After casting one final glance around the snow-dusted street, which he thought could have easily featured on a postcard back home, Winters turned back inside; not noticing Veera as she discreetly bent down to collect a bit of snow from the ground just outside their door.

“Well, now that I’m awake, guess I might as well- gah!” His speech devolved into shocked babble as he felt the cold wetness of snow sliding down the back of his neck. Returning quickly to his senses, he whipped around to be met by the sight of a gold and black striped tail whipping out of view down the street, accompanied by bouts of childish laughter.

‘Sir, is it on?’

“Oh yes Io. It is on.” He snarled playfully, feeling the kid inside him come roaring to life as he tore out of the house after Veera, clad only in his shirt, pants, and boots. Whether because of the initial shock of Veera’s ‘attack’ or his quick burst of physical exertion, he soon found the cold to be of no mind. Veera, for her part, let out a screech of delight as she looked over her shoulder and noticed that her human had taken up the challenge, beginning an all-out sprint through the streets and kicking up snow in the wake of her feet and talons. As she reached the main northern thoroughfare she turned hard to the right, shouting apologies over her shoulder at one of her fellow villagers who happened to be almost directly in her path of travel. Just as he finished grumbling about adults behaving like cubs, the human came barreling around the same corner, jumping over him as the cauthan threw himself onto the snow out of self-preservation.

“Sorry old man!” Winters yelled, not even bothering to turn around. Those black tipped ears and banded tail were taunting him, and he was getting closer. By the time they reached the center of the village, Veera and Winters had attracted the attention of most of the handful of villagers that were up and about despite the early morning cold, their laughter echoing off of snow covered roofs. As Veera led him in a wide circle to the east, it became increasingly clear to her that he would eventually catch up, and she faintly remembering his description of humanity’s one area of physical dominance, running. By the time she could hear his heavy panting behind her, she’d decided on a new plan, digging her talons into the snow and quickly darting to the right, using her tail for balance. Winters reached out for her, just missing his grasp as the momentum of his attempt left him sliding in the snow on his side. Scrambling to his feet, he tore after his girlfriend again, who had erupted into another fit of laughter at her successful evasion. “I will get you Veera! It’s only a matter of time!” He called a challenge.

“That remains to be seen my love!” She called back, trying to gauge his new rate of speed. Her lungs were burning pleasantly with exertion and she wondered just how much endurance her human possessed. While he was breathing heavily, his motions were still explosive and unrelenting. Only her head start had kept her safe up to that point. She prepared to dodge again, trying to decide left or right. Tacking left at the last moment, she looked back at him.

“Surprise!” He yelled, throwing a fistful of snow at her face, causing her to involuntarily shield herself. Seizing the opportunity, Winters lunged and twisted, wrapping his arms around her in a spinning tackle that resulted in her crashing to the ground on top of him, just as planned.

“Oof! Ow! Darling…” Veera groaned, still pleased to have not been on the receiving end of his weight. “You don’t fight fair!”

“I fight to win my love. And let’s not talk about fighting fair. I seem to recall a frosty sneak attack started this whole mess?” He chuckled. “So, what have we learned about picking fights with HEL Jumpers?” He asked lightheartedly, only to be assailed by a salvo of licks and kisses from his mate as she yet again took him by surprise. He made only a token attempt to shield his face.

“We learned to do so after breakfast because you have a case of morning breath,” she informed him before devolving into another giggling fit. He joined in before long as curious Cauthan eyed them as they went about their morning rituals.

“You…really love the snow, don’t you?” He asked softly. He’d seen Veera happy before, but never with such child-like glee and innocence.

“I do Russell. It’s so beautiful. It’s cool to the touch after you’ve worked hard. It’s soft and forgiving. If it weren’t so dangerous I’d wish it would snow all year,” Veera said with a smile, resting on his chest while sucking in the cold air around them.

“Maybe when we get back we could-” Winters paused mid-sentence, shocked and a bit disturbed at how easily he had allowed a foolish daydream to slip from his lips. Veera cocked her head.

“Back…? Back to Earth?” She asked breathlessly. He looked away.

“Sorry…I wasn’t thinking.”

“Tell me?” Her tone was without expectation.

“It’s nothing much, just a flight of fancy.”

“Please?” She looked deep into his eyes.

“I just thought…maybe we could get a little place in the mountains somewhere.”

