Sonder woke with the sun on her face.
A thin strip of light hit her from a slit in the window.
She didn't move as she didn't want to wake. She simply lay there, listening to the soft morning wind outside.
Then she rolled over.
There was a strange noise and then a soft tearing sound beneath her.
She snapped her eyes open.
"Oh no," she said.
She lifted herself lightly and then twisted, realizing that she had done.
The sword in her chest had punctured and sliced the thick furs beneath her when she rolled over.
"I'm so sorry," she said, instinctively apologetic, as if the fur could hear her.
She carefully sat up, easing her weight so the blade didn't tear it any further. With deliberate slowness, she shifted again and freed the sword from the bedding entirely. The fur lay scarred but intact enough to be mended.
She didn't know much about sewing but she still said, "I'll fix it."
More of a thought than a promise. She had to tell Aest.
She stood up. It had been a while since she slept so well. It felt like a luxury.
She went outside.
The morning air was crisp and clean, and it carried the scent of smoke.
Aest stood a short distance from the hut, already awake and busy.
A small fire crackled neatly before him. He turned a skewer slowly in his hands, strips of meat cooking evenly, sizzling, and fat dropping onto the firewood.
A shallow pan sat near the edge of the fire with vegetables softening inside it.
"You're up," he said, looking up at her as he was crouching by the fire. "Good timing."
Sonder stepped closer, the featherling drifting from her, drawn to both the warmth of the fire and the smell of the meat and vegetables.
"I made breakfast," he said. And he smiled, "People tend to get hungry in the morning. You're not one of those who don't eat when they get up, are you?"
"I don't eat much," she said. "But I do eat sometimes."
"Sit," he said, nodding toward a flat stone nearby. "Unless you're in a hurry."
She sat, folding her legs beneath her, staff resting nearby. Aest handed her a modest portion.
Sonder ate slowly, and not much, but what she did eat she thought was tasty.
After a moment, she paused, setting the food aside.
"Thank you," she said sincerely. "I think… I'll leave after this."
Aest nodded, as if he had expected nothing else. "Figures. It was a short visit, but a nice one."
Together, they looked out toward the cliff.
"Safe travels then, Sonder," he said.
She smiled, holding that moment of warmth a little longer than necessary.