As a sharp breeze whipped past Adde’s face, she snapped her eyes open. Slowly, the breeze faded and Adde allowed calm to take over as she sat up, keeping the thick, woollen blankets around her. The weather was freezing. The cold had arrived fast and had killed a few already. At least they didn’t suffer, Adde had made sure of that. She stood and made her way to the front of her sent, poking her head out. The camp was covered in a light layer of snow, or what she thought was snow. It could have been ash. Upon seeing her, a few men and women around the fire at the centre of the camp turned to her, nodding their greetings to her. Nodding her own greetings back and smiling, Adde ducked back into her tent and threw the warm blankets onto her make-shift bed, the materials making a heavy thud as they landed. Then, Adde moved to the back of her tent, where she pulled on her heavy boots and wrapped herself in her wolfskin cloak before tying her hair back into a ponytail with a thin piece of rope. Now dressed, she turned and walked out of her tent, noticing that a few had gathered around the entrance to her tent.

​

“Mornin’ Adde,” one man said. “Any news for today?” The other’s nodded expectantly. Adde flashed them a polite smile and began to walk towards the centre of the camp. They all followed.

 

“Nothing yet,” she said softly, stopping once she reached the large fire pit that sat in the centre. “But I'm sure Tools and Archibald will return soon.”

 

“And we’re not moving today, are we?” a woman stuttered. Adde looked at her and smiled.

 

“No, Miranda,” she said to the quivering woman. “No moving today.” Miranda grinned and muttered her thanks before scurrying away towards the rest of her family, or what was left of it. Adde tried not to think about that. None of the others had questions, just wanted to sit by the fire and talk amongst themselves. Although Adde was certain they would never admit it, she believed that they only wanted to be around her.

 

The next few hours flew by relatively quickly. Adde settled a few disputes over who got to collect the freshwater this time and aided the hunters looking for some fresh meat to feed the camp. If the day was boring, it was a good day. But, Adde’s boredom was interrupted by the shouts from a few children. Instantly, she raced into action, taking her tooth dagger and rushing to the children, only for her alarm to be silenced immediately. One of their Scouts had returned.

 

Qurnell had been a quiet boy before the attack on Homestation, but since his family’s death, he made it his mission to become a Scout, like his father. He trained long and trained well with the few Scouts that had survived and soon became famous for his treks out into the wastelands, not that it was difficult to become famous in a camp with less than 300 people. Now, the man, no longer a boy, was returning from his latest voyage, his large backpack the same size as when he had left and his clothes a little dirtier. But this time, it seemed that he had company.

 

The man slowly walking beside Qurnell was tall and skinny, much skinnier than even some of the worst in the camp. His hair was long and shabby, as was his beard. He was hunched over, one arm looped over Qurnell’s shoulders and the other over his stomach. As they reached the outskirts of the camp, the man collapsed to the floor, Qurnell going down with him, and Adde rushed to them.

 

“Qurnell!” she called as she arrived at the man’s side. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Think its hunger,” Qurnell said slowly, panting. He had been carrying that man for a long distance. “He was in a little better shape when I found him…”

 

“Who is he?” Adde asked, patting the unconscious man’s arm delicately. Qurnell struggled for words.

 

“I don’t know,” came the response. Narrowing her eyes, Adde peered at the man’s face but it was covered in dirt, grime and hair. She could barely make his nose out. Around them, a small crowd started to gather and a few murmurs rose. After trying to disperse the crowd, Adde called for their healer, the closest thing they had to an actual doctor. The healer inspected the man before ordering everyone away and for the man to be taken to the healer’s tent, with Qurnell and Adde readily listened to. Once the man was inside the tent, the healer shooed Qurnell and Adde away, the two leaving immediately and greeted with the concerned, wide eyes of the whole camp.

 

“Who is he?” one man asked.

 

“Is he from Homestation?” another voice called from the back of the crowd.

 

“What’s he doing here?” a woman chimed in. Gracefully, Adde raised her arm and quietened the crowd, but all eyes then turned to Qurnell and the questions began again. The noise started to increase and when Adde raised her arm again, the people didn’t listen. They were in a panic. No one knew what to expect. No one, even during Homestation’s time, had arrived from the outside. For all the people knew, they were the sole survivors of the human race. So when a stranger is brought into their camp, they expectantly wanted answers. But, the crowd was soon silenced by the healer whisking the cloth from the front of her tent, glaring at the many faces that stood there.

