V2Ch155 New Postponing

Blood began to splatter to the ground. Nimer lowered his now-shaking raised hand that was meant to protect him. A scream filled the night just before the body hit the ground with a thud.

"What happened?"

Asked Nimer.

Looking down at Amur, his bloody disfigured face told an easily understandable story to me. The beast-people, who were unfamiliar with guns, had no clue what it meant for a gun to backfire if the barrel was clogged with "something."

I recalled my final shadow from the barrel of the gun.

"He played with a weapon, thinking it was a toy."

I felt Babur's fur brush against my arm. I looked down at her. She seemed a bit sad at the development. I wonder if she and her cousin got along before she was exiled. I grabbed her hand. She looked up at me in response.

"You okay?"

She nodded and rested her head on my arm, but not before I noticed her solemn eyes.

"Someone get this idiot out of here."

Nimer called out. The moment one of the villagers attempted to move the body, a horrid gurgling sound could be heard. Babur was startled by it and hid her face in the side of my chest. I began to pet her hair, hoping to comfort her, if only a little.

"He's still alive?"

"What should we do with him, elder?"

Nimer pulled at the white hair on his chin.

"Hmmm. Get r... nyo. Take him to the healing hut. See what we can do for him."

"Elder?"

"If we abandon him, then we are nyo better than him."

"Understood."

Amur was carried off. Nimer came up to us.

"That... was nyot a nyormal trial under nyormal circumstances. But, this... Even so. Lake, you held your own where others have failed. Though, with the things I have witnessed from you, it seems as if you can overcome nearly any situation you come across."

Amur's body was being taken away by a couple of the villagers.

"Amur..."

Babur's voice was nearly a whisper.

"What will nya do with him?"

While it took most of my concentration to make out what she said, Nimer had no trouble hearing her at all.

"If he does nyot die from his own wounds, we will likely exile him. If this situation has taught me anything, I think he will be the last exile and we will nyo longer have a fifth trial, barring him from returning to the village in the future."

"I can't believe he ended up this way. He was so nice when we were younger. We used to play together. I would get hurt and he would kiss it better. Nyo one else ever did that with me."

I gently pushed her away from me, just enough to get her to look up at me. I leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose.

"I'll do that for you. Anytime. Every time."

Her eyes still hid some sadness, but she smiled and hugged me.

"As for the results of the trial..."

Nimer started.

"It was nyot properly finished. While you did nyot fail the trial, neither have you passed it."

Babur suddenly let me free and worriedly questioned her grandfather.

"Does that mean I'm an exile forever? What... How can I..."

"The trial was interrupted. By the ancient rules of the village, we will need to have you participate in a different trial. If... you still wish to be rid of your exile status."

"YES!"

Babur immediately grabbed my hands and started jumping up and down. I couldn't help but smile at her childlike reaction.

"I will have a hut prepared for you for the night. It won't be close to anyone from the village but, you won't have to camp outside of the border. Just for tonight."

Babur swung her arms out wide, ready to hug the old beast. She remembered her place before she could go through with it and bowed in front of him instead.

"Thank nya, elder."

"Eh, yes. I will have someone retrieve you in the morning. I will inform you of the new trial that you will participate in at that time. Wait here for a guard to come and take you to your hut."

Nimer wandered off. I began to look at the villagers that were still around us. Some of them were nursing wounds from the brawl. Others were trying to fix broken lamp posts or walls from nearby buildings caused by the fights.

The ones that caught my attention the most were the eyes that looked at me. Not at their exile, Babur, but the stranger that can manipulate shadows and survive and heal from dozens of wounds in a matter of seconds. The eyes that looked at me were not frightened. Not in the normal sense. They did not look away when my eyes met theirs. They were wary of me. They wanted to make sure I wasn't manipulating my shadows while the majority of the populace was distracted. They were protectors. They saw me as a threat and wanted to be able to tell their friends and family to run if I showed any signs of hostility.

Once more, I was more than just an outsider. I didn't feel like anyone here could truly trust me. I couldn't belong here. It's not possible. Not with these eyes that never let my image escape them.

It wasn't long before our new escort came and showed us the way to our sleeping place for the night.

It was a small hut with barely enough room for the two of us. It was more of a refitted tool shed for the nearby farming fields. That was fine with me. Babur and I were already familiar with sharing close quarters for sleep. The guard left us but assured us that the hut would be under watch in case someone else decided to defy the elder's wishes.

We had almost the same amount of room as if we were sharing a single sleeping bag. Whatever material they used for cushioning was very soft. The blanket was thick and warm. The "door," if you could call it that, was just a flap that didn't even reach the ground. Thanks to the blanket and the heat of our bodies, we had all the warmth we needed.

My eyes were ready to close for the night. As soon as the light from the moon could no longer be seen, my tired thoughts were interrupted.

"Lake?"

"Ya?"

"I want to take nya somewhere tomorrow. After the trial. That is... if we pass."

I opened one eye. Her back was to me. I placed my palm against her bare back and pushed it up and over her shoulder, around her neck and under her chin. I carefully pulled her chin in my direction. She complied with my hand and came to look into my eye.

"I have something I want to talk to you about, too. Maybe tomorrow or the next day. See how it goes."

Before she could question about whether it was a good or bad talk, I smiled and moved in for a kiss. I hoped that that would convey my intentions. The first kiss was nice, but it wasn't enough for her. She rolled over to face me and we spent some time lip-locked before the late night overtook our desires to be awake.