The sun was high in the sky, and the sound of rushing water became louder in the direction they were heading. They had finally reconverged with the river after walking for several hours. Lumens eyes stared at the wide stretch of water. The trees on the other side, and the rushing water below, it was loud, and vicious but beautiful.

They had been walking all morning, finally back on track to get to Tas'gala by tomorrow. Lumen stopped for a moment to admire the natural beauty of such a river. There were layers of moss-covered rock and tiers of earth surrounding the rapid waters. Lumen sighed as he took in the sights, the mercenary stopping for a moment, allowing Lumen a moment of awe. He walked along the edge of the path. The drop to the river was probably at least ten feet, and seemed to have no way back up. The earth had worn away due to years of rushing water. Lumen looked down and saw the various small branches planted within the walls of dirt.

The bodies of water in his forest were small, and still, nothing as violent as this. Lumen stepped close to the edge. He saw the mercenary turn slightly, his thin pupils catching his for a moment. He quickly looked away as he went to step back to the safety of solid ground, fixated on the more sturdy ground in front of him.

Before Lumen could process what was happening, he felt his foot slip. Suddenly the earth beneath him had crumbled and his balance was gone. He sucked in a sharp gasp, his stomach dropping.

Oh no

Lumen only had to panic for a split second before suddenly his wrist was grabbed. Lumen's body was held firm, tugged forward, and now less than a foot from the broad shoulders of the mercenary. Lumen exhaled, following it with rapid breaths; his eyes were wide. He glanced behind himself as he saw a small dent in the earth beside the cliff. Lumen, wordless, looked back up at the mercenary. His usually thin vertical pupils were unusually wide. His amber colored eyes bore holes into Lumen as he was stared at. His wrist was still being held; the smell of cinnamon filled his mind for a mere moment. Lumen felt a familiar, humming pulse against his. It slowly, lazily melded with his own. Lumen's panic had begun to subside. He found himself unable to look away from the mercenary. He was entirely lost for words in that short moment. Unable to make out a single thought the mercenary could have had. Lumen's cheeks flushed as his mind swirled. Perhaps it was due to the sudden closeness, or the rush of adrenaline Lumen thought.

Suddenly the Feli'na before him broke eye contact, dropping his wrist; he spoke, as if he was scolding a child

"Be careful"

Lumen found himself, swallowing; he exhaled, recognizing the haze of spice swirling around him. He tried to push it aside, unsure why he responded that way to a smell. His body felt as though it just got weirder and weirder lately. Lumen brushed his clothes off, straightening himself. He quietly responded, following behind.

"Y-Yeah.. I'm sorry" Lumen felt embarrassed he had caused another issue, but his curiosity was grand, and he couldn't help but indulge it. He had paid this man to take him there, but he still felt guilty for causing so many problems he hadn't meant to. Lumens head lifted at the sudden words. Usually the mercenary didn't speak unless he was asked a question

"We will reach Tas'gala tomorrow, stay out of trouble until then if you can help it"

Lumen lifted a brow. He felt challenged at this statement

"What's that supposed to mean? I didn't do it on purpose.. I'm just not used to seeing anything outside of the forest I live in, and the city is the only one I've been to."

Lumen wanted the man to know he wasn't foolish, curious, yes, but he never intended anything bad. He had just never left the safety of his woods. Suddenly he wondered, had the mercenary been to Astradel before? He didn't think to ask prior, but it seemed he knew his way effortlessly.

"Have you been to Astradel before?" Lumen asked with genuine curiosity, he was met with a simple response that lacked any annoyance.

"I have"

Lumens eyes lit up. He thought that must be incredible, to travel as you wish, see cities as you please.. leaving the comfort of home so confidently.

"That's amazing.." Lumen said absentmindedly, he hadn't expected a response and was surprised to get one

"It's peaceful, compared to these woods"

Lumen thought as much, he had heard it was a peaceful forest, full of beauty. He wondered what it was like, and felt a sense of excitement, knowing he would soon know. Lumen felt a twinge of envy at the man, going where he pleased, unafraid.

Lumens eyes wandered to the mercenary's hands. They had uneven patches of skin and streaks across them. Lumens wistful smile dulled as he stared at the scars, realizing there was a trade-off for such a life, he wondered how the mercenary had gotten such scars. But he would never ask.

