When Windthrow woke, he was nestled at the far side of the men's group tent. His sleeping pad was soaked through and he was freezing. He heard the sound of rain outside.

  This morning, even more than others, was a reminder that they needed to finish the bunkhouse as soon as possible. All the villagers -the ones not on food duty- were spending most of their labor hours on either the bunkhouse or the village well. He had the strange realization that when he returned to Sapwood Village both projects, and maybe more, would be long complete.

  Windthrow crawled away from the few villagers still asleep and emerged into the morning. It was pouring outside. Dozens of buckets were scattered across the center of Sapwood; people were taking the opportunity to gather water without a cumbersome trip to the nearby stream.

  Despite the awful weather, villagers continued their construction projects. No longer slaves, their labor now benefited themselves and their fellow residents. Usually, Windthrow would have grabbed his bow and contributed his talents to the Sapwood hunters. But, the next several days would be different.

  In only three days, he would depart Sapwood with Vylet, on the way to the founding meeting. A dangerous journey, even in the pre-war times. But this was the post-war era, the flora and fauna of the Emel Weald had changed in unexpected ways. Ways that were still undocumented.

  Windthrow and Vylet would be the delegates from Sapwood village, but would also be collecting vital information for everyone who lived in the Weald. The issue was that Vylet had very little knowledge of the Southern Continent, as if she had just appeared here. Windthrow suspected that she used to be a prisoner of the Imperials, or was from a hidden tribe. Either way, she was a very mysterious woman. And she inspired uncomfortable feelings in Windthrow.

  He was determined to conquer those feelings; he was convinced that he went too far with Vylet back in the bunker. This time they would focus on the mission. As part of the prep for that mission he needed to cram as much knowledge into her as possible. He sighed to himself as he searched around Sapwood for her, phrasing…

  He found Vylet underneath an overhang, near the walls. She was watching the rain while sitting on a small dry spot. She wore her green gold-trimmed cloak around her small body. Her light violet scales made her easy to find, along with her emerald colored eyes.

  Despite being covered with scales, her facial features were delicate and framed by her long black hair. He remembered how soft her face felt when she was licking his arm.

  Propped up against the wall next to her was her spear, an apparent Elven artifact. Vylet’s tail was curled around its base; having the spear close brought her comfort. His eyes were naturally drawn to her most beastly aspects: Three huge claws and talons. He’d seen what they could do first hand…they weren’t something to be trifled with. She was a powerful warrior, stronger than he was in a fair fight! Yet…he recalled the soft squishy feeling of her breasts on his back, how it felt when she clinged onto him. How much he wanted her at that moment.

  Windthrow softly slapped himself. He was here to give her tutoring, and instead he was fantasizing about her! He was better than that! Putting aside the impure thoughts, Windthrow waved Vylet down and jogged over, carefully avoiding several muddy puddles on the way.

  “Morning Vylet!” Windthrow ducked under the overhang and sat next to her.

  “Hey Windthrow,” she responded. “Isn't watching the rain amazing?”

  The rain reminded him of struggling to keep a campfire lit in the wilderness, or trudging through the forest while soaked to the bone. But when you had a place to be, and people to be with, the rain did look…nice.

  “The longhouse is packed today, so we can have your lesson out here,” Windthrow said. “Let's go over some of the basics first.”

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  Vylet nodded and scooted closer to Windthrow, she shifted her tail so that it curled around both of them. He loved these little moments, her body was expressive in a way that he’d never seen from other species.

  “So what basics are we going over?” She gave him a fanged smile and looked up at him.

  He cleared his throat, “Oh right, so where are we right now? Specifically?”

  “Eh, Southern Continent, the Emel Weald. A big forest with a river cutting it in two, right in the middle of the continent.”

  She’d been studying. Windthrow resisted the urge to pat her on the head.

  “Great! And tell me about the route we'll be taking to the meeting in a few days?”

  “Uhh, across the river to the south, to the ruins of Tangle. Then we’ll go east and…” Vylet started tapping her talons, another adorable habit of hers. “Explore I guess?”

  She was correct, but seemed confused. In reality, Lena and Velt (likely deceased) took the northern route to Sapwood. Now they needed to ensure that any groups that settled south of the river were notified about the meeting. The job fell to Vylet and Windthrow.

  “Correct, we’ll trek to the east, likely running into other groups on the way. Then we’ll head back across the river to the north, to a village called Strive. In Strive, we’ll wait for the meeting, after which we’ll head back home!”

  Vylet put her palm on Windthrow’s leg.

  “Just the two of us, on such a long journey. We’ll be fine, right?” She asked, her emerald eyes sparkled, despite the grey skies.

  “You don’t have to worry. You’re strong, and I know how to handle the wilderness.” Windthrow softly placed his hand atop hers. “If anything, it’ll be fun.”

  Vylet’s tail knocked over Tanglewood, causing it to splash into the mud. She quickly pulled her hand away and picked it up.

  “Uh, yeah…sorry about that,” Vylet said. “Let’s continue!”

  For the next hour, Vylet and Windthrow sheltered from the rain and continued with the lesson. Vylet learned about the war and the poorly understood cataclysm that ended the Imperial slaver empire.

  They reviewed more recent history, about how the dragon -Hearthtooth- gathered thousands of the formerly subjugated to found their own nation, outside the Weald and far to the east. While the people weary of Hearthtooth followed a former slave called Proudhon; he led them to the Emel Weald where they decided to settle.

  Rumors also spoke of a creature, or perhaps a deity, far to the west. It was the enemy the Imperials fought during their war. There was much Windthrow could not teach; he was, afterall, a former slave. Not a king, general, noble, or even a citizen of the Imperial regime.

  Finally, when Vylet’s head was spinning with new information, her sparring partner and mentor, Cleyre approached.

  Cleyre’s red scales and pearly spines were completely dry. The blue shimmer surrounding her body was Mage Armor which deflected even individual water droplets.

  “Hey Lovebirds!” Cleyre said. “Sorry Windthrow, but it’s time for Vylet’s daily sparring session.”

  Vylet hopped to her feet, then she leaned down and gave Windthrow a quick hug.

  “See you at dinner!” Then she ran off to the training ground.

  “I’ll catch up, I need to have a quick word with Windthrow!” Cleyre shouted to Vylet.

  She sat down next to Windthrow and started fiddling with her staff.

  “This will be a little awkward, but it’s important. You and Vylet will be alone on your trip,” Cleyre said. “I don’t want to impede, or tell either of you anything, but-”

  “Come on Cleyre, let's hear it!”

  She sighed loudly, clearly steeling her resolve.

  “You and Vylet will need to be careful when you’re together. A pregnancy would complicate things right now.”

  “Cleyre!” He was blushing furiously. “We’re not like that!”

  Windthrow promptly stood up and walked back to the longhouse.

  “I’m not joking!” Cleyre shouted after him.

  Cleyre sat and watched the rain for a few moments. She didn’t like sending Windthrow or Vylet into the Weald alone, but what choice did she have? She was needed in Sapwood.

  So the days in Sapwood Village passed. Vylet continued her daily sparring and lessons. Construction continued on the bunkhouse and water well. Lena -the troublesome but kind halfling- continued her trip to the west. Cleyre spent each day studying the crystal; only her paramour, Gorefang, knew of her exact goal.

  Finally, it was time for Windthrow and Vylet to depart on their journey!