The forest grew denser as they stepped away from the old road.
Towering pines closed around them, branches weaving together high overhead until only narrow ribbons of moonlight slipped through the canopy. Snow muffled every footstep.
Viktor stayed close behind Kaavi.
The raven was nowhere to be seen now. Every so often he would pause for only a heartbeat, glance between the trees, then continue in another direction as though following a path invisible to everyone else.
A few minutes later the trees began to thin.
Nestled against the foot of a rocky hillside stood a shallow cave.
It wasn't large. The entrance was only wide enough for two people to stand side by side, but it stretched deeper than Viktor expected. The stone floor sloped gently upward toward the back, where the ground remained dry despite the winter outside.
Dark stains marked parts of the ceiling.
Someone had lit fires here many times before.
Travellers. Hunters. Perhaps even soldiers.
Kaavi stepped inside first.
His footsteps echoed softly against the stone; eyes wandered across the cave.
The ceiling. The corners. The floor. The entrance behind them.
Only after satisfying himself that nothing had claimed the shelter before them did he loosen the straps around his shoulders and place his pack against the wall.
"We'll stay here tonight."
Relief spread quietly through the group.
Gavril let his own pack slide onto the ground with considerably less grace.
It landed with a heavy thud.
"Oh, that..." he muttered while rolling one shoulder. "...feels much better."
A loud crack echoed from his back as he stretched.
He closed his eyes.
"I think I just added another five years to my life."
Viktor couldn't help smiling.
"Only five?"
Gavril looked at him with exaggerated disappointment.
"You wound me."
"I thought you said your back hurt."
"It does."
"Then how did I wound you?"
Gavril stared at him for a long moment.
"...You know, I liked you better when you didn't answer back."
Viktor grinned.
"I didn't answer back."
"You just did."
"I answered now."
Gavril opened his mouth.
Paused.
Then pointed a finger toward Viktor.
"I'm choosing not to continue this conversation because I'm clearly outnumbered."
A quiet laugh escaped Veyl.
Soft enough that he almost seemed surprised by it himself.
The sound lingered only for a moment before the cave settled back into silence. Without needing to be asked, everyone began moving.
Veyl knelt near the back of the cave, brushing loose stones aside with the side of his boot before gathering handfuls of old pine needles that had blown inside over the years. He carefully cleared a flat place where they could sleep without rocks digging into their backs.
Watching him, Viktor hesitated only briefly before crouching beside him.
"What should I do?"
Veyl looked around.
Then pointed toward a pile of smaller stones scattered near the entrance.
"If we move these..."
He nudged one with his foot.
"...there'll be more room."
Viktor nodded.
Together they began carrying the stones toward the edge of the cave.
Neither spoke much.
Every now and then their hands reached for the same rock at the same time, prompting one of them to quietly pull back before the other continued.
Awkward. Natural.
Near the entrance, Kaavi picked up an empty leather sack before looking toward Gavril.
"Come."
Gavril looked longingly at the ground he had only just sat upon.
"...Do we have to?"
"We need firewood."
"I was afraid you'd say that."
Kaavi's expression remained unchanged.
Gavril sighed with theatrical suffering before forcing himself back onto his feet.
"If I disappear into the forest..."
He slung the empty sack over one shoulder.
"...tell future generations I was stabbed to death by kaavi."
"You won't."
"I appreciate your confidence."
"It wasn't confidence."
Gavril narrowed his eyes.
"...That sounded suspiciously like an insult."
"It was an observation."
Gavril rubbed his forehead.
"I'm beginning to think travelling with Kaavi is slowly damaging my spirit."
The two disappeared into the trees, leaving only the crunch of snow behind them.
The forest welcomed them with the same quiet patience it had shown all day.
For a while neither spoke. They simply worked.
Kaavi chose fallen branches that remained dry beneath the shelter of thick pines, snapping them into manageable lengths before placing them into the sack.
Gavril, meanwhile, picked up nearly everything that remotely resembled firewood.
A few moments later Kaavi quietly removed half of it.
"Too wet."
Gavril looked down.
"...How can you tell?"
Kaavi held one branch toward him.
"The bark."
Only then did Gavril notice the darker patches where moisture had seeped into the wood.
"...I would've spent an hour wondering why the fire wouldn't light."
"You have."
"...Have I?"
Kaavi looked at him.
"Twice."
Gavril frowned thoughtfully.
"...That does sound like something I'd do."
Above them, somewhere beyond the canopy, a raven called once.
Kaavi stopped gathering wood.
He listened. Only for a breath.
The forest answered with nothing more than the wind drifting gently through the pines.
Satisfied, he returned to his work.
Gavril noticed.
He didn't ask.
By now, he had learned that Kaavi rarely stopped without reason.
The sack gradually grew heavier.
So did the silence.
After several more minutes, Gavril glanced back toward the faint glow of moonlight marking the cave entrance far behind them.
"Veyl settled in quicker than I expected."
Kaavi placed another branch into the sack.
"He adapts well."
