A wounded woman fleeing armed pursuers didn't simply disappear. The valley offered shelter, but it also created a trail that led straight to their only refuge. He stood and scanned the ridge again. Aayoka followed his gaze. What do you need to know?
She asked. He answered after a moment. How many men are after you? The question had lingered between them since she arrived. Now she answered without hesitation.
Four, maybe five, all armed, all familiar with the land. That was enough information to understand the threat clearly. Elias didn't demand more. Whatever reasons she had for running were her own concern. What mattered now was how to keep her alive.
Aayoka sensed his acceptance. It ease a pressure she carried since the night she stumbled into the valley. She didn't need to defend her past dam. She only needed to help them prepare for what was coming. They returned to the cabin, walking in silence.
Once inside, Elias checked the rifle leaning against the wall, inspected the chamber, and set it beside the table with quiet finality. Aayoka sat near the stove, watching him move with a level focus she hadn't allowed herself to show before. You've done this before, she said. Elias looked at her briefly. "More than I wanted to. " She didn't ask why.
His tone told her there was nothing about it he cared to revisit. He reached for the shutters and secured them with iron hooks. The cabin dimmed slightly, but the fire filled the space with enough light to move around. Aayoka listened to the sounds with settling metal fitting into place and understood that this wasn't panic. It was preparation.
Elias planned every move as if time mattered, but he never rushed. She stood, bracing herself on the edge of the table. "Show me what I can do. " He looked over her injuries again. "You're not ready for a fight. " "I'm ready enough," she said. "I won't hide while someone hunts me. " Elias considered her words.
She wasn't trying to prove strength or pride. She was protecting her own dignity. He respected that. He handed her a small hunting knife from a drawer. "Keep this close," he said.
"If the door breaks, stay behind the stove. The angle works in your favor. " She accepted the knife with a firm grip. You watch how she held it. Steady, practiced, not reckless. Her confidence wasn't a performance.
Elias returned to the window, looking out through a thin crack between the shutters. The valley's stillness was too clean, too empty. He could feel the shift in the air. Attention only the hunted recognized. What will they do if they find us?
She asked. They'll push us out, Elias replied. Take the cabin. Take the land. Aoka absorbed his answer with a slow breath.