Winter had been creeping into the isolated forest for a month now, though the vast canopies above caught most of the snow before it ever reached the ground. The air still carried a chill, but the woods were not barren. Roots and tubers could still be foraged, and fruit trees like apricots and figs somehow thrived in the cold, offering what they could to anyone patient enough to look.
Kaida had the knitted mantles she and her mother had made for such weather, and she took one her mother had once worn, adjusting it until it fit Firion. Since the cold kept them indoors more often, Firion used the time to teach Kaida how to read from the few books she owned, all written in elven script.
"Oh! I see! This word means the moon!" she said, her voice bright with joy. Every new word sent a thrill through her, another step toward the day she could read every book on her own. She learned quickly, but she still needed time before she could finish a whole book by herself.
For now, Firion let her sit on his lap while he read aloud, explaining the meaning and nature of the text. Sometimes Kaida would fall asleep against his chest as he read.
Then one day the maiden grew feverish. Firion fussed over her, keeping her in bed and making mint tea—something Kaida had never tasted growing up. She loved it immediately.
But recently, Misha had barely returned to the rock dwelling. One evening she did not come back at all. Despite Kaida's fever, they decided to search for her.
"MISHA!" Kaida shouted, hands cupped around her mouth. Her expression was worried and exhausted, her skin flushed with heat.
Firion followed, though his concern was fixed more on Kaida than on the missing wolf. "Has Misha ever ventured out this far? Doesn't she usually just come back?" he asked.
The blue-horned girl began to cry. Misha had always been good at coming home. But something about this felt different, and it frightened her.
Then a howl rose from behind them.
Still feverish, Kaida slowly turned her head. Her frown softened into a relieved smile when she saw Misha—and Firion smiled too.
"MISHA! There you are! Where have you been?" she called to her animal friend.
But as she stepped toward the red wolf, Firion placed a hand on her shoulder and held her back. "Wait. I can hear something else moving behind her," he said cautiously, his ears twitching.
Nervously, they watched the bush beside Misha rustle. Then another massive wolf emerged—black, larger even than Misha—and affectionately nuzzled her.
As an elf who had practiced Druidism, Firion understood. Misha was still a wolf, and she had found the pack she truly belonged with.
"Kaida… I believe this is where you must part ways with Misha. She belongs to the wild gods," he said gently, his hand still on her shoulder.
She looked at him and understood. Misha was an adult now. She wanted to be with other wolves and start her own family.
Kaida began to cry softly and turned away. She understood, but how could she be happy about it? Misha was leaving her.
Then a cold, wet nose touched the back of her hand. She turned and saw both wolves wagging their tails at her.
"Kaida, Misha may have to leave you now, but I think she wants you to know that you will always be friends," Firion consoled.
Kaida sniffled. The elf's words eased something in her chest, and she smiled softly, hugging both wolves one final time. Firion lightly petted their heads.
The two wolves trotted off into the distance. Misha gave one last howl of reassurance before disappearing from Kaida's life for the final time.
The pair started home. The forest maiden was still crying and sniffling, and Firion grew more worried by the minute. Her fever seemed to be climbing.
She began to wobble as the air felt thicker and warmer around her. Then suddenly she stumbled backward.
But the muscular elf caught her first with one strong arm. "Why don't we rest for a bit, Kaida?" he cooed, feeling her forehead.
Though her face was already red from fever, it grew redder at his soft touch. She nodded, and they sat against a large tree. Firion noticed she looked worse than she had earlier.
"Kaida… if you want, you can sit on my lap and rest your head," he offered, blushing slightly.
Though still sad about Misha's departure, Firion's gesture made her feel a little better. Carefully, she positioned herself between his legs and cuddled up to him. He started lightly petting her head as she breathed softly.
He took out a satchel, poured cool water onto his hands, and let Kaida sip from them.
As she wept quietly, Firion felt her forehead again and knew her temperature had risen once more. "Kaida, when we get home you need to sleep early… I will make you a special tea to make you feel better," he said warmly.
