_Mystic Heart Odyssey_ _Part 8: The Wound Awakens_ _Chapter 2_ _Gleam seems to be growing increasingly fixated on something, huh?_ _\-Llox_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ When the trio finally found a good spot just up the hill a bit from the creek Lykou had spotted, they quickly set up camp and settled in. They were all tired, but especially the konuul. After hungrily scarfing down dinner, he actually swapped the usual roles with Kuna, laying sideways with his head in the sereva’s lap with a fatigued, but content look as his chest, and occasionally his head, was affectionately stroked. Naturally, it gave them both butterflies in their tummies, but neither was about to admit to it. And in any case, they had Gleam to distract them, too. “I really hope that mess with the portal was just a one time thing,” Gleam bemoaned anxiously as she continued nibbling on their reserve of tree nuts. “It’s going to be a huge pain if that happens every time.” Lykou and Kuna shared a worried look. “Yeah, here’s to hoping,” Lykou said eventually. “But hey, even if it does, we’ll be here for you.” “I just hope it’s not doing damage to your head or something,” Kuna remarked. Gleam twitched. “Oh. Goodie. I hadn’t even thought of that.” “Yeahhh, you didn’t need to say that you know,” Lykou playfully chided. Kuna winced and smiled sheepishly, scratching his head a bit. “Sorry. I guess my old paranoia habit is flaring up again,” he said, then turned to Gleam. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be fine. We’ll check with Lana and Daisy next time one of us talks to them.” “Yeah, I’m sure they would’ve mentioned if they were worried about that being a risk,” Lykou assured the squirrel with a tired smile, then yawned a bit. “Sounds like you should make an early night of it, sleepyhead,” Kuna teased. “Need help getting to bed?” Lykou grinned and crossed his arms. “Nah. Comfy right here, thanks.” Gleam couldn’t help but giggle a little. “Hope you didn’t need to get up anytime soon, Kuna.” Kuna snickered and rolled his eyes a little. “Oh no, woe is me. I’m trapped under a sweet fluffball. Surely I shall perish here,” he said with a dramatic gesture, then turned to Gleam and held out a hand towards her, with the other over his chest. “Tell people about us, Gleam. It’s up to you to spread our story now- the sereva buried alive, and the konuul doomed by fatal sleepies!” Lykou and Gleam both giggled at the theatrics. “And you call _me_ a goofball.” “You both are,” Gleam said, still giggling. “You’re just rubbing off on me, I guess,” Kuna retorted. Lykou glanced back up at him with an impish grin and narrowed his eyes playfully. “Maybe later, after I’ve had some rest.” Kuna and Gleam both looked confused for a moment, then the sereva blushed hotly and prodded him. “Don’t make me vine you!” “Tease,” Lykou replied with a wink. Gleam glanced between them in confusion. “Uh... I think I missed something.” “Don’t mind him, he’s just being a perv,” Kuna said flatly as he picked up his bag and plopped it down on the canid’s face, then held it there for a moment as the konuul half-heartedly fought against it. “Oh... oh, right,” Gleam said, smirking again. “You two have that special friendship thing… you two gonna do sex stuff tonight??” Kuna flushed even hotter and shot a surprised, embarrassed look at the squirrel. “Gleam!” The temporary distraction allowed Lykou to push the bag off his face and he chuckled, blushing a bit as well. “As fun as that’d be, I’m way too tired for that kind of thing right now.” “Not to mention that’s not something you just… casually _ask_ like that,” Kuna mumbled, covering his face, even as he grinned bashfully. “We’ve been over this…” “Aww come on, why do we have to treat it like some big secret?” Gleam playfully griped, crossing her arms in a huff. “People are so weird!” “Admittedly I always thought it was a little odd too,” Lykou said, smirking up at the flustered sereva briefly, then shrugged. “But that’s just how it is.” Gleam let out a light groan and rolled her eyes. “Shouldn’t be,” she grumbled, then continued eating. “Wonder how Zyn’s doing?” Lykou wondered aloud. “Kinda expected him to pop up again by now.” Kuna shrugged. “Yeah, but you can never tell when he’ll appear. I’m sure he’ll come around soon though.” “Hope so. It’d be nice if he could give us a heads-up about what we might see around here, besides random wind spirits,” the canid said. After they all sat in silence for a minute, he glanced over at Gleam and noticed her idly fiddling with a carrot, rather than eating it. “You