I led Victor back to the camp. Immediately, Tessa was on her feet, awkwardly wielding a rock.
"What's he doing here?
I stepped up to her. "Enough, Tessa. You wouldn't last a minute" I took the rock and grabbed her hand. "Time for you to come home." Mia looked about to say something and Tessa struggled to get away from me.
"NO!" she shouted "I WON'T go back yet."
I wanted to shake her, but I let her go.
"Fine, but you're going to have to deal with Victor being here, or it's back inside you go."
She nodded, and I unwrapped my wrist, then, before she could resist I shoved it in her face. "Teach me how to heal this, and I'l teach you how to fight, deal?"
Tessa nodded, and I looked over my shoulder to grin at Victor who walked over and sat down beside us. "Piece of cake" I said. Then I looked around. "We'll have to look for the others in the morning, if they're not here by then."
By now, my wrist was healed, and Tessa curled up into a ball and was soon asleep. Cio was climbing all over Victor, so I decided to follow her example. Folding my blood-red wings, so much like Tessa's, over my back, I lay down and slipped into a dreamless sleep.
The next morning, I gathered up Victor, Tessa, Cio, and Mia (who called Tomatsu), and we were off. It took only a few false starts (which seemed to amuse Victor to no end), but soon, I found Spati, Moonsong, and Ciel.
"We're back" I called. "And look who I brought with me."
Immediately, Spati seemed ready to fight, but I blocked him. "It's okay" I said. "He's here to help."
I glared at the others. "Got that?"
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OOC: Spati may have some competition for leader soonish. :-P
