"Cal!" She knelt beside him, her voice low. "How bad?"
He groaned, his hand trembling as he pressed it against the wound. "Not… not great," he said, voice weak. "But I'm not dying. I think."
She pulled his hand away to check the gash. It was deep, but the claws hadn't poisoned—small mercy. The bleeding was heavy, though, and he looked shaky. "You," she muttered, ripping a strip from her cloak. "Why'd you jump in like that?"
"Couldn't… let it get you," he said, wincing faintly as she tied the cloth tightly around his shoulder. "You were… wide open."
She paused, her hands stilling for a moment. Her eyes flicked to his, unreadable behind the veil, but a flicker of something—surprise, maybe—crossed her face. "I didn't ask you to play hero," she said, but her tone lacked its usual bite.
Cal managed a faint, smile. "Yeah, well… owe you a few."
She didn't respond, focusing instead on the wound. The bleeding slowed, but he needed more than a makeshift bandage. She pulled out the bloodroot and bark from her pack, crushing them into a paste between her fingers. "Hold still," she said, smearing it over the gash. "This'll sting."
He hissed through his teeth but didn't pull away. "Warned me… about that one."
She snorted, a faint sound, and kept working. Her movements were quick, practiced, but gentler than he expected. She wrapped another strip of cloth around his shoulder, securing the paste. "You're lucky it wasn't worse," she said. "Shadow Hounds are fast. You shouldn't have survived that."
Cal frowned, his mind foggy. He remembered the moment the hound attacked—the claws stopping, the beast flying back. It didn't make sense. "I… don't know what happened," he said quietly. "It was like… something pushed it away."
Cloud's hands paused again, just for a second. She looked at him, eyes narrowing. "Pushed it? You didn't touch it."
"I know," he said, shaking his head. "It was weird. Like the air… stopped it."
She studied him, her gaze sharp, but said nothing. The idea of Cal having some kind of power hadn't crossed her mind—he was just a normal person from nowhere, no training, no mana signature she could sense. And Cal himself had no clue what he'd done. The alley with the Cutters flashed in his mind—shadows moving, men dead—but he pushed it away. It couldn't be related. Could it?
Cloud stood, wiping her hands on her cloak. "We'll figure it out later. Right now, you need to rest. We're not moving until you're stable."
Cal leaned back against the tree, exhausted. "Thought you said… we can't stop."
"..."
"Rest. I'll keep watch."
He nodded, too tired to argue. The pain in his shoulder dulled slightly, thanks to the bloodroot, but his body felt heavy, like he'd run for days.
He clutched Serna's pendant, the broken chain digging into his palm.
Cloud watched him from the corner of her eye, her sword humming faintly. She'd faced worse than a Shadow Hound, but something about that moment—the way the beast was repelled—felt off.
She'd felt no mana, no spell, just a pulse of… something. But Cal was no mage, and he looked as confused as she felt. For now, she pushed it aside. Keeping him alive was the priority.
They stayed there for hours, the mist thinning as the sun climbed higher. Cal's color improved, and the bleeding stopped, though he was still weak.
Cloud handed him a strip of dried meat and a waterskin. "Eat," she said. "You'll need it."
He took it, chewing slowly. "Thanks," he said, voice stronger now. "For… you know. Not letting me die."
She shrugged, her veil hiding any expression. "Don't make it a habit."
He chuckled, wincing as the movement pulled at his wound. "No promises."
Cloud stood, scanning the horizon. The river they'd been following was close, its faint gurgle a guide. "We're moving soon," she said.
Cal nodded, pushing himself up with a grimace. "Pristan's still the plan?"
"Unless you've got a better one," she said.
He shook his head, gripping his knife. "Pristan it is..."
They set off, slower now. The forest felt less hostile, the mana thinner as they neared the river. But Cloud's senses stayed sharp.
Whatever had happened with the Shadow Hound, it was a mystery neither could solve yet.
The forest darkened as the sun sank, shadows blending into a heavy twilight. The air grew colder, biting at Cal's exposed skin, his shoulder throbbing with every step.
The faint gurgle of the river guided them, but the path twisted, forcing them to climb over jagged rocks and duck under low branches.
Cloud moved ahead, her steps silent, Cal trailed, his breath uneven.
As night fell, the forest's silence deepened, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves or a distant animal cry. The stars were hidden by thick branches.
Cloud stopped abruptly, her head tilting as she scanned the darkness.
"We can't keep moving," she said, voice low. "risky at night."
Cal nodded, too tired to argue. "Any ideas?"
She pointed to a rocky outcrop ahead, where a shadow suggested an opening. "There. Cave. We'll rest."
They approached cautiously. The cave's mouth was narrow, half-hidden by vines, but it widened inside into a dry, sheltered space.
The air smelled of damp stone and moss, and the floor was smooth, worn by time. Cloud knelt, inspecting the ground for tracks or signs of beasts.
Satisfied, she dropped her pack and began gathering small branches from the cave's entrance.
Cal slumped against the wall, wincing as his shoulder protested. "You sure this place is safe?"
"As safe as it gets out here," Cloud replied, stacking the wood in a small pile. She pulled a flint from her pack and struck it, sparks catching the dry tinder. A small fire bloomed, casting flickering light across the cave's rough walls.
Cloud sat cross-legged near the fire, her sword across her lap, its green glow dim but steady. She stared into the flames, her veil catching the light, hiding her expression.
Cal watched the firelight play across her blade, shadows dancing like ghosts on the stone walls.
He cleared his throat. "You ever… camped like this before?"
Cloud didn't look up. "Many times."