alright, Gleam?” “Hmm? Oh, yeah, I uh…” she said, then grinned after a moment. “...well, since the subject came up, I think I’m gonna go do the thing again. The… what did you call it again?” Lykou and Kuna stared at her for a moment, then both their eyes widened slightly as recognition hit. Lykou chuckled as Kuna rolled his eyes with a bashful smirk. “Oh. That.” “Masturbating, although people usually use other words for it,” Lykou said. “Like… well, I guess for girls it’s usually called shlicking or jilling or something. No idea where the second one came from, honestly.” “That’s if they’re more direct,” Kuna pointed out. “Most people try to avoid even mentioning it directly and just say they’re going to go have some personal time in private or something.” Gleam giggled. “Right, okay, that. You guys want me to go in there,” She gestured behind her to the shelter Kuna had set up with her help earlier. “Or you okay if I do it out here?” Lykou snickered and waved her off as Kuna’s blush was renewed. “Go on inside. Just be sure to come let us know when you’re done, before you go to bed.” “Okayyyy,” Gleam said as she eagerly hopped up and slipped off to the makeshift botanical hut. Once she was out of sight, Lykou chuckled and looked back up at the sereva. “Well, guess we got more time to kill out here. Whatcha wanna do?” Kuna bit his lip, still blushing faintly as he stared at the hut thoughtfully, then bashfully grinned down at the konuul. “I guess it’s too hopeful to ask if that ‘too tired’ comment was just an excuse to move away from the subject, huh?” he asked shyly. Lykou stared at him in mild surprise, then smirked and reached up to tweak his nose. “Look at you, being all eager,” he said, then sighed. “Unfortunately yeah, I’m exhausted. Believe me, I’d love to otherwise. But I wouldn’t want to disappoint, and as it is, I hope you don’t mind if I doze off here while Gleam does her thing.” “Yeah I figured,” Kuna said, giggling, still flushed. “Another time then. And that’s fine by me. I may just meditate a bit, maybe practice scrying.” “Sounds like a good plan,” Lykou replied, then yawned and closed his eyes. “Wake me when she comes back out.” “Will do, big guy,” Kuna said, tussling his hair lightly. Lykou smiled contently as he started to drift off, blushing faintly. _Probably for the better_, Kuna thought to himself as he watched his crush doze off in his lap. _I’ve got it bad_ _enough_ _for you as it is, I don’t need to risk making it worse right now… as much as crave it again._ He smiled and sighed as he took in the canid’s features with great affection. He eventually he snapped himself out of it and looked away. _Get it together, Kuna. Right. Scrying practice…_ After closing his eyes and taking a few slow, deep breaths to center himself, he began concentrating on clearing his mind. It proved a bit harder than usual, though- no doubt partly because of the konuul in his lap. As much as he tried to focus on Lana and Daisy, with the astral charm clutched in one hand, his mind kept wandering away to other things. Eventually, he opened his eyes again and glanced up at the stars. He thought he could sense something faint coming from them, almost like they were trying to whisper something to him- but he just chalked it up to being tired and contemplative. Oddly enough, he ended up thinking back to when he first met Lykou on that fateful day… the storm, the fear, the confusion, it was all so overwhelming. That, paired with malnutrition, the cold, and general exhaustion, led to him ultimately fainting in the konuul’s arms. It’d been the first real warmth- figurative or literal- that he’d felt in ages. He smiled as he turned his attention down to the canid again. _And here I am, returning the favor, in a way…_ As much as he resented Inkari using them as pawns in some convoluted scheme beyond his understanding, and tearing Lykou away from his home, he had to admit it had saved him in a way he’d never be able to put into words. And as terrified as he’d been that night, he now looked back on it as the best thing that ever happened to him. Suddenly, Lykou’s eyes fluttered open again and he smiled up at the sereva when he saw him looking back down at him. He yawned again, then chuckled. “Trouble meditating?” Kuna blushed slightly and shrugged. “Yeah, mind’s just restless tonight I guess.” “Oh yeah?” the konuul asked, then hugged the sereva’s arm to his chest. “Whatcha thinkin’ about?” “Just back to when we first met,” Kuna admitted. “Circumstances aside, at the very least I have to admit I’m grateful Ink brought us together.” Lykou flinched