Orn felt oddly alone as he walked through the woods. He invited Kao to join him, but she had declined. She gave him an excuse about it being boring, but she seemed distracted. Probably whatever was happening in the Empire, that neither she nor anyone else is telling me about. This left Orn in the alone in the woods with his thoughts.

The leaves crunched loudly under him as he tried to quietly place his foot. Orn tried not to let it get him down, It is training. I have time until I go back. I just need practice. Orn thought back to the way Uncle had moved and flinched as twig cracked loudly under his feet.

Orn sighed, It took weeks to convince mother to let me go into the woods at all. After all that work and time spend out here, I still sound like a boar charging through the underbrush.

Shaking his head, he started back to the couple snares he set that morning. Since he had started coming into the woods, he had become used to hunting. As he expected the first snare had not caught anything in the time he was out there.

Looking at the small snare he thought back to his night joining Uncle on his hunt. I am definitely better at setting them now.

Placing the snare in his bag, he headed to the next. Moving through the trees he continued to practice moving quietly. The lack of Kao’s company, made it easier to hear his own steps. The sound of something moving in the bushes up ahead made him rush to the next snare.

Pulling aside the shaking bush he found a rabbit caught in the snare. Success!

...

Orn untied the string from the branch and hefted the prepared rabbit. Even after field peeping it, the rabbit was heavier than he expected. As close as we are to the house, you must be the one who was raiding the garden. Mother will be happy to hear I got you.

Smiling at the thought of his mother praising his hunt he heard a voice come from behind him. “Orn it is time to come in.”

Resisting the urge to jump he, turned to see Olivia standing nearby. She was watching him closely to see if she had startled him. Refusing to give her the satisfaction he smiled and held the rabbit out toward her, “Look what I caught. I need to get it to cook so we can have it for lunch.”

She stepped back silently, watching him and the rabbit through narrowed eyes. “I will let him know.”

She then turned and silently walked back to the manor. Orn rushed and once again marveled at the way she could almost disappear whenever she wanted to. Liv might be quieter than Uncle.

…

[Months Later]

Kao hovered over the raised vegetable bed mid skip. “You cannot be serious. You actually forgot?”

Orn quickly turned away to avoid her gaze. Slowly turning over the dirt covered tuber he was asked to grab for Cook, he thought back over the few months. It was less that he forgot, and more that he was too busy to think about it. “You know mother has been running me ragged since I got back.”

Behind him, Orn could hear Kao snort, “Well that was your fault for eavesdropping.”

“I was not eavesdropping!” Orn said spinning to glare at the goddess who was now lounging in the air. “You said I should practice moving quietly in the hall since it was raining.”

Kao rolled through the air, as if on an invisible bed, until she faced Orn. Raising herself up on her elbows she rested her chin on the back of her hands. “Maybe I did. But I do not remember telling you to stop outside the door to your father’s study.” Kao’s smile turned cartoonishly mischievous.

“I wonder why?” Orn’s eyes narrowed. “It is as if a certain goddess has been taunting me about everyone hiding what is happening in the Empire. Then she happens to have me walk past a room where it was being talked about.”

“HA.” Kao jumped upright, and began slowly drifting down towards the ground. “So you admit you were eavesdropping!”

“I admit I was set up.” he countered rolling his eyes. “I caught the word ‘Empire’ and froze... Just in time for Mother to open the door.”

“I remember.” Kao said laughing, “Your expression was priceless.”

“I am glad you can laugh at it. I have barely had any time to myself, with all the extra lessons she has me doing.” Orn sighed and shaking his head started slowly moving down the garden path again.

Stepping to catch up to him Kao patted him on the shoulder. “Well I did not expect her to commit so hard to the idea, bored children need more to do.” The last part she changed her voice to sound a bit like his mother’s.

“Stop that.” He replied flatly brushing her hand off his shoulder. “I think her constantly saying that, might be the worst part of all of this.”

“Try to think of the positives.” Kao said spinning as she moved to stand in front of him.

“Which are?” Orn asked knowing he was not going to like the answer.

“With your mother spending so much time with you,” Kao smiled and spread her arms, “Olivia has finally gotten a break from some of her lessons.”

Orn’s thumbnail got under a bit of dirt on the tuber, and he flicked it at her.

The dirt passed harmlessly through Kao, but she straightened up and brushed at her dress where the dirt passed through. “Throwing dirt now? Why are you such a dirty little boy?”

“Why are you such an evil goddess?” Orn countered brushing dirt off the root vegetable, and toward the goddess.

“Rude.” Kao objected stepping back quickly, and sticking out her tongue.