“I see,” he replied, nodding. “Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, then, hm?”
Korik nodded, looking distracted, so Varen fell silent. For a while, they trudged through the snow in silence, stopping only when Varen spotted a pheasant in the distance. He was running low on arrows, but with any luck, he’d be able to replenish them soon at the outpost. The bird was far, but his aim was true. He pushed the arrow along with a bit of his magic to make sure it closed the distance.
The bolder of the two kits chased after him as he split off to go fetch his kill. He laughed as it dashed ahead to sniff at the pheasant.
“You’ll get your share, don’t worry,” he said, as he pulled his arrow from the bird. The arrowhead was still decent, and the rest of the bolt was undamaged, so luckily he could use it again. The kit sniffed at the red stain left behind on the snow, licking it up and shaking its head when the cold proved too much. It was cute, even knowing the deadly creature it would become.
When he caught back up with Korik, the orc had paused to inspect a snow-covered bush, finding a handful of berries hiding deep within. It was looking like they might still have a decent dinner after all.
“What is the outpost like?” Korik asked as they walked on.
Varen shrugged. “There’s nothing really interesting about it, other than it being the northernmost assignment. A lot of rangers and scouts train there because of the remote location, which is why I was there for a while. It’s old. The village is still technically inhabited, but it’s really just family members of the soldiers assigned to the outpost. So everything is a little bit... weathered.”
“Have there often been border disputes this far north?” Korik asked, sounding worried. Varen considered it.
“Not really. There’s not much here, as we’ve found,” he said, gesturing to their surroundings. “The southern borders are where most disputes happened; the ones in more fertile land, or closer to trade routes into Autreth. The only orc clans around here are the mountain clans, and they typically keep to themselves. I was stationed there for a year or two, and I think we only ever interacted with a clan once in that time.”
“I see,” Korik sighed. Varen glanced back at him; he thought the orc looked a little less tense, but it was hard to tell.
“What are you so worried about?” he asked. He knew the question was pressing, but the time went by faster when they were talking.
“That they won’t let me in,” Korik replied plainly.
“Of course they’ll let you in. First, you’re with me. Second, if they recognize you as Prince Taegan and Princess Nahara’s physician, they’ll be bending over backwards to treat you kindly in hopes of a good word with the prince. Third… It's been two years since the peace treaty. Aefraya is officially allied with King Zorvut. If any elves still have some prejudice against orcs, they know better than to show it by now,” Varen retorted. To his surprise, Korik somehow lookedmorepained when he was done.
“That’s true,” he sighed. “I’d rather know upfront if someone is going to be... unkind, though.”
“I suppose there is some merit to that,” Varen chuckled. “It is nice to know right away if someone is an asshole.”
Korik smirked at that, which was a small relief. Still, he seemed lost in thought as they continued walking. Behind them, the energetic kit pounced on the shy one, which hissed in response before darting ahead of Korik, its fur all puffed out. Varen laughed, but Korik only picked up the kit with a sigh, bundling it into the front of his shirt to keep them separated.
“And what about...” Korik started suddenly, then trailed off, color rising in his face. At first, Varen thought he was going to ask about the kittens, which he had no say in; but then the orc continued in a rush, “What about this? Us?”
“Us?” Varen repeated, stopping to look at Korik. The orc was looking down at his feet, even as he half-heartedly gestured between them. Varen’s pulse quickened.
“You know,” Korik said, still stammering. “Our... arrangement.”
Arrangement. It sounded so clinical—he supposed a physician could make anything sound clinical. Devoid of any emotion. Just sex. If that was all there was between them, what was there to discuss?
Varen heard himself laugh. “Well, I don’t see why we would need to keep warm together once we’re nice and cozy at the outpost. I’m sure they’ll give us separate rooms.”
He had meant to say it in jest, but couldn’t hide the cold edge to his voice. Varen cringed, hating how he sounded. Korik frowned, finally lifting his gaze to look Varen in the eye, but said nothing. An uncomfortable second passed in silence, then another. Varen felt like he might burn alive at the lack of response.
“Besides, if you’re that worried about it,” he blurted out, “we don’t ever have to see each other again once we get back to Drol Kuggradh.”
Korik recoiled, eyes widening—Varen may as well have slapped him with how shocked his expression became. In his mind, Varen could practicallyhearEnriel screaming at him.
“I—I’m sorry,” Varen stammered, humiliation burning in his throat. Why did he say that? Why did he always have to ruin things when they had been going so well? “I didn’t—I mean…”
“I see,” Korik said faintly, turning away.
“Korik,” Varen said, reaching for him; but the orc hurried forward with his head downturned. Even in the snow, his stride was so much longer than Varen’s that he knew he would never catch up if Korik didn’t want him to.
For a moment he stood there, cursing himself and his stupid mouth. He hadn’t meant to sound so cruel. But he was hungry, and tired, and so terrified of Korik’s rejection that instinct had taken over. He didn’t knowwhyhis first impulse was to lash out and go to extremes.
The kit who had been trailing behind them paused beside Varen, looking up at him with its big gray-blue eyes. When he looked at it, it meowed loudly and scampered on. He choked down a bitter laugh, then trudged along behind it. At least he’d have some time to think about what to say to try to salvage things.
The rest of the day passed in maddening silence. Rather than walking side-by-side as they had, Korik kept the distance between them, always several paces ahead of Varen. They were close enough to be in sight of each other, but too far to feasibly have a conversation. So Varen was left alone with his thoughts, which were bitter with regret.
