"The traveling company of luna Dani Mainn... I do quite like the sound of that." Kai beamed and Cage glowered at him.

"We camp here for the night." Cage said after a moment, ignoring his brother and turning to eye the small tent shredded to pieces in the center of the clearing.

"I don't think that is advisable. What if the vampires return?" Daniel asked.

"They won't." Was all Cage replied,
before stepping forward and extending a hand in Kai's direction. His brother obeyed and took off his pack from his back, throwing it down on the ground for Cage to angrily pick up.

"Firewood." Clara mumbled and Orion silently agreed. They both headed into the forest.

The rest of the group sat down and just silently watched as Cage took twine from Kai's bag and tied the thick ripped fabric of the tent to the large sticks that held it up before it was destroyed. Gently without crushing the belongings that sat on the ground, he slowly fixed the small structure.

"You shouldn't have let him stay with us." Cage said to Kai quietly, not bothering to look up from what he was doing.

"I thought it would be generous to give him the benefit of the doubt. You only dislike him because you envy him. You dislike anyone who isn't like you, you dislike those who do not dislike themselves." Kai said, pity in his eyes as he stood and headed into the forest. Callum, Daniel and Angelica were as quiet as mice.

"Here you go. I hope these will do." Clara returned minutes later, wooden logs and sticks she held in her arms. Orion watched tentatively as Clara set the wood down beside Cage.

"They will. Thank you." Cage thanked the girl.

Clara nodded and bent down, glancing at the belongings left in the tent, and she ran her fingers over a few of the unbroken objects. Quickly shoving something small in her pocket, the gold shimmer of the item caught Cage's attention before it was gone. Curiosity arose in him.

Plopping down on the ground beside Daniel and Angelica, Clara gripped her head in her hands. Her head pounded and her stomach growled viciously.

"Are you okay Dani?" Cage asked, noticing her change in behavior.

"Yes- I just needed to sit down..." She trailed off. Reaching into her satchel bag, Clara pulled out some nuts and berries. She quickly chewed and swallowed them before taking a drink from her canteen.

<>

The sun set, and Cage could feel the darkness creep into his mind and soul. He felt alone, he felt as if he had lost his soulmate. Watching her laugh and
Converse quietly with Orion as everyone sat around the fire made him begin to feel... It didn't matter how he felt, how he felt wouldn't change how his soulmate felt about him.

"I'm going to get some shuteye." Said Kai, as he stood and laid down on the ground beside the fire.

"Me too." Said Callum.

"Me three." Daniel took his place on the ground.

"Foursies. If that's even a word." Angelica made a disgusted face as she laid down. Sleeping outside wasn't something she had done for a long time, and she hated getting dirt in her hair.

By now, Clara and Orion were both silent. They sat apart from each other around the fire. Clara silently took the blade from her side and examined the engraved dagger carefully. Cage's eyes examined the precious knife from afar.

Orion stood and walked to Clara, whispering something in her ear. She nodded and said something before he began walking away from the company, heading into the forest.

Cage gently slid over to Clara, a few feet away from her now. "I don't mean to pry... But, may I ask where you got that blade?" Cage asked quietly.

Clara glanced up at him and gripped her hands tightly around her belonging. "My father gave it to me."

Cage frowned at the girls sadness and said, "I'm sorry for your loss."

Clara shook her head. "To be honest, I do not know if it was a loss. No one has ever found his body." She kept eye contact.

"Do you believe he will return?" Cage asked.

"I used to have hope that he would. Now I am not so sure...I only have a few things left that remind me of him." Clara said solemnly.

"May I?" Cage asked and held out his hand, Clara gently placed the dagger in his palm at his request.

Cage examined the dagger, careful to not accidentally cut himself as he did.
The black bone handle of the blade was engraved with silver spirals that ran in a glorious pattern down the sides. The pure silver blade did not have a scratch on it, and it's sharpness was still superior since the day it was given to Clara.

Cage chuckled quietly. "Remind me to stay on your good side. This blade is silver."

"What of it?" Clara smiled curiously.

"Silver doesn't hurt a werewolf if they touch it... But if you pierce the skin, it can be fatal. The same goes for vampires." He replied and held the tip of the blade in the center of his palm, demonstrating without cutting himself.

"I guess I just assumed that any blade could kill a vampire or werewolf...." Clara's eyes widened at the new information.

Cage pulled the broadsword from the sheath at his belt, gently showing Clara the long silver blade. "All of the weapons we carry are silver. The material is hard to find, but it's worth the effort in the end." Cage slid the sword back into its sheath.

Clara said nothing and waited for Cage to continue. "There is a major artery in the side of a vampires neck. Humans have the same artery, but it is more fragile and easily found," Cage ran his fingers gently down the left side of her neck, his faint touch lingering. "Here is where vampires will bite their victims... And here is where the artery is. If you tear it out, the vampire will die." He finished.

"You couldn't have learned all of this from trial and error..." Clara raised a brow and placed her right hand over Cage's at the nape of her neck.

Cage pulled away, his hand falling and resting on his knee. "You're right. It wasn't all trial and error." Was all he said and broke eye contact.

"Sometimes when I speak to you, it seems as if I'm speaking to someone who's seen more than anyone in the world. How old are you Cage?" Clara asked.

"I've had twenty three human name days," Cage paused. "Yes?" Clara ushered him to continue. "And over one hundred name days in wolf years."

Clara chuckled and examined Cage's face, moving his head side to side with her fingers. "You definitely do not look like you are over one hundred years old."

"That's the part that makes it so interesting." Cage smiled. "How old are you?" He returned the question.

"I am proud to say that I have had nineteen name days." Clara said proudly and a minute passed between the two who sat around the fire.

"Tell me more about This 'Soulmate' thing..." Clara asked.

"Well, you already know a lot about it. I suppose it's just a way of life... It's kind of a built in thing we wolves have, vampires have it too of course. I've never met any humans who have said that they experience the same feeling around another human as wolves do when they are around their mate. Once the male marks the female, she is claimed as his. No one else can claim her."

"Mark? What does that mean? And aren't there mates that aren't just male and female? Are there same gender mates as well?"

"Yes, there are some mates of the same gender... And the marking process for all mates probably isn't something that your ears would like to hear right now." Cage's eyes met Clara's once more.

"Does it hurt?" Clara asked, a hint of fear and curiosity in her eyes.

Cage but his lip to suppress a laugh. "From what I have heard, there is a small amount of pain, yes, but most of the process is quite pleasurable."

Clara looked down nervously, understanding what he meant by his words. "You're right, the process isn't something my ears would be interested in hearing at this moment. Would you like to take the tent? I don't mind sleeping on the ground." She asked.
That was enough chatter for one night.

"You take the tent, I do not feel the winter's cold. Sleep well darling." Cage brushed the palm of his hand gently over Clara's that rested on her knee. She stood and glanced at him before turning away.