We sit at the table and she shyly slips into the chair across from me. Tapping my fingers on the table, I think where to start. My eyes dart across the room that’s softly filled with the light from the fire under the cooking pot. Should I begin with how she sent Baolarah after me? Or with everything that I saw? I do want to tell her about how much she’s appreciated by…most of them and how well everything looks because of her. I don’t know if I should tell her about Tziatana just yet. There’s not much to tell but, knowing her, she’d just tease me. Remembering what Tetyh said about marriage, what if Mother doesn’t want me to go back because she thinks that’ll happen? I haven’t thought about what’ll happen in the future that much. She can’t possibly help them forever and what will she do when there’s another set of people over the village; will they want her to help? What will happen to her, to me?

“Aderran, weren’t you going to tell me about your day?” She asks.

“Oh,” I answer. Brain, please focus. “Yea, but first, mind telling me why you sent her to follow me?”

“Before you get mad, I didn’t do it because I didn’t trust you. I didn’t know how they’d react to you being there. It might not have been enough to have the word of Denchi; one of them could have done something to you or followed you home. I did it for your protection. She wasn’t supposed to make herself known.”

“Well she mostly did a good job,” I huff. “She would have been useful when Maeren tried to kill me.”

“He what?” She gets up and comes around the table. Where was this concern yesterday when I almost got eaten?

“I was walking home, minding my own business, and he shoots an arrow at me. Luckily his aim is terrible and he missed. He tried to make it seem like he was joking but I know he has it out for me.” Remembering the arrow in my hand, I toss it on the table before I cross my arms and sit back. Just thinking about it makes me mad all over again.

She pats my head and goes back to sit down. She’s acting the same way as yesterday. Does she not believe me?

“What’s that for?”

“I don’t think that he was actually trying to kill you,” she laughs. “You know, you can be a bit dramatic sometimes. Even if he was, I’m sure Baolarah would have saved you.”

“You see how bad she was after fighting another…another…”

“Puma.”

“That. She looks fine but how can I really know if she’s back to her old self? And if one can almost kill me during the day, who’s to say another won’t come back when we’re sleep?”

“They don’t usually come to this part of the forest and even if they did, they couldn’t get in the house. Haven’t I taught you how to defend yourself? If you had a weapon on you, like I tell you to every time you leave, you wouldn’t have needed to run away.”

“I already had to get used to her being around so how was I supposed to react to seeing another one that was way bigger? She only just started being nice to me.” I say that last part loud enough for Baolarah to hear me through the door.

“She doesn’t dislike you; she probably thinks of you as a defenseless cub she has to take care of…a lot. So I’m sure if she sensed you were in real trouble she would have made her presence known,” she reassures me.

“It’d be too late if he already shot me,” I mumble. What do I have to do for her to take me seriously, actually die? “Besides, I think we’re good for now. I mostly got him to admit that he doesn’t completely hate me. Although he did say I was annoying and talked too much.”

With the way she’s laughing I don’t want to tell her about my day anymore. So much for a nice evening having a nice conversation.

“Are you done?” She’s being the annoying one now.

“Relax,” she breathes. “If he really didn’t like you then I doubt your conversation would have gone that far. Who knows, you two could end up being friends.”

“I wouldn’t say all that, he’s too uptight and has anger issues,” I seriously can’t imagine being friends with someone like him. I don’t even have friends so that’s saying something.

“Opposites attract,” she replies with a giggle. “Speaking of which, did you meet any pretty ladies today?”

I throw my head in my hands. This time I’m sure I’ll actually die, this time of embarrassment.

“I take that as a yes, so what did you think?” She leans across the table and reaches for my hands. She’s enjoying this too much. I brush her off and she plops back in her chair.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I groan. “Can I please just tell you about the rest of my day?”

“Fine. So, how did it go?”