Anarchy

A cold, sharp wind slammed into Yuki’s face, jolting her awake. Yuki was still dressed in the same attire that she fell asleep in; A tattered leather vest, tattered heavy duty pants and bracers. She shivered and sat up, reaching for a blanket that wasn’t there. She frowned and got up, hissing as her wounds chafed against the freezing open air. She pressed her arms closer together, and let her gaze fall onto the snow.

A high pitched scream jolted her out of her thoughts, and she quickly glanced around her, trying to locate where the scream came from. Her ears pricked up, and she nearly stumbled getting up. As soon as she got up, however, another blast of cold air slammed into her, nearly knocking her on the floor. She heard the high pitched scream again and frowned. The village was safe from the bandits yesterday; had the bandits sent for reinforcements before hand? Yuki shook her head and began to stumble forward, towards the sound.

But soon it wasn’t just one scream; screams of terror filled the air as she pressed on, the sounds of people fighting encouraging her to keep moving as fast as she could. As Yuki ran on, the sounds of yelling and growling became clearer to her.

Growling?

Yuki frowned and was nearly knocked aside by two soldiers, both which didn’t seem to notice her. “Hey! Where are you going? What’s happening?!” She called after them, but they still ignored her. She attempted to call again, but the wind ate her words, causing her to scowl. She followed their tracks as fast as she could, still limping as she nearly tripped in the snow. The scenery drastically changed as she blinked and moved forward; one minute the snow was there and the next, she was surrounded by a forest.

When had she made into the forest? Had she been so busy chasing the soldier that she didn’t notice? Yuki didn’t care at this point, though; the sounds of screaming and fighting still rang through the freezing air, and Yuki wasn’t one to leave it alone. She continued stumbling forward, trying her hardest to make it on time.

The screams got louder when a vaguely familiar black blur passed her. Yuki blindly ran on, when tripped on something. Yuki tumbled to the ground, cursing as she landed on her side. Yuki groaned, rubbing her head before opening her eyes to curse some more at what she had tripped over, only to find the sight of a dead hybrid like her.

A very familiar dead hybrid, to be exact.

“Aseir?!”

-----
Yuki woke up with a wild cry, sitting upright with a thin layer of cold sweat. Her hand flew to her chest, her heart pounding wildly, as if she had ran to catch something.. someone, perhaps. Whatever it was, she couldn’t remember. She remembered calling out a name, though, but who was it? She only knew that whatever it was that had happened, it was something so terrible she knew she didn’t want to remember. Yuki pulled her knees up and placed her head in between them, closing her eyes as she breathed in and out slowly.

She felt someone shaking her shoulder gently. “Wha..?” She groaned and then hissed; her wounds still hadn’t healed completely, making it difficult to move. She opened her eyes, still blurry from yesterday, and blinked a few times. Yuki’s ears flicked belatedly as she finally cleared her vision to see a villager. “Oh, hello.” She said in a tired, defeated voice.

“Bad dream?” the villager asked.

Yuki nodded before pulling a weak smile. “It’s probably nothing though.” The villager eyed her before nodding.

“It’s almost time to work, but if you need to, you can rest.” He smiled at her, and then left with a gentle pat to her shoulder. Yuki watched as he left, before she finally decided to get up herself anyway. She didn’t want to risk having another nightmare if she fell asleep again. However, instead of working, she decided to look for someone to keep her company.

Unfortunately, as much as she liked the innocent villagers, she felt that she couldn’t talk freely with them. There was only one person she could think of right now, and even then... she didn’t know what to make of him.

Jeremy. She felt, deep inside, that he only meant well. She had never.. clicked this way with anyone else, and she didn’t expect it to, but he made it.. well, click together. She didn’t really understand; his actions were so contradictory, yet... she couldn’t help but feel that he was really a good person inside, someone she could trust.. Yuki sighed softly and rubbed her aching temple. Somehow, even from walking, she began to have a headache.

Perhaps it was also from the nightmare.. but she didn’t think on it too long, pushing it from her mind.

In a drowsy manner, she dragged herself outside, looking for where Jeremy was. She hadn’t seen him at all since the fight the other day; even though he said he was going to go eat, she didn’t see him at all at the campfire when she arrived. Where did he go, anyway?

Yuki caught the attention of a nearby villager. “Have you seen Jeremy around, by any chance?” She asked, her voice low and rough, coughing a bit to clear her throat.

“That boy that was with you...? No, I haven’t, but I don’t think you should go looking for him. We all talked about it last night, and well, we all agreed that he’s awfully suspicious.“ The villager nodded, closing her eyes for a moment before looking back at Yuki. “It’s only for your and our protection.”

Yuki nodded in response, but didn’t say anything. While she did disagree with the villager, there was no way she could prove that he wasn’t a bad person.

In the end, Yuki went looking for him anyway. It didn’t take too long; he was leaning against a tree in the outskirts of the village, only visible if you looked hard enough. However, the scene that she had stumbled across made her pause.

Jeremy was leaning against a tree, reading a book. That much was normal. However, leaning against his leg was the young girl she vaguely recognized as Adriyll, sleeping under Jeremy’s cloak. Yuki smiled and leaned against a tree, crossing her arms as she watched them. There was no way Jeremy could be a bad person after seeing this.

Suddenly, Jeremy spoke. “Is there something you wanted, Yuki?” he softly called out, not even glancing up from his book.

“Not particularly.” Yuki said in a soft tone, walking closer to them and sitting down. “I just wanted to sit with you, that’s all.” She lied, pulling a tired smile.

Her statement sounded strange to him. “And why would you want to sit with me for some reason instead of with those ‘innocent villagers’?” he asked.

Yuki simply grunted softly and continued to sit next to him, her tail hitting the ground softly. “Because.”

“Whatever.” He said, turning another page in his book.

Yuki only smiled at his response and gazed at the sky, sighing softly.

“Something’s bothering you, isn’t it.” Jeremy suddenly asked, still not looking up from his book.

Yuki stiffened; she hadn’t given anything away, had she? Frowning for a second, she continued to gaze at the sky before shaking her head. “Not at all; I enjoy your presence.”

“Whatever you say, then.” He said, as he continued to read from his book. “I’m not entirely sure why you would enjoy my presence in the first place, though.”