 

“Please,” she hissed, “will you be quiet. I am trying to make sure this man isn’t going to die within the next hour and that is very difficult to when I've got the screams of the beasts outside my tent. So, if you wouldn’t mind, go away!” With that, she threw the cloth back down and the crowd slowly disbursed, with Qurnell also slipping away, but Adde caught his attention before he was too far away. The man turned, frowning and confused. Silently, Adde gestured to her tent and he nodded, following her towards it. With them both inside, and any prying ears and eyes away, Adde turned to him.

 

“Who is he?” she asked. The man frowned and cocked his head at her, pressing his lips together tightly.

 

“I'm running out of ways to put it,” he sighed. “I. Do. Not. Know.” Adde huffed and rolled her eyes.

 

“Really? No idea?” she asked. “You two didn’t talk about anything while you hauled him across ash-covered dirt plains? You two didn’t reminisce about what the world was like before the beasts came? Nothing? Really?” Qurnell nodded as she spoke, shrugging with each question.

 

“That man was dying from dehydration, hunger and could barely walk,” Qurnell argued. “If he said anything, it was just the word ‘sorry’ and some weird mumblings about the beasts. He’s just a guy who got lost a while back. He was probably part of some Homestation expedition that never came back and he’s just been wandering around for a while.”

 

“For five years?” Adde questioned.

 

“Okay, a long while.” Adde rolled her eyes and rubbed her forehead.

 

“If he was part of an expedition, those stopped thirteen years ago, and the last one returned with all its members.” This time, Qurnell rolled his eyes.

 

“I don’t know, Adde,” he exclaimed. “I found a guy hiding under some rocks as I was could home. He was wandering around his manky, old clothes that reeked of urine and shit. All he had was this sword-thing, and it was rusted and a little bloodied.” Adde’s ears pricked. “He’s been out there a while.”

 

“A sword?” Adde asked, stepped forward, trying to not allow her hopes to rise. Qurnell narrowed his eyes at her and gently took his backpack off and set it on the ground.

 

“Yeah,” he said slowly as he rummaged through the bag. “This thing.” With a quick tug, Qurnell pulled out a sword, constructed of welded together knives and other metals. He was right, it was a little rusted and bloodied, but the sword itself was still in fine condition. Adde’s hand wrapped around the weapon’s hilt and she weighed it in her hand. The hilt had been modified a slight bit with a rag attached to his base of the sword, creating a rough handguard, and the pummel had been sharpened by quite a lot, it too was bloody. Behind him, Qurnell stood, still frowning.

 

“You know what that thing is?” he asked.

 

“Belonged to a friend,” Adde said slowly, running her eyes up and down the sword’s serrated edge. “A brief friend.”

 

“So you know who he is?” Qurnell asked, his interest peaked slightly. Realising she was still staring at the weapon, Adde dropped the tip of the blade to the floor and turned to him. She liked the way it felt in her hand.

 

“Possibly,” she sighed. “It could just be a case that this guy found this sword while stumbling across the wastelands.” At that moment, the healer appeared in the tent. She seemed calmer than before.

 

“He’s awake,” she said quickly before pulled her head out, presumably running back to her tent. With a quick exchange of looks, Adde and Qurnell left Adde’s tent and walked to the healer’s tent, Adde ignoring the points and stares that they now gained from the sword in her hand. No one followed them, however, once they entered the tent.

 

The healer’s tent was much bigger than Adde’s or indeed anyone else’s. And it needed to be so. It was common for fights to break out or for packs of wild animals to leave many injured so the healer’s tent had to be expanded for the common influx of patients. But now, only two beds were occupied, but Adde was only interested in one.

 

The man was now sitting up, still hunched over and looking at the floor, his beard hanging from his chin. His hair had been tied back and the grime was gone from his face, leaving deathly pale white skin. Adde stopped once she saw his open eyes and parted lips. She still wasn’t sure if it was him. Qurnell, however, wasn’t deterred by internal thoughts. Instead, the man walked briskly towards the other, a smile on his face. Upon hearing the footsteps, the man looked up and smiled as he saw Qurnell approaching, taking his hand once Qurnell was close enough. Then, Adde moved. She moved until the man noticed her and she saw a small spark in his eyes as she did. A smile then grew on her face.

 

“Adde,” the man said hoarsely.

