The longer Elann stayed away, the deeper Noah fell into what was supposed to be a light sleep. The poultice given to him seemingly amplified the effects of the herbal tea, even though he had drunk only half, and pulled the Kelvic away from consciousness with each passing moment. Noah was hardly comfortable when he first lied down on the bench, but it didn’t seem to matter as he was going further away from the buzzing of the world outside of him. While his sleep was dreamless this time, thankfully, it was deep enough to make him ignorant to the world around him and Elann’s sneaking into the caravan. One would’ve thought Aimee took the same poultice because she was asleep in much the same way.

Eventually, Noah did stir, his mind telling his body that he was supposed to be waiting for Elann to return. His lids cracked to the newly dim light as afternoon turned into evening. The temperature had dropped as the sun waned, yet the overcast persisted on, turning from pale grey to a mixture of faint oranges and pinks as Syna began to fall away. Shirtless, the Kelvic’s skin was decorated with goosebumps, the only indication that he was outwardly cold. The bandages on wrapped around his torso kept those parts minutely warmer than the rest of him, but it was something.

He took a sleepy breath, opening his eyes further to the wagon’s interior. He could see Elann’s frame out of the corner of his slitted eyes, but could also see something that wasn’t entirely familiar. He stirred all the more, using his left arm to push himself up to sit on the bench, his feet coming down to the floor as he righted himself. He fought the urge to stretch dramatically, but the stretch that did come was tight and still pained him. Noah had no choice but to grunt and whine at the pain that came from a process he couldn’t stop entirely. Still, in the end, it felt good and hurtful at the same time.

His hand came up to wipe at his eyes, blinking thereafter to focus them on the room and Elann and what appeared to be a rug she was working on. At his feet Aimee lied. He looked down to her and the mound of blankets she seemingly encased herself in, hibernating like the bear that was slain days ago. His arms came to hug one another, hands gripping at the elbows to warm himself again. He looked to Elann, peering curiously at the rug she was forging.

“Who is that for?” he said quietly and sleep choked.