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Henry adjusted his pack, nodding toward the road now that lunch was finished.

"We should get moving. There are Rock Snakes along the main path, we can use them for combat practice before night falls." Dura beamed.

"And they don't do much damage, so if someone gets hurt, we can work on your blood issue without it being too much." My stomach flipped, and I swallowed the instinctive urge to blanch. I'm going to have to deal with that eventually. Might as well get it over with.

"Right…" Dura's eyes softened, catching something in my tone. She let the others move ahead before falling into step beside me, her hand ghosting against mine.

"I won't say it'll be easy," she murmured, voice low enough for only me to hear, "but you've got Thomas and me. We'll get you through it." The ache surged again, diving deep into my chest, clawing for more. I forced it down and nodded, hoping the smile I managed didn't look as strained as it felt.

"I know. Thank you. Just… don't take it personally if I'm still twitchy." She shrugged, completely unbothered.

"I don't expect you to magically be okay just because I'm here. That'd be stupid. Just remember you're not alone, yeah?" The ache warmed, turning into something molten that spread slowly through my veins. A faint, heady fog followed, making it harder to string words together.

"Got it," I managed, my throat suddenly dry. Thankfully, she didn't notice. She gave my hand a brief squeeze before drifting a few paces ahead again. The warmth vanished instantly. Ice flooded in, the tug snapping tight in my chest. I sighed inwardly. Knowing what it was helped, but if it stayed this insistent, traveling was going to be a problem. I fell back into step, shoving the thoughts aside as I shifted Volpe from my hood into the crook of my arm. He huffed in protest but allowed it.

I scratched behind his ear with a quiet laugh.

"Yeah, yeah. How dare I interrupt your lounging, but you won't want to be up there once we start fighting, so you might as well relocate." This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Volpe shot me a deeply unimpressed look. I raised an eyebrow, unfazed.

"You really want to be bounced around in my hood? Because that sounds miserable to me." The little fox deflated with a reluctant huff. Time shook his head, glancing back with a faint, amused smile.

"You have a way with children, I see." I shrugged.

"I've had plenty of kid patients over the years. Seeing them upset was the worst—I learned pretty fast how to talk them down." He hummed.

"I imagine their parents appreciated that." Anna and her father flickered through my mind. I nodded.

"Yeah. Some took longer to warm up than others, but I figured it out." It helped that Anna had been so friendly. Shy, but friendly. Shaking the thought away, I continued, "Kids are easy once you figure out what they care about. Get them talking about their favorite thing, and they'll forget what upset them in minutes." Time tilted his head, considering that, but before he could respond, Maya hesitantly stepped out from behind Henry, her eyes locked on Volpe.

"Can I pet him?" she asked, hopeful. I shot Time an amused glance before looking down at Volpe. The little fox curled tighter into himself, making his answer very clear. I turned back to Maya with an apologetic smile.

"Doesn't look like he's ready for that yet. Give him some time, we've got the whole trip to Latica." She pouted, the beginnings of a sulk forming, and I quickly pivoted.

"Have you thought about what you'll ask Nature? It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, since she created so many creatures." Her expression lit up instantly.

"I have! But there's so much I want to know! Adan says I shouldn't ask too much, so I need to pick, but it's really hard! I could ask about fish, or wolves, or birds, or-." She launched into an enthusiastic ramble, barely pausing for breath. I turned to Time with a satisfied smirk.

"Tada." Dura grinned, warmth written all over her face as she nodded along to Maya's adorable stream of words. Time chuckled, though something heavier lingered beneath the sound.

"A child's tendency to ramble… it was one of the many things I was told I would need to grow accustomed to." His voice dropped, barely above a murmur.

"I wish I had the chance to be bothered by it." The raw grief in his tone pulled at my chest and I nudged Time's shoulder lightly, choosing my words with care.

"If you and your wife ever decide to try again, you'll do fine. You've pulled me out of more trouble than I can count, and that's not even touching what she's done. Taking care of a toddler can't be harder than dealing with me." He scoffed, but a small, reluctant smile tugged at his lips.

"I doubt I will ever seek out fatherhood again, but… thank you." I waved it off.

"Just stating facts. I've seen enough bad parents to recognize a good one when I see it." His expression dimmed slightly before he shook it off, turning to Henry.

"Shall we begin training, or would you prefer to wait until later?" Henry, bless him, caught the shift immediately and nodded.

"Now's fine, if Dominicus will take my pack?"