Time shook himself, clearing whatever thoughts lingered in his mind, and turned to Henry. The road was almost in sight now. “Shall we begin the training, or would you prefer to wait until later in the day?”

  Henry, bless him, recognized the request for a subject change for what it was and nodded. “Now is fine—if Dominicus will take my pack?”

  Without a word, Dominicus dropped back and took the pack, then paused in front of me, holding out his hand after a brief hesitation. “I’ll take yours as well. Henry’s method may not be as efficient as mine, but you shouldn’t be weighed down with extra equipment while you learn.”

  I handed it over. “Thanks.”

  He hesitated, as if debating whether to say something, but after a moment, he visibly thought better of it and moved ahead, carrying a pack under each arm. His wings draped loosely across his shoulders, shifting slightly with each step.

  Eleanor jogged to catch up with him, leaving the rest of us behind. Once they had put some distance between us, Henry turned to face me and Time.

  “The trees will give way to open flatland and hills soon,” he explained. “That’s where we’ll find Rock Snakes. They live underground, near the road, and they prefer ambush tactics. Their skin is incredibly tough, making them difficult to kill without a proper weapon.”

  He gestured to my staff. “You can take one down with a strong enough hit to the head, but most people prefer to behead them. There’s a small, unprotected section between the head and body. That won’t be an option for you, but your friend here can.”

  Henry turned to Time. “Will you be using a sword or a dagger? Or would you prefer to stick with the staff?”

  Time eyed the staff, running a hand over its surface before shaking his head. “This is too valuable to risk breaking over the head of a creature made of rock.” Without another word, he stored it away. “I choose the sword.”

  Henry handed him his without hesitation. “Good choice.”

  He pointed ahead. “There—the break in the trees I was talking about.”

  I followed his gesture and nodded, gently nudging Volpe in my arms. “Alright, buddy. Time to walk for a bit.”

  Volpe huffed but didn’t move. When Maya inched closer, he curled up tighter in response, his message clear.

  I bit back a sigh, leveling a stern look at her. “Maya, I know you like Volpe and want to pet him, but you need to wait until he is okay with it. If you try to touch him without his consent, he might bite you—and I won’t punish him for it.”

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  She pouted, but Henry cut in with a firm frown. “Nikolas is right. You don’t like it when strangers try to hug you, do you?”

  Maya’s pout faltered. She shook her head. “No… Fine. I’ll leave him alone.”

  She ran forward to walk between Eleanor and Dominicus, to Henry’s nod of satisfaction. “She should listen now. She doesn’t mean any harm, but children her age don’t always understand that animals are living beings too, and they should be treated with respect.”

  His gaze shifted to Volpe. “That being said, please try not to bite her. A nip to get your point across is one thing, but she is my daughter, and I don’t want her hurt.”

  Volpe flicked an ear and nodded before hopping down, walking beside me now.

  Satisfied, Henry gestured to the open stretch of road as we left the trees behind. “Alright, let’s begin. Rock Snakes don’t usually travel in groups, so if anything goes wrong, I’ll step in before anyone gets hurt. Who wants to go first?”

  I exchanged a glance with Time before stepping forward. “I will. But… how do I know where they’re going to attack from if they’re underground?”

  Henry tapped his foot against the dirt. “Vibrations. They shift the rocks as they move. If you focus, you’ll be able to feel it—even through heavy armor. It takes practice, but once you get used to it, it becomes second nature.”

  I nodded. “And what do we do with them once they’re dead?”

  “Pick them up.” He smirked. “Their meat and skin are useful.”

  focusing on the ground beneath my feet. At first, nothing. I was about to ask if I was doing something wrong when the faintest tremor passed under me.

  Then—silence.

  A second later, stone cracked behind me.

  I spun on instinct, swinging my staff. The impact sent the Rock Snake skidding across the dirt. When it came to a stop, it didn’t move again.

  Henry nodded approvingly. “Good job. As a beastfolk, your hearing will help with detection too, but learning to feel vibrations is important. There may come a time when something dampens your hearing, and you’ll need another way to track movement.”

  I nodded, scooping up the snake and jogging back to the road. As we walked, I focused on listening this time. It wasn’t easy—Dominicus made it sound simple, but there was so much noise around us. Our footsteps. The rustling leaves. The distant chirp of birds—

  Then, a crunch.

  Something shifted beneath the road, sending a faint tremor through the ground. I locked onto the sensation, tracking it with my eyes. The moment it stopped, I knew where it would strike.

  When it lunged, I was ready.

  Another quick strike and the second Rock Snake slumped.

  I glanced between it and the one already in my hand. “Where should I put them?”

  They weren’t exactly stackable…

  Henry waved me over and gestured for Time to step out. “We’ll take turns carrying them until training is finished. For now, let’s switch off.”

  Time nodded, brushing past me with a muttered, “Good job.”

  I watched him go, ignoring the warmth his praise sparked.

  This was definitely an improvement from our initial hostility. If the rest of the journey went like this, I could almost see it being… painless. Well, as painless as things could get with me involved.

  Karma would be delighted to learn we were getting along so well…