Legend Reborn

Chapter 34: Border Battle

"You two have been through a lot, huh?" Gilbert says after a long pause.

I relive a little more of the past in my mind before answering. "Yeah, we really have. The funny thing is the more I think about it the more immature I think I was back then." I laugh softly.

"We all were," the Bear says.

I untangle myself from his arms and stand in front of him. "We should probably get back before they start looking for us."

Gilbert smirks and lifts himself from the ground with more grace than I thought he was capable of. He takes my hand, and the two of us head back toward our group's camp. My previous hunch had been correct, and the smell of burning wood and warm soup reaches my nose. Kiku sits leaning over a small fire stirring something in a blackened iron pot. The others watch him with hungry eyes.

"Smells great, Kiku! What is it?" I ask when we get a little closer.

"Well...I'm not sure what it is exactly. I just put in some potatoes and carrots we had, some herbs Feliciano found, and Lovino trapped a rabbit, so we put that in there too." Then Eagle looks up at me with a slight frown. "I'm a little worried about how it will taste."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," I tell him reassuringly. "You're good at this kind of stuff."

"Yeah, Kiku! It smells so good, veeeeee~!" Feli adds.

"We trust your judgment," Ludwig says as well.

A warm smile lights up Kiku's face. "Thank you, everyone. It's ready now if you'd like some."

"Yes!" Gilbert says excitedly. "I'm starving! I can't remember the last time we ate something hot!"

Everyone grabs a spoon and their bowl for Kiku to ladle the steaming soup into. We huddle around the dying embers of the fire as we drink the broth, which seems to warm us to our very souls. It tastes wild and gamey, yet smooth and complex. Somehow Kiku was able to capture the essence of our group in this soup.

"I say we make this our official family food," I say through a mouthful of stewed vegetables.

"Here, here!" Gilbert holds his bowl out for seconds.

"Veeeeeee~! It makes me feel all warm and tingly inside!"

"It reminds me of something our mom used to make."

We all pause mid bite to stare at the elder Wolf twin. This is the first time he's voluntarily shared information about himself, especially something this personal. Even though Feli and I are the only other ones that know about the Wolves' parents' death, the others can sense Lovino's statement carries with it more meaning than the obvious.

"Yeah, Lovi. I think you're right," Feli says with a soft smile. The twins share a look, and the faintest of smiles graces Lovino's face before he spoons more soup in his mouth.

A comfortable silence settles over us as we finish eating. My mind wanders to the task ahead of us. We'll be crossing into Eagle Territory today, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. All of my worst memories are held within the borders of the Territory, but I'm a different person now. It's time for me to face my fears, my mistakes, my past, and win.

My head snaps up when a strange sound floats over the grassy clearing. The others also stop what they're doing to listen. Nothing happens for a long time, and I start to wonder whether I actually heard anything or not. I strain my ears just in case I really did hear something. It starts out low and distant, but an eerie chittering and moaning becomes louder and louder each passing moment.

"Do you hear that?" I hiss.

"No," Ludwig and Gilbert answer together.

The two Wolves swivel their heads to try to hone in on the noise. "It's really quiet, but it's coming," Lovino mumbles. "I'm going to try something."