Chapter 6 Threads Begin To Weave

• By midday, the air outside the healer’s hut had warmed enough to invite movement beyond its fur-flap threshold. Elder Harkan, having deemed me well enough not to topple over without assistance, had sent me and his apprentice, whom I now learned was named Kaelin, to organize dried herbs on the outer tables.
• Kaelin moved with steady hands, laying out bundles of fever-leaf, sunthorn, and thick coils of dried whitevine, while I adjusted their placement based on potency and sun sensitivity. Meiha had come and gone, saying she would return once she "stole another errand" from her partner. The idea made me feel strangely happy.
• The village was fully alive now. Distant chatter drifted from the market square, where the day’s trades had begun. Warriors moved in coordinated drills across a field nearby, their grunts and the thud of bare feet against the earth echoing in time with each lunge and strike.
• I stretched my back, turned toward the noise source—and froze.
• Across the open field, silver hair caught the sunlight like polished metal. I saw the wide stance first, then the long tail flicking behind powerful legs. Ravnir.
• He was teaching younger fighters from the middle of the field. Although I couldn't hear his voice, his calm, controlled, and deadly movements were enough to convey his meaning. Then he moved slightly and motioned for a sparring pair to reset.
• And then our eyes met.
• A rush of heat bloomed across my skin, swift and hot, tingling beneath my ribs. His gaze didn’t falter. Not for a second. I felt a thrum, like a plucked string vibrating between us.
• Then he nodded. Just once. And turned back to his warriors.
• I exhaled slowly.
• "You alright?" Kaelin asked, pausing with a bundle of dried thistle.
• "Yeah," she blinked rapidly.
• [System Notification]
• Elevated Vital Signs Detected. An emotional surge linked to a bonded individual. No immediate threat. Monitor connection levels. Progress: 6%.
• I grumbled inwardly. "I'm not blushing. You're blushing," I muttered.
• After sorting was complete, I let Kaelin go to fetch more sanitized bowls from the drying racks. I strolled alone toward the village path because my curiosity overrode my desire to blend in.
• I could feel eyes on me as I walked. While some villagers observed with interest, others did so with tacit caution. I detected glimmers of unrestrained, unveiled passion among a handful of unmated males. As I passed, I couldn't help but notice the change in the air, but my steps didn't falter.
• The smell of smoked pork and cooked grain filled the market. Dried fruit, medicinal roots, hand-woven baskets, and small leather goods were all shown in improvised booths made of wood and hide. It was modest but vibrant.
• Before I could go too far, I heard a voice I recognized.
• "Careful, little healer, you’ll make the rest of us look like workshy cubs."
• Ravnir stood near a vendor’s post, inspecting a strip of smoked fish. His hair was slightly damp, strands clinging to his temple, and his tunic looked recently thrown on.
• I lifted a brow. "You stalking me now, Leader?"
• "Hard to stalk someone who walks directly into the busiest part of the village."
• "Touché."
• He offered me a piece of dried fruit from the pouch he carried. I accepted it on reflex, biting into the chewy sweetness.
• "How do you feel today?" he asked, voice quieter than before.
• "Better. Harkan hasn’t tried to throw me into the fire pit yet, so I assume I'm passing the tests."
• A faint twitch at the corner of his lips. Was that… a smile?
• "Meiha said you spent the morning talking herbs and throwing sass. She likes you."
• "She called me perfect."
• "Dangerous words."
• "Especially to a leader."
• His gaze sharpened. "You remember nothing yet?"
• I hesitated. "No."
• "You will."
• He handed the vendor a slate gray crystal shard—one of the realm’s currency formed from Virellin beasts. A low-tier, but valuable nonetheless. The vendor accepted it with a nod, handing over a small pouch.
• "Come. Walk with me."
• We walked side by side, silence not uncomfortable but stretching.
• After a few moments, he said, "Do you feel it? As if you were meant to be here. That you belong?"
• I swallowed. The way he said belong stirred something old and fragile in my chest.
• "Maybe," I said, looking ahead instead of at him. "Maybe."
• He hummed.
• We parted ways near the path that led back to the healer’s hut. I watched him go, tail swaying, steps steady and sure.
• [System Notification]
• Bonded Mate Detected: First Thread Strengthened. Soul Link Response Active. Lingering Effect: Elevated Awareness. Mark Progress: 11%.
• Back in the hut, I sat for a while, tracing the inside of my wrist where the pulse beat a little faster than before. No new mark had appeared. Not yet. But something invisible was weaving its threads.
• The day faded into dusk, the scent of herbs mingling with the distant call of night birds. I was no longer just surviving.
• I was beginning to belong.