8 Setting up camp

"I'll go grab some fire wood," I told Apep as he set up his sleeping bag and made sure we had shelter.

"ok just be careful it wouldn't do us good if you got hurt even if you do have super healing abilities." He said to me not looking in me direction but there was an actual sense of concern in his words it's almost...sweet.

"OK I will be," I said reassuringly "I'll be back soon and I won't go to far promise."

"Ok," he replied sensing my teasing at the end of my sentence.

With a giggle I went in search for some firewood for the fire.

When I got back I had a massive pile stacked in my arms. "Want a hand with that?" Apep asked me.

"I think I can manage but if you want to help your welcome to," I answered smiling at him. He'd already set up his sleeping bag and made sure we had shelter incase it reined. It seemed he was just waiting for me to get back with the firewood.

"Well you may not need the help but I'll help anyway," he said answering my smile with an equally happy one. He got up from the ground and took half the pile off me.

"Thank you," I added "let's put them down here so the campfire won't be to close or to far away."

"Ok," he replied smiling.

After we set the wood down we began setting up the campfire together giggling and laughing together.

"Don't you need to set up a sleeping bag or something?" he asked "I can sort this out while you do."

"Don't worry about it I didn't bring a sleeping bag for a wolf it's not really essential if you get what I mean."

"I get it you decided not to bring one because your a ware wolf and it would have just been extra bagage," he replied without a shred of mockery or anything like that.

I smiled at him. "I'm going to go hunt some food are you ok with something like rabit. I don't enjoy killing animals but in this case it will help us out and it means we don't need to lug food around or worry about it going bad."

"True," he replied "I'm fine with rabit but I'm not a very good cook."

"That's fine I'll teach you," I smiled hall heartedly at him.

"Really? thanks," he said his face beaming.

"Really but first I need to go and catch the meal,"

"Hehe," he laughed a little embarrassed which just made me smile more that's true I'll stop holding you up if you get into danger I guess howl if that's OK with you."

"I don't plan on getting into danger but I'll howl if I need you promise," I said getting up from where we'd been sitting to add wood to the fire to make it bigger.

I walked deeper into the woods hunting for my pray. Bending down low and creeping along the woods I pulled out one off my daggers that was strapped on my waist.

Honing my senses as I creeped deeper into the woods when I heard a bunny not to far away.

I bent down lower and watched my footing as I snuck up on my pray daggers poised and then when I was perfectly poised and I attacked.

I walked back to the camp dead rabit in my right hand. My dagger sheathed in its holder, when I stepped on a twig.

"Selene is that you?" Apep called out in a confident voice but I could hear slight shards of fear in his voice.

"Yeah it's me," I said coming into sight "Sorry if I scared you."

"No it's fine. Wait who said I was scared?"he added the last bit on as a tease and this made me giggle.

"Ok,I'm sorry tuff guy." I giggled and he joined in. "We better start cooking this rabit, want to help?"

"I'm not a good chef but I'd be happy to help," he replied shyly grinning.

"It's fine I'd be happy to teach come on," I said smiling as I bent down near the campfire I jestured for him to join me.

"Ok what first?" he asked curiously as he bent down next to me.

"We skin it," I replied pulling out to daggers and handing one to him. He took it looking at the blade and the writing etched onto it.

"All my daggers have symbols carved into them but none say the same thing as another," I explained to him.

He looked up at me curiously with a shy smile on his face. "What does this one say?" he asked curiously.

I looked at the symbols that were carved into the blade of the black handled dagger he was holding. "Forti animo atque it's latin for Be brave and have courage."

"What about yours Selene, what does it say?" he asked curiously.

"Nihil preaparari it's also latin for Be prepared for anything," I explained "every weapon I own has a saying etched into it in a different language most in forgotten or ancient languages."

"That's really cool," he exclaimed a genuine smile on his face.

"Thanks. Um...we should get to skinning this rabit."

"Yeah, your right so how do we do it," he asked genuinely curious about it.

"Ok, so cut a line hear near the rear," he does what I say.

"Like this?" he asked.

"Yes, now put your fingers under the fur....yeah that's it. Ok now pull one end towards the head and the other to the rear. Yeah perfect.

...

A while later.

.....

We were sitting by the fire chatting as the rabit cooked over the fire.

"No way..., you..... you didnt," I said through my fit of giggles.

"Yeah, I did," Apep assured me he was laughing along with me.

As we chat and laughed I ttok the rabbit off the fire and cut it in half and parsed him a ball.

"Thanks," he said as I handed him the ball.

"No need to thank me you helped with the cooking,"

"Yeah, but you did most of the work and I wouldn't have been able to help without your excellent lessons." He replied as he ate the rabit "Mmmmmmmm this is so good!"

"Hehe, I'm glad you like it." I said taking a bite "Mmmmmmmm this really is good. I didn't think it would turn out this well,"

He laughed slightly "Hehe, I didn't either."

We ate our dinner chatting under the quaters moon and blazing stars. Slight breezes blew by from time to time but not called enough to make either of us cold.

"Selene can I ask you a question?"

"Sure,"

"Why have you never been cruel or hospitable towards me or any other snake?" he asked pure curiousity burning.

His question caught me slightly off guard "What do you mean Apep?"

"I mean as long as I've known you you've never been cruel to a snake or anyone else I mean either knowing the history between our to clans when we were five you saved me from under a rock. You've never said a single bad word towards my kind and every time people get into fights no matter what about or who's fault it is you try to stop the argument and you agreed to help me without a second thought. But why?"

I could tell he was actually comfused and couldn't figure it out. "I helped you when we younger because you needed it and enemie or not know one deserves to suffer and yes the snakes have done some pretty awful things to us but so have the wolves. I've never bore any hats towards the snakes because no matter what they do or have done I shouldn't hate them there's always a reason behind their actions. I try to stop the fights because I want to end the war and I want to help you because like I said before I know the pain of loosing a mother two in fact and I don't want you to go through that as well. And this could put an end to the war."

I explained to him, he seemed uterly amazed at what I said.

"You really mean every word that you just said?" he asked a look of disbalief on his face.

I smiled "I ment every word," I told him looking into his crimson red eyes and he could tell I wasn't lying to him and he smiled hall heartedly at me.

A few hours passed by before we decided to call it a night.

I curled up on the ground, resting my head on my arms as I drifted off to sleep.

"Goodnight...Selene," Apep muttered in a sleepy voive.

"Sweet dreams Apep," I replied in a mutter as my eyelids shut and a I fell into a dreamless sleep.