They walked in silence, Lumen sipping from his canteen a few times through the journey. At one point he nibbled on some salted, dried fish once his stomach began to gnaw at him. The mercenary declined the food to no surprise. A thought Lumen had prior came back to him, and he couldn't stop himself from asking.

"Ah, So the red headed man.. from the city. What did you do to him" The mercenary glanced back at Lumen, a piercing gaze meeting his.

"Why concern yourself with it?" Lumen felt a bit embarrassed at the statement, but pressed on anyways.

"Well, You were hired to.. do what to him? I mean if it weren't for you I'm not sure what would have happened to me."

The mercenary was quiet for awhile. Lumen assumed he was annoyed. Suddenly an answer broke the silence.

"He borrowed money from some people, they hired me to take what he had on him, and send him off with a warning."

Lumen thought it must be something like that, somehow learning what he was doing, and his motives sparked his curiosity. Perhaps it was because this man was impossible to read, he craved to know more, unsure why.

"So you didn't kill him?" Lumen asked, he wasn't afraid of the answer either way, not after what the other man had done to him.

"Not at that time, if he didn't pay within two weeks I was requested to."

He spoke dryly, and had no real concern in his voice. Lumen felt a twinge of discomfort, foolish thoughts flooded his head, he wondered if someone paid the man enough, would he do the same to Lumen? He knew this would not be the case; Lumen had no real enemies, just people in the village who thought low of him. A thought occurred to Lumen, realizing they hadn't settled on a payment amount.

"Oh, Right.. We didn't settle on a payment for this.." Lumen had hoped it wasn't more than he had. He worried then maybe the man would take his belongings or leave him in unfamiliar woods.

"We can arrange it later. I needed to come this way regardless"

Lumens head tilted in slight surprise, was that why he agreed to come so easily? He couldn't complain, it made sense, after all, if he was coming this way anyways. Lumen thought of another question, then another. He bit is tongue realizing for the first time he wasn't the quiet one; he was always the quiet one. He was always the guarded one, and now here he stood with a stranger full of boundless questions.

Lumen figured it must be the excitement of the journey, the elation of his potential cure. His body had been stranger than normal. Less pain, more twinges, more flashes of heat, he often felt very warm to the touch lately. He wondered if it was related to his ailment.

Lumen was pulled from his thoughts at the sudden voice ahead of him

"Why are you going to Astradel, exactly?" It was a simple question, his tone flat.

Lumen thought for a moment, he didn't want to talk about it much. He felt shame and fear at his sickness, but now he feared it made him seem weak. He wasn't sure how to answer, and before he could think words began to spill from his mouth.

"I'm... Sick. I don't know what it is." Lumen's words floated from his lips. He hadn't meant to say it. He felt a flush of shame wash over him.

The mercenaries words may have held a twinge of curiosity, but Lumen couldn't tell if he imagined it.

"And you want them to cure you?"

Lumen gripped his bag strap. He realized it sounded ridiculous, but it was his best chance.

"It's the only chance I have.." He trailed off.

"I see"

 The conversation ended for the time being; Lumen hadn't intended to talk about his sickness. He was confused at his own actions. He hoped one day, he'd never have to call himself sick, and hide himself in fear, wake up in the night in a cold sweat. He hoped and wished with all his heart for freedom from his disease.

They continued onwards until the sky was orange and the surrounding trees blanketed the earth in shadows. There hadn't been any bandits, and besides nearly falling into the rushing river this morning there were no incidents.

"We camp here, these forests are safe."

Lumen's head rose, and he looked curiously at the Feli'na before him. Camp? Here? What if something happened while they slept? Lumens thoughts became hurried words

"But, what if something happens? How is this place more protected than the last?"

The mercenary eyed the surrounding brush, eventually making his way to fallen logs and decaying leaves.

"It's close enough to the city that nobody causes problems around here, guards are never far, Tas'gala is well protected"

The mercenary sounded confident in his words as he grabbed various kindling's in which to make a fire with. Lumen felt a slight unease in his stomach. He wasn't sure he trusted this idea, but the mercenary hadn't been wrong yet. He pulled his bag over his head, feeling a bit lost for words at the sudden declaration.

"I see.."