But Kaida kept crying and looked away, surprising him. "What's wrong?" he asked, stroking her head.
Tears streamed down her face. "Are you gonna leave me too? Just like Mom? Just like Misha?" she asked, weeping heavily.
Firion realized from her expression that she was insecure, and that now was the moment to tell her what he truly felt.
He searched for the right words. "Kaida… I will never leave you. I want to be with you forever."
Her eyes widened, and her tears paused. There was something he was going to say—something Kaida wanted so badly to hear.
"Firion… what do you mean by…?"
But before she could finish, she went silent and lost consciousness. The elf was terrified.
"KAIDA!" he screamed, holding her close.
*Huff!* *Huff!* With a stern expression, Firion hurried home with feverish Kaida in his arms. The poor girl's fever was rising, worsening by the minute.
As he passed the brook, he realized the cool water might bring her temperature down. Carefully, he submerged Kaida in the shallow bank. When he pulled her out, he quickly noticed the cold had soaked through her thin clothes, and he forced himself to look away.
He brought her inside, laid her on the bed, and knew that leaving her in wet garments would only make the chill worse. So, with averted eyes and a tight jaw, he removed them and covered her modestly with a blanket. Even though he had seen Kaida's naked form before, he always forced himself to look away and suppress the deeper desires he carried. This time, it was harder. She was beautiful beyond words to him, and the wanting burned under his skin—but his morals held fast. He dumped a bowl of cool water over himself, changed his shirt, and turned his attention to the makeshift pantry.
"Let's see… I have elderberries we picked the other day. I found some ginger yesterday evening too. Ah! That's right! Kaida also harvested some honey not too long ago, and there are some cinnamon cloves still here!~" he thought, pulling ingredients from the shelves.
As he reached for the honey, Firion noticed a large, thick book hidden in the back of the pantry. Carefully, he pulled it out. It bore a strange symbol—木—that he did not recognize. But the spine carried elven writing. He squinted and made out the words: "Devas of the Wood? What does that mean?" he mumbled.
He set the book aside for now and focused on the ingredients.
He glanced at Kaida, saw her sleeping soundly, smiled, and got to work. Thankfully, the berries were already beginning to dry, so all he had to do was remove them from the stems and cook them slowly, letting them release their medicinal properties and lose any toxicity.
"I will make Kaida the same tea my mother made to break my fevers when I was a boy," he remembered fondly.
The berry broth deepened to a rich magenta. Next, he added the cinnamon cloves.
Firion's thoughts drifted to his native village, burned down centuries ago—Auriel, a beautiful, lush forest elf community that lived close to the coast and bordered Mycean, the homeland of the dragon tribe.
He tasted the tea broth, then added crushed ginger. As he stirred, he became lost in memory.
"Ironically, the reason my home and my family were taken from me was a border dispute with Mycean. And blue horns were the ones who uprooted my life to begin with," he pondered.
Then he poured honey into the broth and watched it dissolve into the hot tea. He took another sip and sighed with content.
"Ahh!~ What a comforting taste. Kaida will love this. I'm sure my mother would have as well," he told himself.
He looked at her again and could not stop thinking about what he truly wanted.
"Back then… would my younger self have believed me if I told him how a demon saved my life this time, and how my own people, whom I served for years, orchestrated my murder?" he growled.
A surge of animosity rose when he thought of Aldenburg, but then he glanced again at Kaida, still deep in sleep, and his heart calmed.
"And now… I want nothing to do with those people. I only wish to spend the remainder of my life with this girl," he said as he poured tea into a small cup.
Kaida was still sweating and panting lightly. Firion knew she might be too weak to sit up and drink.
So very carefully, he sipped a generous mouthful of tea and let it cool. Then he leaned over the sleeping maiden, gently opened her mouth, and fed her the warm, sweet broth with his lips sealed around hers.