This Small Abandon

They had been walking in silence.

As they traveled further into the forest, the temperature had dropped considerably. The branches and leaves that separated them from the sky had hidden their view of the stars and the moons. All that was for certain now was that night had fallen and they were surrounded by creatures they could not see. Their chirps, their howls and whistles echoed. A faint rustle, a sign of foreign movement, could be heard every time they hiked over a fallen log. On the rare occasion, they would gaze back into glowing, peering eyes above them before they disappeared with one blink.

Miraye shivered, rubbing her arms.

“The first thing I'd like to do when we get there,” she thought to herself while kicking away a pine cone, “is take a hot bath”.

They had to leave immediately. In their rush, she only managed to wipe the blood off with a damp cloth from the tavern. But she still felt uncomfortably tainted as she longed to wash the grit from her hair and dig out the traces of flesh and deceased life under her nails.

On top of that, every part of her illicit a cry of silent pain when she stretched out her limbs. She was covered in dried wounds that opted to reopen if she pushed her skin to the limit. Tic had used up of what he could do with the young girl. Not to mention, he had already resurrected her from death – any other healing methods were inconceivable.

She didn't want to appear weak.

After what seemed another eternity of wandering through the woods and following the S.I.N.K. member, Miraye reached out and gently grasped Tic by the shoulder. He had flinched at contact and as though reminding himself of who he was with, eased his posture before turning to face her. There was a perplexed expression in his eyes lit by the ghostly atmosphere of the moons above and the flare in his hand.

“We've gotten as far as we can at this point. We should set up camp,” she suggested.

“Yeah,” he replied, quiet and a little distant.

They had found cover in the hollow of a large tree nearby. It felt even colder within. Despite that, Miraye still shed off her cloak. Her bones rattled at the feel of chilled wind against her skin.

“Do you think we should make a fire? It might attract some unwanted attention...”

“Shhh. Watch,” she instructed him.

Miraye closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of the soil and dried leaves beneath her. She lifted her head and exhaled gracefully into the sky and raised her palms off the forest floor. A small indigo flame bloomed at the spot. It made no signs of an ordinary flame as no smoke fluttered from its licks and no burning aroma from its waves. It spread warmth to every corner of the wooden cave and lit the smallest crook.

She slipped off her glove and waved her hand over and through the flame.

“It won't hurt you,” she noted, not looking up at him as she did the same with her other hand.

Reluctantly, Tic followed suit.

“It feels like feathers,” he awed as he cupped over the fire. “How'd you...?”

“Someone taught this to me long ago. We won't have to worry about anyone spotting it since this light will only be visible to us.”

She didn't want to say that this was the first time she actually tried the spell since her childhood. He might ask her of who it was that gave her this skill. Curious to know if he was sharing her reckoning, she stole a glimpse of him behind her hair. Tic was smiling to himself in a small astonished way as he continued to run his fingers over the indigo bloom. Considering he had been engulfed in flames earlier, it must've been a relief to play with fire that was comfortable to human touch.

They unpacked some necessities for the night. Water. Food. It felt rather pleasant to fill her void again after a full day of physical feats. The two consumed their rations under the noises of the unseen creatures, both seeming to reflect on the day and where the future may lay.

Miraye was now nested underneath her cloak, staring into the indigo. Tic had volunteered to take watch for the first round that night which she was grateful for. Even though she had supplied her body with nutrients, there was no denying that the last of her magic had drained her. She needed to replenish with rest.

But she couldn't sleep. She was beyond exhaustion to do so.

She looked up at him. It took him a while before he finally noticed she had been staring at him. His face twitched briefly.

“Do you have any brothers or sisters, Tic?” she asked.