AVERY SAT NEXT TO THE FIRE THAT NIGHT, WAITING TO SEE WHO WOULD DECIDE TO HELP TEACH HER FIRST. As it happened, Noah decided to volunteer to help her with archery. He happened to have an extra bow, “In case my usual one broke,” as he explained, handing Avery his bow. Avery took the bow and held it up with her right hand, arm straight as a rod. Then she took an arrow from Noah and nocked the arrow on the bowstring and pulled it back towards her cheek. “Good form. Are you sure you haven’t practiced using one before?” Coram called out. Avery made a face at Noah, still trying to line up her arrow and the target before she let fly. “Good. Now breathe out just as you let the arrow fly,” Noah whispered. Avery did as he instructed, and the arrow flew true into the target with a solid thunk in the bullseye. Avery took another shot, and hit just next to the first arrow. “How’s about a moving target?” called Gedric. He was issuing a challenge for her and Noah to do. “You want to make the hay bale move?” Noah retorted. Gedric stood up, same as Anais, making good on his part. “Fine, I’ll get set up. Aves, whoever can hit the target in the bullseye while it’s moving and, or, makes a split arrow wins the challenge. If you win, I’ll do whatever you want me to do, but if I win, then you’ll have to dance to my fiddle, or do whatever else I want. Fair?” Avery thought about it for a moment. “How about we’ll be each other's personal slave for a day, whoever loses?” “Sounds good to me.” Noah and Avery did a double handshake, to make sure there was no backing out of the challenge. Then Noah strung his spare bow and got ready for Gedric and Anais to sent the bale rolling along. “Go!” Gedric called as Anais shoved the hay bale along. Avery got ready and nocked her arrow, pulling it back to her cheek. She lined up the bullseye, then set her aim just in front of it, making up for the speed at which it was rolling along. She let fly just after Noah, and watched as it hit the first arrow she had shot and split it down the center. Noah’s just barely hit the bullseye, and Anais stopped the bale so that they could free the arrows and see who actually won the competition. “Avery wins it!” Gedric called to the group. “Dead center split.” Avery and Noah retrieved the arrows from the hay bale target and removed the paper they had been using for the target practice. Avery grinned. “I won’t use you as a slave tomorrow. But there is something I want you to do…” The following morning, they set out once again. Their group was talking animatedly, telling their own stories. Kadence had been telling a story about how he and his twin sister used to get into fights all the time over the most stupid things. Avery was enjoying it, but she wished that Corynn could have been with them to talk with her. Funny how you never notice something until it’s not there anymore. But there was no use wishing. She would have to talk to him when the war was over and she was back home. But for now she’d be able to at least talk to Noah. He’d have a ton to tell her, and she could tell him about certain things, besides about her wings. And, besides, it was fun being around Coram and the gang. They at least had something for her to do. And it included strategies and fighting tips, as well as the fact that they gave her a lot of stories to laugh with them over. “Okay, I have a question for you guys,” Avery proposed, finally speaking up. “What’s your question?” Kadence asked as the group turned to look at their youngest member. Avery toyed with her messy hair, trying to fix it back with the ribbon she had currently tied around her wrist, without leaving stray pieces of hair sticking out oddly. “So, I was thinking about something Kadence had said, and it just made me think. Do you guys have anyone waiting for you to return home after the war? I mean, like friends or a girl?” She shrugged. “I’ve got my family waiting for me back at home. Kadence laughed. “My sister and my wife.” Most of them were already married, or had someone in mind to marry, if they made it back from the war. But not Avery and Noah. They had friends back home, and Avery had her adoptive siblings all waiting for her to return. “You know, you probably have someone to speak with about the war, once we return home,” Noah commented, pulling his horse back to align with Avery and Dragon-Fire. “Especially since Corynna’s waiting for you. She’s gonna be desperate to see you in one piece, right?” “Yeah. She’s gonna be wanting to take my head, though. All because I was perfectly healthy when that recruiting soldier came to the house.” Avery grinned. “So, do you have someone waiting for you to return back home? Besides your family and mine.” “Your adoptive sister. I proposed to her the other day. Remember?” he asked with a sly grin. “She’s really quite a specimen to behold.” “She’s a person, not a cow,” Avery groaned. “And really, what made you fall in love with her?”