Yuki stayed silent and watched the clouds roll by. She didn’t trust herself enough to talk; everything might’ve spilled out. The last thing he probably wanted to hear was her nightmare, so she sighed instead.

“Yes, because constantly sighing shows how much you enjoy my presence.” Jeremy spoke up again sarcastically right after she sighed, still staring into his book.

Was he even reading that book? Yuki wondered. “I did not sigh.”

“Yes, because you were clearly not sighing for the third time only seconds ago.”

Yuki grunted, resisting the urge to sigh. “I can’t win in an argument with you, huh.” She said softly, still aware that Adriyll was still sleeping. Yuki glanced at the sky, following the flap of a bird’s wings and saw that the sun was beginning its slow journey. “It’s already near afternoon, huh.” She muttered.

“I didn’t know we were arguing. Since when?”

“Just a phrase; I know we weren’t really arguing.”

“So, what’s wrong?”

“I had a nightmare, and in that nightmare..” She frowned, trying to recall the nightmare back, “I don’t remember the details, but I know it was bad. I remember waking up in snow, people running and screaming.. Etro, the screams were horrible.” She shuddered and drew her mouth into tight line.

Jeremy paused after hearing her. “Remind me why you would rather tell me this...? I’m technically just a stranger you met the other day, remember?”

Yuki nodded. “I don’t feel like I could tell the villagers something like this. Besides, you asked me what was wrong.” Her tail thumped against the ground softly as she shrugged.

The book in his hand snapped closed with a shut as he finally stopped reading. “Well, I suppose you’re right, I did ask. Well, how do you feel about it all right now, now that you’ve already told me this much?”

There was a silence before she answered. “Better... as if a weight on my chest has lifted for the moment.”

“I see. Well, telling others about it does do that, I suppose... There’s not much I can say about that, though. Your dreams are a part of your subconscious, so there’s probably a reason as to why you had such a nightmare.”

Yuki nodded. “That’s true.” She said softly.

“As for that reason, there’s no way I would know at the moment. I must say, however, in the future please try not to rely on me for such things. It would be better if you found someone you truly trusted.”

Yuki kept silent and let her gaze fall to the floor, where she idly drew figures in the soft ground. She hadn’t really expected him to be the solution to her problem, but having him listen was better than having to push it out of her mind constantly. His words rang especially true, considering he was, technically, only a stranger, having met him just a few days ago.

The two of them continued to sit there silently until Yuki decided to stand up.

“Okay!” Yuki exclaimed, forgetting about Adriyll’s presence. “I’m going back to work now. Thanks for listening to me.” She smiled at him before walking away.

“Mm.” Jeremy grunted in acknowledgement before flipping open his book again, turning back to his book. Adriyll continued to sleep on, apparently undisturbed from Yuki’s exclamation.

When was she going to wake up, anyway? His legs were starting to get stiff!

-----

For Yuki, it wasn’t long before the village was almost complete. True, there were a things here and there that still needed to be fixed, but the villagers insisted that they could take care of it.

“Oh no, there’s no need for us to take up more of your precious time, Yuki. Please go on ahead on your journey; don’t let us hold you back.”

For Jeremy, on the other hand, the time spent restoring the village lasted for an eternity. With only Adriyll around to bother him, the time he had wasted there only served to set his schedule back further than he would have liked.

In fact, many of the villagers kept their distance away from him. Many were quite suspicious of his intentions after his display with the ten men who had taken Adriyll hostage.

And that was what he had wanted.

It was only too bad that Adriyll continued to bother him every day, but there wasn’t anything they could do about it now.

Speaking of the 10 men, the last one that had been knocked out by his drug turned out to be alive, much to everyone’s surprise. He was quickly caught and killed by Yuki, so there wasn’t much of a problem for them there. That served to help further lower his reputation, of course, but Adriyll still continued to bother him regardless. He didn’t really understand why she was so tenacious about keeping him company.

But it was no matter. It was finally time to leave.

Yuki’s limp wasn’t so prominent by that point,which Yuki was glad of since limping made it harder to do everyday things. Putting on her belt and her strap that crossed her chest, she looked at a villager. “Are you sure that you can build this all yourselves?”

The villager nodded and clapped her shoulder, the force of the clap making her almost fall. The villager, however, held her up. “Yes, I’m sure. You’ve done a lot for us already, and you’ve nearly killed yourself in the process too. Go on; we can finish it.”

Seeing no other point in the conversation, she simply let the villager have his way. “Alright then.” She walked over to Jeremy and smiled. “Are you ready?”

“Finally. It’s time to go.” Jeremy replied, snapping his book closed. He got up, stretching as ignored the hostile stares from the villagers. “I can’t wait to leave this place and find out what is going in Weis.” He turned his back towards the village. “So, which way is it?”

Yuki opened her mouth, only to look down in surprise to see Adriyll tugging on her sleeve. “What is it?” Yuki asked.

“Can I come with you?” Adriyll said bluntly.

“What about your family?”

“I don’t have parents. I don’t have friends or anyone else that really wants me here either.”

Yuki paused. Yuki was no stranger to having no immediate family around, and it wasn’t uncommon to see orphans in a time filled with war. But why had her parents left Adriyll all alone to a village that didn’t really want her? Why not in the city? Had the parents done something so wrong that they wanted to have a new place for her? Or did they simply not care?

Something felt weird about this situation, too. But couldn’t the other villagers do something about this? Why had they left such a young child alone by herself? Yuki, being curious about Adriyll’s situation, decided to go back and ask.

“Stay here.” She told Adriyll, before slipping back into the village. She didn’t even get the chance to ask to someone when she was already noticed by one of the villagers, however.

“Yuki! I thought you had already left! Did you leave something behind?” the villager asked enthusiastically.

“Oh, no, I didn’t. I was curious, though; there was this girl named Adriyll from your village, and—”

“Adriyll? ...Oh. That girl. Well...It’s probably best that you leave her alone.”

Yuki was shocked. Why should she, or anyone else, leave such a poor, innocent, and lonely girl alone? “Are you sure? She seems like a nice girl.”

“Her father came from a bad village, one near a bandit hideout and her mother came from a sleazy part of Ridtheyell. She’s bound to inherit some of those traits, and besides, it’s best if you leave her alone; she’s known to get underfoot and trip people.”

