KINGDOM OF THE BEAR
Irmilla stood on the last watch every time they set camp. When Arca woke up, he was always treated to the same sight—her lone figure sitting near the campfire, holding a cup daintily in her thin fingers.
Sometimes the cup was full of tea, other times it was filled with blood.
Then, while Arca and Romeo washed up, Irmilla would prepare breakfast from whatever was available. Often it was a roasted or stewed rabbit she caught earlier the previous evening.
Arca watched her bring them in the form of a wolf, always already drained of any blood. Even as an animal, Irmilla was elegant, pristine and beautiful.
This morning wasn't an exception. When Arca woke up, he immediately smelled roasted meat.
Last night, they set camp on an open field, at the moment free of anything but young weeds, just to avoid any other assassin sneaking up on them unnoticed. For the past several days, it worked.