitment than being stolen from it had been.

ALIENA

   With the last lead removed, I took out the meat I had saved for them and tossed a slice to each of them except Chia, who waited patiently at my feet for the remaining heart. I pet her as she chewed away and forced the tears back, determine to keep strong, though it was hard to turn them away when I had already lost so much.

   I had always felt Mother in Chia the strongest, so I spoke only to her. "Mother, please send these wolves back safely, and I beg you to help guide me further along my path than the vision has."

   Chia barked and I laughed when it cause me to jump. I kissed her fur then stood and gave her the order she knew well.

   "Home, Chia."

   She barked again and went off, nipping at Cogo as she went by to get him on the move, knowing he was the laziest of the bunch. The eight wolves followed their alpha back toward the north and I watched them go until I could see them no longer.

   Fighting the urge to scratch at my missing finger, I hoisted my bag, looked one last time at the camp where my shelter still stood and my sleigh still lay near a tree.

   Then I abandoned them, heading south on foot.

   All by myself.