Yuki understood that eight year olds liked to be near people, since they were just starting to branch out, but what the villager said made her draw a tight line with her lips. Adriyll seemed like she was quiet, innocent, and not tainted by a sleazy mother or bandit father. So why would they leave an eight year old girl alone? There were other children, filled to the brim with love last time Yuki saw them, and there she had no complaints besides for the noise and stamina, but that was normal. However, when it came to Adriyll, it was the opposite.

Yuki nodded. “What about the other children then?” Yuki was hoping that if she could learn about the others, then maybe she could understand Adriyll’s situation better. From the villager, though, there was nothing but praise and a few complaints about the children being too loud or running underfoot when she was carrying a large pot filled with hot water. “And what makes her so special?” Yuki asked quietly, her voice lined with sorrow.

“Other than that sleazy mother and bandit father of hers, she always keeps her distance, and while that’s fine by us, she wasn’t really wanted here in the first place. The parents dropped her off here after long sessions of drunken love, if you could even call it that, and then left without a word of advice.” The woman shook her head. “No matter how you look at it, that child was the offspring of two people with terrible traits. She can’t be good news at all.”

“Traits don’t always transfer over.”

“That may be so, but both parents had nothing but bad news, so what good traits could have been passed down?”

“That doesn’t matter. I still believe Adriyll is a good girl!”

“Then you take her, since you think we don’t treat her the way she’s ought to be treated.” The woman huffed and challenged her with her eyes. “Unless she’s too much for even you?”

“Adriyll came up to me and asked me if she wanted to come. I will take her, and I will treat her better than you all do. While you’re all nice and hard working people, this is where our ideas differ.” Yuki said through gritted teeth before pulling a strained smile. “Thank you, kind villager. May your rebuilding be swift and before rain comes.” And after a hard slap on the woman’s shoulder, Yuki slipped back to Jeremy and Adriyll. “Adriyll, I know what your situation is. I’m willing to take you with us, but be warned, you will be walking for long periods of time.” Yuki said sternly as she stooped down to Adriyll’s level.

Adriyll nodded. “I understand.”

“Are you honestly sure you want to leave this,” Yuki motioned to the village, “behind?” Yuki’s ears tilted forward as she waited for Adriyll’s response. Her silver eyes locked with Adriyll’s dark green eyes as Yuki looked over her face for any sign of lying.

Adriyll spoke softly without hesitation. “Yes.”

Yuki stood up, nodding, before looking at Jeremy. “If need be, will you carry her? I can probably carry her all the way to the next city, which is McCrual, the port city.”

“No. This has nothing to do with me. You’re the one who promised to take care of her, not me, so you’re going to have to do it, or she’s going to walk.”

Yuki nodded. “Alright.” Yuki turned, and crouched down. “I can carry you for now.” And with that, Adriyll nodded, snaking her arms around Yuki’s neck and jumping into her outstretched arms.
And so they walked on towards McCrual, their next destination.

-----

“Are we there yet?” Adriyll asked.

Yuki sighed. “No, not yet.” She replied in tired voice. It had been many, long hours since they had left the village earlier that morning, and answering the child’s every question was beginning to be more than she could take. She looked over at Jeremy, who had spent the entire time reading a book while walking. How did he do that, anyway, without running into things? “Hey, Jeremy. You say something to her.”

Jeremy ignored her, keeping pace behind her without trouble as he flipped a page in his book.

“Jeremy.” Yuki grounded out. She was getting quite annoyed.

“What? Didn’t you say you’ll take care of her?” Jeremy said, studying a page in his book intently. Despite that he still kept pace with her, without tripping over anything or running into things. How in Weis did he even do that?

Yuki sighed. He was right yet again. She stopped for a second, watching Adriyll nearly trip before running towards Yuki and Jeremy, who was still studying a page in his book.

Adriyll ran on ahead of her as she sighed again. That girl seriously had boundless amounts of energy; it was all she could do to keep up.

“Hey, I can see it! That’s where we’re headed, right?” Adriyll shouted, much farther down the path as she looked back at them.

Yuki nodded wearily and waved back at her. “Yes, I suppose it is.”

-----

It took them another hour to finally reach the gates of port McCrual. Jeremy had finally snapped his book shut Yuki noticed, as they stood outside the city.

“Shall we head in, then?” Jeremy asked.

“Mhmm.” Yuki grunted. Now that they were in the city, she could buy and repair her armor and sword. She also needed to buy a cloak, one for each of them, since they were going to Weis during the winter months.

“I’m going to find something new to read.” Jeremy said nonchalantly as he walked off.

“Stay out of trouble.” Yuki called after him before holding Adriyll’s hand.

“And why would I get into trouble? You’re the one who’s more likely to get into trouble. Need I remind you what happened we we found the village under attack?”

Yuki opened her mouth before closing it. “Dammit.” She muttered under her breath, and sighed. “True.”

“Okay, I’m off. You can probably find me at the bookstore or library, if they have one.”

“Alright.”

-----
Yuki and Adriyll had been walking around the city at a comfortable pace, all the while repairing Yuki’s armor and buying new clothes. Yuki had all her equipment repaired, and enforced her leather bracers with a thin sheet of metal, making them scaled bracers instead. Adriyll had picked up a bow and quiver, experimenting with it a bit before Yuki came over and bought it. Adriyll, having her quiver and bow that crossed her chest, was content as Yuki made stops in the marketplace for daggers and the same ruby liquid that was wiped over her sword before.

The two had finished their business near noon, and had gone window shopping before walking around the city for a bookshop to meet up with Jeremy. It didn’t take long to find the bookshop and Jeremy, who was leaning on a pillar as he quickly flipped a page of a book every second, his eyes moving back and forth at an incredible rate. Yuki let go of Adriyll’s hand, watching with a smile on her face as Adriyll stood next to him and imitated him.

“Have you finished?” Jeremy asked without looking up from the book. Was he even reading it? There was no way he could be reading it at the rate he was flipping the pages, was he?

Jeremy closed the book when he flipped the last page and put it back on the shelf, before taking out another book and flipping through it just as quickly as the previous book.

Yuki walked over to the two of them, clutching a large bag in her hands. “I have, and I think I’ve fed Adriyll’s addiction to bows. Anyways,” Yuki turned to the bag and pulled out a large cloak and presented it to him, “I got all three of us cloaks in preparation for the trip to Weis. It’s still the winter months, which means in Weis, it’s in at least three inches of snow on the coast.” Yuki explained before folding it and putting it back into the bag.

