Thunder rumbled, clouds rolled above and darkened the evening skies. The snowmobile’s engine whined as snow was slowly swept away from cold droplets of rain, struggling to forge any progress in this sudden storm. The sudden atmospheric changes from the earlier altercations likely prompted this change of weather.

The cold rain did not bother Grusha in the least bit, her body heat was more than enough to abate anything the natural world threw at her. She recalled how intense her first time dipping into a live volcano was, but her body adjusted to it within milliseconds. Her driver, Aput, however was another story. He started to sniffle from the cold rain that began to breach his thick clothes.

Grusha lifted her nose, taking in her surroundings as a large overview image in her head. She could picture every bush, and tree, and hole in the ground his crisp imagery. With enough focus, she could even detect the movement of ants moving about as they struggled to gather supplies for their colony. The patter of small wildlife jumped in and out of holes, looking for shelter in this downfall.

There.

“You will want to turn right.” Grusha said.

Aput stopped the snowmobile, staring back at her. Grusha sighed. This seems to be the new recurring thing with him, being surprised that could speak.

“You wish to treat me equally? Then act like it!” She snapped at him.

“Sorry.” He said.

He turned directions and directed the snowmobile down a simple slope that ended at a rocky alcove, providing cover from the rain under the overhanging rock. Aput drove under it, seeking cover from the rain. This weather was taking a toll on him and Lady Hammer, they were not as acclimated to these harsh exposures. They all unloaded themselves from the bike, Aput shook and whipped water off his arms. Grusha hunched over and shook her whole body like a dog, spraying water all over.

“Watch it!” Aput shouted. “You’re not the only one trying to dry here.”

Grusha snorted. “Skorto.” She settled herself near the entrance, watching the rain downpour. Letting its sounds lull her.

“Grusha.” She said in a low voice.

Aput turned around who was pulling gear out of a pack from the snowmobile.

“Bless you.” He said.

Grusha growled. “That’s my name you skorto.”

“Oh.” He responds. “I was gonna name you something like Tikaani.”

Lady Hammer walked into the deeper part of the cave, gripping at her stub shoulder. She collapsed on her side, resting on the hard ground in her armor.

Ignoring her, Grusha asked Aput. “What’s a Tikaani?”

He slid down against the smooth wall next to her. “Wolf.”

“Am I a dog to you? For you to name me wolf?”

“No. That would be Qimiq. Besides, I think there’s something noble-sounding in how Tikaani is pronounced. Either way, Grusha is a much more apt name.”

“How so?” Her eyes narrowed.

“Sounds wild, but reassuring. Something pleasant rolls off the tongue when I say it. Grusha. Yeah, I like that.”

Grusha felt strange inside, she felt her chest beat harder but there was no danger. Her instinctual senses were not kicking in, but she felt like every fiber was fighting something from the inside. She snorted loudly. Trying to get this foreign feeling purged, it made her greatly uncomfortable.

“Compassion was not an answer.”

Grusha’s ears perked, twisting slightly towards him. “It is an answer. Accept it.”

“No, it is not.” He argued with her.

She felt the slightest annoyance in his stubborn spirit, never before had she given it any thought someone would willingly argue with knowing she was a demi. However, there was something refreshing having someone lesser than her being treated as an equal, this was what compassion bred. Before the only ones who would argue with her were true equals such as Static, and Lady Hammer.

“Make your point, or leave me be.” She said.

“I was not asking about what you did, which I am still confused over what that was all about. I was asking what the hell you pulled out of…” His eyes trailed towards their newest member.

“Enyo, her name is Enyo.” Grusha revealed her old rival’s name.

Enyo’s fist flew and punched the wall, shaking the entire alcove. Aput was spooked and sent falling onto his back, panting from the sudden surprise.

“Address me as Lady Hammer, good sir. If you value what’s left of your pitiful life.” She said.

Lady Hammer always had a silky persuasive voice, she somehow had the perfect balance of dignified and threatening in her manner of speech. The threats meant nothing to Grusha, she was the victor in their first all-out battle.

“She’s Neogrecian.”

Aput eyes widened, darting between what surrounded him. She could not help but chuckle roughly. This was her usual life, it felt strange to share a part of that so freely with someone else.

“Wait. If she’s a Neogrecian demi, wouldn’t that make her a member of the High Grecian Court?”

“Siopi ilithios.” Lady Hammer mumbled with her back pointed at them.

“Vlakas.” Grusha barked back.

Aput was confused about what was going on. “Should I leave before things get worse?”

“Never mind Enyo. Only I can get away calling her that, you will be prudent in refraining in using her name.”

Aput nodded. “Duly noted. Again, what was it?”

The wind howled loudly, spraying droplets of water on them. Grusha looked outside, pondering how much should she satiate his dangerous curiosity. Nothing good could come from knowing what she knew, but she questioned if he would just simply ask elsewhere and that could prove to be just as dangerous if not more so.

“My previous master’s unconventional contingency plan.” She said. “His power generates static electricity, those pods served as an extension to his power. The further something is, the less precision his ability is.”

“You mean to say that the blinding light and charges in the area was all this guy Static’s doing.”

“Yes.”

“Incredible.” He whispered, more so to himself than to anyone in particular.

Grusha felt eerie in telling him that, for reasons she could not tell why, she felt uncertain what she should do. For as long as she could remember, Wildebeest told her what she needed to do. It was clear as night and day, as black and white, of what she always needed to do and that was to survive.

“Why compassion? Why show me compassion? I am not worthy of compassion, and you know it. Wildebeest will not let me rest, unless you tell me why.” She asked.

She did not need to see him to tell what he was doing, from the direction of air flow of his breath, she could tell he was staring at her. There was a calmness in the beat of his heart, as if he had made his resolve long ago. Everything about him was an open book, and at the same time, she could not understand the meaning of the words in this book. A whole other world unbeknownst to her was being opened up, it felt like she was suffocating in what she dived into.

“You do not believe me when I say I wished to be the first?”

There was earnest truth, she could not discern any form of deception in what he said. Her keen senses detect the slightest bit of deception, and if her conscious mind could not discern anything of the sort, her instincts would always kick in to correct her judgement. Aput was the most sincere individual Grusha had ever encountered, his platinum white hair was symbolic of his innocence. But, there was more to it, that was what her instincts told her. No, it was her gut feeling, for once she thought something deeper that her instincts could not detect.

“I believe in what you say, but that is not all that there was to it. How does the phrase go? It’s too good to be true?”

A pause. “I must confess. There are selfish reasons why I am doing this, and for those reasons I am not ready to tell you about them.” He grabbed her by the chin, forcing her to stare him into the eyes. “Grusha, you have no idea what you have done meant to me. You have my eternal gratitude, and with it, respect.”

She felt confused. “I’ve done nothing to earn those.”

He let go of her. “Oh, but you have. I swear, as the god as my witness, I will tell you everything. Just give me time.”

She swung her head the other way. It was annoying that he would not just tell her, it should be something binary. However, she will respect his desires for now, he did more for her than what anyone else has ever done. For her, that meant everything.

Curling into a ball, she prepared to sleep. The idle chatter was much more tiresome than she could imagine, it was tiring in comparison from just howling and growling. The last 24 hours had been grueling, and her mind needed much to process. That was just the psychological aspect, her physical body was already hard at work at repairing sustained damage.

“So that’s how you’re like.” Aput remarked. “Well then. Good night to you too.”

He stood up and pulled out a bag, crawling into it and falling asleep in the middle of the open alcove. Soon after, everyone fell sound asleep, deep breaths of slumber lulled Grusha herself asleep.

Final thoughts etched into her mind. Do I deserve this?