“I don’t like Yangsi, she stepped on my tail once,” Fressi said, a little angrily.

“On purpose…?” Renn asked quickly, unafraid to get to the truth of the matter.

“Well… no…” the young duck couldn’t lie, like most of her bloodline, when confronted and as such told the truth. Renn noted that and smiled and nodded, glad to hear so, as the young duck’s mother chuckled next to me.

“To think she had been badmouthing her just a few weeks ago,” Tressi said softly without glancing back behind us.

I looked back ahead as the two behind us continued their conversation.

We were walking a few dozen feet ahead of Renn and her daughter, Fressi, on the road leading to Lumen. We were about half a day away from Telmik, nearing the rolling hills and the beginnings of the forests that lay ahead of us. We were all on foot, since although I had offered to get us wagons or horses Tressi had objected to them. She and her daughter had not enjoyed the wagon ride from the coast to Telmik, supposedly, and as such wanted to travel on foot. I was okay with it, even if it meant we had to deal with the odd looks from those we passed thanks to her and her daughter’s long robes that they wore.

They were both dressed in darker colored robes. The kind that told any here in the Nation of the Blind that they were members of the cloth. And in fact, likely members of the order of weeping. A small sect in the church that dealt with death and the final rites of those who encountered it. Basically they were pretending to be traveling nuns who prayed for those who recently departed. Their robes were long, even for those kind of nuns, but not to the point it drew more than an odd look or two.

As long as they, and I and Renn, kept a good eye on their robes and ensured none of their long tail feathers came into view they’d be fine… but that was only mostly thanks to the fact the roads we were taking at the moment were so unpopulated. We weren’t taking the main road, but instead one that took us a little out of our way to the south. Right now we only encountered other travelers once every few hours, and the farther we got from Telmik the more rare such encounters became.

Eventually, as we got closer to towns or Lumen, we’d likely have to change tactics. Especially once we left the Nation of the Blind, where those like them… or at least those dressed as they pretended to be, rarely were found. Their robes would not be as effective beyond this religious territory, and as such we’d likely need to resort to the safety of wagons or at least horses… but until then, I was willing to abide and let them travel the way they wanted to.

“You’re laughing about it now, but if the pendulum swings too much it might end up being bad,” I said with a small warning. The young duck had indeed not liked Renn at first… and was now not only friendly with her, but wouldn’t leave her side. Much like many of the other younger members Renn’s become friends with, Fressi now would focus far more on Renn than she did me… which I knew, from my many years of experience with the ducks and their odd personalities, that such a thing could quickly end up being for the worse.

“Oh, I doubt that will happen, Vim. I have it on good authority my daughter will settle early, almost too early in fact,” Tressi said.

I frowned at that, but knew better than to inquire any deeper into it since I knew where such confidence came from. “Thus why you were so shocked over her, short, fascination with me,” I said.

She nodded as she shifted her backpack a little. “Yes. As you probably remember, we ducks usually hyper-focus on those we end up falling for… and it usually takes a long time for that to change, if it ever does. But it makes sense, since it’s you we’re talking about,” she said with a happy nod.

Odds are she had meant that in good faith, but I knew deep down what she really meant.

I was not mate material. At least in her perspective.

“Maybe she’ll end up with one of Nasba’s flock?” I wondered.

“If only… I keep worrying she’ll nab some random human or something…” Tressi sighed softly as she shook her head, and her tail beneath her long robe rustled in annoyance.

That would be sad. Fressi was very thick-blooded. She, like her mother or Nasba, would likely live hundreds of years without worry… as long as nothing drastic happened. And typically such drastic possibilities included a dead partner who died too early… though I suppose there were plenty of ducks who had not suffered such a fate, such as Nasba or her mother… Granted, their circumstances weren’t the exact same; their partners had died earlier than they, but not so as early as a human partner would.

“Have you ever been with a human, Vim?” Tressi then asked.

“Hm? As in a relationship…?” I asked back. “In theory, I suppose,” I said.

“Did it never break you? The way it does so many of us?” she asked further.

I frowned at that but nodded. “I’ll admit the times I’ve… gotten close to people, and then lost them, hurt. But if you’re asking if it broke me to the same degree as those who end their lives or become… disenfranchised with the world around them, then no. Not even close. Though if that’s because I never actually loved any of them as much as I had thought, or if I’m simply incapable of such deep emotions I couldn’t tell you,” I said, answering honestly. And not just because I knew Renn was likely listening in. She was a short distance behind us, talking to the loud duckling, but I knew her hearing was now far beyond the norm. Plus she enjoyed listening in to my conversations, especially these kinds.

“So you’re saying we’ll not know truly, until Renn passes away,” Tressi said simply.

“I’d be willing to agree with that statement, yes,” I agreed.