“A new cloak, huh. I like my old one, though, so I’m going to hang onto mine.”

“Do what you will with yours, but for Weis, it’s better to have something that’s insulated.”

“I’ll take note of that.”

Adriyll poked him with the feathered end of an arrow before putting it back into her quiver.

“...What was that for?” Jeremy asked, putting the book in his hand back on the shelf.

Adriyll only smiled at him. “Not telling.”

Jeremy glanced at her with a blank face. “Whatever. So, where to, now, Yuki?”

Yuki rubbed her forehead and sucked in a breath. “This is where it gets tricky. There are only, I’d guess, about one in four boats that would take us to Weis, and even then, I don’t think without pay.” She sighed. “The main reason many wouldn’t want to take us is because the route itself is full of risks; rock filled waters, rocks on the coast of Weis that could easily break the ship’s hull, and not to mention there’s a part that is guarded heavily by the Duke. Running into those boats wouldn’t help the crew or their captain.” Yuki’s tail swung slightly as she thought for a second. “If we ask now..” Yuki then began to mutter to herself, drawing small circles in the air with her pointer finger before frowning and drawing a small x over it.

“And, If we ask now...?” Jeremy asked, looking at Yuki with his arms crossed.

Yuki snapped back to reality, still frowning. “If we ask now, we could attract unwanted attention. However, there are more chances of us catching a boat to Weis now than during the night, which is a slightly safer bet.” Yuki sighed and frowned. “Going from Weis is no problem, surprisingly. Getting to Weis...” She trailed off and began to mutter again before looking at Jeremy. She crossed her arms as well, her ears flicking as she muttered again. “Dammit, this is a bit tricker than I thought.”

“How so?”

“I was thinking about how I’d get all three of us on a boat, and even if I did bribe the captain, it’d be more than I could afford.” Frowning deeper, she looked at the ground before rubbing her face. “Well, I’ll pull it together somehow. Do you mind taking Adriyll for a bit while I search around for a boat?”

“Why not take her with you? She has nothing to do with me, remember?”

“Jeremy, there’s a possibility that I could get into a fight with a captain over the simple question of, “Can you take three people to Weis?”. If I were to get into a fight, having her there would be, especially with people that take children, harder to protect.”

“Make that two. I can easily find a way for myself, so don’t worry about my fee. And furthermore, she’s under your protection, not mine. I have no obligation to watch over her.”

“I understand that much.”

“If you do, then take her with you. You’ll manage just fine, unless your impulsive nature gets you into a fight again, but even then you’ll probably manage.”

Yuki nodded before drumming her fingers on her thigh. “Another thing we’ll have to face is where we’ll sleep; by the end of this day, I’ll probably be low on funds.”

“Then earn some money if you need it.”

She mulled on it for a long second, continuing to drum her fingers. “Well, there is a blacksmith who had fired an idiot who nearly chopped his hand off trying to make a blade. I’ll take that job, since the others include me being near humans a bit too much, and that could get me into places I wouldn’t want to be.” Yuki glanced at Adriyll before looking at Jeremy. “If that’s the case, then..” Yuki trailed off again before nodding. “Sorry about that, I just figured out how I’ll take care
of Adriyll. Anyways, have you found what you’re looking for?”

“Me? No, I haven’t. It’s never going to be this easy. But don’t worry about me, worry about yourself and how you’ll get to Weis.”

Yuki nodded before shifting her weight and shifting the bag to another hand. “I’m going back to the blacksmith to see if that job offer still stands. If you find an inn or a place to sleep, you know where I’ll be.” Yuki patted Adriyll’s head before holding her hand. “I’m off.” Adriyll waved at Jeremy as they walked away back into the marketplace.

Jeremy watched them go, before turning back to a new book on the shelf.

-----

Yuki walked into the largest building in the marketplace, the warm air from the fire slamming into her face. She didn’t mind it, however, as she found the blacksmith hammering away at a broken sword. She cleared her throat before straightening. “Excuse me, but I heard that you wanted another pair of hands to help in the shop earlier today, and I was wondering if the position was still available.”

The blacksmith turned to her after hammering the sword for the last time, getting up and putting the sword into water before smiling broadly at the two. “Yes! I did, and I see you have a timid friend there.” He crouched to the ground, his blue eyes twinkling as he offered his gloved hand to Adriyll. “Hello, I’m Ferghus. What’s your name?”

Adriyll only squeaked and hid behind Yuki, earning a chuckle from him. Yuki turned slightly, patting her head. “It’s okay Adriyll.” Yuki said in a lighthearted tone, but her words held some meaning to Adriyll, causing the girl to smile before giving Ferghus a small wave. Yuki rubbed Adriyll’s hair a bit more before turning back to Ferghus. “I have some experience working in a blacksmithy, as well as polishing and sharpening swords.”

“Perfect. The girl can sit on the chair in the back, near you, while you work. Is that okay?” Ferghus asked while leading them to the back, nearly hitting a stray sword. His tall figure cast a long shadow over the two, making it harder to dodge blades and swords on the ground, especially for Yuki who carried Adriyll.

“Yes, that’s perfect. Thank you.” Yuki said, smiling as she put Adriyll down. Yuki gently put her sword down, leaning it against the pillar before leaning it against Adriyll’s chair. Her tail wagged slightly as she set down the bag as well, and she looked at Adriyll. “I’m trusting you not to wander off or drop my sword.”

Adriyll nodded and smiled at Yuki. “I won’t leave.”

Yuki smiled back before messing up Adriyll’s hair endearingly. She didn’t think it would have been this easy to land the job, but now that she had she could at least get a steady income at the moment. Turning to Ferghus, who was bent over a furnace, pushing air into the burning coals, she asked, “What do you want me to do first?”

-----

It had been a long day working in the smithy.

Yuki rolled her shoulders as she stood up, taking a brief moment to stretch her back. She had let Adriyll stand outside for a little while, since there was soot and ash flying around, and that wasn’t the best for Adriyll’s lungs. Ferghus had also let Yuki shine and sharpen her own weapons, allowing her to save some of her funds for an inn to stay at. She had, however, used her lunch break to poke around the port. She had nearly gotten into a fight with two of the captains, and she still hadn’t found a boat that would transport three.