“What are mountains?” Veera’s innocent ignorance caused the bottom to drop out of his stomach. He could barely bring himself to explain, not when any hope of rescue was so very far away.

“They’re a beautiful place, high up where the snows come thick in the winter and rivers run clear in the summer. Grasses and flowers grow fast and strong while they can and the sky goes on forever.” Veera sighed affectionately at him, imagining something wonderful as his eyes watered. She kissed him tenderly.

“Wherever you go…I’ll follow.” Winters knew he wouldn’t be able to respond to that, choosing instead to nod and hold her close to him. He wasn’t even sure if it was a good idea, even if both of their hearts seemed set on it. He did his best to dispel the weight of an uncertain future that threatened to crush him.

“Mind if we get up? My clothes are beginning to feel a bit wet.”

“Sure thing love.” Veera pushed herself off him with a small grunt before offering him a hand, which he took gladly. As she helped him to his feet he was pleasantly surprised at her strength, a far cry from the frail girl who’d discovered his pod.

“Your fur is a lot thicker now,” he commented absentmindedly, circling her waist with his hands, his breath still coming at an elevated rate after their exertion. She was similarly panting.

“You noticed…is it ok?”

“Of course.”

“I just…I’m sure human females don’t have winter coats.”

“My female does.” He smiled at her. “Breakfast?”

“That would be lovely darling, I’m starving.” Taking his hand, the two of them exited the town square via a smaller street, taking the most direct route to her home.

“So, now that the snow’s begun to fall, what should we do to pass the time?” Winters inquired, figuring that Veera might have some suggestions. She regarded him for a time.

“I don’t know. The last time I didn’t have to worry much about the cold or food was back when I was coming into my feathers. Now that those things are handled…” She trailed off. “Do you have any ideas?”

“For today or tomorrow? No, not particularly. That said I do have a couple of goals for the winter. Maybe you could think of some as well, things to work on over time?” He suggested. Veera seemed to be in agreement as they reached their home again. Io hailed them immediately as they entered.

‘I must say the two of you certainly took your…’ Io paused mid-sentence, looking from Winters’ damp garments to Veera’s ruffled feathers. ‘Why does it look like the two of you took a tumble in a snow drift?’

“Your powers of observation continue to amaze Io,” Winters replied sarcastically. “It’s because we did.”

‘And no one thought to invite the VI?’ Io made her annoyance at being left out known.

“When it snows more I’ll take you sledding to make up for it.” Winters offered an olive branch. Io accepted.

‘That sounds like a lovely date sir. You may come too Veera.’ Io extended an invitation to the Cauthan, who’d begun making their breakfast fire.

“That’s very kind of you Io. I used to love playing in the snow.”

“I’d say that love is very much alive,” Winters replied, joining her at the fire pit. Once breakfast had been made, he struck up conversation again. “Thought of anything?”

“You mean to keep busy? Well I figured I’d start with learning your language and go from there. It’s been helpful listening to you speak since we met but I must admit I think it will take a while. What about you? You said you had a couple of things you wanted to accomplish?” Veera asked, taking a bite out of a boiled egg.

“Longer term I still need to fix part of my pod. It requires metal similar to the ornament that Vash has on his staff. I haven’t seen any like it elsewhere, so right now I’m hoping to find something with the caravans. That said, if I happen to find something when I’m out in the wilds that would be nice.”

“What do you need to repair? It looks very complete to me, not that I’d know though.”

“It’s not an external part, so you wouldn’t notice just by looking. It’s the part that would allow me to communicate with another human ship if one arrived in this system. There’s always the possibility that they would try a detailed surface scan of the planet and pick out my pod, but that’s hoping for a lot of things to go very right. I’d rather not take that chance if I can help it,” he explained. Veera nodded silently. “In terms of things I can do right now though, I think I need to get back into shape.”

“I’m sorry, you need to what?” Veera looked at him strangely, poking his bicep. “You look plenty fit to me.”

“While your approval is greatly appreciated Veera, I didn’t quite mean that way. It is true; everything I’ve had to do since arriving here has kept me in decent physical condition. Unfortunately, I’ve only gotten a couple of brief opportunities to keep my combat skills fresh, once back when we first met and again at the festival. I have very limited ammunition, so in terms of working on my aim I’ll have to stick to a bow and arrow, but there’s no reason I can’t look for ways to keep my hand to hand skills in shape. Do you think Antoth would let me fight with the guards?” He asked genuinely. Veera’s eyes seemed to light up.