“Hm… How about my cousin? Renn and you said she’s happy, and Merit’s letter says the same, but is she really?”

I nodded. “As much as she can be, I think? I’ll not pretend to know what is truly going on in her heart, Tressi, as I would never claim to know yours or anyone else’s… but what I do know is she has a large family, and they must be enough to keep her going for she is and has been for some time,” I said. Her mate had died decades ago, after all. Long enough now that if she was going to succumb to the depression of his loss she would have by now.

“Hm… she didn’t marry a duck though, I hear?”

“A fox, actually. She lives with the Weaver, Nann… you might remember her. She married your clan’s shaman,” I said.

Tressi nodded. “Of course I do. But I don’t really remember this fox… I remember meeting him, and knowing of their little tryst, but not much else…” Tressi mumbled in thought.

“Well that had been during the wars,” I said. Life had been hectic and chaotic then. Worse than it was today, by far, and even today’s life was starting to feel messy… even when not including the gods.

She nodded but continued pondering her memories, or whatever was on her mind. As she did I spent a tiny moment to both check our surroundings, and to listen into the conversation behind us.

“Snakes eat birds, but she’s never been mean to me. She sleeps all day anyway, I think,” Fressi said, likely speaking of Saphra.

“Did you live together? Back over the sea?” Renn asked as I noted someone down our path. A horse drawn carriage was headed our way, and it looked like one of the medium sized ones. From here I could make out the two sitting on it, up front and guiding the horses, but I couldn’t really make out what it was carrying. It looked like crates or boxes.

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I glanced down at our path, and noted the now dirt packed ground. About an hour or so ago it had been bricks, but now that we were far enough away from Telmik and had gone down a lesser used path it was not only a dirt one. It was still packed well, without any real holes or mud and weeds, but it did make me wonder if the robes the ducks were wearing would have to be discarded once this trip was over. They were dragging, a lot, behind them as a method to cover their feathers.

“Something wrong Vim?” Tressi asked, likely noticing my looking around.

“Hm…? No. It’s actually a rather nice day,” I said. And spoke honestly. The world was warm. The few clouds in the sky were slowly rolling past, bright white and not dark or looming. There was also even a nice breeze that kept one from getting too bothered, even while wearing thicker clothes that one did while traveling. Even the ducks, with all their feathers and heavy robes, were likely not too uncomfortable.

“If it hadn’t been I would have agreed to the wagon, Vim!” Tressi said with a chuckle.

Ah, I suppose that was true… “How’d your daughter handle the voyage, by the way?” I asked.

“Not well. She didn’t mind the sea, but hated how cramped it was inside the ship. People kept stepping on our tails,” she said.

I nodded at that. It made perfect sense; particularly for Fressi… the young duck had unusually large feathers for her age.

“Though, come to think of it… you’ve never stepped on any of our tails have you Vim?” Tressi then noted.

Frowning at that, I glanced back and noted Renn’s glance. She had smiled at what Tressi had just said, even as Fressi continued to tell her about the small village she and her mother had lived in before coming here.

“You say that as if I’m the clumsy sort,” I said.

She laughed at me. “Well, aren’t you? You break stuff all the time!”

I nodded and sighed. “I do…”

“Hm… but you don’t hurt us on accident. At least, not as far as I’m aware… I’m sure it’s happened before, though, hasn’t it? After so long?” she asked.

I nodded again. “Yes. Sadly,” I answered honestly.

“Regrettable, but accidents happen… my sister caught her tail on fire once, sleeping too close to the campfire. Lost half her tail that way. Stuff happens, regrettably,” Tressi said.

It only took me a few moments to realize I didn’t really remember the sister she spoke of. I did of course remember other ducks, if not many birds and similar peoples, who had suffered similar accidents… but I didn’t remember this sister she spoke of exactly. I in fact didn’t even seem to remember she had a sister at all.

So odd. Some of them I remembered clearly, to the point that when I saw them it was as if they had never left in the first place… and then there were others that I seemed to completely have forgotten. Renn really will be upset with me once it started causing problems… since it was inevitable that it would.

“Mom!”

The two of us slowed as the duckling hurried over between us. She seemed to almost ignore me, even when her thick robe-covered feathers bumped into me so roughly I had to keep attention to my feet as to not step on them and make Tressi’s earlier comments prophetic. “What?” Tressi asked, sounding exhausted all of a sudden.

“Renn said I probably have the biggest feathers of all the ducks who live where we’re going!” Fressi said happily, as if declaring something astounding.

“Honey, I could have told you that! Your feathers are like mine, and I’ve always had the longest tail,” Tressi said, smiling proudly as she did.

The duckling ooh’d and awe’d at that, and I shook my head as I glanced back at Renn… who was for some reason staying behind.

I frowned at her as she gave me a small wave and a smile, and I figured she must either not want to interrupt in the duck’s happy little moment… or she figured Fressi would shortly return to her side as to continue their little conversations.