Yuki had found two boats that would transport two, but that would mean that she’d have to leave someone behind. In any case, at the end of the day, Yuki had collected enough for a single room at the inn, but wasn’t sure about Jeremy. She still needed to find him, too, but she pushed it from her mind as she wandered over to Ferghus, who was still laboring over a sword he had gotten earlier that day. The crack in the blade had deteriorated and caused the blade to snap in two when the user tried to pull the blade out of the sheath.

"Ferghus," Yuki started before coughing, "I wanted to thank you for letting me take the job opportunity. It means a lot, and I'm in a bit of a hard place right now." Yuki said softly, not pushing her throat. She had been coughing and sneezing from the soot and ash, since it had been a few years since she worked in a smithy.

Ferghus put one last blow to the sword before dipping it in water before turning to her. "No problem at all! If you're not busy tomorrow, I'd appreciate your skilled hands sharpening the dull swords in the back again."

Yuki smiled at him, her ears pricking up. "Perhaps, but thank you again." Ferghus slapped her shoulder while smiling, and Yuki went to pick up Adriyll and her things. "Alright Adriyll, it's time to go." Putting the sword on her back and helping Adriyll down from the tall chair, the two walked out of the smithy and into the sharp winter air.

Yuki and Adriyll went back to the bookshop, and saw Jeremy still flipping through books. “Still going through books?” Yuki said as she walked over, letting Adriyll give Jeremy a hug.

“Yea— Hey, what was that for?” Jeremy exclaimed in surprise at the embrace.

Adriyll smiled at him and continued to hug him. “You’re warm.”

The absurdity of it all rendered Jeremy speechless as he stared at the girl. Then, shaking his head he closed the book in his hand and placed it back on the shelf, before properly replying to Yuki’s earlier question.

“Anyway, Yuki, yes, I’m still going through these books. Haven’t found much useful, but that’s to be expected. So what did you do for the day?”

“I worked at the smithy, who had given me the job right away, and I just polished and sharpened swords. I got to sharpen my own weapons, and the smithy had said if I had the time tomorrow, then I could work again.” Yuki shrugged. “It wasn’t much, but I got a bit more money, which is enough for one inn room here.” Yuki rubbed her neck, hissing softly. “I haven’t worked in a smithy for a few years, so this is to be expected.” She continued to massage her neck, looking at Adriyll. “How long are you going to steal the heat from his body?”

“Until I’m warm.”

“That’ll take a long time.”

“Okay.”

Jeremy sighed. “If you want to steal heat, you can always hug Yuki instead. She’s been in the forge all day, so she’s bound to be warmer than I am. And Yuki, one room should be enough for you and Adriyll. I won’t be taking a room in the inn, so don’t worry about me, but... what about the fare to Weis?“

Yuki sighed and her expression dropped. “There were boats that would take two, but not three. I nearly got into a fight with a captain, who had been insulted by the idea of going to my home country. Granted, since he was a human, so I hightailed out of there.” Yuki sighed and visibly deflated. “If only I could find a hybrid captain that could take us.. tomorrow, perhaps.”

“That’s fine, actually. Go ahead and take a boat with Adriyll that takes two.” he replied.

“What about yourself?”

“Don’t you remember? Earlier I said not to worry about me and take two, I’ll manage just fine.”

Yuki raised an eyebrow at him, but didn’t press the subject. All she wanted right now was to get Adriyll and her a room to sleep. Although she had only met him not long ago, she felt that she knew Jeremy well enough to know that he had always managed whenever he said he would, and decided not to question him this time. “I’m going to head to an inn.. wherever that may be, and get Adriyll and I a room.”

“Yes, you go ahead and do that. I’ll see you in Weis.”

And just like that, Jeremy walked off.

“Not even a ‘I’ll see you later’?” Yuki muttered quietly before picking up Adriyll and setting off for an inn.

-----

The first thing Yuki awoke to in the morning was Adriyll’s grinning face near hers.

Yuki raised an eyebrow and looked at Adriyll. “So I take it this is a good morning.. I think I liked you when you were shy more, now that I think about it.” Yuki grumbled, and gently pushed Adriyll off. Adriyll landed similar to a cat before getting up and prodding things with the end of her bow, as if to test that the objects weren’t going to move. Yuki sat up and just stared at Adriyll in silence.

How did the shy girl that she first met turn into this?

Yuki pushed the thought away and sighed, swinging her legs over the bed and donning her sword and armor. Yuki then turned to Adriyll before noting that she needed to get new clothes for her. Yuki wandered over to the bag that held the cloaks and pulled Adriyll’s out, waving her over. “Come on, I’ve got to get you in this and see if it’s the right fit.”

It took the pair nearly twenty minutes to leave the room.

Yuki made her occasional stops in the marketplace before scouring the marketplace for clothes. Adriyll’s dress would have her freeze in Weis, and if Adriyll really wanted to be an archer, then wearing a skirt would only hinder her. Tapping her chin while thinking of possible outfits for Adriyll, Adriyll wandered off and found pants and a pair of heavy duty boots.

Yuki had bought Adriyll a scaled vest with two belts, one to hold daggers and another to hold a short sword. “Don’t draw the blade in the city unless you’re in danger.” Yuki said over and over between explanations of how to protect herself in a fight against people bigger than her. Yuki had returned to the smithy for another good portion of the day, earning herself barely enough to get onto a boat.

The two walked out of the smithy, heading back to the inn. Yuki had Adriyll put on the new clothes, and discarded the green dress, despite Adriyll’s protests. “Adriyll, the dress won’t serve you any good in Weis; you’d most likely freeze to death in the dress.” Yuki said sternly before having Adriyll walk out with her, the green dress laying on top of Yuki’s bed.

The two had walked along the port, and had found a boat that would take two to Weis. The captain had covered his head with a hat, and wore a dark blue robe. Around his waist was a curved sword, and he raised an eyebrow at Yuki when she had asked if he could take her and Adriyll to Weis. He stayed silent for a few seconds before grumbling out, “Meet me here at high moon tonight.”

Yuki nodded as she and Adriyll went back to the bookshop to find Jeremy, and Yuki walked over. Adriyll, this time, stayed by Yuki’s side. “Hey Jeremy.”

