A cold night wind blew over the bandit camp, the flames of some torches lighten up the dark night, which was filled with the screams of grim.
"Extinguish the flames."
The leader of the bandits commanded.
As soon as the flames changed into white smoke, the air was filled with an unpleasant smell.
Raven Brawn, the leader, circled twice the camp to make sure that no grim might be around.
Hearing them was normal, but to make sure that there surly is non, she had to check it herself.
She sat down on a tree trunk and stared into the forest.
Her eyes were glowing in the dark with that beautiful crimson color she caught in them.
"Everything alright?" a woman's voice asked from behind.
Raven turned over and eyed a young girl with short hair and blue eyes.
"Vernal.. ?" she mumbled.
The girl stood besides her and asked:"Do you mind?"
The black haired girl shook her head.
Vernal sat down on the tree trunk and stared into the direction Raven was looking before.
"Grim?"
"No" Raven answered.
Silence started to rest upon them, but a few minutes later the cheer of children destroyed it.
Vernal laughed:"Well the don't seem to be scared at all."
Raven remained silent and listened to them.
Then Vernal asked her:"You ever want to have children?"
The black haired woman rolled her crimson eyes at her and stared at her for a few seconds.
The girl was not sure if she just made a mistake.
"I have got a daughter.." Raven answered.
Vernal crooked her head.
"So.. may I ask where she is?"
Silence.
Then again, the girl thought she fucked up the whole situation.
Lucky her that Raven decided to have her an answer on that.
"I left her, and I left her father."
Vernal overcame an unpleasant feeling.
"I see, I am sorry that I asked."
"It's alright." Raven answered.
For some reason the huntress trusted her. Vernal is different from the rest of the other bandits, she is loyal, she is trustable.
The girl didn't want to push further but the word still slipped from her lips.
"Why?"
Raven let out a sigh and repeated:"Why?"
Why... that was a question she hates the most, but she also knew that it was not Vernals fault, so she kept calm and started to think.
"You see... someone always claimed to say that I fight for the things I believe in. Well, I didn't believe in someone everyone else believed in.
I told him and everyone else that I don't..."
Vernal waited, but Raven stopped talking.
It was like she needed to calm herself.
"You see, I never claimed to be a hero, but it seems that when I refused to be one, I will be the bad guy."
"But you're not." Vernal interrupted.
Raven laughed quietly.
"That's what you said.
I do know that I made a lot of mistakes, but I do believe that it is also not right
to trust some old guy more then his twin sister or the woman you have got a child with."
She giggled in a sad tone:"..family disappoints you sometimes.."
Vernal spoke up:"But you came back, you protect this camp and most of all, what everyone is not seeing, all the people here are people who do not have a home, do not have money, do not have a family, do not have anything, and together with you as our leader we are one big family."
Raven rolled her eyes at her and stared her in the eyes.
"I believe you." Vernal said with strong eyes.
Raven was not sure what to say and kept staring at her. She couldn't find any doubt in her eyes, in her and most of all not in herself. It felt right.
"Will you believe in me?" Vernal asked.
A small smile crossed Ravens lips and she answered.
"I believe in you, Vernal."