at the name, but continued to smile back up at him, then laced his finger’s together with the sereva’s. “Yeah… me too. She’s still a manipulative, twisted bitch for putting us through so much and taking me away from home, but I definitely don’t regret that part.” He giggled a little. “It’s funny how quick you went from being terrified of me to immediately dozing off after I grabbed you.” A thought occurred to him for the first time and he folded his ears down. “Uh, shit. I hope I didn’t scare you into fainting.” Kuna giggled. “I’m sure at the time that’s what I would’ve said if you asked,” he said, then shook his head. “But no. Honestly, it was just the first time I’d felt that warm and cozy in forever. And… well, you saw my state at the time.” “Oh yeah?” Lykou asked, then his smile faded into a more sympathetic look. “You know, I was kind of wondering… you mentioned once you had another cave somewhere around that you’d been sleeping in, right? Did you not have anything left there? Something to keep you warm?” “Eh… the only clothes I had were a mess. I kept tearing them up to try and make something new with them, but of course I didn’t have a needle so it just ended up being a mess of scraps and rags,” Kuna explained, frowning as well, then shuddered a bit. “I… left the old tent behind because it was too painful to look at, honestly. Dumb move, I know.” “Maybe, but a totally understandable one,” Lykou replied, rubbing his arm softly. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up…” Kuna shrugged, then smiled faintly. “It’s fine. It’s in the past. What’s important is the present, where I’m here with you,” he said, then giggled. “If you’ll pardon the sap.” “Oh you know me, I embrace sappy,” Lykou retorted, wrapping an arm around the sereva’s waist with a grin. “Still, if we happen to pass near it on the way home, we can grab anything you might’ve left behind if you want. Assuming it’s still in decent shape.” “Eh, I don’t think-” Kuna started to say, then froze as his eyes widened, then started to tear up. “-FUCK!” he suddenly blurted out, smacking his palm to his face. “Dammit, gramma’s blanket…” “Oh?” Lykou asked, perking up with concern. “So you did have something to keep you warm, hmm?” Kuna let out a shaky sigh and rubbed his face, sniffling a bit. “Spirits, I hope it’s still safe somehow… hopefully nothing got into it…” He sighed after a moment and looked back down at the konuul after rubbing the tears away. “I actually just kept it folded up most of the time, because I didn’t want to risk damaging it. It was the one special thing I had left from my family.” Lykou frowned and gave his middle a gentle squeeze with his arm. “Hey, I’m sure it’ll be fine…” “Maybe… I tried to keep it tucked away in the back of the cave, so at least it should be safe from the rain,” Kuna replied. “Not telling after this long, though…” “Hey, if it’s damaged, we can always grab it and see about fixing it up after we get back,” Lykou assured him. “We’ve got plenty of needles in Lakefire. Sunstone ones, even.” Kuna nodded and took a deep breath to calm himself. “Right… I’ll just try and be optimistic.” Suddenly, a thought occurred to Lykou and he smiled up at the sereva. “Hey, since your mind is on it anyway, and it’s probably safe to say you have a strong connection to it… why not try scrying on that instead? Could be good practice, and if it works, you can get some idea of what kind of shape it’s in.” “That… that’s actually a great idea,” Kuna said, perking up a bit. “Although I doubt I’ll be able to see much, given where I left it. But it’s worth a try.” He smiled and tussled the canid’s hair a bit. “Thanks, Kou. I’ll give it a try.” Lykou chuckled. “Happy to be of help.” He yawned a bit. “I think I’ll try dozing again in the meantime. Let me know how it goes afterwards, though.” “Will do,” Kuna said as he closed his eyes and began focusing again. He thought back to the blanket as memories came rushing back to him. He could practically feel it wrapped around him, and smell the faint scent of the various herbs that he’d been fed in some form or another when he was sick all those years ago. He thought back wistfully to the nights he’d spend swaddled in it in his grandmother’s lap, as she nursed him back to health and told him all kinds of stories. Or how he’d wake up from some nightmare, only for one of his parents to swoop in and hold him in it until he could go back to sleep, usually with them singing to him. A tear leaked out of the corner of his eye as he reminisced. Finally, he forced his attention away from the memories and tried