• He awoke to a horrid cracking sound, like someone was snapping a thick wooden board in half. He jumped out of bed, and ran to the window. He glanced outside, but could see nothing. He turned to go back to his bed, as it was much too early to be awake, when out of the corner of his eye he saw a seemingly-large object fall in the distance. Curious, he ran from his room, and into the night. He stopped a short distance from his front door, and climbed the wooden support that held up the roof that hung over the door. Once he was on the roof, he climbed to the highest point he could without slipping on the dewy surface. He heard another sharp crack, and something else, that he supposed must’ve been a tree, fell over in the distance. He stifled a laugh. He should have known it was her. She often practiced early in the mornings. It was her strongest hour, so she said. He glanced around, checking for other signs of life. He saw none. Well, he thought to himself, it’s now or never. He jumped off the roof in a single bound, and took off running down the hill on which his house sat, and into the dark forest beyond.

    He crashed through the edge of the forest, and into the meadow she had created, just as she was preparing to knock down another tree. She whirled around, into a crouch, ready to pounce. “It’s me.” He said, trying to reassure her, so he wouldn’t have to fight her. She didn’t relax her pose. “Me who?” She asked, in a voice that he could only describe as a growl. “It is I, Cursor.” He said, carefully. He didn’t use his alternate name with her very often and it sounded foreign on his tongue. He watched her carefully and her position relaxed. “Oh, Chris. I’m sorry.” She said, and moved towards him. “No.” He said, “Finish your practice. I’m sorry for the intrusion.” He said, and began to walk back the way he had come. “Chris, wait. Don’t leave. Please. I miss you.” He stopped in his tracks. Her voice had caught on the last word, and he almost believed her. “Go back to Cines.” He said coldly. “He’s probably realized you’re gone by now. The sun has started to rise.” He turned sharply, and ran back the direction he had come. He had to get back before sunrise, otherwise Cines would notice, and he didn’t want another incident.

    When he arrived at his house again, he took a deep breath. That did not go as planned, he thought to himself. He hadn’t spoken to her in so long. He didn’t know why he thought he could handle it. After everything they had put each other through, how could they forgive each other? It was obvious she had forgiven him, but her betrayal was so much worse than his had been. He just wasn’t ready, not yet, anyway.

    He climbed onto his roof again. He was waiting for him, Cines, that is. He knew that he must be aware of his visit with her by now. Cines would not be happy when he learned of his spontaneous actions. They were all in training to control those impulses. They were bad, and unacceptable. Fortunately, he was good friends with Cines. He sat on the peak of his roof, and pondered what he would use as an excuse for his actions. He wouldn’t lie, that would be stupid, Probitas would know of his dishonesty right away. Cines never travelled without Probitas. He kept everyone in line. The two were quite a pair. Even though they didn’t give you trouble without good reason, they still struck fear into hearts.