Rudy stirred awake from a dream, sleep fogged mind trying to remember shreds of the dream but all he could remember was it was something important to him.  All that happened by trying to remember details was to wake him up further.  Letting out a sigh he left his room finding it would still be a little while until the sun rose.  Rudy huffed as it was far too early for him.
‘Rudy’

The boy jerked his head up automatically fully awake.  He couldn’t see her but there was no doubting the voice.  “Mom?” Resin.  Resin was dead but he would never forget her voice.

'It’s time to quit being a child Rudyard.  I need you to do something.'

The light rebuke was a stab to the heart.  His dead mom came back to chastise him?  It was wonderful to hear her voice but that was what she wanted to say to him?  It took a moment before the second part registered. “Alright, what?  Is it really you?”

There was silence.  Rudy waited for what seemed like forever though in reality it wasn’t even a full minute.  'Go north to the fjord.  There is a wolf searching for the hallows.'

“But is it really you?” Rudy tried to demand a response from the invisible voice.  It sounded like her, his heart ached for it to be her even if it started with a rebuke but what if it wasn’t her?  What else could it be?  Could a normal wolf pull off a trick like this?  Rudy’s mind circled around the thought but couldn’t think up a way to pull a trick and he’d label himself pretty crafty.

'It’s me.  Now go.'

That was what happened and what had led Rudy to the fjord.  It was a hike for him but doable.  It was good to realize he was getting in better shape but there was still a ways to go.  He was fairly certain it would be a long trip back.  He tried talking to Resin on the way but rarely got answers.  

“How come your talking?  Is it because of all the strange stuff going on?  Is it hard to talk?” Rudy walked slowly along the path unsure of where exactly to go. “Do you know where the other wolf is?”

'Just wait for her.' The voice stated.

Rudy snapped at a firefly that was nearby in agitation, spitting it out afterward.  They were as irritating as gnats at this point.  “I’m sorry mom.  I’ll do better.”

Rudyard Carpathius

This place was strange. In her short life, Fern has never seen any land like this. Everything seems to glow and pulse with heartbeats of their own. Blue fireflies shine in the darkness, flitting hither and thither, dancing to some unheard beat. Fern watches them with awe, tracking a small group before they break apart to find new partners. A sad thought picks at the edges of her mind conjuring images of a dead, decaying wolf.

With an angry shake of her skull, Fern pushes those memories away. With the trance broken, she starts to move again, slipping through the forest, winding her way in and out on some unseen path. Darkness seems to suit the gray wolf as she moves like a ghost across the land. The blue fireflies continue their ballet as they spin around her. Fern tries to ignore the glowing creatures, the thrill and wonder they ignite in her but they keep drawing in. Maybe she should stop and rest for a moment anyway…

Then a voice freezes the gray shadow in her tracks. ‘Fern? Fern why did you leave me?’ One paw hovers over the ground as the startled wolf tries to convince herself that she did not just hear her dead mother’s voice. Logic wins out when Fern pulls the memories of the woman’s death to the front of her mind. Meadow’s voice is silenced forever and Fern knows this. A shake of her head and the gray lady moves on.

Meadow is the reason she is here searching for the Hallows. She had been stupid enough to go get herself killed and leave Fern and her siblings alone in this world. A small growl escapes as she shuts down that line of thinking. If she can just make it to the Hallows and find Resin everything will be fine. At least, that is the mantra she has told herself every day since starting her trek.

The wind tickles her ear and Fern hears Meadow sigh sadly. ‘Fern I am sorry. Please, let me help you now.’ Fern bares her teeth and spits out angerly, “Shut up. You are dead.” It has to be the wind that moves her fur as she feels her mother brush against her chest. No. This is not real. She is dreaming and this is not real. ‘Please’. The dead woman begs her and Fern stops to yell out at the trees, “Whoever is fucking with me, stop it right now!”

A tear slips out her eye and down the fur of her cheek. Fern starts moving again, she has to keep going because this is not real. Suddenly, a group of fireflies flash brightly in front of her. ‘Follow the fireflies’. The words hold a quiet promise, a mother looking after her child. Fern screams into the night, “You died and left me alone! You can never tell me what to do again!” The angry words are filled with hurt and longing. As if in response, a blue firefly lands on her nose.

With a small growl, Fern questions the bug, “What the hell do you want? Come to tell me more unbelievable lies?” Fern didn’t know what was crazier, talking to a bug or waiting for the bug to reply. What has her life become?

