661 Lerrin's Epilogue - Part 4

LERRIN

When Suhle led him towards the thicket of bushes with the blanket on top, he'd thought they might pull it free and curl up in front of the fire together in the clean blanket, but instead of reaching for it, Suhle stooped and pushed between the branches of the bushes, disappearing into them. When he followed he found that inside, she'd found a small, round space, big enough for both of them to lay side by side.

She'd laid out their furs there—together. One, open and flat on the ground. The other open and flat above it. And she'd rolled the second blanket they had into a tube that they could rest their heads on.

Lerrin crawled in on all fours and stopped, stunned.

Suhle, clearly cold based on the prickles all over her skin, sat facing him, cross-legged on the furs, looking at him, uncertain. "I thought it would be nice to have some… privacy," she said. But then her smile wobbled and he heard her breath catch.