Leopard Cat Nimra’s question lingered between them for several minutes. Neither of them spoke. The only sounds that filled the gap were the leaves rustling overhead as the afternoon wind found its way through the ancient canopy.
Rhos continued walking with the same measured pace, carefully stepping over roots and ducking beneath low branches. His expression hadn’t changed much, but it was obvious his demeanor had.
His boastful confidence he displayed was gone. She began to think something about her question had struck a nerve in him.
Unlike herself, Red Deer Rhos was not forced to become a Ranger. Delta Classes retained that freedom. With that in mind, it meant he had chosen this life by himself.
He had walked into one of the deadliest professions in humanity despite knowing exactly what happened to Rangers outside the Biome.
Knowing that, the answer to her question probably wasn’t as simple as she had made it sound. Whatever reason pushed someone to make that decision, it probably wasn’t something pleasant to remember.
Nimra parted her lips.
"Red Deer, you don’t have to answer if–"
"I did it for the money and fame..."
His words came so suddenly it almost startled her.
"You’ve seen how people treat the upper Divisions, haven’t you? They get better housing, better food, people look up to them...sounds like a pretty good deal to me"
He shrugged casually without looking back.
"I figured I’d become rich and famous enough to live a comfortable life. That’s my reason, is that enough to answer your question?"
Nimra hesitated before nodding.
"Y-Yes, it’s enough...It sounds like something you’d say. Sorry for asking"
Their conversation ended there and the sounds of the forest returned to fill in the silence again. This was no time to get sentimental anyway.
Within the reach of his heightened perception, nothing dangerous had entered their vicinity. So far it has been peaceful for the most part. Normally, that would have put him at ease. But the Wrath had slipped past him once already.
That alone was enough to remind him that his senses were not perfect. Remembering those six crimson eyes was enough to make the hairs on the back of his neck stand.
The creature was several kilometers away from where they were, so he could afford to walk at this pace. But stopping or slowing down would make the gap close much faster.
Thinking back on it, Rhos had never considered himself a loner. He just preferred his own company and keeping people at arm’s length.
This was because relations with people complicated things. The more people matter to you the more mistakes you make.
Every attachment becomes another weakness that makes one vulnerable. It made them turn around when they should have been running. It made them charge into hopeless situations to save someone who was already beyond saving.
That was the nature of being a Ranger. He had seen it happen more times than he could count.
The world outside the Biome didn’t care about loyalty. It only rewarded those who were ruthless, cynical and valued self preservation.
That was what he believed.
"Red Deer..."
Nimra’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
"I lost someone a while back. We grew up together in an orphanage inside the East Briar district. The Willow Hearth Orphanage. It wasn’t much of a place. It had leaky roofs, all sorts of weird noises at night, the food wasn’t great either and we all shared the same clothes....but it was still home"
Rhos looked over his shoulder and caught her smiling.
"His name was Dune Gazelle Zephyr. We ate together. Studied together. Got punished together. Entered the Academy together. Graduated together"
Her smile gradually faded.
"But after graduating we were assigned to different Divisions. That didn’t really matter, we still met whenever our schedules lined up and laughed about our troubles. The two of us agreed that once we became Rangers we’d send most of our earnings back.
"The orphanage was struggling. It barely had enough money to feed the younger children. So we decided we’d help and we did. However, a few months later he was declared dead. His entire Division encountered a Wrath and got wiped out"
She stopped speaking for several seconds.
"With Zeph gone, everything became my responsibility. I had to send both shares. I barely spent anything on myself. Skipped meals too. All to save whatever I can to keep Willow Hearth open. I don’t hate it. Seems like a fair trade for all the good they’ve done for me"
Looking at the quiet satisfaction on her, Rhos could not bring himself to criticize her. It wasn’t poor money management, this woman simply valued other people’s lives more than her own.
He couldn’t understand that way of living. Truthfully, he thought it was foolish. What would they do if she became crippled or even worse died?
Unless they had other sources of getting funds, they’ve put too much expectations on her shoulders to the point she’s willing to starve herself.
But still, he couldn’t bring himself to mock her for it. He was no better himself.
He sighed and looked straight ahead.
"I’m looking for someone, my older sister. Her name is Asha, and we’re twins"
She looked at him with surprised curiosity. Rhos didn’t like to owe people, since she told him her reasons, it was only fair he did the same.
"We got separated before awakening, so neither of us had Patron Spirit names yet"
His eyes grew distant.
"I was born in an Enclosure. We never stayed anywhere for very long. Every few weeks, sometimes every few months we’d pack everything onto wagons and move"
Life outside the Biome wasn’t impossible, it was simply illegal and incredibly dangerous. Separate from Biomes, Enclosures are nomadic settlements constantly moving across the wilderness. Because of this, they never stayed long enough in an area for danger to find them.
However, this way of life presented its own challenges.
"During one migration we were ambushed by bandits. People were screaming, there was fire and smoke everywhere and wagons were overturned"
He closed his eyes for a moment.
"My memory of that day is hazy, but I remember the way Asha shoved me into one of the escaping wagons and ran in the opposite direction. I protested of course, but someone knocked me out. When I woke up, I was inside the Elderwood Biome"
Everything after that became a blur.
"I never saw her again. I don’t know if she’s alive...No, she is alive. I believe she is"
He corrected himself almost immediately.
"If I’m still looking for her...then I know she’s definitely looking for me too"
A gentle smile returned to his face as he said that with absolute certainty.
"That’s why I became a Ranger. The Corps is one of the few organizations allowed to travel beyond the Biomes. It’s the only way I could search for her"
He looked toward the endless forest stretching before them.
"I lied. I don’t care about money or fame. I just want to find my sister"