Night has fallen over the Barabba Tribe, and Avi walks stiffly back to her tent. There’s no need for lanterns since bone-tails have excellent night vision, but almost everyone has gone to sleep already, with only a few members finishing up their daily tasks. There’s no need for guards, since the Ranger Supreme and his men are watching the perimeter.

“Mngh…” She groans through four cracked teeth. Her eyes are bloodshot, the back of her ripped shirt is bloody, and every movement is agony. Her father smacked the hell out of her back, all the skin beaten off, leaving only ruptured blood vessels and torn chunks of exposed muscle. Every time she moves or breathes, her poncho rubs her wounds. It’s a sharp, burning pain, equivalent to having red hot iron pressed against her flesh. Her tail drags along the ground behind her; she has no energy to lift it.

“Hck, come on, dad… did you really need to hit me that hard?” Avi thinks, struggling to walk in a straight line. “I know that what I did was wrong, but I… still don’t really know how I was supposed to know that… oh, I guess he did say something about how I should have been taught things like that during my lessons. It was hard to keep track of what he was saying while he was ripping me apart.”

Avi sighs and gracefully handles the agony as her expanding ribcage causes her back to rub against her clothes. Thankfully, bone-tails have a strong ability to heal, so she isn’t bleeding anymore.

“Aaah, but oh well.” She lets off a sad smile, “I guess I blew it with Tammy. It was nice having a husband, and I’m amazed it lasted so long, but I wish we could have been together for just a little bit longer. I mean, if I have to be honest with myself… I knew I’d screw it up sooner or later, but on our first mission? How pathetic. It wasn’t even an assassination mission. I guess… well, if I was a better chef, Tammy would never have gone hungry for so long, and daddy would never have sent us to get food, and all this would never have happened. Just like always, it’s my fault.”

Avi stops walking and looks up, past the forest canopy. Raising her head requires the use of some muscles that were beaten raw, but she pushes through. The sheer lack of light in the camp and surrounding forest lets the light from millions and millions of stars shine bright.

“All I had to do was shut up, know my role, and not try to do anything extra. I should have just killed that guy while Tammy slept. I should have been more careful and not let him see my tail. I should have not slept on Tammy when the other guy was pounding on the door.” She shakes her head and looks down so she can keep walking. “Well, no point worrying about it now. I messed up, I ruined Tammy, it’s over, time to move on… move on. Who do I move on to? Could I ever find another husband? Ha! Fat chance. Tammy was probably perfect for me, or, at least, the absolute best chance I had. Yet I still screwed it up with him, so how could I possibly make it work with anyone else? Maybe I should just give up on the idea of having a partner all together. Avi Barabba, the lone assassin! Haha…”

Avi rounds the side of a tent and sees her own across a dirt path. Standing just in front of the flap is Tammy, holding a lantern.

“Ta-“ she says, interrupted by Tammy running over and nearly tackling her. Face against her chest, arms wrapped tight around her. His small hands squeeze her back, and Avi’s cheeks puff as she tries desperately to avoid screaming her head off. Her tail tightens and coils in a reflexive spiral.

“A-Avi.” He says. She recognizes his tone, he’s been crying.

Avi swallows her yelp of pain, then gently wraps an arm around him. “Tammy,” she speaks carefully, so her voice doesn’t waver. “Is… something wrong?”

Tammy squeezes harder, and it takes all her willpower to not cry. “Are you… going to die one day?”

“Wh-wh-wa-whe-w-“ Avi clamps her jaw shut, her broken teeth sending entirely new lightning bolts of pain across her face, down her spine, and all the way down to the tip of her tail. She speaks through her teeth, “what, me? No way.” She forces a smile, “I’m never gonna die.” A weak squeak passes through her fangs, “not from this, not from anything, no matter what they all say.”

Tammy cries softly into her chest, the boy’s trembling terribly. “Thank you…” he whispers, then sniffles.

Avi has no idea what he’s talking about, or the context behind it, but appreciates this last bit of affection.

Suddenly, Tammy pulls away. There’s no relief for her back, and the release of pressure hurts too. But Tammy grabs her hand and starts pulling, “come on, let’s go to the hammock.”

Avi follows along, “what? You still want to sleep together?”

“Yes?” He says. “Of course. We’re married, right?”

With those words, all the pain in her back disappears. She moves in a daze.