 

“Konnor?” she said, still unsure.

 

“Yeah,” Konnor said, hearing the uncertainty. “Been a while.”

 

“Really has,” she said, holding back the tears she could feel brewing. Konnor, on the other hand, didn’t have such resilience. Tears started to pour from his eyes as he turned himself to face him. Then, with his spindly, bony fingers, he reached forward and took Adde’s hand. He hadn't noticed his sword in the other. Suddenly his face shifted from one with joy to one with sadness. Concern consuming her, Adde set the sword against the table, Konnor still not seeing it, and placed her hand atop his. He opened his mouth. She could hear how dry it was.

 

“I'm so sorry,” he said slowly, each word strenuous. Adde frowned. “I'm so sorry, Adde,” he said again, tears running down his face.

 

“For what?” she asked, squeezing his hand lightly.

 

“For what I did,” Konnor wheezed through tears. Adde looked up at Qurnell, but he only shrugged.

 

“What did you do Konnor?” Adde asked. Sucking in air, Konnor raised his head and looked at her.

 

“I killed them,” he whispered. “I killed all of them. Rolt, Jontone…” he paused and his eyes grew wider. “Sara,” he said, as if suddenly remembering the name. “Oh God, I killed Sara. My wonderful, beautiful Sara.” The man was now inconsolable. He pulled his hand from under Adde’s and fell back against his bed. In an instant, the healer was at his side, shushing him and trying to calm him. He didn’t listen. Sighing, the healer turned to them.

 

“I think its best you leave and come back once he’s had some rest,” she said. Then, she turned back to Konnor. Nodding absentmindedly, Adde turned to leave but the healer coughed and forced her to turn back. “And take this,” she scolded, holding Konnor’s sword towards her. “I don’t want weapons in here. Especially if he’s like this.” Without much reaction, Adde took the sword and left the tent, Qurnell behind her. They walked back up to her tent, Qurnell stopping before Adde entered. Noticing, Adde turned and faced him.

 

“Everything alright?” she asked. Qurnell gave a blank smile and nodded slowly.

 

“Yeah,” he sighed. “All’s good.” Adde narrowed her eye at the young man. She had known and trusted him long enough to know when he was lying.

 

“Spit it out,” she said lowly, placing the tip of Konnor’s sword on the ground and leaning against it. Qurnell sighed and shrugged.

 

“Why was he apologising?” he asked, looking back up, directly into Adde’s eyes. “What did he do? And why was he wandering around the wastelands for so many years?” Adde could feel the man’s anxiousness. Just like the rest of the camp, he too was raised in a burning world. Every day, they risked death from starvation, dehydration, animal attacks, or the beasts. And if one beast attacked, it would be over for them all. And being raised in a burning world meant that answers were scarce. Adde was one of the only people who remembered what Homestation looked like and who remembered the techniques and methods used to survive for so long, as long as the human race didn’t before the beasts burned everything. Any others had either died or become insane from the losses. Now Adde was the only one who protected them, who kept them safe. That made her their leader.

 

But before she was a leader, she was a simple soldier. And before that, a scared little girl. It was her first mission, that journey to the den of the beasts, and it turned out to be her last. Everyone’s life had changed after that night, after the beasts killed her team. She had watched her friends, her comrades, get torn to pieces. Blood was spluttered against the rocks and bodies were eaten whole. Only she and a few others managed to hide in time. She knew why the beasts attacked. It was because they attached first. But one man had started the charge, whether he knew he had done so or not. Now, five years later, that same man had somehow survived. And Adde didn’t know what to do with him. She didn’t know how to condense everything into a simple sentence. There was no way to explain everything to Qurnell without having the entire camp gather and for the sun to set. There was a lot to say.

 

Qurnell was still staring at her, expecting a response. She didn’t know how long she had been sitting in her thoughts, stewing through all the locked memories from a past life, but she knew that it was long enough for a few others to catch interest. With a crowd slowly gathering, Adde turned her eyes back to Qurnell, who had also noticed the crowd.

 

“Doesn’t matter,” Adde muttered. The glare of the setting sun caught her eye and she looked towards the falling orange ball. The grey skies had streaks of red and orange in them, with a few pink and white clouds poking underneath. At least the ash was no longer falling. Sighing, Adde looked back at Qurnell. “Come see me in the morning,” she said as she turned to walk into her tent. “We can then discuss what you saw on your scout.” Before he could respond, or any other members of the camp could ask anything, Adde vanished into her tent. She stood still for a moment, listening to hushed murmurs and light sighs. No one came in. It wouldn’t surprise her if they were discussing her untrustworthiness. The world itself wasn’t trustworthy at the moment.