Even as Rudy wanted to converse with his mom the night's quiet was broken with someone yelling.  Apparently, he wasn’t the only one hearing voices.  Rudy slipped quietly through the land of shadows, the fun he use to have sneaking up on others, his many days spent stalking his prey and his dapple grey coat worked well to make him hard to spot.  Surely this is who he was looking for but he wanted to be sure.

‘That’s her.  She’s come to find our home.’

“Alright mom,” Rudy answered softly, “Please, don’t leave me though, stay with us for the walk back?” His words whispered softly to the wind to not have them picked up.  Fireflies still flew all about and their blue glow certainly didn’t make things bright as a day should be, it didn’t help him hide either.  Seriously, their numbers were irritating, especially when he wasn’t in the mood for them.  Oh well, mom wanted him to help someone.

“I was sent to find you,” Rudy spoke as he approached, “I assume it's you anyway.” The boy was stepping around some rocks and brush to come into sight, appearing a moment after speaking. “Thanks,” not that she’d understand why but this wolf’s need to find home let Rudy hear Mom's voice.  He was grateful even if it wasn’t something she’d intentionally created herself.  He wanted to ask her who she was, why his mom was concerned for her, let her know he was but for now a simple greeting.  After all, she was having an argument with someone else who was apparently dead.  He could wait for a deeper conversation once she was done with them.

Rudyard Carpathius

An angry expression rests on Fern’s face as she waits for the firefly to answer her. Imagine her amazement when the small bug talks! Mouth falls open as the firefly blinks on her nose. Jaw works as she tries to form words and make a coherent sentence. Just as she prepares to talk to the bug again, it takes flight and darts toward brush. Eyes follow the blue light as it moves and spies a gray wolf stepping out from behind the brush. Eyes lock on his pelt, searching him, inspecting this apparition of the night.

For a moment, the fireflies once more capture Fern’s attention. They seem to gather around this new wolf, hovering over him, waiting to dive in and touch his fur. Her jaw once more slackens, hanging wide as she watches him. He was sent to find her? Fern casts a glance back behind her before looking back to the firefly man. Realizing her mouth is still agape, Fern quickly clacks her jaws shut and tries to adopt a neutral expression.

With the quirk of an eyebrow, the gray woman asks, “I have done nothing. Why do you thank me, firefly wolf?” The bugs seem to like him, landing on his back and darting away quickly as if they are playing with him. Is he even real? Did the fireflies just summon an image of a wolf to ease her anxious mind? Gray head tilts as she tries to find the answer to this riddle. With a dip of her head, Fern says, “My name is Fern. Now, who sent you to find me firefly wolf? Are you here to show me the way?”

Perhaps this is what her mother meant when she said to follow the fireflies. Maybe he can lead her to the Hallows. A soft breeze tickles her ear and carries the soft sounds of laughter upon it.

Firefly wolf?  Admittedly the dumb things were all over him.  Rudy’s ears flicked back as he snapped the air, grabbing several in his mouth just to turn his head and spit them out afterward. “Yuck,” grumbled before looking back to Fern.  She didn’t know he’d been sent huh?

“I’m Rudyard Carpathius.  Mom, that is Resin, sent me.” Did she know who resin was? “As to the fireflies,” lifting a rear paw up he scratched behind an ear, shaking off another one, “They should all drop dead.  Worse than gnats.”

Rudy glanced about, “Mom?” The boy called out, “Still here?”  Technically he had done what she said, would she just leave him now?  That wouldn’t be fair!  “Mom?” Another more plaintive call. “I love you!”  He knew Fern might wonder if he was nuts but what if these precious moments were all he had.

‘I love you too Rudy,’ the words hardly more than a bit of wind but, he made it out.  Was that it?  He looked about for a moment as if to try and see her before giving up and looking to the charge he was to take care of. “Sorry, I just, I miss her.” The raw sentiment opened up the stranger, “I’m guessing you know her in some way?”

Rudyard Carpathius

The neutral expression turns to horror as Fern watches the firefly wolf snap his jaws through the air and gather the floating bugs in his mouth. Turning his head, the wolf spit the fireflies to the side and grumbled his disgust at them. Okay… maybe he is a real wolf. Shaking her head, the gray lady uses the movement to slip her mask back into place before looking back at him. When he offers his name, Fern dips her head slightly.