The two enter their shared tent. It’s a small room in the style of a teepee, two wooden posts perpendicular to the entrance flap, and a hammock suspended between them. There’s a wooden stool so Tammy can climb up, a single soft pillow, and a blanket. The two get under the covers, with Avi’s tail hanging down. The needle on the end of her tail sticks into the dirt, and she subconsciously starts moving her tail to give a gentle rock to the hammock.

Tammy lays facing away from her, with Avi’s arms wrapped around him, and her chin resting on the top of his head. The feel of her heart through his back is soothing, and as he lays there, slipping into sleep, he begins to feel something on the edge of his perception.

Warm, gentle, flickering, yet burning vibrantly in his mind.

It’s Avi’s soul.

He drifts into slumber with a smile on his face.

As for Avi, her expression is blank as she lays there, though her eyes are wide.

“…what the heck is happening? Tammy’s still here? He doesn’t hate me? But I thought I ruined him. Didn’t I mess up? Everyone gets sick of me after I mess up. Is he planning to get his own hammock tomorrow? Does he just need a place to sleep? No, he feels like he’s eager to sleep with me. He’s smiling. Did he squeeze my back on purpose to cause me some of the pain he felt? No, it didn’t seem like that at all. He was happy to see me. So… what the heck is happening? Didn’t he go off to talk with Cousin Emiri? She hates me too, surely she explained that everything that happened to him was my fault. Did he just not listen? No, stupid, it’s Tammy, of course he listened. He probably found the opportunity to ramble on about something or other too. This is so confusing. My back still hurts a lot, but… it’s manageable? The rocking of the hammock, his occasional twitches, my tail making us swing. It’s all hurting my back, but I guess I don’t care? The pain isn’t as painful as before. I don’t understand what’s going on. Am I just an idiot? No. I mean, yes, I am an idiot. But what am I missing? Doesn’t he hate me? Are we still partners?” She hugs him a little tighter. “Maybe… Maybe I screwed up, but I didn’t totally ruin things. Can this be fixed? I need to never mess up that badly ever, ever again. I still don’t really get the reasoning, or why he’s troubled by killing, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll do it from now on. I’ll kill everyone who needs to die and… we should be fine? He’ll be fine?”

Her sharp red eyes close, but regardless of her newfound determination, she doesn’t get much sleep.

****

The following day, the tribe is gathered around a large bonfire, the stack of wood reaching higher than the tallest bone-tail, and the flames soaring beyond even that.

The men of the tribe are sitting on rugs arranged in a circle, with the women doing the cooking in the center. Some are adding a small dance to their cooking, a bit of extra flair as they show off their mastery.

Surrounding the bonfire are various tables with pots, cooking spits, utensils, and sacks full of ingredients. Avi is a mess. She hardly got any sleep last night, and as soon as she woke up Tammy dragged her to Emiri so the Master Physician could pull out her ruined teeth, giving space for new, stronger ones to take their place. She has dark circles under her eyes, and her movements are stiff. Her back has healed a lot compared to last night, but it still hurts. Nevertheless, she’s wading into uncharted territory. Forgoing the usual dishes of her tribe, she’s applying what she learned from her little excursion with her husband to make something that should fit his pallet perfectly. No matter the cold sweat, no matter the pain or the regret, she’ll finally make him something delicious.

Tammy, meanwhile, sits on a rug in the circle. His legs are crossed, his back is straight, he has excellent posture. His face is turned to the bonfire, but his eyes flicker left and right. He looks across the way and sees a man chatting with his cousin. He looks at another man as he shouts something to his wife. He looks to a woman as she happily toils away, shaking her hips as she carves meat and bone. Every single person here will be dead one day.

Avi’s brother, Hedwin, elbows Tammy’s shoulder and says something, but he doesn’t listen.

Slow, even breaths.

No need to freak out.

Just enjoy the moment.

Tammy’s wife will give him a nice meal; all worries can melt away.

Even if everyone will die one day, that’s a problem for later. Ideally, much later.

He looks to Avi and she happens to be looking back. Her face is tired and rough, but she sends him a warm smile regardless, making sure her mouth is closed so he doesn’t see the gaps. Tammy returns her smile with one of his own. He can’t help but think of her words, how she’ll never die. It’s not true, but it’s reassuring. Or, maybe it is true? Who’s to say that everything that lives has to die?

