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Afternoons were for awareness training; sharpening her senses became as crucial as honing her reflexes. “You need to feel your environment,” I explained as we walked through dense underbrush. “Every sound, every movement can tell you something important.”
Arlet listened intently to my instructions, absorbing each lesson like parched earth soaks up rainwater.
As twilight descended one evening after an intense session of sparring and strategy discussions, we sat on the porch steps catching our breaths. The cabin stood silent behind us—a sanctuary in an increasingly hostile world.
Arlet broke the silence first. “Thank you,” she whispered, rubbing a bruise that was forming on her forearm.
I looked over at her, seeing not just my charge but my partner—someone who’d become an integral part of my life on this strange planet that was slowly becoming home.
“You don’t have to thank me,” I replied earnestly. “Protecting you is my job.”
She shook her head slightly. “No, Hayze. It’s more than that now.” Her gaze met mine and held it—a silent acknowledgment of our shared bond.
The stars above us seemed to blaze brighter as we sat there together—the warrior and his charge turned comrade—each bracing for what may come with the rise of the next sun.
The dusk had painted the sky a deep purple by the time we sensed them—local troublemakers, probably thinking they could intimidate Arlet into backing down from her environmental crusade. They didn’t know about me, or if they did, they underestimated what it meant to have a Talos as a shadow guard.
Arlet caught the flicker of movement first. Her newfound vigilance was an asset I had helped to sharpen. She nudged me, nodding subtly toward the treeline where shadows danced with a menace that didn’t belong to the forest.
I nodded back and whispered, “Stay close.”
As we walked toward her cabin, our steps fell in rhythm—a silent dance we had been perfecting since my arrival on Earth. We tuned in to each other and the world.
Two figures emerged from the trees, blocking our path. One leaned against a bat like it extended his arm, while the other smirked with false bravado.
“Well, well,” the one with the bat drawled. “Thought you might need some convincing to stop poking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
Arlet’s chin lifted slightly, defiance etched into her features. “I’m not afraid of you,” she said, her voice steady.
The smirking one stepped forward. “You should be.”
Before he could finish his threat, I moved. In one fluid motion, I positioned myself between Arlet and our would-be intimidators. The surrounding air seemed to thicken as I called upon the elements—a subtle whisper to sway the branches above and rustle the leaves at our feet.
“Leave,” I said, my voice low but carrying a weight that made both men pause. “This isn’t your fight.”
The one with the bat scoffed, but took a hesitant step back as a gust of wind whipped through the clearing. Arlet stepped up beside me then, not behind—her courage bolstering mine.
“You’re trespassing,” she stated firmly. “We’ve documented everything. The authorities are already watching.”
The second man’s smirk faltered as he glanced around nervously, clearly unnerved by the forest’s sudden liveliness and Arlet’s unwavering stance.
“Let’s go,” he muttered to his companion. “This ain’t worth it.”
They retreated into the woods as quickly as they had appeared, leaving us alone once more on the path to safety.
Arlet let out a breath she’d been holding and turned to me. “That was...”
I couldn’t help but smile at her attempt to find words for what had just transpired between us—between human and Talos working in unison.
“It was teamwork,” I finished for her.
“Yeah,” she agreed with a nod and an appreciative glance. “Teamwork.”
We resumed our walk to her cabin in companionable silence. It wasn’t just the absence of words between us; it was an understanding that what we shared went beyond protection or partnership—it was a kinship forged in adversity and trust.
As we reached her front door, Arlet paused and looked up at me with eyes that reflected gratitude and something deeper—recognition of our shared journey.
“Thanks for being here,” she said simply, but with a sincerity that resonated within my bronze form.