If she didn’t then I’d slow down too, as to walk beside her and give the ducks some space. But I didn’t want to do that just yet, in case Fressi hurried back in a few moments. Then I’d have to awkwardly either pick my pace back up, as to give them room again, or would have to endure joining their conversations as Tressi too slowed down to do the same. It was one thing to have to listen to them, but having to participate in the child’s unrelenting questions was something else entirely.

Though I was not too bothered by such a thing… I was more than happy to let Renn handled it for me instead. Especially since she actually enjoyed such things.

“Does anyone else have nice feathers Vim? At aunt’s place?” Fressi then asked me, and I noted it was the same question she had just asked Renn a little bit ago. She was likely just looking for conformation.

“Hm…” I pretended to give it some mighty thought, as if she was asking about something direly important… and then shook my head. “I’d say no, at least when compared to yours. But all feathers are nice in their own way, too,” I said.

She likely had only heard my first statement, and as such grew happy and excited over it as she reached over to tug on my sleeve. “Is it true half of them don’t have feathers at all!?”

“Ah, yes… part of your extended family inherited fox traits, so don’t have feathers. I’m not sure of the ratio, but yes… a portion don’t have feathers at all,” I said. I omitted the fact that the main reason for that wasn’t because of the fox bloodline but instead the simple fact they were of mixed bloodlines. Many of the children being born at the Weaver’s nowadays were more human than not, if not entirely human.

“Foxes eat us don’t they…? Why’d your cousin marry one, mom?” Fressi then asked, turning to her mother as she did.

“Nasba’s like you. Once her feathers get ruffled nothing stops her,” Tressi answered, with a tiny smirk as she did.

“Wha…!” Fressi of course took offense, but only to a point. She then laughed after a moment of thinking about it, and as she did I glanced behind us again.

Renn was still walking behind us. And… almost seemed to be even farther back than before…?

She again noted my glance and gave me a smile, and even a small wave. The kind that told me she was fine… but…

I returned my attention to the ducks, and found Fressi was tugging at her mother’s backpack. I hadn’t really been paying attention to what they had been saying just now, but it seemed she wanted a snack from within it.

Sighing softly, I looked ahead and noted the distance to the wagon. We’d likely be passing it, and them us, here in a few dozen minutes.

Usually this would be where I’d offer Renn a snack too. Or even the offer to stop entirely as to have a real meal… but I kept my mouth shut as the ducks went to pulling out snacks, some kind of dried meat.

“No thank you,” I turned down the duckling’s offer of some, and was a little surprised that Renn did too. Fressi had been about to turn, as to return to Renn’s side, and Renn instead had waved her offer down with a thank you much as I had.

A little surprised, I again glanced at Renn… and wondered if all was well.

She looked fine. Had a nice smile on her face, the kind that she wore when she was falling in love with someone… so by all accounts it seemed she was fine…

But…

Wait. Maybe she was just enjoying the moment? She did sometimes step back, as to watch and burn a moment into her memory. She did such a thing usually before we parted ways with someone, but maybe to her right now this was something special. In her perspective, the ducks might be something worth taking a moment to just appreciate. She did like such boisterous personalities, such as the one Fressi possessed… Add her personality to her overall childish and cute appearance, maybe Renn was just enjoying the moment?

Or maybe she was just taking a moment to rest… since the duckling had been blabbering nonstop since we left Telmik half a day ago. Maybe even Renn had limits.

Either way it was fine, I guess…

“You know, Vim… I must say you do have good taste!” Fressi then returned to talking to me as she stuffed her mouth with her snack.

“I… I do?” I asked. What was she talking about now?

She nodded. “In both feathers and women!”

Oh. Right…

“I’ll admit it seems he does… but his taste in clothing really isn’t up to par, if I can say so,” Tressi joined in, and glanced at me as she did.

What…? I glanced down and frowned at my attire. It was the typical traveling gear I wore… though I no longer had any of the leather armour or anything that Renn still wore and had, I also wasn’t dressed in dirtied or destroyed gear either. Hands had been nice enough to prepare me a new set of nicer clothes before leaving, and had done well I had thought…

“Yeah, it’s the shoes especially. What idiot gave you such thick boots, Vim?” Fressi then added her own opinion as she took another big bite of her snack and pointed down at my feet.

“What…?” Again I couldn’t understand what they were saying. I was indeed wearing thicker boots than typical, usually something one would wear up north during more harsher weather, but it wasn’t as if they were odd. Especially for the traveler I was pretending to be.

Was this why Renn had stayed back…? Maybe she had planted such a topic into the little birdbrain’s head…

“Maybe Light was right, dear? Maybe we do need to help re-outfit the Society,” Tressi then said to her daughter.

“Obviously!”

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