Rudyard’s next words have Fern’s heart soaring. All those weeks spent searching for Resin, for safety, have finally come to an end. Happiness spreads through her chest, making her dizzy and giddy with relief. A smile appears and a genuine laugh bubbles up as Rudyard talks of the fireflies. Maybe now she can rest comfortably, not having to keep one eye open all the time. She wants to dance and sing her thanks to the lightning bugs around her.

So, when Rudyard looks around and asks if Resin is still here, Fern turns her gaze to the trees around her, searching for the woman Meadow had told her so many stories about. As the moments tick by and Rudyard calls out mournfully for his mother, a cold wedge of fear lodges its self in her gut. No, no, no! Not like this. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. Resin was going to take her in and protect her. Anger coils in her chest as hot bitter tears sting her eyes.

Rudyard calls his love to his mother and Fern’s world crumbles. Everything that she had been searching for, every hope and dream she had, dies in that moment. Back legs give out and Fern sits heavily on the rocky ground. Blood pounds in her ears as Rudyard tells her that he misses Resin. A sad smile appears as the tears roll down her cheeks.

Blurry eyes watch the gray man’s mouth move but she cannot hear his words. Blood thunders in her ears as her breathes start coming in rapid succession. Muzzle lowers toward the ground as Fern closes her eyes trying to block out the world. Lost. I am lost and all alone. What am I going to do now? Fear squeezes her heart and, for moment, Fern thinks she might explode.

The wind caresses the fur on her cheek, lifting a tear away. ‘This is not the end.’ Really? Because it feels like it, mom. Taking a slow, deep, shaky breath, Fern tries to regain her hold on the world. After a few more deep breathes, Fern is able to open her eyes to look at Rudyard. When Fern finally speaks, her voice quivers with emotion, “Resin… is dead? How did... she die? When... did it happen?”

Fuck. Her head is really starting to hurt. The blue bugs still dance in the air and their lights seem to mock her. Fern wants to lash out and swat at them but her butt feels heavy. Anxiety attacks always make her feel tired afterward but another question is nagging her. Had she accidently sat on some of the fireflies?

Rudyard

You take a breath in, trying your damndest not to accidentally inhale any more fireflies but suddenly you feel your breath leave your lungs before you exhale. You cough, an unnerving amount of fireflies, more than you're sure you've accidently ingested this whole time, fly from your open gaping mouth.

Maybe you shouldn't have done that...

Fern

As you practically collapse onto your butt you feel something shifting beneath you, as if you sat on something alive... Many somethings. It grows stronger and you feel something crawling beneath your skin, moving up from your rump, if you sat on any fireflies you can't imagine it would feel like this. Like they've gotten inside you somehow...

Maybe you shouldn't have done that...

Rudy felt his heartache but it was diminished from the old pain of when it was fresh and the end of Resin’s life so fresh in his mind. He watched the wolf in front of her and acknowledged even a blind pup could see she was suffering in some fashion on her own.  
Rudy gave her some time to get herself together, gave some time to remember mom, and tried to imagine the good times versus the final days.  Then of course she asked the one question that brought every single painful memory to the front of his mind.  How had she died?  Rudy’s eyes did a double-blink, swallowing back the tightness in his throat.  Actually, there was a lot of sudden tightness..

Rudy had just breathed in but suddenly his air was gone, the throat passage blocked.  Mouth opened, jaw stretched to the limit, head down with his teeth visible, and with his eyes squeezed shut Rudy coughed and gagged to push out whatever was stuck in there.  It was coming out but it was a horrible sense What was it?  A bit of horror pricked his mind as Rudy opened his eyes and saw his imagination correct.

Fireflies.  Fireflies.  He had felt most of them leave but even now a few had landed on his muzzle or perhaps just crawled out having not been fully forced out from the cough? Rudy swallowed a breath of air, pulled back his lips in disgust, shook his head and another firefly that had been sucked in came back out.

“The hell,” the boy snarled and coughed.  Were they all gone now?  Geeze he could just imagine the feeling in his throat of more walking around, it was his imagination right? “I, a moment,” he’d answer her question but for a moment he was going to shut his mouth and just breath in air through his nose, focusing inside and deciding what was imagination and if anything real.  How, how could there be so many fireflies?? He’d been spitting them out, sure a few could have been swallowed but not like this!

Rudyard Carpathius

An uncomfortable feeling starts at the base of Fern’s tail. Something starts to crawl on her fur. The gray girl ignores the sensation, noting that there are still tons of fireflies in the air. Her attention rests on Rudy, waiting for the details on what happened to Resin. Watching him carefully, Fern’s gaze narrowed as she tries to decipher the young man’s expression. There is sadness in the depths of his eyes and a pang of guilt strikes Fern. She had rushed him and asked too so many questions. Resin had been his mother and Fern knew the acute pain of losing a parent.

