“Taiga, something’s off with Mouse.” Field nudged him.

  Ku passed out while Taiga stopped the blood flow and did a quick treatment on him. The fighting around him calmed and Field took his place. Taiga stood, turning to a massacre around Mouse.

  Telania stood a few meters away, with Mimi behind her. They both cradled wounds, eyes filled with a mix of confusion and fear. Stripped remains of demons lay about in a bloody mess. Guts and chunks of scales scattered around Mouse.

  His hands drenched in blue, dripping to the cobblestone. His shoulders heaved up and down with his breaths. In his left hand, Mouse clenched around the neck of a small, dead demon. Purple sparkled around him, swirling in a mist that permeated from his body.

  Taiga rushed forward, pulling his headscarf from his pack and wrapping it over Mouse’s head. He yanked his head forward and Taiga slid in front of him. He pulled his face to him, clapping his hands over his ears and focusing Mouse’s eyes on him.

  “Calm down.” Taiga breathed the words, keeping his voice low and even. “You need to calm down.”

  Mouse’s eyes purpled, hard pricks pushing into the tips of Taiga’s fingers. “They killed Ttafaschu.”

  “What?” Taiga paused, studying him. Tears welled in Mouse’s eyes, his eyebrows furrowed in hatred as they flicked to part of a demon’s body laying upon the ground.

  “It’s their fault. If they didn’t slip through the Beyond. If they didn’t come here. They must have lured the Guardian. It has to be.”

  Taiga watched his eyes flitter about, before pulling his face closer, and resting his forehead against his. “The demon’s came because of the concentration of corruption already here.”

  “No, it—”

  “Mouse.” He spoke as softly as he could, slow and gentle. “Calm down.”

  “How can I calm down??” Mouse yelled. Mimi flinched from afar. “How can I, when everything’s all messed up? We couldn’t save Ttafaschu, all these humans are dead. They were crying and crying and—”

  “Stop.” Taiga pulled him close, gripping his back and holding Mouse’s head to his shoulder. From beyond Mouse, Field and Telania were tense, watching. Telania gripped the handle of her weapon.

  Mouse’s back and shoulders settled as Taiga repeated, “calm down.” Taiga did not blink away from the mercenaries. When Field smacked Telania’s arm and she released her weapon, Taiga refocused on his companion.

  “I hate it.” Mouse’s voice caught. The prickles rising from beneath the headscarf shrunk back. “Why couldn’t I save them.”

  Taiga turned, pressing his lips to Mouse’s forehead and kissing it gently. He wrapped him into his chest, which Mouse latched onto, tugging at the cloth of his tunic. When Mouse opened his eyes, no purple remained in them.

  Slowly, his body relaxed, and Taiga held him until Mouse pulled away himself. Once he pulled back, his eyes focused on the ground and he mumbled, “what now?”

  Taiga looked to the other mercenaries, who began spreading about. Tenlania kept eye on them from where she walked to the ruins of a home. She may be a problem. One Taiga would handle if needed.

  “A bonfire for the dead. If this many bodies linger, corruption could spread.” Taiga turned towards Mimi. “You know the rites for a mass burning?”

  She jumped when called, nodding. “I have them written in my journal, too. I’ll review them.”

  Taiga returned the nod. “We’ll do them together then. If you can get it setup, we’ll work on gathering the dead.”

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  “I’ll send a letter on Shishi.” Field patted his pants as he stood from beside where Ku rested. He started towards the two horses and Sweet Bun grazing out in a field. Telania followed him, picking up pace to meet him. They spoke in rushed voices, Telania’s aggressive.

  “Mouse, you good?” Taiga waited for his friend to nod.

  Through the remainder of the day, they searched the homes and buildings one by one. Taiga divided them into areas to handle. None of them were new to death, but in the face of so much, no one said anything.

  When Taiga took a break from moving the remains of a family, Field, who worked nearby, came up to him. He’d been watching Taiga off and on throughout the day. Taiga assumed he would get up the courage to approach eventually.