to focus more on the blanket itself. The colorful, intricate pattern that’d somehow been stitched into it always captivated him. And even if it wasn’t quite as soft or smooth as some of the other materials he’d encountered since, it was by far the coziest thing he’d ever owned. It blocked the cold better than anything, and despite his insistence otherwise, he did occasionally wrap up in it in that cave, when he felt the world closing in around him. It always helped to ground him. He imagined how it’d feel to share it with Lykou eventually… perhaps in another, happier cave, making little paintings on the wall together, playfully dabbing a little on one another’s faces after a while. He smiled at the thought, basking in the cozy, sweet mental image. But eventually he forced it aside to focus again on the blanket itself. His hand started to glow with soul energy as he pictured it laying in the cave, neatly folded like he always kept it. As he focused, he could feel the faint sensation of leaving his body again, and peering across a great distance. Finally, a vision began to form, blurry at first, then gradually clearing up. But what he saw threw him for a loop. He didn’t see the blanket- in fact, he was looking near the entrance to the cave, rather than in the back. It was dark, so things were hard to make out. But in the corner of the vision, something took him by surprise- a campfire. It was low, almost embers at that point, but it was definitely a campfire. Someone was actively camping at his old site. As his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, a sudden slight motion on the ground caught his attention. It was then that he realized there was someone laying there, under a blanket of their own, on a simple sleeping mat. And he finally spotted the blanket he’d been looking for in the middle of the vision, sticking out of the owner’s pack. His attention flitted back to the sleeping individual in astonishment- most of their features were hidden by darkness and their own blanket, but he could just make out a pair of pointed ears. And he thought he saw a tail flick briefly in the darkness. He wasn’t sure what to think. Someone had found his campsite, was using it, and had taken his blanket. And they appeared to be a konuul! At least his blanket looked like it was being taken care of. Still, part of him felt anxious about the situation. But as the reality settled in, he snapped out of the vision and opened his eyes with a gasp. Lykou’s eyes fluttered open again and he looked up at the wide-eyed sereva with concern. “Ku? Everything alright?” Kuna just sat in silence for a moment, staring into the distance thoughtfully. “I… I saw someone… someone has my blanket,” he murmured quietly, then finally looked down at the canid with an uncertain, but slightly excited expression. “A-and… I think they’re a konuul…” “...what?” Lykou asked in a hushed tone, eyes going wide. He suddenly sat up and put his arms on the sereva’s shoulders. “Say that again…” Kuna put his hands on the konuul’s arms and grinned a little. “I couldn’t see them very well but…. Someone’s at my old camping spot, and they have my blanket poking out of their bag. It was too dark to see much, and they were asleep under their own blanket, but… they had the same kind of pointy ears, and I think I caught a look at their tail. Definitely looked konuul to me. Bag looked like yours, too.” Lykou stared at him in stunned silence. Slowly, he started to tear up and a smile crept across his face. “They… they haven’t given up…” He suddenly pulled Kuna into a tight, shaky hug, sniffling. “S-someone’s looking for me… they still haven’t given up!” Kuna smiled and squeezed him gently. “Well Zyn did say-” “That’s right!” Lykou said, suddenly pulling back and swishing his tail. “It… i-it’s probably… oh spirits, what if it’s Naira?? What’s she doing so far away?! She’s not good at hunting or survival stuff! Oh fuck, she better be careful!” “Hey, you never know. Maybe she’s not alone- I only saw the area around the bag with my blanket,” Kuna pointed out. “And it was too dark anyway. Maybe there are others further in the cave.” Lykou sniffed and embraced him again, his tail swishing like mad behind him. “They haven’t given up on me… oh, Kuna…” Kuna gave him a tight squeeze in response. “Of course not. You think they’d give up on finding the sweetest fluffball in the village when they have even a tiny notion of you still being alive? Not a chance! I know I wouldn’t.” The konuul continued to cry happily as he stayed in the sereva’s embrace. Eventually, once he’d collected