Lumen watched the mercenary for some time. He made a fire, and sat himself against a boulder that was firmly wedged within the earth. Lumen sat in front of the smoldering wood in silence for some time. Lumens gaze wandered upwards and to his surprise met with the Beast-mans golden eyes across the fire. His eyes felt hotter than the flames that warmed his skin, anxiety prickling his in his mind. Lumen wasn't sure why he gave him such looks.

In an attempt to try and quell his nerves, he spoke the first words on his mind.

"How long have you been a mercenary?"

Lumen swore he could see a quizzical expression. Maybe it was the shadows of flames playing tricks on his eyes. To his surprise, he received an answer.

"A long time" It was simple, but Lumen felt a gnawing feeling to learn more. It almost annoyed him at how curious he was.

"You're a Feli'na.. Don't you have a tribe? a village?" Lumen thought of the fact that the mercenary had said he didn't have a home.

The mercenary was silent for a long time, as if deciding his response. Lumen felt maybe he had been too pushy, and thought to himself maybe he'd better just try and sleep.

"I did, I left it long ago. I disagreed with our villages living and mating arrangements"

Lumen raised his eyebrows in surprise at the fact that he received an answer, and the genuine reason that had been given. Lumen thought for a moment, he was confused until he remembered the ways of mating for Feli'na. There were different types of males, and some could become pregnant, and some were stronger than others. He wasn't entirely sure how it worked, only that it was exceedingly rare these genetics happened outside Beast-blooded people.

"I don't know a lot.. but i've heard it can get a bit complicated.." Lumen trailed off, feeling a sense of awe at the fact that they were almost sharing a mutual conversation.

"Among our tribe there are Virtus, and Anima. Virtus are perfect males. My tribe raises Virtus to become powerful leaders and have many offspring due to their superior physical capabilities. You were expected to perform these tasks without question."

Lumen listened, fully interested; he felt something like happiness creep into his chest. He was finally being spoken to like a person. Lumen had heard something vague like this before, but hadn't realized the extent of it. It sounded oppressive, being bound to duties because of how you were born.. He thought for a moment how lucky he was to be free from that type of burden. He had already dealt with enough due to his mixed blood.

"Ah.. That seems unfair. Is that why you left then?"

Lumen asked curiously, his voice laced with a hint of nervousness. He worried any question would be too far.

The Feli'na across the fire lifted his gaze to Lumen. He felt a knot of nerves grow in his stomach.

"That is why I left. I could not fulfill these duties, and I rejected all mating demands with Anima."

Oh.. Lumen realized that meant this man was considered a perfect male in his tribe, something that was considered rare and important to their village. He thought it seemed like the man to carve his own way in life. Lumen was lost on the concept of Anima, though.

"What exactly is an Anima..?" Lumen shuffled his sitting position so his legs were crossed in front of him. He found the fire to be slightly too hot against his cloak. He slipped it off, laying it down beside him. Lumen felt a familiar intimidation as he realized the mercenaries slitted pupils were glued to him.

"Anima are the opposite of Virtus, they can be male or female and both can bear children. Anima tend to be very desirable to Virtus" His voice was unchanging.

Lumen felt as though he couldn't hold still. He shifted in his sitting position again as he listened to the mercenary. Mating customs seemed complicated for Feli'na. He couldn't imagine needing to birth a child, or being downright told it's his duty. A thought sparked Lumen's mind. He had realized something. He had no idea of the mercenary's name.

"I'm sorry.. I realized I didn't ask your name yet. I'm Lumen" He offered a slight smile. It wasn't returned. But a name was finally placed to the enigma before him.

"Umbra."

Lumen thought it a nice name. He hadn't heard of it before.

"Thank you for taking me to Astradel, Umbra" He spoke timidly, hoping using his name hadn't been too familiar. Umbra never answered, but Lumen was fine with it. His mind at ease, learning that the mercenary had a name, and a reason for where he was today. He thought his life must have been hard.

Umbra sat in silence for the rest of the night. Eventually Lumen found himself laying on his cloak as the night dragged on. His skin prickled with heat and occasionally he would roll or adjust if it became too intense. Lumen felt.. satisfied with himself. He finally had some answers. It made Umbra seem less mechanical and more like a person.

Lumen was confident he could sleep now, assured Umbra wasn't after anything of his own. His eyes drifted closed and his mind wandered into an endless sea. He thought of the warmth of his home, his mother, and Biyo. His thoughts accompanied by the unmistakable scent of spice.