More bugs must have landed on her fur because the skin on rump feels like it is crawling. Trying to shake off the strange feeling, Fern feels the need apologize to Rudy for asking him such a raw question so soon. Just as he sucked in a breath, the smaller wolf opened her mouth to stop the conversation, she did not want to push him too quickly. However, Rudy’s face morphs and his head tilts down and jaws spring open. A loud, wet, buzzing cough erupts from him and Fern stills. Since when do coughs… buzz? As Rudy gags and coughs, the gray girl watched as fireflies exploded from his mouth.

Suddenly her legs feel weak again and, for a moment, she is glad to be sitting. The bugs fly away, darting off into the darkness as Fern starts in wide eyed horror at Rudy. This is a joke, right? Some magic trick done to scare and terrify the new wolf into not messing with him… Right? Her mind reels as tries to justify this unnatural phenomenon. When Rudy snarls and coughs out his dismay. The shock turns to concern as Fern moves to stand to go help him.

Suddenly, the feeling of bugs crawling on her skin becomes more pronounced. Something seems off and it takes her a moment to realize the feeling isn’t on her fur, the crawling seems to be coming from under her skin. Eyes round even wider as Fern feels bugs skittering across her muscles, making her skin jump, and nerves fire off randomly. She tries to convince herself it isn’t real; the sensation is just a figment of her imagination and she needs to help Rudy.

Taking a tentative step forward, Fern feels the bugs shift and start skittering up along her spine and into her neck. Gritting her teeth against the urge to plant her butt and try to scratch out the bugs, the gray girl calls out to Rudy, “You okay Rudyard?” Concern hangs on her words as she slowly walks toward him. The skittering sensations increase until Fern can’t stop herself. Haunches meet the ground as Fern leans heavily to her right. Back leg shoots up to scratch roughly at the skin on her neck.

Whimpers bubble out past her clenched teeth as she tries to rip the bugs out of body. Tears shine in her eyes at the extreme discomfort as she digs, roughly, into her skin. A cough causes her to pause in her task of ridding herself of the bugs to check on Rudy and Fern watches him in his misery of coughing out fireflies. Turning her face toward the sky, she screams out in frustration, “Why are you doing this to us? Please stop! Please!” Skin crawls and Fern returns to her fierce scratching, whimpers of discomfort escaping every now and again.

Rudy finally decided they were all out.  He looked at Fern and saw her own strain for some other reason entirely.  His brow furrowed but then his head lowered, snapping up grass in his mouth, chewing it, and swallowing.  The need to put something down his throat to try and erase the feeling after them crawling in there.

“Fine,” Rudy didn’t like whatever was going on, shocked and startled by it but this wouldn’t kill him.  His gaze rested on her again to puzzle out what was her strain from.  “What's wrong with you?” Rudy would be stopping for freshwater as soon as possible.  There was water nearby but it was a tease, ocean water heading inward.  Then again, water with salt might not be great for drinking but it might be what she needed?  “Want to get in the water?  It might help?”  It depends what was wrong but if some irritation on her skin was causing the horrible itch then water might be the solution.

At her scream out Rudy tensed for a moment of surprise before sighing, “It’s alright,” he assured Fern softly, “Whatever it is, choking me on fireflies won’t kill me and I’m guessing what's wrong with you is more extreme discomfort over dangerous?  Let's go back to the hallows, get out of this patch of land.  Unless you want that bath first?”

“I don’t think it's something sentient anyway,” the boy added after a moment, “What could do stuff like this?  I don’t know what it is but what sort of creature could make these things happen? The earth is just doing strange things, at least that’s my guess. I can tell you about Resin on the way back.”

Rudyard Carpathius

It Continues for Rudyard...

Huh? It doesn't seem like anything happened... Well, maybe that's for the best...

It Continues for Fern...

Huh? It doesn't seem like anything happened... Well, maybe that's for the best...

Rudy’s voice is lost on the squirming wolf’s ears. It takes Fern a moment to focus on his voice and understand what he is saying. When the question of bathing causes Fern to shoot Rudy an incredulous look. It takes another moment of furious scratching for her to realize that he has no way of knowing that the itch isn’t on her fur. The bugs still skitter under her skin and while it does not hurt her, the sensation of bugs crawling on her muscles and bones causes the gray girl’s stomach to do somersaults. Still, seeing Rudyard’s unease with her discomfort, Fern ceases her harsh scratching.

