**** [North's PoV]
I let out a long breath and desummoned my blades. The wind around me settled, and the quiet that followed felt heavy. The clearing was scattered with the bodies of Abominations. Dozens of them. Burned, sliced, broken.
My arms ached a little, and there were a few cuts on my side, but I felt good. Strong. Focused.
A loud screech broke the silence, and I looked up just in time to see Silver diving down from the sky. He landed beside me with a gust of wind that kicked up dust and scattered some nearby leaves.
I smiled and waved.
"This went pretty well, didn't it?"
He didn't reply, of course, just tilted his head slightly.
I jumped up onto his back and sat down, catching my breath as I rested against his warm body. Sometimes, I wondered if he really understood what I was saying. Maybe he did. Or maybe one day, when he grew stronger, or when Billion's bond with him deepened, he might learn to talk in some way.