“Now that is something I think I’d very much want to see. I honestly don’t know though. Antoth isn’t the type of man to dismiss an idea out of hand. Why don’t we go and ask after breakfast? You’ve never actually been to the barracks before, have you?”

“Now that you mention it, I haven’t. So I guess that means it’s up in the temple district somewhere off the main road?”

“You got it darling, it’s a bit behind the temple of Kel; large building that actually looks just like your letter…uh…Io, what’s the one that looks like this?” Veera held up her index finger and thumb.

‘That would be a capital L Veera.’

“Thank you! Anyway, the building is laid out like that. You’d never really notice from the street though, you’re right.”

“Would you show me the way when we’re done here?” Winters requested. Veera gave him an affirmative nod.

“Of course. I’m sure you’ll need me to translate too!” She suggested, hoping to be of help to her partner as he tried to fit in more with her people.

“Thanks Veera. I was thinking of just wearing my armor though?” Veera developed a skeptical expression.

“Do you really think Antoth will let you fight his men in your armor? Something tells me he’d not see the appeal, not to mention that might make it far too easy for you if you’re never worried about getting hit,” Veera reasoned, causing Winters to look a bit sheepish.

“Yeah…those are good points. Translator, spectator, or both, I’d be happy if you tagged along.” He rested a hand on her knee as he took a moment to enjoy sitting on a wooden chair as opposed to the dirt floor. As his gaze wandered, he noticed a particularly bushy tail swaying in and out of view of their doorframe. He tapped Veera’s knee and pointed. She wasted no time and hailed their surprise guest.

“Asha? Is that you out there?”

“Um…yes, hi Veera. Are you…”

“We’re not busy at all; come in, please,” Veera offered. Asha pulled back the door flap and ducked inside, moving to the fire and looking around for a moment before settling on Veera. She was fiddling with the hem of her dress so the two of them waited patiently, not wanting to rush the clearly embarrassed girl. “Can we offer you something to eat?”

“No that’s alright, thank you Veera. I actually just came from breakfast with my family. Did Zolta stop by?”

“No, we haven’t seen him. Why do you ask? Is anything wrong?”

“No no, nothing like that, I just wanted to know. I’m guessing he’s already at the temple in that case. I’m glad I stopped by then. We…wanted to thank the both of you.” Asha’s voice lowered as her feathers began quivering in a pattern that Winters recognized as self-consciousness or embarrassment.

“It’s alright Asha, it was a joint decision. No need to trouble yourself over it,” Winters sought to comfort her. Veera conveyed the sentiment.

“We do owe you thanks though, both Zolta and I. He may feel a bit uneasy with Veera around but please Russell, if he doesn’t speak to you about it at some point let me know. I do not want my mate to seem ungrateful.” Winters nodded.

“We understand Asha. We know Zolta is a more private individual and I’m sure that at some point he and Russell will discuss it,” Veera reassured her before asking an eager question. “Was it what you’d hoped for?” Asha looked nervously over at Winters, knowing he could understand her. Veera nodded. “I see, next time we’re alone then?”

“I’d like that Veera. We are both happy to have had the opportunity though, so thank you.” Asha bowed before making to head out.

“Are you sure we can’t offer you anything?” Veera tried again.

“Yes, I’m sure. Thank you Veera. You offered us more than enough last night.” She paused for a moment in thought. “Oh right! Before I go, I just wanted the two of you to know that our families have begun to discuss the best day for us to formalize our union at the temple of Meylith, now that everyone is finished with the harvest and whatnot. We’ll be sure to let you know!” Veera and Winters smiled at her.

“We’d be honored to attend Asha, thank you. See you around!”

“Have a good day you two, selah.” Asha departed after waving a brief farewell.

“We did a good thing, didn’t we?” Winters said, receiving a small kiss from Veera.

“Yes, I believe we did. Are you all set? Shall we brush our teeth and head out?”

“I suppose so, no sense in wasting daylight after all. Io, you coming?” Winters called out. Io appeared before them, having retrieved her elegant fur-lined parka.

‘Of course I am sir. If you decide to do something ridiculous like intentionally endure blunt force trauma again, I need to be there to persuade you not to, evaluate your condition, and yell at you; in that order. I will make ready to standby in the Aegis and activate my external drive. I should be ready momentarily.’

“No rush Io, we still need to just clean up here a bit. I’ll grab you before we head out.”

