The air was cool with the remnants of the winter season, causing a light shiver to pass through him. He was wearing a light jacket seeing as how the sun would warm him, although that didn’t seem to be enough at the moment.

‘Humans. Always so frail to the elements. To everything, really.’ Pembe tossed her head in front of him, her pink flames dancing over his forearms with the faintest touch. ‘You should have put on the other coat like I told you.’

Aerithen laughed and reached forward to poke her in the withers. “Because unlike other humans, I have friends that are natural, living furnaces. So I don’t need a coat as much as other people do. Besides, just because you’re Beyza’s mother doesn’t mean you have to be mine, too.”

Pembe tossed her head this time and did a light hop to jostle him. ‘But I will continue to do so until I feel that it is no longer necessary. Now, I believe the herd is getting hungry, as am I. So if you wish to continue avoiding the matter of how we hunt, then I shall suggest that you return to the fool you call a brother.’ She walked off to the side of the caravan and joined the other Nightmares.

The Nightmares are quite...well, terrifying is a good word. They are a breed of demon that resembles a black horse, though that’s where the similarities end. They have a dragon’s mouth, full of fangs and a scream that can paralyze the most fearless man in terror. Their legs are still like that of a horse, though the forelegs are like an eagles feet, talons as long as Aerithen’s hand outstretched and as sharp as a sword. And they have colored fire in place of a mane and tail with glowing eyes to match.

Though for some reason, Aerithen wasn’t quite as afraid of them as other people were. Sure, he got intimidated every once in a while by Livius when he got angry, but other than that he was fine with them. Maybe it had something to do with his mother’s death when he was young. Maybe it was the fact that his closest friend in the caravan is a Djinn...was a Djinn.

Was.

He had to remember that.

His heart clenched in grief, still fresh in his mind even after these past few weeks.He turned to look at the caravan from Pembe’s back, at once spotting the wagon his brother, Gabriel, was driving. The loss of his friend had hurt, but his brother’s nonchalance at Dawud’s death was heartbreaking, and his lack of sadness or remorse in his soul even more so. Aerithen had always been close to Gabriel, especially after their parent’s deaths. But after that day, he’d begun to distance himself from his brother. It had hurt at first, but after a few days the pain had numbed, and he was now able to see some flaws in Gabriel that he had not seen before.

He weighed the option of staying or going in his mind, and turned back without hesitation. “I think I’ll stick with you guys today. If you don’t mind.”

And he was beginning to think he’d made the right decision.

Pembe stopped and swung her large head around, pink eyes wide and glowing. ‘Are you certain? You’ve never hunted with us before as you’ve said-’

“I know what I’ve said. But I don’t want to go back. Not right now, at least. Please, can we just go?” Aerithen hung his head, with shame or despair he wasn’t sure, but if he went back to the caravan now, it would only be a short time before Gabriel called him to their wagon and had him begin sharpening and polishing the knives and daggers to sell in Kansas City when they reach it this afternoon. He loved his craft, but with the rate Gabriel made him work he had begun to dread when he stood beside the forge.

But Kansas City; home to the Waters, royal family of the Center Territory. It was also home to his best friend, the only person in the world that he could be truly free with about everything. He could only imagine how much Anna will talk about all the fancy clothes the city girls will be wearing. And the sweet foods. God, he can already hear the long, drawn out rants about the sweet foods. But that is for later. Right now, he just needed an escape.

He reached forward and stroked along the crest of her neck. The light rose of her dancing mane tickled his hand as it passed through his fingers and around his palm. “Let’s go. As long as we make it to the campground at the same time as the caravan, we can stay away for as long as we like. So we should start hunting.”

‘In more ways than one, for some.’

“You know, sometimes you can be a real bitch.”

‘Whoever said I was nice is a lying piece of shit.’ Aerithen’s retort was left behind with the dust kicked up from the sudden gallop Pembe launched into. He had to throw his arms around her neck just to stay on her back. Livius was behind them in a few moments, followed by the rest of the herd. For the next few hours, Aerithen could think he was free.

—————————

“I told you that it was pointless to try and hunt another one! Now I’m going to seem rude for not showing up and greeting the King as he welcomes everyone!” Aerithen had to shout over the wind rushing past his face, his eyes clenched tight against the constant pelting of dust and pressed to Pembe’s neck.

The caravan was supposed to arrive at the campground on the edges of Kansas City at dusk.

It was nearing sunset now.

‘And do you really think I’m going to hurry along my herd’s hunting? As you well know, hunting takes patience and time.' Pembe was running as fast as the wind, her legs sending a steady, thumping beat throughout Aerithen’s body as he hung on with all of his strength. ‘Furthermore, Fulvous and Xanthe were not able to have much of the stag we felled, so another hunt was necessary. No one starves in this herd on my watch.’

The pounding rhythm that had been constant was suddenly interrupted, and Aerithen opened his eyes in time to see the last few feet of a deep crevasse disappear beneath them, immediately replaced by lush greenery as the land changed to woodland. He turned to look back and saw that the crevasse had to be at least sixty feet across, stunned that it seemed easy for even Beyza to jump.

These demons just kept surprising him.

He turned back and resumed how he was before, though instead of dirt hitting his face it was branches and the occasional twig of pine needles.

“How can you do all of this so easily?”

‘How do you breathe? How do you keep your heart beating? It’s all the same to us as it is to you. It’s natural.’

Now there was a thought. Aerithen had never considered that before. What Humans thought was strange about the Nibai, the same must be thought about Humans.

The Yumboes must think it strange how all Humans can have so many different colors of skin. Werewolves and Strigoi must think it strange how Humans can’t smell things as strongly as they do.

It seems that he needed to expand his view of Nibai a little more than he realized.