himself a bit, he pulled back again and rubbed his eyes, blushing a little. “S-sorry, just…” “Hey, you’ve got nothing to say sorry for, you goofball,” Kuna interrupted, smiling back at him. “I’m glad I could bring you some good news.” “Do you think you could try again tomorrow, when it’s light out? Even if I can’t see them myself, I’d love if you could confirm it,” Lykou asked hopefully. “Of course! We better get some rest though,” Kuna replied, then glanced over at the hut. “Uh, when we can, anyway…” Lykou smirked and glanced over as well. “Wonder how she’s doing.” \*\*\*\*\* Meanwhile, the dim glow of coals kept watch over a formerly-abandoned campsite at the mouth of a cave filled with little paintings. The new occupant slept soundly, her dreams filled with questions and possibilities about the site’s former resident. A gentle breeze wafted the smoke up into the sky, and stoked the low, lingering flames in the firepit slightly. And nearby, a ball of pure sunstone jostled around slightly for a minute, certain symbols on its sides flickering and glowing, as there was a faint charge in the air. A moment later, it settled down and the glow faded… \*\*\*\*\* “Well-” Kuna started to say, only to be interrupted as a faint squeak and a few louder grunts came from the hut, and they both blushed. “I guess that answers that,” Lykou said, grinning. “If she’s getting louder, she must be getting-” “Nngh… ah, Kuna!” a voice blurted out from inside, sounding somewhat urgent. Kuna’s face turned beet red. “Oh, spirits…” Lykou immediately doubled over into a soft snickering fit. “Well, I guess we know who she-” “LykooouUUU-!” the voice blurted out a little louder. This time, her voice was notably shakier. It was pretty clear they wouldn’t have to wait much longer. It was Kuna’s turn to smirk and poke the canid, albeit still brightly flushed himself. “You were saying?” Lykou continued snickering, his own blush intensifying a little. “Well, we _are_ the only other people that she’s met so far. Well, besides Zyn.” Kuna shook his head and facepalmed. “I’ll have to remember to make the walls a bit thicker in the future… I never would have expected her to be so... _vocal_.” “Some get loud,” Lykou said with an impish look. “...while others just make silly faces.” “Hey!” Kuna said, quickly stuffing his bag in the canid’s face again to hide his renewed blush. Lykou snickered and pushed the bag aside. “What, you do!” “S-shut up,” Kuna retorted, grinning and rolling his eyes as he gave the canid a playful shove. He then turned his attention back to the shelter. “Well, it’s quiet again. Guess she must have, uh... finished.” “Obviously. You heard that last one,” Lykou replied with a smirk. “We should talk to her about keeping the noise down. Think we should tease her a bit?” Kuna arched a brow. “Something tells me it wouldn’t work. She was willing to do it right here in front of us, after all.” “That’s... a good point,” Lykou said, frowning slightly, then shrugged. “Well, still worth a try.” The sereva just smirked and shook his head. “Knock yourself out, Kou.” He squinted at the building and focused for a moment. “Yeah I think I can sense her getting up now.” “It’s so cool that you can do that, you know,” Lykou commented, giving the sereva a quick side-armed squeeze. “I think you’re getting better at it, too.” Kuna blushed and smiled. “Well, I’ve had lots of practice.” A few moments later, a very satisfied squirrel exited the shelter with a very content expression. Her fur was more mussed up than usual. “Hey guys,” she said as she walked over to join the two by the fire, then plopped down with a happy sigh. It was then she noticed Kuna blushing and avoiding looking her in the eye, while Lykou was staring at her with a bemused look and crossed arms. “Uh, what? Something wrong?” “Y-you, uh,” Kuna started to reply, hazarding a quick glance towards her. “You got a bit... noisy in there.” “Oh, sorry,” Gleam said. “I didn’t mess with your meditating, did I?” “He already wrapped that up by the time you started getting louder,” Lykou said, still grinning impishly. “It’s more about what you were saying that’s noteable.” “We... heard our names,” Kuna added, idly fiddling with one of the flaps on his sareo, while avoiding her eyes again. “Oh!” Gleam replied, then giggled. Anyone else might have been mortified, or at least a bit embarrassed. But, as Kuna had predicted, she was unphased. “Yeah, I thought it might be fun to imagine doing stuff with you guys while I was doing it.” She crossed her arms and shot them a playfully annoyed look. “You know, since you won’t