‘As you wish sir. I look forward to a further examination of Cauthan fighting styles.’

-----

A short time later Winters and Veera walked down the streets of the village, hoods off so that the rising sun could warm their faces. The steady drip of melting snow could be heard all around them as the roads became damp and more of the villagers went about their business. Even so, Winters still noticed a marked reduction in foot traffic. Approaching the east gate, Veera tugged his hand and pulled him into a broad alley to the right of the temple of Kel, bringing them to a nondescript single story wooden building with a single door in front. Winters could see that it did indeed have a second, longer portion that extended back and away from them on the left side. The door was covered in a well maintained chesko pelt, with a shield hanging above it. With the symbol more than apparent, Winters stepped inside with Veera, finding themselves in a relatively small room that reminded him faintly of a small town police station. Antoth sat at a wooden desk to his left, the wall behind him leading to a well-furnished private space that he was sure must be the guard captain’s chambers. There was another door out to the back of the structure and a couple of benches against the wall for visitors. The room was otherwise decorated only by a rack of spears along the front wall just to his left and right. The black-furred captain looked up as they entered.

“Please tell me you’re not here to report a crime,” he spoke, setting aside a hide that he’d been scribbling on with what appeared to be some sort of bone stylus. Winters wished he’d had his helmet with him. An opportunity to rib the captain about doing paperwork was about to slip through his fingers.

“Winters wants to fight!” Veera informed him happily, leaving out plenty of pertinent information. Antoth just stared at them.

“On second thought, I wish you were here to report a crime,” he grumbled. “Care to elaborate on that statement Veera?”

“Yes, of course. Russell feels that his combat skill is deteriorating thanks to our relatively peaceful lifestyle here, for which you certainly deserve credit. As such, he would like to hone his skills here with your men,” she explained as Antoth’s face remained impassive. Winters nodded with approval as she buttered up the captain.

“You can let him know that my military demands it, if it helps,” Winters whispered to her. Veera conveyed the message. Antoth pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes before looking at them again.

“I suppose I can’t see the harm in it; might actually keep some of the less…dedicated individuals on their toes. You can understand me, right Winters?” Winters nodded.

“I’m going to take that as a yes. If you want to fight with my men there’s going to be ground rules, got it?”

“Of course.” Winters nodded again to ensure Antoth got the message.

“First off, you’re not to fight in your armor. That’s non-negotiable.”

“Told you,” Veera whispered with a smile. Winters bumped her with his shoulder as Antoth continued.

“Second, under no circumstances are you to actually try to hurt any of them. I know accidents happen in the ring, but if I find you sparring with bladed weapons I’m going to put an end to things faster than you can say ursae. If your nature as a soldier truly demands that you fight with real weapons then you come to me, got it?”

“Yes,” Winters said, looking to his side as Veera repeated the word in her language. He repeated it in turn to Antoth.

“Good. Let me show you out back then.” Antoth motioned that they follow him, an inscrutable sort of faint smile on his face. Passing through the back door, Winters found himself on a sheltered boardwalk of sorts that continued along the edge of the building before making a right at the second half, which he could now see was the blockhouse of the barracks. Multiple doors opened onto the courtyard, through which he could faintly spy what appeared to be four bunks to a room. Quickly counting the doors gave him a total of twenty four beds, not enough to house the entire guard force, assuming Io’s estimate of thirty plus was correct. Directly in front of him, beyond the shelter of the overhanging roof, was a large fenced off arena. Beyond that and off to the right, in an alley that extended most of the way back to the palisade, was an archery range. Directly to his right was a large stand-alone shed that he was sure must hold armor, weapons, or both. He’d not seen much back inside. Along the wall to his left was a rack of wooden weapons which had certainly seen their share of action. Around the courtyard he counted a handful of guards who were relaxing while off-duty, eating, drinking, or playing with what looked to Winters to be dice, though he couldn’t be sure if they bore any relation to his species’ own version. Antoth gestured around the open area.

“Pretty simple. If no one’s in the ring, you go ahead. Weapons are to our left along the wall. If you need armor or want to use a bow, that’s in the shed over there.”

“I thought you said no armor,” Winters interjected. Antoth replied to Veera’s translation.

“I said you can’t wear your armor Winters, but if you intend to fight anyone hand to hand you’re going to want it.” Winters was about to ask for further clarity but was stopped by the sound of Veera rapping a talon on the wooden floor.

