"Another stalemate." Ren spoke.
The two had been drawing more frequently than ever. They usually stopped out of mutual exhaustion or to spare what remained of the surrounding forest. Of all their fights however, Ren still held the better record, with Rokku closing the gap steadily. The spirit animal only needed a few more wins to pull ahead, and since achieving flight, he had become considerably harder to deal with.
The three had dinner outside the house that evening. Ren had prepared roasted potatoes alongside a vegetable soup that filled the air around them with a warm, hearty smell.
"I wish I could fly like you, Rokku," Tuarine said.
The cold, almost unreachable woman Ren had first known had changed. He could see a warmer side of her now, something freer and more open. He could not have imagined it a month ago.
Rokku raised one wing, and Ren could already tell a lecture was incoming.
