New beginning

Morning came fast — but, oddly enough, not unwelcome.

They weren't out of the woods yet, but it felt like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders.

Vael, as usual, was the first to wake. His body ached with dull soreness, but it was a major improvement compared to the last time he'd pushed himself so far.

He sat up, blinking the sleep from his eyes.

Ash wasn't in the tent — which was strange. She was always there in the morning, curled in her usual corner.

Kiera was still asleep beside him, breathing steadily.

Frowning, Vael slipped out of the tent and scanned the camp.

He found her just a few meters away, slumped against a tree, her head nodding forward, eyes half-lidded. She looked like she was fighting to stay awake — and losing.

Panicked, he blinked straight in front of her.

"Ash? Are you okay?! You should've gone to sleep. No one's going to attack us now."

Her head rose slowly. Her eyes met his with a kind of distant stubbornness — one far too old for her age.

"There always has to be someone on watch duty," she murmured, voice low and tired. "Always."

And with that, she slumped forward and fell asleep, right then and there.

Ash didn't wake up until late in the morning.

When she finally stirred, it was because Lucia had gently draped a blanket over her shoulders and dropped a mess kit near the fire a little too loud.

The girl blinked, sat up groggily, and muttered something unintelligible before crawling into the nearest tent. Nobody stopped her.

They all understood.

The rest of the day passed slowly.

For once, none of them were eager to move.

They had the provisions, thanks to their doubled pace over the last few days. Kiera had confirmed it after counting through their bags — twice, just to be sure.

"We have more than enough," she'd said. "Even if we rested a full extra day."

So they did.

No training. No marching. No watch shifts.

Just silence, sun, and stillness.

Vael spent most of the day cleaning his weapon. Not because it needed it, but because it gave his hands something to do. Sitting still had never come easy to him.

Across the camp, Lucia lay on her back with her arm over her eyes.

"I think I can still feel my spine vibrating from when that thing punched the ground," she groaned.

Drako, bandaged and slightly pale, let out a snort. "At least it didn't snap your shield in half. Mine's basically firewood now."

"You're firewood," Lucia shot back without looking.

Kiera smiled faintly at their banter, but she was quiet most of the day. She spent it resting with a book in hand — though Vael wasn't sure she actually turned a single page.

Ash emerged again sometime near dusk, her hair wild and eyes distant.

She didn't say much.

Just sat by the fire, peeled a fruit with her knife, and stared into the flames.

Lucia passed her a ration bar without a word. Ash took it, nodded once.

Later, as the orange sky dimmed into twilight, Vael approached her.

"You didn't need to stay up last night," he said again, more gently this time.

Ash shrugged. "Didn't want to sleep anyway."

She didn't elaborate.

And Vael didn't ask.

The fire crackled between them. Somewhere nearby, a bird cried out once, then went quiet.

Ash looked up at the darkening sky.

"How far are we from the rebel camp?" she asked.

Kiera answered from behind, having appeared silently. "Two, maybe three days. With no detours."

Ash nodded once, thoughtful.

Then she stood, dusted off her hands, and walked toward her tent.

"Wake me if anything happens."

They woke up the next day feeling like entirely new people.

It was a well-deserved reprieve from the constant, gritty survival and relentless fighting.

But at sunrise, they left their temporary haven behind.

Already, there were signs of other apex predators creeping in — drawn to the newly unclaimed territory, now that its last tenants had fallen.

And so, they moved on.

This time, though, it was easier to stay motivated.

The end was in sight.

The light at the end of the dark, cold tunnel.

And so they followed the valley — step by step — toward their escape from this icy hell.

And for Vael, Kiera, and Ash, towards a new beginning.