“Is there something you needed?” Jeremy asked, poring over another book. He had already reached the last shelf on the far end of the bookshop. Yuki wondered if he had actually looked through all the other ones, but decided not to ask.

“I’m just letting you know that I’ve landed Adriyll and I a boat to Weis.” Yuki rolled her shoulder before giving him a glance. “Are you sure you’ll be fine?” She still worried over his safety, even if he did manage to.. well, manage.

“I’ll be fine. Go on ahead.” he replied, turning the page in the book he was looking at. Yuki peeked at the page he was on, but couldn’t make heads or tails of anything that was depicted.

Yuki nodded before giving him a quick hug, then turned away. She managed to lead Adriyll away before she ran back and gave Jeremy a tight hug. Yuki turned and waited for Adriyll, a small smile on her lips. It was still cute how Adriyll clung to Jeremy, even when he didn’t want it.

Jeremy grumbled about the embraces both of them gave him, but made no movement in responses besides turning the page again.

Adriyll let go after a long minute before running back to Yuki. The two turned away from Jeremy and slipped back into the crowd.

-----

Yuki carried Adriyll, who was still drowsy, down to the port where they had first met the captain. She put Adriyll on the ground gently, and held her hand as the two waited for the captain.

“I suppose I’m late, huh?”

His voice startled Yuki, who jumped and spun around. “Oh, ah, hello. You startled me, but it’s fine, we were only here for a little while before you came.” Yuki added silently, And scared the living shit out of me.

He took off the robe and hat, flicking his long dragon ears. His ears had tufts of fur at the tips, but was covered in dark green scales up until that point. His long green tail gleamed in the moonlight as it swayed, and he shot the two a smile. “Yes, I’m a hybrid as well, which is partly the reason I decided to take you on my boat.”

“Then.. You must know what has happened in Weis recently.” Yuki said softly, her silver eye locking with his light green eyes. “Unless they’ve blocked off all communication with you.”

“No, no, I know many things about Weis in the recent years. Come, take your items on board and we’ll talk.” He ushered them on board, helping carry the sleepy eight year old on board. He put Adriyll in the room that was available, and Yuki set down her items before going up with him again.

As the boat set off, she sighed. This was going to be a long night for her.

-----

Yuki had gone to bed late, only to be woken up to Adriyll poking her with the butt of her arrow. “What is it Adriyll..?” She rasped out, rolling over and rubbing her eyes.

“Do they have practice targets?”

Yuki groaned and looked out the small window, then back at Adriyll. “Adriyll, it’s barely morning. Go back to sleep.. please..” Yuki barely had enough energy to keep herself intelligible. Adriyll, however, put her arrow away and crawled under Yuki’s sheets. “Jeez Adriyll, you’re freezing.” Yuki then pulled her into a bear hug before falling into a dark slumber.

It wasn’t until hours later when Yuki awoke again, finding Adriyll sitting at the other end of the room, examining her bow. Yuki groaned and rolled over, hiding her face under the sheets. The bright light irritated her eyes but it didn’t seem to bother Adriyll. Yuki sighed and swung her legs over, rubbing her face.

It only took Yuki ten minutes to put on her clothes and put her sword on, with a few difficulties with the strap. “Damn. I didn’t realize the strap was nearly broken.” She muttered to herself, only putting one strap on her right shoulder. She headed outside, leaning on a rail and watching the ocean before the captain walked over, standing next to her.

“Mind if I join you?”

Yuki turned around, glancing at him before smiling and turning back to the sea. “Not at all.”

The captain crossed his arms and swung his tail, his ears flicking before looking at her. “If you don’t mind me asking, how did you get so far from home?”

Yuki frowned and stiffened before relaxed. “I travelled, to put simply.”

He raised an eyebrow before inching closer. “Then, pray tell, how did you receive these scars...?” He trailed off as he reached to touch the scar under her eye before she slapped his hand away, growling.

“Don’t. Touch. My. Scars.” Yuki snarled out, curling her lip slightly and baring her fangs at him.

He backed up, holding his hands up in a pseudo-surrender. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean---”

“Save it for someone who will actually listen.” Yuki spat out before turning away, walking to the back of the ship and leaning on the rail to watch the sea again. Yuki growled as she touched her scars, a memory of the incident rising up and nearly engulfing her before she pushed it, far, far out of her mind. Yuki put her hand back on the railing, setting her mouth in a tight line.

Yuki glared at the sea before something tugged on her sleeve. She ignored it, swinging her tail irritably before she heard a small voice cry out. Yuki turned her head and saw Adriyll rubbing her arm, presumably where Yuki’s tail had whipped her. “It’s you, Adriyll. I didn’t mean to whip you; I was just.. lost in my thoughts.” Yuki struggled for words, her irritation still bubbling under the surface.

“Are you okay?”

Yuki was silent before turning to the sea again. “No, I’m not.”

“Do you want to talk about it, is what adults say, right?” Adryill asked, moving closer to Yuki.

Yuki nodded silently. “Sometimes.” The two stood in silence, listening to the sound of the ocean and steady rocking of the ship. It was a while before Adriyll retreated back to the room, but not before giving Yuki a long and tight hug. Yuki hugged Adriyll back before letting her go, and continued to watch the seas.

Now she remembered why she hated boat rides. They were long, boring, and when people invaded your personal space there wasn’t much room to escape. She sighed and shook her head.

This was going to be an extremely long, long day.

-----

Yuki turned around and saw the captain’s tail disappear behind a corner, and scowled. She still hadn’t forgiven him for what had happened. Yuki shrugged it off and headed up, once again leaning on a pillar. It was nearly evening, and the sun was casting a warm orange glow across the water. Yuki, leaning on a pillar, heard the captain walk forward but made no move to stop him. She simply crossed her arms and stared at the scene.

“You’re mad, aren’t you.” The captain said bluntly, keeping his distance.

Yuki growled, swinging her tail in an irritated manner.

“Annnnd here comes the sco---” He was cut off by Yuki’s hand suddenly slamming hard into his cheek, causing his face to turn and him falling to the floor. “Wha--?”

