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I moved closer to him on my knees and wrapped my arms around his body, leaning against him while he rubbed my back.

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m happy you’re here, you know?”

“Yes, I know. I’m happy to be here too. It took a lot to convince Mama.”

“I can only imagine. She’s doing okay, right? She didn’t tell you to say she’s okay even though she’s not?”

I turned my head to look up at him. “Of course not. She’s well. No need to worry about her.”

He smiled. “You’re right. She’s always known how to take care of herself. I miss her, you know?”

Of course, I knew.

They were high school sweethearts and made it despite their differences.

Papa was meant to live here, but Mama hated the idea of it.

“Go get some sleep. Tomorrow’s a new day.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead before letting go of me so I could crawl back out of the tent.

“Goodnight, Papa,” I said, then I got back up on my feet to walk back to Fennec who was leaning against the tree, picking leaves off a small tree branch that had fallen to the ground.

“It’s not on you to make us talk to each other again,” he pointed out.

I frowned. “I was just trying to help. I don’t like seeing you like this.”

I reached for the first plank on the tree to climb up into the treehouse where our bed was already waiting for us.

Fennec followed close behind me, and when I was inside, I crawled to the big, inflatable mattress on top of a thick wool blanket so there was no way for the wood underneath to poke holes in it.

Papa had one of these too, and it was the most comfortable option to sleep on.

“It gets cozier the older we get, huh?” Fennec said, and I looked around with a smile and a nod to agree with him.

We had less space than when we were little, but I liked knowing he was right next to me, protecting me with his arms around me at night.

I didn’t think it was unusual, because it’s all we’ve ever known, so I got under my thick blanket and placed my head on the pillow filled with duck feathers, and waited for Fennec to come lay down next to me.

“What’s your favorite memory of when we were little?” he asked.

There were many things I remembered, but I went with one that I remembered as clear as day.

“The day Papa took us to the mountain top where we had the best view. It was so calm and serene there, and I wished we could’ve built a new camp up there.”

We couldn’t, as it wasn’t Papa’s land anymore, but we would go up there all the time.

“We can go back there someday. Hunters roam around most days, and Papa said not to mess with them or their territory.”

I sighed, knowing how much hunters in this area disliked us and our way of living.

We took their meat away, which they would sell to other people for a lot of money.

But hey…we needed to survive somehow, right?

I reached over to grab Fennec’s hand and squeezed it tightly in mine with a soft smile on my face.

“We have so much time to explore and find new amazing places. I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

Fennec brushed his thumb along my skin, smiling back at me. “Me neither. Sweet dreams, Ves. If you need anything, wake me, okay?”

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