“Yeah…that would be bad.” He nodded to her, piecing together that the cauthan clearly used their natural advantages in unarmed combat.

‘Little slow on the uptake this morning?’ Io teased, earning herself an arch look from her partner.

“Finally, don’t harass anyone alright? Every guard has a duty to train themselves and others, but if that doesn’t involve you, then it doesn’t involve you. Don’t get in the way of our jobs. Is that clear?” Antoth finished, seeing Winters whispering to Veera. “I’m not repeating myself.”

“That’s alright Antoth, Russell just wants to know if you want to fight.” Winters could see Antoth’s face change for just a moment, but he waved them off.

“Can’t right now. Hey lads, listen up!” He barked into the courtyard. “The human’s fair game for any sort of training match; sounds like he’ll be hanging out with us going forward. Don’t you dare disappoint the Sentinel.” With that, Antoth turned on his heel and walked back inside, presumably to finish the more mundane portion of his work. Veera looked up at Winters as the other guards regarded him with curiosity.

“I’d say that worked out pretty well, wouldn’t you?”

“Seems to be. Let’s see if anyone’s interested!” Winters replied happily, stripping off his cloak and resting it on the arena railing before vaulting himself inside, turning around to see that Veera had followed to collect his cloak.

“You should take care of your things you know! We just got these!” She admonished him, laying it gently on one of the sheltered benches before returning to him. He was jumping up and down while waving his arms in the air. “Russell, what are you doing? You look…a bit silly,” she informed him, noticing the present guards putting their heads together and sniggering.

“Jumping jacks. It’s a good way to get the blood flowing and the muscles loose. Besides, it’ll look all the better when I knock those smiles off their faces.” He exuded confidence as he continued to warm up, reaching down to each foot to stretch out. Once he felt sufficiently prepared, he approached the far left corner of the arena, closest to the small group of guards. “Care to put your money where your mouths are boys?” He gave them a lighthearted challenge. Veera had walked around to translate, but the message had already gotten through. One of the guards, clearly on the older side, approached him.

“Can you understand me?” Winters nodded and beckoned, palm up with his fingers out, the ‘come get some’ gesture. “I’ll take that as a yes. Staves, first to three?”

“He says that’s fine.” Veera informed the guard who didn’t bother turning towards her, sizing up Winters instead.

“Good, fetch us some weapons then girl,” he commanded. Veera bristled but complied, returning and chucking one staff into the snow a few feet away while handing the other to her mate as he walked over to her.

“I know Antoth said don’t hurt them but…” Veera whispered, clearly incensed at her treatment.

“No need to tell me twice. Sit back and relax dear, I’m going to destroy this bastard.”

“Are you sure you’re doing this to keep your skills sharp?” Her grin was wicked.

“Who says that has to be the only reason? I love beating the snot out of cocky people like him.”

“Any day human, I’m waiting.” The guard called impatiently, twirling the staff in his hands. His fellows had gathered at the top left corner of the ring as well, discussing wagers in hushed tones. Veera stepped back and away, taking up a position at the bottom left corner where Winters gave her a brief kiss before turning to his opponent.

“Let’s do this then,” he muttered, seeing in his foe’s eyes that they were both ready. With a small cheer from the onlookers, the two of them began to circle one another and soon the sound of wood clashing against wood filled the courtyard.

-----

Winters was able to make fairly quick work of his adversary, finishing two rounds with painful but non-wounding blows to various joints. He then proceeded to thoroughly embarrass his opponent in the third round by slipping under his guard and sweeping his legs out from under him, leaving him in the snow and staring up at the sky, much to Veera’s cheering delight. After helping him up and crossing forearms with the guard to show that the hard feelings weren’t permanent, Winters bade them farewell and returned to Veera, lightly hopping out of the ring.

“You’re finished already?” She asked, offering to replace his weapon for him. He declined and walked with her instead.

“I think I’ve accomplished a good amount for today. They know I’m in the game, so to speak, and that I’m a challenger. I’m sure that if I keep coming around at the same time in a couple days you’ll see a few more around. Maybe I’ll come back at night and give the morning shift a go, yeah?” Veera couldn’t contain her laughter. Her mate’s enthusiasm was contagious. As they passed back through Antoth’s ‘office’, she grabbed Winters by the sleeve and bade him to halt.

“Antoth, I want to learn how to fight!” She asserted boldly, possessed by a sudden flight of fancy. Io appeared on Winters’ visor with a nod of approval.

