The fire crackled softly, sending faint golden light flickering across the campsite. The light was high enough for them to see by, but low enough to not attract any form of wild beasts.
It was well past midnight and the others, Thorn, Elias, and Valen, were asleep.
Thorn snored faintly, occasionally muttering nonsense. The sound of the gibberish drifted through the camp, mingling with the sound of the crickets.
Elias, who was wrapped tightly in his cloak, barely moved, and Valen somehow made sleeping look like meditating. He was sitting up, his head bowed, and his sword laying across his lap, ready for anything that could happen during his sleep.
As for Ren and Lilith, they were taking the first watch of the night, sitting a few paces from the fire, their shoulders close and their expressions solemn.
Neither spoke at first.
The silence between them was companionable, but tense, as if they were both waiting for the other to say something they weren't ready to say.