Aqua gaze finds Rudy’s golden yellow eyes and she offers him a tight smile. Muscles twitch as nerves still register the bugs racing around inside her. Voice wavers as Fern tries to explain her predicament to Rudy, “I… don’t think that will help… they aren’t on my skin.” One eye starts to twitch as a rather bothersome firefly scampers along a rib. Taking a deep breath, Fern tries to relax the tense muscles of her body as she enlightens Rudyard, “I think the fireflies are… under my skin.”

Another whimper and Fern shouts into the night before returning to her frantic scratching. Ears perk and listen to Rudy as he talks, trying to keep her attention on something, anything, other than the bugs that are inside her body. While his thinking is sound, Fern doesn’t think she could do much walking at the moment. Even when she stops scratching, her muscles still randomly spasm and twitch. It will take take him much longer to return to the Hallows if he takes her with.

Luckily, Fern feels a brief respite from the creepy crawling sensation in her body. Pulling herself up a little straighter, she looks back to Rudy. For a moment, the gray girl weighs her words, and necessity to know about Resin, carefully. When she speaks, Fern tries to keep her voice even and determined, “Look, it isn’t safe out here. Whatever is causing this, sentient or other, is still dangerous.” Pausing, Fern lets the words sink for a moment as one of her shoulder’s spasms from the bugs in it.

With an annoyed huff at her twitching body, Fern tells him, “Maybe you should go back to the Hallows without me. I would just slow you down right now. Hopefully, your pack is semi-safe from these strange happenings of the night.” Her voice is strong but not stern, letting him know that she would prefer if he left her. The anger that laces the last words is not directed at him but at the situation they find themselves in.

Fern tries to turn away from him, to drive home the point as she adds, “Go home Rudyard and please… be safe.” Wobbly back legs push off the ground and the smaller wolf takes a cautious step away from the last link to her mother. With every movement, her muscles twitch and ripple under her coat.

They weren’t on her skin?  Rudy looked dumb for a moment but the realization was dawning about the same time as she started to also explain. “Maybe Gwyn will know something to help, she’s a healer and, my sister.”

Words weren’t going to help her, Rudy was ready to try and pin her down to stop her from scratching too hard when she slowed herself down.  He opened his mouth to tell her she was only going to hurt herself worse but then decided there was likely no point.  The problem was a lack of ability to control self not that she didn’t understand.

Her suggestion got a scowl from Rudyard and an indignant sneeze.  “That’s a good joke,” Rudy grumbled softly, knowing she wasn’t joking but she might as well have been for the odds of him taking it seriously.  Rudy stretched out his legs and cracked open a yawn as if he could care less, then snapped his mouth shut fast as a firefly flew towards it.  The bug got a glare for its distance and Rudy stepped to one side because of course there weren’t fireflies everywhere of course.  Ugh, he hated them now.

“Even if I hadn’t come looking for you, even if you didn’t know of Resin, even if you were annoying I wouldn’t leave you like this.  However, you did know my mom, my mom did tell me to find you and I find you to be perfectly nice.  No.  I won’t leave you.  I’m Rudyard Carpathius a knight from the hallows and we don’t just leave someone to suffer.  I’ll go when you come with me.” A pause, “Do you need me to carry you?” The question was asked gently, hoping she wasn't one to get injured pride at the offer. The problem was if she couldn’t control her body she might just fall off while writing to the feeling of the bugs.  

Rudy felt the wind blow against his fur, felt an annoying firefly tickle his ear.  He didn’t hear his mom in the wind though.  That was it, huh?  

Rudyard Carpathius

As Rudy speaks of his sister and how she is healer, Fern shakes her head. There has been a deep-seated urge to run away from any healer she has seen since her mother’s passing. When she tries to convince Rudy to leave her and go home, she hears him huff out about a joke. Joke? It wasn’t joke, she had meant it whole heartedly. If there was a safe place with good wolfs to go to, Fern would have already been leaving, if she had been in his place.

His words reach her ears as she tries to slowly walk away, Fern’s rippling, twitching muscles finally starting to relax as the feeling of bugs under her skin lessens. Does he not understand how she is trying to give him an out? Rudy could walk away right now, forget he ever saw her and Fern would gladly sink back into obscurity. When he says she is nice, Fern’s head shoots up to look at him with distrusting eyes. As he states his name and rank, the gray girl lowers her head to focus back on the task of walking only to shoot back up at his next words.

