Indeed, it took only a couple of days before Reyes had given the confirmation. The Fort caravan would be departing before the week was out.

  Audas had still busied himself with the preparations. Namely gathering a small amount of food and medical supplies - even though Dray explained that most of the supplies would have been provided by the settlements and the caravan itself - before taking the time to load them into a sack and harness.

  He had checked over the longsword with the twins (and still taking the time to praise the weapon, much to their obvious delight) to confirm it was just as sharp as ever for any close-range combat. The firearms would surprise him though, as he half expected another M14, or another basic rifle. After all, they were easier to make and simpler to maintain.

  He didn’t expect an M4 Carbine.

  The very same weapon that those human soldiers used…

  “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Alex mused, hands resting against the counter.

  “I’ve not… exactly had the best experience with these.” Audas admitted with a shaky sigh.

  “I know what you mean.” He replied, nodding slowly. “We worry that the weapons we make will end up in the hands of someone who’ll cause more than harm than good. Still…” he rested a hand on the M4, “…with the bandit attacks Everest is asking us to crack the mil-spec weapons out. You might need the edge.”

  He knew he could never argue with that as he took the Carbine. A gun was a gun after all, and what really mattered was who was behind it. But it still left a cold tingle at the back of his skull.

  No, the most difficult part wasn’t the gathering of supplies or equipment. It had been in fact getting information on their destination at Fort Stark. Humans didn’t exactly have stocks of accessible knowledge of Nyúlfur towns, so had to start from scratch. He prowled the Hub’s library for any reports, documentation, hell, even old maps to try and figure out roughly where the place was. But he barely managed to scrounge up little more than a couple of old letters that dated back at least five or six years. To be fair, there wasn’t that much on the other settlements themselves save for the Hub and closest town of Ironhold. But there was so much paperwork anyway that if any information about the Fort existed, he was going to struggle digging it out.

  Even asking the Nyúlfur of the Hub or the arrivals from the Fort themselves proved troublesome, the former would clam up with unease and only provide little snippets of information that barely helped him. Even the normally informative Dray didn’t wish to say too much. “It’s probably better if you see it for yourself.” He would say nervously, hastily distracting himself with whatever piece of paperwork or tech needed sifting through.

  Chillingly, the Fort Nyúlfur immediately changed the topic, unwilling to discuss the nature of their home. Only one of them was upfront about the whole thing and stressed that it was much for security as it was anything else. But that did little to ease Audas’ concern.

  Only the Ironholders would say anything, and it was only about how unlike most of the Nyúlfur settlements, which were mostly hidden away, the Fort sat on open ground against the side of a mountain.

  A few of them chuckled, saying it was quite a sight.

  He couldn’t even get a chance to find Everest, who had now been buried in fresh work in the wake of the bandit ambush. Frustrated, and being unable to get full answers, Audas tossed the investigation aside and focused on the journey ahead.

  And so, a couple of days later in the early hours of the morning, Audas gathered the few belongings he had in his den and made his way to the yard.

  The sun was still hidden behind the rocky peaks at his back, but its rays were radiating into the sky, leaving it a smudgy orange that made the mountains look like black spectres at the edge of a campfire. The Hub itself was still caked in shadow, and the yard lay empty. Even the air seemed still as he made his way across the empty training grounds.

  Dray was waiting for him near the bottom. A simple leatherbound pad rested in one hand as he leaned against the same building where they launched their rescue days before.

  “Morning.” Audas called out, shrugging his sack further onto his shoulder.

  The wolf’s head perked up. “Morning.” Dray replied, stifling a yawn as he did. “You’re set to go?”

  “Yeah.” He replied, tugging at the sack’s strap. “Aren’t we packing a bit light? Unless we should have everything else in the carts?”

  “Should be, and if someone leaves something behind, we can pick a replacement up from Ironhold.”

  “Almost feels like the Hub and Ironhold should be one town.”

  Dray scribbled something into the pad with a flourish, a mechanical pencil twitching in one hand. “Funny you should say that, a few people want that to happen. The Hub often provides the raw supplies and goods whilst the Hold helps get them out into the world.” He looked back up at him, “That’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

  Nodding back, Audas rolled the sack off his shoulders. “Fair enough.” He said as he rested the bag down on the ground. He cast an eye towards the book, leatherbound and with what appeared to be a waterproof pouch hanging of it. “Journal?” he asked curiously.

  Dray’s smile grew a little bigger, “More like art.” He flicked it shut and slipped it away into the plastic pouch before returning it to his shorts pocket. “Kaine would just think I’m being a nerd, but poetry makes for good exercise.”

  Audas raised a brow, not even surprised anymore at this newly revealed interest, “I didn’t figure you for the artistic type.”

