Another week had passed as Allura and Flora walked down a charred path. The bark of the forest was darkened by past flames, and small tufts of green needles struggled to recuperate from their loss, awkwardly starting to poke out of the trunks, and the scent of smokey sap covered them. Flora had regained her health, while Allura still struggled to restore hers.

“What do you think happened?" Flora pressed as Allura glanced about.

“Hmmm… It’s a type of pine forest, so it could have been a natural burn," Allura surmised.

“Ehnh," Rune agreed from his throne that was Allura’s shoulders, and Flora looked at them quizzically.

“Basically, some pines need fires to have babies," Allura explained.

“Oh! I see!" Flora chimed with a satisfied nod, and the two continued their journey. “So, where we goin’?”

“We’re heading to a town… I hope," Allura sighed. “After that…- what did you call it?”

“Shadow slip!" Flora chimed in proud excitement, earning a small smile from Allura.

“After that shadow slip, we kinda got lost," Allura explained with a slight shiver in her form.

“Are you cold?" Flora pressed, “Cause you look sweaty, but you're shivering.”

“It’s just a fever," Allura yawned as she pulled the small blanket from her pack, and she wrapped it around her shoulders, earning a worried look from the young girl, “I’ll be fine.”

“Maybe we should rest?" Flora suggested, but Allura shook her head.

“I can keep going." she assured Flora, “I think we are getting close to a town.” she breathed, and the two continued their way.

The sun was beginning to set, and Allura continued to shiver as she wiped the sweat off her brow before they came to a stop.

“We should set up camp," she sighed in disappointment.

“Okay!" Flora chimed, and she dropped her small pack on the ground.

“Can you gather some wood?" Allura requested, and Flora nodded. “Just don’t go too far, ok?”

“You got it!" Flora smiled, and she trotted off while Allura set to work on setting up the camp for the night.

Despite Allura’s weakened state, she made quick work of laying out their bedrolls, and she dug a pit for the fire. Exhaustion was quick to find her with her fever persisting, and she sat upon her bedroll before pulling Rune into her lap. Allura tightly wrapped the blanket around herself and the sloth as she waited on Flora’s return. She sighed as she shifted in the uncomfortable heat that refused to warm her, and after a few long moments, a twig announced an arrival, bringing her a sigh of relief.

“Good, you’re back. I was starting to get worried," Allura breathed, but her eyes widened as she found what had been announced.

A figure stood in a long black cloak with nothing more to show than his twisted grin and ill-gotten scars.

“You should worry!" he sang what the world expected of him, throwing his hands up with flames flashing their threat over his form.

“Wha-what?...” confusion filled her, but among the scars was one of familiarity, one she had aided, “Wait... I know you.”

“Of course!" he chimed, but his face fell into a scowl, and his fire grew chaotic, “‘Cause who doesn’t know of the fire de-”

“It looks like you healed up well," she gently interrupted him, and he flinched. Allura placed Rune on the ground, and she moved to her feet as concern filled the sloth.

“Ehnnh!" Rune warned, but she simply flashed him an assuring smile before she started to approach the teen.

“What’s it been?" Allura questioned calmly, taking another soft step towards him, and his retreat mirrored her. “About four or five months, right?" she pressed before noticing a burn that was in need of care on his hip.

“Y-you’re that girl," he stuttered.

“And you’re that boy." she teased, making him blush faintly before he glanced around.

“Where’s the other one?" he pressed nervously.

“Flora?" she questioned.

“I’m here!"

The teen jumped, and he spun on his heel to find Flora standing directly behind him. He staggered backward from her, stumbling in to Allura, who quickly found her balance to catch them both.

“You ok?" Allura pressed, but he was already jumping away from her with his flames flickering.

Bewilderment held him while Flora continued with her task as if nothing had happened, moving to the pit, and she placed the wood beside it before she knelt down.

“Al, can I start the fire?!" Flora pressed excitedly, and Allura sighed before joining her while the teen gawked.

“Only if you’re careful." Allura hummed while helping her set up the kindling.

“Do we have any seasonings left?!" Flora pressed while she struggled a bit with igniting the fire, and Allura retrieved her limited gains from a previous hunt.

“I don’t think so," she lamented before glancing over her shoulder to the teen. “Are you hungry? Do you wanna join us?”

“But he’s weird!" Flora whined, and Allura sighed again, “He’s just staring, and not saying anything!”

“Don’t be so rude," Allura scolded, and they both jumped as he sat with a solid thud beside Allura.

“You’re weird," he grumbled back at Flora, earning yet another sigh from Allura.

“You shouldn’t be rude either," Allura commented while glancing at him through the corner of her eye, and his eyes widened slightly before looking away.

“Sorry," he mumbled with his flames flickering over him again.

“It’s ok," Allura assured him while skewering a chunk of meat on a long stick, and passing it to Flora.

“Thanks!" Flora chimed, and Allura smiled with a nod while she prepared a second one.