Even if it’s not true, Tammy puts a hand on his chest. His heartrate is steady, and his breathing slows. She said the words with such confidence that he’s almost convinced.

Avi continues her work. The meat is cooked, the correct spices applied, sauce, and real cheese atop flatbread.

She sighs as she looks down at the wooden plate. She looks left at her sisters and cousins while they continue to cook, then looks right to see the same. She’s the first one finished.

There’s an intense urge to continue cooking. Could she add more meat? More spices? Is something missing? Ultimately, she shakes her head. It’s a simple dish, just as she intended. She grabs the plate with both hands and walks proudly to Tammy.

Tammy perks up, but Avi begins blushing once she realizes that everyone is staring at her.

“Finished already?” She hears a girl call out behind her.

“Probably-half assed it,” her big sister Filian giggles.

“Poor Sammy.”

“He may not like it, but hopefully he can stomach a few bites.”

“I’d hate for the little guy to go hungry again because of her.”

Avi takes a deep breath. The words hurt far worse than her back, but she reaches Tammy and sits in front of him on the rug. “Here you go, Tammy.” She closes her lips and forces a smile, then watches his every move with unblinking eyes. The men around him, like Hedwin on his left, and Elijah on his right, watch as well, with some of the girls by the fire taking a break to see the show.

It’s a round piece of toasted flatbread, folded over like a taco, with three meatballs inside. Sticky red sauce keeps the two ends of bread together, and melted white cheese was sprinkled inside.

Tammy looks down greedily, only now realizing that he hasn’t eaten since they were in the motel. He grabs the flatbread on both ends and quickly takes a bite on the top. The bread is crispy and crunches in his teeth, with beef, sauce, and melted cheese filling his mouth. The boy’s eyes light up.

“It’s good!” He yelps, then quickly goes back to scarfing down Avi’s meal.

All the oxygen is forced from her lungs, and she falls back, propping herself up on her arms. The tip of her tail can’t stop wagging in a loud rattle.

“What?” Hedwin narrows his brow, then shoots his tail around to skewer Tammy’s sandwich, yanking it from his hands.

“Hey!” Tammy jumps up like a small, cute, starving dog.

“Brother Hedwin!” Avi leans forward, but the sudden movement sets the nerves in her back on fire.

“Relax,” Hedwin says, looking the sandwich up and down, sniffing it, and holding one long arm out against Tammy’s chest to keep him back. Finally, he takes a bite. It’s a small bite, respectful of Tammy’s hunger, yet he still stole a bite from the sandwich that Avi made with love for her husband. Hedwin’s face immediately sours. “There’s no flavor. This is awful.” He swallows, then hands the rest to Tammy.

“I don’t care what you say!” Tammy snaps, “my wife made it for me, and I love it!” He plops himself down on the rug, keeping his back away from his brother-in-law.

Avi’s lip trembles, on the verge of tears.

The other bone-tails make their snide comments.

“The boy gets a backbone… and it’s to defend a sub-par meal, haha.”

“The hunger finally got to him. Months of starvation will do that.”

“At least he’s not crying anymore. Did you see him when they came home yesterday? He was a mess.”

“What happened with that?”

“It was the runt’s fault, I’m sure.”

“I heard the Matriarch had to personally intervene.”

“Of course she did, the old lady’s always had a soft spot for Sammy.”

The words sting Avi’s heart, but she doesn’t let it show openly. Leaning forward, with her elbows on her knees and a swish of her tail, she happily watches as Tammy finally enjoys her cooking.

Tammy finishes before long, and sighs in satisfaction. He looks into his wife’s red eyes and smiles softly. “That was really good. Thank you,” he puts his hands together and bows his head.

She has such a doofy smile on her face, forgetting to keep her lips closed, “better than what we bought in that store?”

“Better than anything I’ve ever eaten in my life!” Tammy declares.

She gulps, and her tail swishes. “W-want more? I… have an idea for some more ingredients I could add. But we should go slow and only add a little at a time to see what works?”

“Sure!” Tammy’s cute smile from his cute face heals her soul.

Avi leaps from her spot and practically sprints over to the bonfire. While her back is days from healed, the pain has all but evaporated from her mind. She swiftly makes two more sandwiches and eats shoulder to shoulder with her husband.

She despises eating such a bland sandwich, but Tammy’s love is all the seasoning she needs.