 

Once the mutters had faded, and all she could hear were the distant noises of some animal pack and the boot scrapes of some trekkers feet, Adde relaxed and turned to her bed. It was going to be a cold night, so she kept most of her clothing on, only taking off her wolfskin cloak and draping it over a beam that held up the back of her tent. It was the most luxurious thing she, or indeed anyone, owned. A slight benefit of being the camp’s leader. After setting Konnor’s sword in a safe place, Adde turned to her bad and flopped down upon it. Almost immediately, as the last sliver of sunlight disappeared, Adde fell into a deep sleep.

 

​

* * * * *

​

 

The next morning came quicker than expected, and with an uproar of applause. With her eyes jumping open, and her wolfskin cloak around her shoulders, Adde dashed out of her tent to see two familiar figures standing in the centre of the camp, arms high and smiles wide. They didn’t see her. Of course they didn’t see her, they were too busy soaking in the glory of another successful return. Giving a reluctant half-smile, Adde slowly walked towards to camp’s centre until the two men saw her and their smiles faltered slightly.

 

“I regret!” one shouted, the words of the crowd slightly drowning them. He smiled at tried again. “I regret that we must cut this party short,” he said. The crowd groaned and booed. The second man laughed.

 

“I know, I know,” he said softly, now audible. “But we must report back to our glorious and fearless leader so we can get back out there and bring back more stories!” Adde rolled her eyes at the over-enthusiastic laughter. Quickly, the men descended and approached her, their smiles still wide. Behind them, though a few still lingered, the crowd dispersed. She smiled back at him, flicking her eyes between the two.

 

“Tools. Archibald,” she said. The men nodded back as their names were said. In the moment of quiet, Adde took a moment to inspect the camp’s most famous Scouters. Tools was tall and lanky, a little less so than that last time she had seen him. His clothes fitted him nicely, the clothes being a smart, blue three-piece suit he had found on a scout into the nearest city ruins. It may have fitted nicely, but they didn’t look it. The waistcoat was torn and covered in dirt, soot and ash. The jacket had rips on the elbows and its collar dangled down his back. The trousers were the only thing seemingly intact, but Adde betted that if he were to turn around, she would see dirt all up the back. The man’s face was characteristically dirty, with wipe marks around his eyes and mouth. None of them seemed recent.

 

Archibald, on the other hand, was a very different man. He, too, was tall, but his width matched his height. The man’s large size was inexplicable to Adde, but she could guess it was from foods and other such fatty items that he had consumed during his scouts. His weight only started to increase once he and Tools and begun to start scouting. His clothes also fitting him well, but they weren’t as fancy as Tools’. Archibald’s clothes made him look more scuffed up and dystopian than the rest of them, a word Adde had learned from a book Tools and Archibald had brought back. His coat was muddy and grey, once being a light blue. His trousers were black but were once white, and his shirt was striped with red and white, or at least it was. His face, however, was clean. Adde could clearly see a thin layer of stubble on his cheeks and chin and could tell his brown eyes apart from his face. But the man was determined and brilliant. He was the driving force of the two, and usually the butt of his own jokes. Seeing the two standing side-by-side was some sort of weird fever dream.

​

With her inspection completed, Adde nodded at the men and they followed her into her tent, gasping at it once inside.

 

“Wow,” Tools said. “You’ve really done this place up.” Adde frowned and looked around herself.

 

“No I haven’t,” she said.

 

“Yeah ya ‘ave,” Archibald said back, slapping a supporting beam heavily. Adde prayed it wouldn’t fall. “Ya changed everythin’.” He patted Tools’ shoulder and pointed at the far wall. “Like that.” Adde narrowed her eyes and spun, then seeing what the men were gesturing to. Konnor’s sword. She knew she should have moved it.

 

“Yes, well,” she said, turning to them. “That’s one thing. Don’t think it constitutes as ‘everything’.”

 

“Well,” Tools muttered. “It's certainly different.” Adde narrowed her eyes at the pair again and shook her head lightly. She was so glad these two went away for weeks at a time.