actually do it with me. Pretending is the next best thing, right? Although I wish I actually knew what your-” “Wow, okay, that’s enough info!” Kuna blurted out, blushing brightly and facepalming. “You really just came out and admitted it, sheesh...” Lykou snickered and patted his back. “Well this _is_ Gleam we’re talking about here,” he said, then turned back to the squirrel. “So you know, that’s not the kind of thing people usually just casually admit to. I don’t mind personally- in fact I’m flattered, but just keep that in mind around other people.” “Oh. Right,” Gleam said, scratching her head. “I’ll... keep that in mind, I guess.” She sighed. “I wish people weren’t so weird about these things.” “In the future, you should try to keep the noise down a little, too,” Kuna pointed out. “Really?” Gleam asked in annoyance. “So I have to hide so nobody can see me, AND I have to be quiet about it too? What, afraid I’ll draw the attention of a big predator or something?” She blinked, then smirked at Lykou. “No offense, Kou.” The konuul snickered. “None taken.” “Just try to keep it down a little next time,” Kuna suggested, blushing. “We’re flattered, but uh… yeah…” “You suuuure I can’t convince one of you to help me next time?” Gleam whined. “This has got me all curious and I want to see what it’s like to actually-” “No, Gleam,” Kuna said, facepalming again. “Sorry Gleam,” Lykou said, chuckling. “You’ll just have to make do for now.” “It’s not fair!” the squirrel playfully pouted. After a moment, something occurred to her. “...can I at least watch you two next time you do stuff together? I’m really curious-” Kuna cut her off by grabbing his bag back and covering his face, then groaned into it, making Lykou burst into a fresh giggling fit. “Gleam, let’s change the subject before you fully break Ku,” the konuul suggested after he calmed down. “Fiiiine,” the squirrel grumpily conceded. After a moment, she perked up a bit. “So how did the scraying or whatever it’s called go?” “Oh, it went great!” Lykou said, his tail immediately dusting the ground behind him. “Unexpected, but great! Instead of Lana and Daisy, he saw a konuul!” “Oh yeah!” Kuna chimed in, dropping the bag in excitement. “I remembered I left behind my gramma’s blanket when Kou and I… well, met and got whisked away. Which really upset me, but Lykou suggested I try scrying on it since I have a close connection to it, and it worked! But it turns out someone else has it now.” “And they’re at his old campsite, too!” Lykou added. The sereva rubbed his neck awkwardly. “Eh… ‘campsite’ is a bit generous for the little misery-hole I slept in before we met.” “Aww, Ku,” Gleam said, shooting him a sympathetic look, while Lykou quickly pulled him into a hug. Kuna smiled and returned the embrace happily. “Hey, important thing is I’m in a much better situation now,” he said, then glanced out into the darkness of the forest. “Eeeeven if it is on a huge journey full of danger and… ‘adventure’. And I left my blanket behind.” “Hey that last bit worked out!” Lykou said, squeezing him a bit. “You probably saw someone from Lakefire!” “What did they look like?” Gleam asked curiously. “If you describe them well enough, maybe Kou will know who it was!” “Unfortunately it was too dark to make much out. I just saw the ears and a glimpse of the tail, and they looked very konuul-like,” Kuna explained. “Plus the bag I saw looked a lot like Kou’s chaser pack.” “He said he’ll try scrying again in the morning,” Lykou said. “Might delay us a little, but it’s worth it as far as I’m concerned.” “That’s great, guys!” Gleam said cheerfully. After a moment, she stretched and yawned. “Well, I dunno about you guys, but I’m ready for sleep.” “Ah-ah,” Kuna chided with a smirk, pointing at her. “Not till you clean up.” “Wha-?” Gleam asked in confusion. “What do you mean? I’m clean!” “No you’re not,” Lykou said, then sniffed the air and grinned. “You smell like a girl who just had a good time, if you know what I mean.” “If you wanna sleep in the shelter with us, you better clean up,” Kuna said, then rolled his water jug over to her. “Go and-” “Ugh, fiiiine,” Gleam cut him off, quickly and unceremoniously pulling off the poncho in the process. She then uncorked the jug and started halphazardly splashing herself with the water. Kuna blushed and gawked. “Gleam!” “What? I’m not walking out into the dark woods just to clean up!” the squirrel griped, continuing to do a sloppy job of washing herself off. Lykou chuckled. And, for seemingly the dozenth time in the last couple of hours, Kuna’s hand met his own flushed face.