  “Who is Tafachu?” He started, his voice uncertain of the name. His eyes glanced to Telania a moment, but she was distracted with her own section. “And… humans?”

  “Are you going to make it a problem?” Taiga did not bother dancing around the topic. He’d learned years ago that with humans, direct was best.

  Field looked taken aback. Then, after blinking and rubbing his beard, he sighed. “Look, you two have done a lot of good. I’m not raising a fuss.”

  “Then?” Taiga nodded towards Telania.

  “She doesn’t trust what she doesn’t know. But what she does know, is you both saved our asses and a lot of other folk during the attack on Winolin. And I’ll remind her of that. I’m just saying… well,” he trailed off.

  Taiga looked beyond Field, to Mouse knelt down a ways away. They were afraid of him. “Don’t worry. He won’t wander from me.”

  Field nodded, letting out a held breath. “And sorry… about whoever you couldn’t save.” He smiled, albeit it faltered.

  Taiga accepted his apologies. “I appreciate you not asking questions.”

  “Ah well.” He laughed, scratching at his head. “I’m sure there’s a reason you’re traveling with him.”

  Taiga almost laughed with him. So only one of them seemed inhuman, huh?

  He rose from where he sat. After another moment or two of small talk, Field walked away, bee-lining to Telania. If she and him came to an understanding, maybe Taiga wouldn’t have to deal with her after all.

  Before night set in, they gathered to share the identifications of the people they found, and the descriptions they recorded for anyone unidentified. In all likelihood, Winolin officials would contact the local lord, who was required to keep a book of all residents in the region along with copies of their registrations for taxation purposes. But bringing any identification they could to Winolin would give faster closure to any families or relatives living outside Bearthatch.

  Field had handled it for the small area of the rest station, but they all took up the responsibility now, as the Bearthatch region was far too large for one person alone. They spent hours sorting through the identification papers and fragments left behind from fire.

  Taiga and Mimi left a gentle prayer over the dead, to let their bodies rest for the night, in harmony with the earth until they could light a bonfire for them all. The night went peacefully, and Taiga and Mouse took the first watch.

  Halfway through the night, Taiga awoke to Mouse nudging at him. He turned over, and Mouse took the invitation to close the gap between them. Half asleep, Mouse rested his chin on Taiga’s arm. He woke only once more, making out the hushed voices of Field and Telania.

  In the morning, Ku took charge of the identification papers as he was immobile. Telania teased him before they set out to find more remains. Mouse wandered closer occasionally to ‘check’ on him.

  By afternoon, a representative and reinforcements from Winolin arrived. The city’s guards and mercenaries quickly took to recovery efforts. The representative inspected the area, speaking with each of them, and breaking down at the scene of carnage. Ku and Mimi seemed to know him, and the three spent time talking while Taiga set back out to work.

  “Erm,” the man, named Vieu, approached Taiga while he pulled a stack of papers from beneath a broken bed.

  Taiga rose, giving him a short bow, which Vieu returned. “You need something?” He asked before shuffling through the papers.

  “I wanted to get your account of the incident. Your… friend… is not being cooperative.”

  Taiga laughed, “he doesn’t like officials.”

  “I see that. I just need to know what happened for our records.” Vieu took out a notepad and pen, pausing to ask questions through Taiga’s slightly skewed telling. When he finished, he bowed before leaving him to his work.

  Vieu joined them in the evening when Taiga and Mimi lit the bonfire. He held back, while Taiga recited a gentle farewell and Mimi performed the rite of passage for the souls to be freed to the stars. Mouse sat patient, eyes closed. He mumbled his own farewell under his breath, directed to the precious one who could not join the bonfire.

  They all lingered long into the night. The bonfire crackled and burned, the air unmistakable of the scent of burning flesh. Vieu left when he could handle no more, joining the guards at their makeshift camp. Field, Ku and Telania left after to prepare for their morning departure. Once Mimi had turned in for the night, Mouse waited for Taiga, who remained until the last of the bodies burned into the early morning.