 

“Anyway,” she said, bringing both men’s attention back to her. “Your bags, gentlemen. What have you got?” The men shared a look and their cocky smiles faded. For the first time in a long while, Adde saw sincerity in their faces.

 

“We’ve found it,” Tools said, barely containing his excitement. Adde cocked her head at him.

 

“Found what?” she asked. They were being deliberately vague.

 

“It,” Archibald repeated. Maybe not. Maybe they thought she knew. Sighing, Adde rubbed the bridge of her nose.

 

“Just say what it is, boys,” she groaned, “or we’ll be here all day.” Tools and Archibald shared the same look.

 

“We found a cave,” Archibald said. Adde’s eyes lit up. “It meets the requirements that you demanded. It goes extremely deep into the ground with plenty of room to expand. There’s also a natural spring and pool of clean water that we can fish and clean in. It’s incredible…”

 

“There’s just one problem, however,” Tools cut in. Archibald’s head snapped to him.

 

“No there isn’t,” he growled.

 

“What is it, Tools?” Adde asked, finding Archibald’s reaction strange.

 

“She should know about the…”

 

“Shh!” Archibald shushed.

 

“About the what, boys?” Adde demanded. They were acting suspicious, a very different look for them. Again, Archibald and Tools shared a look, this time it was a little more sheepish.

 

“It's an old beast den,” Tools said before Archibald could stop him. Archibald shot him a deep glare but looked back at Adde. Her seriousness had faded and her eyes widened. That was not good.

 

“An old beast den?” she repeated.

 

“But there are bones everywhere and when Tools and I were inside, nothing came in and we didn’t hear a single flap of any wings apart from the small nest of surviving birds. It’s been abandoned for a while and I don’t think anything is coming back for the bones unless it’s some wild animal. But we can easily defend ourselves against one or two of them.” Archibald’s words were quick, leaving him a little breathless. Adde took a moment to process the news. They needed a permanent place to live. The closest clean water source was half a day’s walk away and was often visited by other animals, and at one point a beast, so they needed a new source of water. Or at least one that isn’t as dangerous. But they couldn’t live in an abandoned beast den. Could they? If Archibald is wrong and the beasts returned, everyone would perish.

 

Adde made it as obvious as possible that she was deliberating over the question, which she was doing, but having their input wouldn’t help her at all. They weren’t around the camp often enough to understand her thought process. There were people here that would die quickly if not looked after correctly and others who would be too bashful and try and solve everyone’s problems. It was why she only had a few Scouts and never any Infantry. She had experience with those in Infantry and she didn’t like them. After rolling the thoughts in her head a little while longer, she looked back up at the pair, eyes narrowed.

 

“How far away is it?” she asked. Again, they shared a looked. It was as if one wouldn’t speak without the other’s permission.

 

“A weeks walk,” Archibald said. “That’s roughly how long it took us.”

 

“And that’s two people with the goal of getting home to tell you of this place,” Tools added. “It may take longer with the number of people here. But…”

 

“But we have to,” Adde finished. Her eyes darted to Tools. “We’re in the open out here and vulnerable to attack. If a beast finds us, and it’s been a miracle they haven’t already, then we’re all dead. We need this den.”

 

“But,” Archibald said.

 

“But,” Adde cut in, “we may also be at risk there, going into a beast’s den and all.” A moment a silence ran across the group.

 

“So what do we do?” Archibald asked.

 

“Ask the people?” Tools suggested. “They might all want to go. The natural spring would be enough to convince some.”

 

“But the risk of the beasts would deter many others,” Adde added. “Some of the older people won't think twice before rejecting it. Not to mention the distance we’ll have to walk to get there, and as you said, Tools, it will probably take longer to get there with the number of stuff people will want to take and the number of people leaving. There’s about 200 of us. If one person is too slow, the entire camp stops.”

 

“Can I weigh my opinion?” a voice from the front of the tent asked. All three whipped their heads around to see Qurnell standing awkwardly between the two pieces of cloth that formed Adde’s door. Adde sighed as she saw him. She forgot she told him to come see her in the morning.

 

“Qurnell!” Archibald shouted, his usual, boastful self jumping back to life. The man leapt towards the smaller, a little terrified, one and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “How’s it been, man!” Archibald exclaimed again.

 

“It’s been good, Archibald,” Qurnell said softly as he was dragged further into the tent. “It’s been good.”