‘That guard’s dismissive attitude did not sit well with her. Even with your victory she knows it will happen again,’ Io mused. Winters found himself agreeing, but remained silent. Antoth didn’t bother standing, instead tilting his head to regard her.

“Veera, this isn’t some charity we’re running here.”

“Oh so you and Ratha share a brain now?!” Veera snapped back immediately, remembering how the huntress had treated her after her father’s disappearance. Antoth didn’t bother to hide his displeasure at the comparison. He took a deep breath.

“Perhaps that was rude of me Veera, but try to understand my point of view. Do you know what happens when a new recruit comes to us?”

“No,” Veera admitted, deflating her feathers just a bit.

“We will leave the fact of the differences between males and females aside. I’ve trained women before, but there are none currently serving. When a young man comes to us he agrees to live in the barracks full time for at least a year. Obviously they are open to any guard at any time, but for initiates it is mandatory. They get their bed and three meals and in exchange they devote their lives to Uthos, training their body and mind so that they can serve the village that supports them. Do you have that time Veera? Would you like to leave your home and your mate?”

“Of course not Antoth, but…”

“I’m sorry Veera. We have limited resources here. We are only allowed so many meals from the temples. We only have so much space to train. We only have so many suits of armor, spears, bows, arrows, sparring weapons, and so on. I cannot in good conscience allow you to use those without a higher level of devotion than you are prepared to give. And don’t give me that look young lady, you know I allowed Winters into the ring because he’s an exceptional warrior, someone who will raise the overall quality of my men. You are no such warrior Veera,” Antoth informed her sternly. As Winters moved closer to his crestfallen girlfriend, Antoth looked him over. “However…”

“Yes?!” Veera perked up immediately, still ready to argue her case.

“If certain circumstances were to change, that would be another story.” He looked conspiratorially between the two of them. “What skills do you have Veera?”

“You remember my father I’m sure. I’m decent with a bow and I know most of the other tricks of his trade at a very basic level.” Veera told the guard captain. He waved a hand dismissively.

“The rest doesn’t matter but the bow is a good start. How’s your physical condition?”

“I was on the verge of death from starvation a few cycles ago,” Veera stated as a matter of fact. Both Winters and Io smiled at how she managed to even disarm the surly captain with her words.

“And now?”

“I would say my stamina is above average, though I don’t know how well that would hold up in a sprint. I also am unsure about my strength. I’m sure I’m stronger than most females in the village but I don’t have much of a frame of reference.”

“Well, you are certainly taller than them, I’ll admit that much. Very well. Winters, listen up.” Antoth moved to address the human. “Since this suddenly seems to mean a great deal to Veera here, I intend to leave this to you. We usually get a new crop of recruits each spring, so for the winter the use of the training grounds will be light. If Veera works on her physical conditioning with you, somewhere that’s not disruptive to my men, I’ll allow her to use the range and the arena with you if no one else is using it. Know that I will be informing all of my men that if Veera is in there that they have every right to kick her out unless she can beat them. Let’s just say that if you do a good job I have every intention of having her embarrass the cadets come spring. Fair?”

“Thank you Antoth!” Veera cried, throwing herself on him in a hug before turning around and hugging Winters tightly. “Will you do it? Please say you’ll train me!”

“Uthos preserve us that girl is a fireball,” Antoth muttered to himself, recovering from the shock of the unwanted embrace. Winters, on the other hand, was stroking Veera’s crown feathers lightly with a broad smile on his face.

“Think you can keep up with me Veera?”

“Yay!” Veera and Io both cried as one, leaving Winters laughing as he bowed to the captain.

“How do I say thank you?” He whispered to Veera. She informed him quietly. “Thank you Antoth. We accept your offer.”

“Good. Like I said, I’ll be sure to inform the rest of the guard force about these changes. Given the result of your match today…and yes, I was watching. Nicely done,” he interjected. “In any case, I’m sure you’ll have more takers for fights.”

“We appreciate it Antoth. See you later!” Veera called, taking Winters by the hand.

“Yes yes, get going then you two. And let it never be said again that I resemble Ratha in any way, shape, or form!” He called after them as they exited onto the street in front of the barracks. Returning to his desk he shook his head vigorously, unable to easily force the image of Winters doting upon Veera from his mind. He swore he could hear Ratha’s mocking laughter in the back of his mind.

“And Thantis said it was supposed to get easier…”