“Thanks for talking with me,” Aimee said softly in reply to Elann’s own thanks, drawing quiet to listen to the rest of her statement. Though ‘hardships’ seemed like an understatement, Aimee accepted Elann’s words as they were, looking to her as she rose, touching the Kelvic’s arm. Aimee nodded to Elann saying she would walk ahead and let the Benshira dismiss herself from the conversation and one another’s presences. There were many other thoughts in Aimee’s head but she didn’t know how to express them. She was attempting to like Elann and believed she would if it weren’t for the Benshira being in a relationship with her brother.

Aimee settled back into her book since she was now virtually alone, Elann gone and Noah sleeping. The hours ticked by and Syna rose higher into the air and warmed the coolness into something comfortable, probably even for the Benshira’s easily chilled skin. The day, from that point on, was relatively quiet in the back of the wagon. Aimee read and napped or lost herself in thoughts. Noah woke and shifted to sleep again and lie in silence with a quiet sense of longing in his heart for Elann since she didn’t seem to be there when he awoke. Considering what had happened between them that morning he expected her to be around, yet she wasn’t.

It was just after midday and all Noah could hear was the wagon’s creaking and bounding as it jostled and rumbled him. He rose his head from the floor and looked around the wagon’s interior. He could see Aimee hanging out of the back of the wagon, her hands going through her tresses of hair but her back was to him. He settled back down, turning his head to face the canvas wall of the wagon, his eyes studying the texture without touching. He stared, blinking, until his vision blurred and he was lulled on away to sleeping again, only coming to wake as the caravan pulled off to the side of the road, signaling the end to the day’s travel. He recalled waking a few more times still to either relieve himself or see if Aimee or Elann was around. While Aimee stayed, never to leave his sight, she didn’t speak to him when he woke, if she even knew he was awake at times.

Now, in the coming darkness, his stomach spoke out in hunger, having been neglected that entire day save for breakfast. The entire day had been bouts of loneliness only interrupted by the forced sessions of sleep because nothing else was happening. He felt lethargic and heavy there on the floor covered in furs and surrounded by pillows. He was comfortable physically but felt cold otherwise, though his body was warm.

His side and back were aching but, in a way, his heart was calling for treatment. He felt the figurative silver thread connecting him and his bondmate. His fingers loosened their grasp, letting his ache, hunger, and quiet loneliness trickle out down the length of the cord. Noah could not tug and call Elann like she could him, and see as he had been mute in this sense for a while, he thought the slightest foreign feeling felt by her coming from him would be enough to pull her to him. Gently, he rolled over his left side and settled onto his back, shifting ever so slightly to stay comfortable.

Noah heard a shuffling at the back of the wagon that disappeared into the ground. He figured Aimee had gone away from the edge and went to interact with the rest of the people of the caravan. There he waited then, alone to see if Elann heard his cooing down at the other end of the bond.