Her mind reels from his question, not understanding why someone she had just met was willing to carry her. Fern’s eyes search his face, trying to figure out if he is mocking or belittling her. Was Rudy really just this nice? Why wouldn’t he leave her to suffer alone? Stopping in her tracks to look more fully at Rudy, Fern finally says, “Rudy, you don’t know if I really am nice. We have known each other for less than an hour! I could be putting on a façade for all you know!” Why was she mad at him for being so kind?

Anger clutches at her chest and straggles her heart as she gets ready to berate him for trusting so easily. Just as she gets ready to unleash her rage, the light shifts and she sees her mother Meadow standing in Rudy’s spot. Her mother’s bright, innocent smile and friendly nature shinning at her. For that moment, Fern is a pup again, laughing with her mother, learning about herbs and animals. A memory floats out of the ether at her of Meadow singing her to sleep after another pup had been mean to her. The words she spoken while holding the small, crying Fern echoes in her ears, ‘There are bad wolves and there are good wolves. Today you met a bad one. But you will meet so many who are kind and loving’.

Fern’s eyes widen in surprise and she feels tears prick the back of her eyes. The memories flood her, drown her and buoy her. She longs to reach out and hug her mother once more when, with a blink of her eyes, Meadow vanishes and Rudy is standing back in his spot. A beat passes, then two as Fern stands frozen staring at Rudy with wide, sad eyes. She feels hallow, a shell of who her mother thought she would be. With a shake of her head, the unshed tears slip down her cheeks and disappear into the fur.

Another heavy sigh passes her lips as Fern folds her back legs and lets her trembling body lower itself to the ground. This is all too much. The fireflies, her mother… the kindness. Looking at Rudy with sorrowful eyes, Fern tells him, “I don’t deserve your kindness Rudyard. There is so much you do not know about me. You should not place your trust in others so easily.” Fern’s energy is quickly waning as the last of the twitching subsides, leaving in its wake, a bone deep exhaustion. Muscles are slackening and she hears the calls of the dream realm.

Heavy eyes blink away the sleep as she looks tiredly at Rudy. Seeing his determination and loyalty, Fern huffs another sigh. “I do not deserve your loyalty, Rudy. I do not deserve your kindness. However, if you are so insistent, I will join you at the Hallows.” Sleep filled eyes droop as the weight of the night events take hold. With a great effort, Fern reopens her eyelids and says, “I just need to sleep a little. I will meet you there tomorrow.”

Laying her head on the ground, Fern hopes he will leave her to sleep off the exhaustion. When she wakes up, she will entertain the idea of keeping her word. For now, her eyelids start to their slow march down.

Rudy’s eyes stayed on Fern, listening to her words, a gentle expression in his gaze.  She was one of those who didn’t understand something as simple as kindness.  Well, Rudy had dealt with that before and he could handle this again.  Someone had to lift the burden of those who couldn’t carry it himself and Rudy’s shoulders were strong enough for that, his will was strong enough for it.

She showed less sign of needing to scratch so that was good.  The motley wolf heard her words but it wasn’t like she could sway his decisions.  Inwardly Rudy felt a bit of amusement at the idea of someone he just met thinking they could change his opinion.  They learned eventually how bullheaded he could be. “I could list off all the reasons I know you’re nice,” Rudy offered quietly, “but, I imagine that can wait till tomorrow.  Need something to talk about on the way back.”  There was no concept of accepting her notion of leaving.

She did finally decide to see it his way.  Honestly the fact she wanted to sleep first was a relief considering Rudy would prefer to rest as well.  She wanted him to return and come back for her?  That was also silly but there was no need to argue.  “Rest well,” he offered.  “I’m gonna go get a drink before I go anywhere.”  A drink then he could keep an eye on her afterward.  

As she was lying down Rudy turned and walked off to head towards the water.  Out of sight and out of mind he’d drink his feel and wait for a while.  He gazed skyward letting a bit of time pass before getting back up and heading to where he left her.  Rudy wasn’t sure if she was asleep or not but with all his training in sneaking around for the fun of spying in early days and then for hunting the boy was good at remaining unseen.  The shadows of night were also his friend.  Once he determined she was asleep Rudy lay down a few feet away then let out a slow sigh.  Sleep sounded good but things were strange out here so best one of them be awake.  Once they were back at the hallows Rudy could get some good sleep in.  So he’d lie there and quietly wait for her to wake up.

Rudyard Carpathius