CHAPTER 12: a new rush of hope.

Out of breath Theo finally made it back to the cave. Outside a heavy rain had started to pour down, and most of his scent would soon be washed away.

Gwen who sat next to the fire shot a bored glance at him. "Took you long enough. What were you doing out there?"

Theo carefully placed the firewood on the ground so that it wouldn't roll into the flames by accident. Then he threw the rabbits at Gwen. She panicked but managed to catch them just in time.

"I told you I went out looking for food. Next time try to remember what someone says. Anyway, I encountered one of those… things along the way". He spoke while looking down on Gwen with a deep frown. "It appears that they indeed can no longer see."

Gwen non-gallantly leaned back and kicked a small stone in the flames. "Then what's the big deal? If they can't see us, we could've stopped running a while ago."

"Make no mistake, human. That they can't see doesn't mean that they can't observe their surroundings. They can still hear and feel. And to top it off, their sense of smell can at the very least rival my own."

Timon got up with a loud groan and took the rabbits from Gwen that she had basically been pushing in his face ever since she caught them. He made a long cut in the belly of the animal and started to skin it.

"If what you say is true than we're indeed in deep trouble. No matter wat road you follow they'll eventually track you back to here. And the surroundings of this cave can only protect us so much."

Theo shrugged and joined them by the fire. "Yea, I figured. This can indeed only go on for so long. Do you have any other options perhaps?"

"Do you know of the Greenhunter family? They're an important diplomatic figure in this country. Their wealth even surpasses that of the Livor family. Due to this they were even able to build a massive wall around their head mansion. If we manage to reach them, we will have a good supply of weapons and food, along with a good place to take shelter."

Theo's tail slowly moved from side to side as if it wanted to follow the dance of the small flames in front of him.

"And what if it is already looted or taken over?"

"Then we will come back here until a better chance arrives."

Theo slightly furrowed his brow. "And if it is not already taken over, why would they ever let us in as they already have enough mouths to feed?"

Timon crossed his arms and wore a proud smug on his face. "Because of you of course. Their family is also known for collecting knowledge and spreading it to the world. You would be an interesting thing for them to study. Maybe it will even help you figure out what you are."

Theo bit his lip as he thought things trough. It was risky. He had only ever heard about that family whenever his father complained about how they were one of his most demanding clients.

He was fully aware that Timon was trying to sweet talk him into coming along. Probably just because he thought that Theo's physical abilities could help their survival until they reached the mansion. But there was a small chance that his parents also had made their way to that mansion, given that they were business partners.

Apart from that, the chance of finding out what he was, was way too tempting. Even if he didn't fully trust Gwen and Timon yet, he would take this stupid risk.

"So, the small chance that we reach the mansion, and is still owned by the Greenhunter family, and they'd let us in? It's stupid but, fine, I will go with."

"So, when do you want to leave?" Gwen asked while still playing around with the fire.

Theo stared at her, secretly hoping that she would burn her hand as she felt too good to help out with anything and let her brother do the work. "I want to wait at least a day."

The girl frowned. "So long? What do you expect us to do while we are just stuck here?"

"Gwen could you please stop? You were the one that asked. Be at least a little grateful that he is letting us stay here."

Theo also grabbed one of the rabbits and with a speed that could only be achieved by pure mastery of a skill he swiftly skinned it. After this he impaled it on one of the arrows and held it above the flames.

"Don't be grateful. I am only letting you stay here because it works in my favour. Small groups are optimal for surviving in situations like this. They require less food than say, a dozen people and can still cover each other's back. yes, I could probably survive on my own. But I would get in trouble if I were to get surrounded by these things."

Gwen seemed at least a little disappointed with his answer but tried her best to hide it.

Roughly three hours later both Gwen and Timon were asleep. Theo had volunteered to keep the first watch despite how tired he was. He felt a little bad for being so cold to them, but what in his opinion made it worse was that it was the truth. He would probably leave them behind as soon as having them around was no longer beneficial. But the thing that kept him awake the most was how worried he was about his parents.

Looking out over the forest outside of the cave, he could see the now clear night sky. He closed his eyes and flapped his useless wings a few times. He was aware of every movement he made with them, every muscle that tensed and even the flow of wind underneath them. but still he had never managed to fly.

He knew how much his parents were worried about that. They were scared that it might be a sign of bad health. But since they had nothing that they could compare him with they were never sure.

But Theo himself never really minded not being able to fly. He'd never needed it. But now he wished he could. He knew that the longer it took him to find his parents the higher the chance was that he would never find them again.

He opened his eyes again and took a deep breath. Then he saw something close to the entrance. He felt quite stupid that he had not seen it before, but it gave him a new rush of hope.