“Listen here, and listen well,” Yuki snarled as she loomed over him, her face darkening from fury, “I understand that you are a captain and deserve some respect, but you think that you can come up and attempt to talk me out of my fury?” She laughed a humorless laugh as she continued to glare at him. “I am not easily swayed, and I don’t appreciate you touching my face, as if I would let you do that and swoon. I expected better. We’re on this boat for a long time, captain,” she sneered, her eyes darkening, “and you’d damn well improve our relationship if you want to sleep well at night.”

And with that, Yuki walked away from him again before she heard him get up and walk away at a quicker pace than normal. It seemed he had taken her seriously, and that what she wanted.

-----

Three weeks have passed since that incident. Yuki, still refusing to acknowledge the captain despite his various attempts, was leaning against one of the masts on the boats again, staring out into the ocean, like she had done for the past three weeks. Adriyll had grown a bit more, and when Yuki would listen, bounced over the room in happiness. Yuki had chuckled when Adriyll wandered over to the captain to tell him, and nearly fell over from standing on her tiptoes. Yuki, for the majority of the time, had retreated to her room and fell into the arms of dreamless naps before getting up and wondering what to do when they finally made land in Weis.

If Jeremy was here, she was certain that he always knew what to do, even if she might have disagreed with him at times.

Trying to plan always caused her to fall back asleep, causing Adriyll to constantly trying to wake Yuki up only to somehow constantly manage to fall on her face. Adriyll’s only reply when Yuki asked her what she needed was, “Wakey.”

What her reasons were, it was beyond Yuki.

It was near midnight when Yuki returned to the top of the ship, enjoying the gentle breeze from the ocean. She walked to where she normally stood, leaning on a pillar as she looked at the night sky. Adriyll was fast asleep in the room, and Yuki had left her sword in the room as well. There was no reason to bring it out, since she was only star gazing.

Now on that she was on the deck, however, she realized how boring it actually was to stare at sky, and her thoughts began to drift towards her family in Weis. She was looking forward to seeing her two sisters again, as well as her guardian. It had been far too long, and because of limited resources, letters were rare. Yuki had told them not to send many letters to her, since she travelled around the country, making it hard to pinpoint where she was. Yuki sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She had missed her sister’s birthdays.. again. She would get them something. Or make them their presents.

Somehow.

Maybe she should give something to Jeremy too. Jeremy, Jeremy, Jeremy. She had grown attached to him, even though they had met in a short amount of time. She sighed before chuckling to herself. Even when they disagreed, she still considered him her friend. He was still a complete mystery, but she didn’t mind it; if he didn’t feel like telling her about himself, then, that was that.

But he was still a sarcastic ass sometimes. Granted, it was bound to happen.. but his sarcasm still irked her some days.

She was curious his abilities, though. He seemed more than competent, yet he never actually fought and inflicted damage on enemies. Yuki felt that she had enough common sense to see that asking about that subject was a bad route to go down on, though. So, like other subjects, she simply dropped it, despite her curiosity. She was also curious about the places he visited, since he had mentioned that he had travelled.

Wait. Why was she thinking so much about him, anyway? Stupid Jeremy. She barely even knew him, so why should she care about him?

She was better off thinking about something else. Like her childhood. That was full of memories. Happy memories, good memories, funny memories. Drumming her fingers, she hummed a nostalgic and older lullaby that she remembered from her childhood.

“That’s a nice song.” The captain walked towards her with an air of weariness. “Where did you learn it?”

Yuki spun around and then snorted when she saw him. She turned back to the sea and shrugged. “Why do you care? Are you here to irk me more?”

“No. Just curious.” He replied, leaning on the other pillar.

Yuki nodded and continued to watch the open seas before looking at him. “Aren’t you supposed to be steering?”

He shrugged. “I’ve got another person steering.”

“What, your navigator?”

“Maybe.”

“No wonder.” Yuki shrugged. She glanced at the sky again, gazing silently. The stars were brighter in the open seas, and she now regretted not being an astronomer.

“Beautiful night, isn’t it.”

“And the beauty was destroyed by your presence.”

The captain sighed. “Do you really hate me that much? Look, I already apologized.”

Yuki shot him a cold glance. “That doesn’t excuse the fact that you had, not on purpose, brought up bad memories. That, in turn, caused me to lash out.”

The captain was silent for a long moment before nodding. “I know that feeling.”

“It’s not uncommon for hybrids to know that.” Yuki shrugged and sighed, turning to him. “Let’s start fresh. I’m Rymothyia,” she said, using her full name, “from the Entra clan, daughter of Grwen and Lsus.” She held out her hand. “What’s your name?”

“Klaine.” He replied simply, before adding more, “From the Verlyl clan.” He took her hand and shook it, smiling slightly. Klaine’s tail swayed as he let go and turned back to the stars.

The two stood in silence, every once and awhile, shifting weight from foot to foot when needed. The sun began to touch the ocean and sky, and Yuki sighed. “I’m going to head to bed.. hopefully you’ll get some sleep as well Klaine.” And with that, she walked back, still watching the sunrise before heading down.

Hopefully Adriyll wouldn’t wake her up again.

-----

Yuki awoke to Adriyll’s face 5 inches from hers yet again. Yuki groaned and gently pushed Adriyll away, rolling over. However, Adriyll’s words were different this time.

“There was a flash of bright light and a bang.”

Yuki frowned before trying to slip back into another dream until a boom woke her up, causing her to sit up quickly, nearly smacking Adriyll in the face. “Adriyll, get your bow and quiver, now.” Yuki commanded, nearly sprinting to get to her armor. The pair had slipped their armor on in less than five minutes, with Adriyll’s small problem of slipping her bow over her chest. Yuki picked Adriyll up in one fluid motion, sprinting to the back and placing her down. “I want you to stay here. Don’t move and use your short sword if people slip through. I’ll be back soon.” Yuki said sternly before softening her expression and giving Adriyll a quick peck on the forehead.

Yuki then sprinted off to the top, grabbing her sword along the way, only to find the hatch locked. “Klaine!” Yuki yelled, punching the hatch. “Open this hatch, NOW!” She stepped down, drawing her blade before swinging it up and attempting to break the hatch with her blade. “Klaine! God dammit, open the hatch!”

Klaine finally appeared, glaring down at her. “Enough! I’ll not have you killed!”

“Open the hatch and I’ll fight for you!” Yuki bellowed over the noise of cannons being fired at the ship. “You don’t have time to argue with me, now open up the hatch!”