  “I don’t just read books and sort through webpages Audas.” He replied, “Everyone’s got to have a hobby.”

  “I can’t deny that.” Audas admitted. Afterall, if you had the time to spare to try something different to pass the time, why not do something as simple as writing? “Stands out from the crowd at least.”

  “You would be surprised!” Dray exclaimed, clapping his hands together hard. Before Audas knew it, he was animatingly throwing his arms around as he began to pace. “There’s been quite the renaissance in the last few years. A lot more authors, artists and craftsman in the middle of all the sword fighting and sports. You’ve seen Kaine in the ring, but he’s obsessed with soccer-”

  “Football.” Audas dryly interrupted with a sharp snort.

  Dray blinked, eyes clouding over before he nodded. “Ah, that’s what everyone else calls it.”

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  “Yep.” The former Brit quipped with a smirk.

  Audas found himself chuckling with Dray at the jest. It was oddly pleasant to joke about small details like that, helped wake Audas up at least. “Kaine will make the trip sound like some form of massive quest you know.” Dray bluntly said.

  “Typical Kaine behaviour?” Audas asked, smirking.

  “It’s Kaine.” He said, flicking an ear back with a flustered look. “What else would you expect?”

  Another set of chuckles came forth, and Audas actively fought to suppress them. “Oh, he shall sow the seed and we shall suffer the whirlwind.” Dray concluded with a poetic tone.

  Audas coughed, feeling the laugh die on his tongue, “Quite a way of saying it.” He wheezed. He didn’t say that wasn’t quite how it was said.

  The smile faded as Dray nodded back at him. “Life’s not just about fighting and survival Audas. We have to strive to be more than that, otherwise we’ll only every going to be a bunch of towns peppered across Cascadia, nevermind Earth.”

  Frowning, Audas flicked his gaze away. It was a strange and yet, distinctly familiar idea. As if it were a distant dream or rather… memory.

  Maybe it was both.

  “You don’t agree.” Dray quietly stated.

  He shook his head. “I’m not disagreeing.”, he turned to face the Nyúlfur, “But rebuilding civilization and some kind of bigger culture… it just sounds a bit farfetched.”

  The thought was something Audas felt strangely detached from. He had seen more than a few politicians before and after the outbreak make bold claims on how they were going to change up the status quo. Try and make the world a better place – often to their own vision. But inevitably, interest would turn to disappointment and disinterest as they turned out to not be changing anything at all and just resorted one way or another to more of the same. That, or they turned out to be colossal idiots who made things worse.

  Dray’s ears flicked, “Farfetched, difficult, dangerous…”

  A tiny smile formed and he waved a hand across the yard and upwards towards the Hub’s buildings. “…but not impossible.”

  Surveying the town in front of them, Audas couldn’t help but agree with Dray. I mean, if I can be transformed into a Nyúlfur overnight, what’s not to say something more can be built here? Humanity did it with nothing more than sticks and stones.

  His thoughts became cold as he thought back on humans. On how bitterly divided they stood even now, the people fighting each other for scraps as others tried to navigate the world or bring some stability against the chaos.

  “I won’t try to change your mind…”

  Exhaling and cutting him short, Audas turned round to face him. “No need. Even if it’s a dream, it’s still a noble one.”

  Dray’s smile widened again, “Thanks.”

  “Anytime.”

  “Morning fellow early birds!” Kaine exclaimed as he strolled over from the main structures, sporting his classic grin. “The Starkfolk’s are already getting the carts moving, they should be down here in a minute.”

  “They’ve set everything up already?” Dray asked, “We could have helped.”

  Kaine shrugged, “Eh, they wanted a little talk amongst themselves before we hopped on for their big journey. Secretive sods.”

  “In more ways than one.” Audas replied, eyes narrowing. “You guys still won’t tell me what to expect?”

  Dray frowned, “Still would be better you see it for yourself.”

  “Don’t want to give out any spoilers.” Kaine teased.

  Five minutes had passed before they heard the hoof falls, and another minute before the line of carts and their Nyúlfur passengers rolled round. Supply crates poked over the sides of the wooden constructs, now neatly patched up and clean of any bullet holes from the skirmish.

  Sat on the front carriage, a grinning Reyes waved at them. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

  “Ha! You don’t need to worry!” Kaine blurted out, “We wouldn’t stick our noses into your secret little meeting.”

  Half-expecting a hostile remark, he was instead greeted by light laughter from the Starkman. “I appreciate that.”

  Reye’s cart slowed in front of the trio whilst the others creaked past, allowing the Hubbers to get round to the rear. Audas tossed the sack aboard and pulled himself up to the deck. There were just a few heavy-duty crates, secured to the wooden floor and to the driver’s back rest with ratchet straps. He wedged the sack in the corner, his mind beginning to wonder as conversation started again. It had not been the first time he had to guard something on a journey, but never at this kind of distance and terrain. Britain wasn’t quite so… epic in its vistas.

