Chapter 31

-EDITED-

As Ember awoke, she looked around her. It was night, the loud of snores of soldiers around her and the sounds of hooves hitting the ground filled her ears. Ember sat up, groaning slightly at the uncomfortable position she fell asleep in. She looked up at the sky, it was filled with stars that she would never know the names of. The constellations she could make out from the nights out in the field with her mother. Ember looked down with a sudden sadness. Even if she lived, she would have no one at home waiting for her.

Her father had passed away, and she felt a deep tug in her heart as tears welled up in her eyes. She wiped them away before she could fall.

"Hey now, what's with the tears?" A familiar voice filled with the quiet night. Ember perked up and noticed someone near the end of the cart looking at her. Her night vision was able out who it was. Who she saw was enough to make her want to scream in happiness.

"Astarte?" She asked.

"Who else? Now tell me," She paused and moved closer to Ember. "What's with those tears?"

"My dad died." Ember answered, "I have no one, no family to return to if I survive."

"Not true at all, you're part of the resistance. We're like family." She smiled. "Do you need a hug?" She asked. Ember nodded and Astarte quickly pulled her into an embrace.

It felt so nice to be hugged, it had been so long since she had been hugged. She wrapped her arms around Astarte as tears began to well up once more. The short Neko let her tears fall as the bunny girl held her. The small girl shook with silent sobs as Astarte rubbed her back.

"Let it all out, it'll get better. I promise, it might be bad right now and it might be a while longer, but you'll get through it. You're so strong to have gotten this far. I'm so proud of you." Astarte whispered.

"I missed you, I don't want to go. I don't want to go to war or see these boys die in battle. I don't want to murder someone because someone else believes they're wrong." Ember cried.

"I don't want you to go either, but you have to. We have a way to get there, so if I need to come, I will. Trust me, I will always be there for you. Even if it's not physically." Astarte promised, she pulled back and looked at the red-eyed Ember.

"You know, under these stars, you look like the most beautiful thing out here." Astarte smiled and leaned down to kiss Ember's forehead.

Ember felt her stomach do a flip as Astarte's soft lips touch her forehead.

"I got to go now, but take care okay? Also here," Astarte handed a puppy form, Atherton, "You forgot this." She grinned and hopped off the cart and ran away into the night.

Ember watched her fade away, her ears lowering as Astarte's figure disappear into the night. She let out a soft sigh and placed the sleeping Atherton down and laid back onto the sack of grain she was sleeping on before.

She watched as the trees and land passed by. She wondered, what was this war really about? Who was the real bad guy, what would Suglion do if they won the war?

Ember turned over and closed her eyes as thoughts and ideas consumed her mind. She wondered if they would attack villages, kill innocent people. Would they murder small children for being born in Suglion?

Ember shuddered at that thought, they were committing mass genocide if she thought about it. She pushed her chestnut locks out of her purple eyes. She glanced over to the woods as they continued to pass by.

Ember looked over at the sleeping form of Atherton and she thought back to Astarte. She felt her cheeks warm up as she thought about the forehead kiss she had given her. Her face turned a darker shade of red when she imagined her lips against hers. Ember covered her mouth as she held back a schoolgirl giggle. She had never felt like this, not towards anyone. This was a feeling similar to how she felt towards her parents, but more passionate. It filled her with a warm fuzzy feeling, that made its way to her figure tips as if she could conjure the feeling for everyone.

She sighed contently, as she thought to Astarte's dark chocolate orbs, the way her ears bounced when she moved. Her short blonde locks swinging so softly over her shoulders. Ember shook her head. What was going through her mind? These feelings were different. These thoughts were not meant to be towards girls, she had always seen boys with girls. How would a girl and girl look holding hands or kissing? It wasn't that she felt sick thinking about two girls being romantic towards each other but it just felt weird. She had never seen two girls be romantic towards each other. Playful, teasing and caring, but that doesn't always mean that they love each other.

Love, it was a fickle emotion. It could be the most beautiful thing but the most gut-wrenching. It was confusing, kind but harsh, it contradicted itself often. How was she meant to feel about this? It was such a complicated thing to her. According to Atherton, she was meant to love him, but her heart pulled her towards Astarte. Why was that? Why was her heart pulling her towards the thing that for all she knew, was forbidden? She was torn between her heart and worry. Ember shut her eyes as she continued to think. But her mind drifted off to the thought of sleep.

She curled up and yawned; it was late in the night, anyway. Ember fell asleep, the idea of Astarte's soft lips against her forehead lulling her to sleep with ease.