Klaine, forced into a corner, growled and opened the hatch. Yuki nodded at him before sprinting past him, and to the railing, and onto the deck, before pausing at the scene.

There was a ship already adjacent to theirs, and sailors from the other ship were boarding theirs. The flag that was attached to the other ship, however, had a symbol that Yuki was quite familiar with.

There was no mistaking the snake coiled around the sword on the flag; the enemy ship belonged to the Duke’s.

The clamor of the men stopped as a masked man stepped out. “Well, well, if it isn’t Captain Klaine.” A masked man smirked, a saber held over his shoulder. “So what prey do we have here today, hmmm?” He drawed out his hmm, as if Yuki would simply step up and surrender.

Yuki laughed humorlessly. “Prey? As if.” Yuki felt a dark rage brewing inside her, and fought to keep it down. Acting recklessly would only get Adriyll in danger, not to mention the other innocents on this ship... including the captain.

The masked man glanced at her and rose his eyebrows in mock surprise. “The barking of a sub-human doesn’t intimidate me... Oh? What do we have here? One of the rare wolf-breeds?”

Yuki made no movement to hide her ears or tail, and only scowled. “And what of it, hm?” Her ears twitched in an irritated motion, pushing her rage down far enough to only think angry thoughts at the man.

Extremely angry thoughts, that was.

“It just means I get to have a raise when I capture or kill you, that’s all.“

“Unless I kill you first.” Yuki spat out, her scowl deepening. When she got close enough and have a fair match, that man would be dead in a minute. Less than that, probably. Her silver eyes burned with a liquid fire as she sized him up. He wouldn’t deal too much damage if she was careful, but the recent drowsiness was beginning to take it’s toll. She didn’t rub her throbbing head, putting on a strong face as she glared.

“Oh? Now that’s a bold claim. Think you can follow up on that, outnumbered as you are?”

“Yes.” Her tail swayed in an aggravated manner. Who did he think he was anyways? Of course she could beat him, with enough wit and speed.

“Well,” The man smirked. “You’ll just have to get through all my men first.”

Yuki lunged with a wild cry of outrage as she swung her blade into a man’s chest. It only took both crews a few seconds before a battle royale had started. Yuki swung her sword, slamming the man she had stabbed into another, the pair flying into barrels. She growled as she ducked, a blade narrowly scratching her ears before she leaped up, plunging her blade up into her opponent's stomach. He squirmed before going limp, and she flung his corpse off of the sword, causing a domino like effect.

However, two men had sprinted at her as she flung the man, one of them tackling her as the other took up a heavy chest, raising it over his head with a sadistic grin. Suddenly an arrow sprouted on latter’s face, causing him to fall backward in pain. Yuki used the distraction to throw the other off with brute strength. Pouncing and stabbing the sword into his stomach, she let loose a feral growl before standing up and sizing up her other opponents.

A crewmember lunged at her, letting loose a wild cry as she simply sidestepped, spinning as she swung the blade into his back with a hard thunk. She dropped and sweep kicked a man near her, hitting a few with her sword. Springing back up, she jumped back only to trip on something, nearly causing her to stumble. She regained her balance and gave a quick glance to her right, and saw Adriyll standing at the hatch with her bow notched, her expression hard as her eyes flitted around the battle royale. Yuki opened her mouth to speak before her instincts caused her to jerk back as a blade narrowly cut her cheek, snapping her attention back to the battle.

“Looks like someone’s distracted!” Her opponent cried, his eyes glittering as his saber cut and dug into her shoulder, causing Yuki to let loose a scream of pain as she stumbled back, losing her balance. She landed on her back with a thud, and quickly rolled to the side, barely avoiding another blade striking the ground where she was a moment before.

However, when she tried to leap back onto her feet she lost her balance again, falling onto her hands and knees. Her vision became blurred, her mind unclear as her body suddenly wouldn’t listen to her.

As she tried to get up her weakened body collapsed again, falling onto her face. No! She screamed in her mind. Get up, Rymøthyia! You can’t die here! But , try as she might, she simply no longer had the strength to even push herself back up onto her hands and knees; it took all her strength to just look up and glare at the advancing man, his mouth pulled into a wicked grin as he prepared to deal the killing blow.

Suddenly, an arrow sprouted from the man’s face, and he too collapsed in front of Yuki. Yuki vaguely recognized the fletchings of the arrow; it was the same as the arrows that she had bought for Adriyll earlier.

The unexpected death of the man caused everyone to freeze; nobody took advantage of the lull in battle.

------

Although Yuki might not have realized it, Adriyll had taken her own bow and arrows and followed after Yuki as quickly as she could. She wasn’t stupid; she knew something was up.

She hadn’t expected an all out brawl to break out on the decks, though, and was unsure of what to do until she saw Yuki collapse.

Before she knew it, she had lifted her bow, nocked an arrow, and let it fly, striking the man that was about to kill Yuki right in the face. A lucky shot, Adriyll didn’t know. This might not be her first time using a bow, but it was her first time using it in combat.

And thus, by the time Adriyll had realized just what she was doing, the deed had been done. She had killed somebody.

Normally, a child would have been very scared about doing such a thing. Adriyll was not.

All that mattered to her was Yuki and Jeremy’s safety. As the only ones who had not treated her like she was trash, she loved them dearly, and she would refuse to let them die, even if it cost her her life.

And so, when all the men turned towards her, she felt unafraid. Nocking another arrow, she raised it at aimed it directly at the man with the saber who had instigated all of this, and let loose.

-----

With a single swing of his saber, the arrow was cut out of the air by the captain of the other ship. He wasn’t particularly mad, though, but rather merely amused by the action.

“Oh? What’s this? A young, misguided child coming to the aid of a savage beast. Unfortunately for you, girl, I have no need for you, so you can just die. Someone, kill her, and then bring me the wolf-breed.”

One of his subordinates approached her, his sword drawn. Adriyll nocked her bow again in response, but it wasn’t fast enough; the subordinate had already reached her, smacking the bow and arrow out of her hand. He lifted his sword, and brought it down.

Clang.

The sound of steel rang through the air. It was an unanticipated sound; everyone froze again at the 2nd unforeseen moment of the battle.

There, next to Adriyll, a young man in white who hadn’t been there seconds before.