  “Oh shit!” Kaine barked over his shoulder, “Hold up!”

  The driver cursed and the horses shuddered to a halt. Audas grabbed hold of the edge, gritting his teeth. “What is it now?” Reyes grumbled, leaning against the backrest as he tried to glance back over at him. “Forgot your wallet?”

  “Nope!”, the grey furred Nyúlfur was standing at the cart’s centre. Unfazed by the jerky stop, “I managed to rope up someone else; he should be around any second.”

  Dray propped himself up into a sitting position. Audas huffed. Must have been caught off guard.

  “Who’re we waiting on then?” Reyes asked.

  His mouth opened, only to freeze as a deep, familiar voice reached out. “Sorry I’m late.”

  The fur on the back of Audas’ neck rose up. Oh no…

  “I had to grab a few extra things, and the girls wouldn’t…”

  Dorian stepped into view as a very different man. One that seemed calm and relaxed, his tone sincere… and was there a tinge of humour in there?

  Then his gaze settled onto him, and the spell was broken.

  As the deep scowl formed across his face, he saw Dray glance between them and lean forwards, ready for the worse.

  Kaine was oblivious. “Dory! What happened to the-“

  Dorian’s finger jabbed straight at Audas, “You’re letting him fucking come along!?”

  Fuck… here we go…

  “Language.” Reyes warned with a deep hiss.

  “Spirits Reyes! You know better than this! Reme-“

  “Don’t you even go there!” he snapped back, “I remember!”.

  Audas barely had a chance to process Reye’s words before Dray barked, “Can you all just calm down!”, bringing his hands pre-emptively between them as some vain attempt at peace – or as Audas suspected, to stop them from attacking each other. “We don’t need to have a fall out now.”

  Audas struggled to hold back a sigh whilst Dorian glared up at him, now that he managed to recompose himself. Dorian bared his teeth, “Can you eve-“

  “Oh Dorian, shut up.” Kaine snapped, how voice now devoid of any humour. He rose to his feet, arms crossed as he stared down at the bigger Nyúlfur. “If I can get along with this guy, you can.”

  That finally shut him up, but the big brown furred Nyúlfur continued to simmer before them, no doubt looking for some other excuse to complain.

  After the confrontation days ago, Audas had lost his remaining patience with him. His hands ached, curling into fists so tight he doubted any blood flowed through them at all. “Dorian.” Audas grunted, forcing himself to look at the big wolf, “Look at it this way. You tag along with us; you can keep an eye on me.”

  His glare, for the first time, wavered. If ever so slightly, not expecting the comment it seemed. Finally, managed to get him to crack. Audas held his ground. He narrowed his eyes, still stared at him. “You know I have a point.”

  Another crack, the glare faltered for a few more seconds as his eyes flicked between the passengers.

  Finally, with a sigh of defeat, he turned away. “Fine.” He uttered, grey eye snapping back up at him. “But I’ll be watching you.”

  Holding the stare, Audas returned a curt bow of his head.

  “Crystal.”

  With a faint puff of satisfaction, Dorian pulled himself aboard and the cart lurched forward again. At a quicker pace to catch up with the others. Audas looked up at the Hub, a knot in his gut. It had been a month since he arrived there. He had imagined he would be in hell. But at every turn, he had been caught by surprise by the people here.

  There was a flicker of movement in front of the main building, it’s heavy doors still shut from the previous evening… and two figures watching them from the balcony. One brown furred, one white.

  Alika and Katori…

  He waved at them and smiled when they waved back. They were too far off for him to make out most of their features, even with his superhuman sight… but somehow, he could tell they were smiling too.

  When that sickly feeling ached from his chest, he already knew why.

  I… I’m going to miss this place…

  “Now my companions!” Kaine declared at the top of his lungs, “Let us begin our journey to-“

  “Kaine.” Dorian snapped, “This isn’t some fucking story.”

  “It might be someday!” Kaine cheered.

  Audas chuckled, oddly amused, “I want to see where this goes.”

  Dray glanced back at Audas, “Don’t encourage him, he’ll go on for hours.”

  “I can second that.” Reyes replied, directing his gaze to the road ahead.

  Still smirking, Audas nodded, “Fair point.”

  Dorian sighed, “Why did I even tag along?”

  Kaine laughed, “Why, for a bit of entertainment of course!”

  As his laughter bellowed forth, Audas turned to look back at the sisters… but only trees greeted him. The Hub now out of sight.

  A tragic pang bounced around inside of him. He was leaving his home, and its people behind…

  He turned to face the front of the carriage, eyes fixed on the trail before them, into the world.