She woke up from a forgotten dream that made the back of her neck prickled in anticipation. For a second, Nefaaya couldn't discern where she was, or why her back aches and why there was a patch of grass waving close to her face.

She blinked and rubbed the sleepiness on her face.

We left the village and now we're traveling to see Ettran's uncle. She was about to close her eyes when she heard someone sniffing. She thought it was someone who was having an irritated nose, but she was wrong. It was the sound of someone holding back what he was feeling.

Her back was facing Renaeril's back. She wondered what had made him feel bad, she perhaps thought that it was the feeling of homesickness that she could also feel this far from home.

But we couldn't go anywhere but forward, away from the place where we grew up.

In her previous life, there were a lot of things that she couldn't understand, especially the human's psyche. Nefaaya could comprehend complicated concepts but emotions were something that was hard for her to deal with. Perhaps if she found herself in the same situation before, she wouldn't do anything and would just disregard it. The truth was, Mara was someone who didn't share sympathy with others. But here in this world, as Nefaaya, she has learned a lot. She couldn't say that she changed. But at least right now she knows what she could do.

She reached into him and squeezed his shoulder. Renaeril stopped and glanced at her despite the night she could still see the glint in his eyes caused by his tears.

The two of them remained looking at one another. At some point, Nefaaya thought that Renaeril would burst into tears. She wondered how she would console him.

"I miss them," he announced.

"I do too," she said.

"I woke up from a dream and was confused why I was here.I thought if I could just stand, I would once again be in the familiar halls of my house. But I don't."

"What would happen to us now? We had lost everything... there's only three of us left now."

Nefaaya closed her eyes, thinking of Learo and how she could find him.

"I planned on going to the front after we brought Ettran to his uncle's house. I want to see my father and the others... right now that's all I'm thinking, to find father and tell him about mother. We try to figure out the rest when we get there."

Renaeril nodded, his breathing became steady until he dozed off to sleep. It had taken her a much longer time before sleep caught her once more.

Easier said than done, that's what she was thinking. But looking at her plan in a much wider scale, Nefaaya thought that it was almost impossible. For one thing, she didn't know where the front was. This war could have multiple front for all she know. Would she even arrived before his father was transfer on a different one? Across the sea at Nortic Empire? How could she get there without the risk of getting caught by people with ill intention. Ettran had even told her that Reina was once caught by a slaver. Would there be any chance that they wouldn't encounter one in their journey?

Her thoughts and doubt in this journey had only ramped up her agitation. And when she fell asleep her dreams were dark and unfathomable, she was floating atop a black surge of waves. Nefaaya was sure it wasn't water, as it doesn't wet her skin.

She woke up dizzy and with a throbbing forehead.

Beside her, the fire was already burning and the two were already warming a kettle full of water. The sun was still not rising but from the lush-violet look of the sky, it seems it wouldn't be far either. Only Denelre, the fifth moon, was hanging in the sky. As they're sipping their warm water in their cup, Ettran said, "could we make tea?"

The two look at him in surprise.

"How?"

The boy blinked at them, as if they're stupid. "We dried leaves?"

No one answered. Ettran sighed defeated. It was not until when the sun was above the mountain ranges and the air started smelling of dew when the group continued in their journey. Nefaaya shouldered her share of belongings and yawned as they made their way towards the closest village.

"The closest village," according to Ettran, was beside the ridge they're seeing.

They journey from the vast flatlands whipped by the wind. Occasionally rabbits and unknown animals would peeked among the bushes. Again, she wished she had read books on biology.

She sighed and tried to remember the things that her father ate on his journey. According to him, what he usually ate was Glistore since they're in a swampy land and aside from small ponds Glistore is also found in those places. He also eats rabbits, but his father had something to trap it. Nefaaya was always practicing with a wooden sword. How could she not bring it! She wished her father had left her a sword or better taught her how to use a bow.

Beside her, Renaeril played with a rock suspended above his open palm. When suddenly a fluffy head peeked out, the boy immediately hit the rabbit in the head.

Her eyes went wide in surprise, "that's cheating!"

Ettran ran to the rabbit and signaled okay to him before he picked it up. Renaeril looked at her.

"What's cheating?"

As she stared at him, she realized that there wasn't anything bad in what he had done. After all, he was just doing it in order for us to eat.

When the sun reached its peak, the tree decided to stop before a dead tree. They made a pit and built fire on it using dried twigs that they scurried. This day they had decided to have another grilled rabbit. The one Nefaaya had was blackened because her mind was drifting that she had forgotten to look at it.

She removed the charred part with her hands, the juice of the meat spread on her finger. Its smell was enough to make her hungry. As they ate she thought about the possibility of trying to create tea and perhaps some spices.

They ate their food in silence. She was thinking, how could she break the unseeing barrier between Ettran and the two of them. The boy, despite offering the house of his uncle, was wary of the two of them.

And the fire, she thought as she saw him staring at the fire.

Whatever it was, she had to think of something to break this wall between them. From here, she could now see the ridge more clearly, sloping upwards. This one was not steep. According to Ettran, behind this was the closest village.

She stood and started shouldering her things. She wanted to reach the village and use her condition as a child to get the people's sympathy for their cause.

Children out in the wilderness who managed to survive an invasion and was searching for a place to call their home? What could make the best story?

Nefaaya looked up, the ridge was more steep than she had thought. Upwards, there were many times that she had to almost crawl just to prevent herself from falling.

Midway in the ridge they stopped, for they all needed a break. Above the sun was already setting, from the far vastness of grass where they came the skyline had started to darken.

"We have to reach this village before sunset," she announced.

"Alright," Ettran retorted and started picking his things.

As they slowly climbed the top of the ridge, dread hung on her. It was as if she had already predicted an omen. Atop the ridge, the three all sighed in defeat as they saw the destroyed village.

Ettran dropped his bag and laid on the ground.

"What in the!"

Renaeril sat in the ridge looking somewhere faraway. Only Nefaaya stood still looking afar, but her view was blocked by rolling forest and hills.

"Where's the next village?" She said.

Ettran looked at her coldly, "I do not now. We could follow the road, surely it would lead us to a village."

Nefaaya sighed, "how can we get into your uncle if you do not now?"

"I was planning to see a wagon there," he said. "That's where my mother and I used to go when we went to visit."

She looked at him unbelieving and he challenged her.

Her eyes flickered to the nearby forest on village, she don't intend to visit the village at any cost.

"For now let's make a camp down that forest," she said and started descending.

At their back, night crept along, before they reached the mouth of the forest. They all heard a singing voice. From here they could see a burning fire. The three move towards it warily.

Beside a fallen log and surrounded by juniper bushes a man was sitting before a fire. Carrying at what seems like a flute, playing a song that she once heard her mother hummed.

The man stopped, green eyes flickering at their location as he looked at them under his flute. He gestured for them to sit.

And as if entrance by the music the two boys walked, almost dreamily towards the fire. Nefaaya glared at the two but still slowly followed them.

She sat in log in time when the music stopped. The man removed his cup, his long braided red hair fell on his shoulder.

He smiled, "well, well, well. Wasn't it late for three little kids to play outside? Don't you know that the Eaten moves at night?"

The dancing fire had made his little set of teeth glint, and Nefaaya shivered.

An Eaten, she thought despite never seeing one.