Febwin froze and blushed slightly at the contact on her chin. She felt like she should shake her head to disagree with Khelira's own apology, but was unable to when the person who had saved her life just the day before kissed her on the cheek, drawing more color up to the fawn's face. When Khelira drew away, Febwin began to sputter. "Nnnnno! I shouldn't have asked. You said in the elder's hut that you'd done things you weren't proud of, and I shouldn't have let my curiosity take charge." She paused and had to turn away to conceal the visible signs that the previous contact had been unexplainably pleasant.
It was then she realized that they had stopped. She looked over her shoulder shyly, "We should get going again so we don't lose track of time. The elder was very specific that the best way to measure the distance was to walk for two days at a steady pace." Again she paused as she, once again, blushed slightly. She started walking and said with a smile in her voice, "I'm glad you care enough to consider me. Maybe, if we are together long enough, you will also consider telling me more about yourself. There may be things I couldn't understand, but no one should have to bear pain alone. Sharing it is a sign of strength, and the cares of another are sometimes enough to heal rather than cover up."
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Sure enough, the two of them reached the edge of the forest after two days travel. At that point, they turned west, which took them back into the forest, and went on like that until midday when they stopped for lunch. Up until then, they'd passed the time with small talk, but Febwin was starting to itch more than ever to learn something more substantial about Khelira. She thought it awkward and a little bit foreign that she would keep her past secret, but, of course, Khelira certainly was foreign to the ways of Febwin's people. She couldn't expect an outsider to act the same as the villagers. Still, the faun wasn't about to break her promise not to prod, and they sat for what she fully expected to be another mostly silent meal. She couldn't figure out why, but she was strangely drawn to know more about the half gargoyle, and was willing to stick out her stubbornness with a bit of her own.
"A little bit further, and I can start asking the forest spirits for more specific directions," she began. "That's what the elder said, anyway." She pulled some basic rations from the pack she carried.