“Here you go," Allura offered it to the teen, but the flames that flashed over his hand gave him pause with a worry filling his eyes. “Actually, since you’re our guest, why don’t you let me cook it?" she insisted with a knowing smile, earning a warmth in his cheeks, not due to his own flames.

The three ate in relative silence with a bit of mundane chatter between the girls until they finished their food while Rune sat in front of the teen, staring him down as he slowly chewed his own leaves. The teen stared back into the sloth’s chocolate eyes, but after a few long moments, he slipped his hands under Rune’s arms, carefully picking him up. He held the sloth at arm's length in front of himself with a perplexed look.

“What are you?" he grumbled while continuing to gaze into Rune’s eyes as the sloth just slowly kept chewing his leaves.

“Ehnh,” Rune answered him, gaining Allura’s attention, and the teen gently placed him down with a hint of a smile before patting the sloth’s head.

“That’s Rune, he’s a sloth," Allura informed the teen, earning a slight jump, and she laughed softly.

“Al… I’m sleepy," Flora complained with a yawn as she rubbed her eyes.

“Then go to sleep," Allura gently suggested as Flora flashed a worried look at the teen. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine."

Flora hesitated as she looked between the three, but after a moment she reluctantly moved to her feet. Flora settled down on her bedroll and under her blanket before she slowly drifted off in the near silence of the night. Time slipped past, and Allura looked to the young night sky that was free of any cloud, allowing the heat to flow out into the universe and the temperature of the forest to fall.

“It’s going to be a cold night," Allura sighed as she pulled off her blanket, and she quietly made her way to Flora. She allotted the extra warmth to the young girl, and then Allura fetched her pack before returning to her spot beside the teen. “Are you warm enough?" Allura pressed, and he answered with a nod. “Does that burn hurt?" she questioned with concern as she glanced at his injured hip, and she began rummaging through her pack while he simply watched her. “Cause I still have that ointment." she hummed before pulling out the jar. “It’s actually pretty amazing that I do, considering how much I’ve used, but every time I open it, it’s full again… I wonder where Curo got it…" her voice trailed off, and her eyes widened. “That-...”

‘You have your secrets, and I have mine, Allura.’ Curo’s voice silently rang through her head, and she furrowed her brows before letting out a defeated sigh.

“How did I not realize it sooner?" she grumbled to herself while shaking her head. “Anyways," she breathed as she opened the jar, dipping her fingers into the ointment before reaching towards him.

The teen quickly snatched her wrist, and she blinked at the threatening look that swirled with fear in his eyes. She gently placed her hand on top of the one tightly holding her wrist for a moment, and his grip relaxed ever-so-slightly before she moved it to his forehead.

“You’re so warm," she mumbled with a troubled look. “Are you feeling ok?" she pressed as he looked at her with the same question rising in him for her sake. Her porcelain skin was clammy, and her pale lilac eyes appeared glossy, causing a pang of worry to run through him.

“You should worry ‘bout yourself," he growled while releasing her, and he brushed away her hand as he avoided her eyes.

“I could say the same to you," she grumbled back, and he jumped as he felt her fingertips on his hip.

“What the fuck?!" he snapped with his flames sparking over him, and an exasperated sigh left her.

“You should be more polite to someone trying to help you," she huffed before looking straight into his fiery eyes. “Or are you going to push me and run again?" she challenged, and he clenched his teeth with a glare before his gaze ran from her dare.

Without permission, she gently began applying the ointment again, but this time he did not flinch away, and within moments she finished treating him. Allura carefully tucked the jar away in her pack, and she moved herself closer to the fire’s warmth, finally focusing more on her own needs.

“Ehnnh?" Rune pressed with worry, and Allura wrapped her arms tightly around herself as she shivered.

‘Why…?’ Allura questioned herself silently. ‘Why do I always feel the need to save everyone when I can’t even do it for myself?’

“Axis," the teen grumbled while moving closer to her, bringing her thoughts back to reality and earning himself a confused look. “Me…Fuck! I-I mean… I’m Axis," he growled in frustration, and she continued to blink at him as he stared into the dwindling fire. “Your fire is going to go out." he huffed, and she looked at it before glancing about for fuel.

“She didn’t get enough wood for the night..." Allura sighed while Rune crawled over to her, and she gently picked him up placing him in her lap once again.

“Are you cold?" Axis questioned hesitantly while glancing at her to find her shivering.

“I’ll be fine. I’ll just go gather more wood…" she relented, but as she started to move he grabbed her shoulder.

“You don’t have to," he muttered, retreating his hand as the air grew warmer around them.

“So you are-”

“Yeah," he cut her off, “I’m the fucking demon," he added with disdain as he looked at her, and she flicked his forehead. “What the fuck was that for?!" he barked, and she rolled her eyes.

“You’re not a demon,” Allura revealed, and his eyes widened. “You’re just a boy.”

“Boy?" he blinked before frowning, “I’m older than you!”