"I wasn't talking about the camp."
Kaavi waited.
Gavril broke another fallen limb across his knee.
"You really don't think the Baron had another reason for sending him with us?"
The question lingered quietly between the trees.
Kaavi did not answer immediately.
He simply brushed snow from another branch before adding it to the growing pile.
Finally, he spoke.
"No. He is not that kind of man, Trust me."
"How do you know his intentions?"
Kaavi lifted the sack of firewood, and started walking towards the cave.
"I can read minds Gavril."
"…Ohh, I keep forgetting you could do that."
Gavril also picked him his stack of firewood and started following Kaavi.
"I have to be careful around him; he has an annoying power."
Kaavi and Gavril emerged from the forest with the leather sack now filled with dry branches.
Near the back of the cave, Veyl had already finished clearing a place for everyone to rest. The loose stones had been moved aside, and old pine needles gathered into a small pile outside, leaving behind a surprisingly even patch of ground.
Viktor looked up as they entered.
"We finished."
Kaavi's eyes briefly swept across the cave.
The cleared floor. The stones stacked neatly near the entrance. The extra space.
Then they rested on Viktor.
He didn't ask whether the boy had helped.
He already knew.
"...Good."
It wasn't praise nor was it meant to be.
Simply an acknowledgement.
Viktor lowered his head slightly before returning to arranging their blankets.
For reasons he couldn't explain, that single word pleased him more than he expected.
Kaavi knelt near the centre of the cave.
Rather than striking a spark immediately, he first arranged the wood with deliberate care.
Thin curls of dry bark. Small twigs.
Then branches no thicker than a finger.
Only after everything had found its place did he strike the flint.
The first spark died.
The second clung stubbornly to a strand of bark before disappearing.
On the third attempt, a thin thread of smoke curled upward.
Moments later, a small orange flame flickered to life.
It crackled softly as it consumed the bark, gradually spreading to the larger branches.
Warmth slowly pushed back the winter that had followed them inside.
No one spoke.
For a little while, everyone simply sat near the fire, letting feeling return to fingers stiffened by a day's travel.
Outside, the wind whispered through the pines.
Inside, the cave filled with the comforting scent of burning wood.
Kaavi reached into one of the packs and removed a small cooking pot.
Snow gathered from just outside the cave slowly melted over the fire.
Into it went strips of dried meat, followed by a handful of mushrooms he had collected while gathering firewood.
Nothing luxurious. Just a warm meal waiting at the end of a long day.
When the food was finally ready, Kaavi passed the bowls around.
Steam rose gently into the cool air.
For several minutes, only the quiet sounds of wooden spoons against clay bowls echoed through the cave.
Gavril took another mouthful before thoughtfully chewing for a moment.
"...Needs salt."
Kaavi tasted it himself.
"It does."
Gavril looked almost disappointed that there had been no argument.
"I was hoping you'd tell me my cooking standards were too high."
Silence settled once more.
The kind shared by people too tired to fill every pause with conversation.
Veyl quietly tore his remaining piece of bread in half before offering one piece toward Viktor.
Viktor blinked.
"You don't have to."
"...Thank you."
Veyl simply nodded and continued eating.
Nothing more needed to be said.
The fire burned lower as the night deepened.
One by one, bowls were emptied.
Blankets were unrolled. Boots were loosened.
Gavril stretched once before lying down with an exhausted groan.
"If anyone needs me..."
He yawned halfway through the sentence.
"...I'll be..."
A moment passed.
Soft snoring answered on his behalf.
Viktor looked over.
"...That was fast."
"It usually is," Kaavi replied while adding another piece of wood to the fire.
A faint smile crossed Veyl's face.
The cave slowly grew quiet once more.
Outside, winter carried on without concern for those seeking shelter beneath the mountain.
Kaavi remained seated beside the fire.
Watching. Listening.
The flames reflected softly within his eyes, but his attention remained elsewhere.
Beyond the darkness waiting between the trees.
A sharp caw echoed through the forest.
Once. Short. Different.
Kaavi's expression changed almost imperceptibly.
The warmth vanished from his eyes.
He rose without a sound.
The movement alone was enough.
Gavril's eyes opened immediately.
Months of travelling together required no explanation.
His hand silently found one of the axes resting beside his pack.
Veyl noticed the change in both men.
His own hand instinctively moved toward the knife at his belt before gently pulling Viktor a single step behind him.
Viktor's heartbeat quickened.
No one spoke.
Kaavi's thumb eased the guard free from his sword.
Steel whispered as the blade slowly left its scabbard.
At the same moment, he closed his eyes.
For an instant, the cave disappeared.
Moonlight spilled across untouched snow.
Dark pines stretched endlessly beneath the night sky.
A raven glided silently between the branches.
Through its eyes, the forest unfolded below.
Then...
Movement.
A lone figure emerged from between the trees.
Walking.
Not hurried or cautious.
Simply making its way toward the cave.
Kaavi opened his eyes.
His grip tightened ever so slightly around the hilt.
Someone was coming.