 

“What’s this opinion of yours you want to share,” Adde quickly interrupted before a conversation could begin. They needed an answer and Qurnell would be an easy way of getting to the correct one. She ignored the slight disappointment on Archibald’s face.

 

“Well, um,” Qurnell said, unsure of how to begin. “I think the answer is obvious.” The three around him narrowed their eyes. It wasn’t clear to them. After looking at each of them, Qurnell looked back at Adde, his own eyes narrowed. “Isn’t it?” he asked. He looked at their faces again, landing back on Adde’s. “We move,” he said. Adde wasn’t shocked. It wasn’t unknown that Qurnell hated living where they did. He once told the camp that if he could see the camp from the top of a small hill a few miles away, a beast would find them easily. But despite the fact he was slightly biased, he was right.

 

“He’s right,” Adde sighed, looking at Archibald. “If it is an old beast den, we’ll have to deal with it. And if it isn’t, we might just be able to survive this godforsaken world.” Nodding slowly, all three men agreeing with her, Adde walked past them and out into the camp, where a few were awaiting the returning of Tools and Archibald. Sadly, they wouldn’t get exactly what they wanted. Adde made her way to the centre of the camp, not caring whether the men were still with her or not. She wouldn’t be surprised if all three were staring at Konnor’s sword. Once she was still, people began to file out of their tents and approach her. It was almost as if they sensed some news.

 

“What is it, Adde?” someone asked, their voice croaky and dry. “What’s happened.”

 

“It's good news,” Adde reassured. “Don’t worry.” A few nods and smiles reverberated across the crowd. It wasn’t long until most of the camp were gathered around Adde, so she decided to begin. “A place,” she announced, “has come to my attention.” Her eyes wandered the crowd. A few knew what she was going to say. “This place is far away but will be safer for all of us with plenty of room to expand and build.”

 

“How far away is it?” a man called from the back. Adde sighed.

 

“For our Scouters, Tools and Archibald, it took them a week to get home,” she said honestly. Murmurs and hissed swept across the camp.

 

“That’s way too long,” an elderly woman grumbled.

 

“It’ll take u ages to get there!” someone else groaned. The calls of complaints and fear continued until nearly everyone’s voice was shouting.

 

“What about the kids?”

 

“We’ll be picked off by wild animals!”

 

“We won't have enough food and water for the trip!

 

“What about the kids?”

 

“How do we know the right direction?”

 

“What if it’s gone?”

 

“What about the kids!”

 

“Alright!” Adde screamed, silencing most of them, a few still muttering the thoughts under their breath. “I get it!” Her temper had broken and her patience was thin. Yes, they could leave at any time, but the longer they remained in the camp, the more likely a beast would find them. “I know,” she continued once they had all finished speaking. “I know that it’ll be risky and scary and that some people may die along the way…” A murmur rippled through the crowd, one she ignored. “But, if we don’t do this, we’ll eventually all die. Our water supply is far away and is visited by beasts and wild animals! We’re in the open, at risk of being picked off and burned by the beasts. Here, we’re vulnerable. In this cave, we’ll at least be able to keep ourselves safe. There is a natural spring inside, which we can use for a multitude of things.” She sighed and took in a deep breath. “This is the best option. I promise you.” Everyone remained silent. On each of their faces, Adde could see them deliberating the information.

 

“Alright,” a little mutter said. Adde raised her eyebrows and peered at the crowd. She couldn’t see who it was. She was expecting a little more resistance. Gradually, around the crowd, more people started to sigh and nod. Even those who had been against the idea sighed and gave in. They’d be left behind otherwise. Soon, however, they all realised that they were nodding and agreeing with each other for no reason and all turned their gaze back to Adde, who was still beaming with self-pride. Noticing all their eyes on her, Adde frantically searched her mind for what else to say. There was really only one thing.

 

“Let’s start moving,” she said. “Let’s try and be ready to go within two days?” Everyone nodded. Seemed like a doable feat. Quickly, the crowd scattered towards their tents and possessions. There wasn’t much to sort. They’d be done soon and would more than certainly meet the two-day deadline. Adde smiled at the camp as she watched people squabble and bicker over small items before eventually concluding that it was all going to the same place, so they could just argue about it then. She felt a small amount of pride in them. It was the first time she had seen the camp actively help one another. It was a nice change of scenery.

 

 

* * * * *

 

​