Irade
May 11, 10:13 pm BT – 8:13 pm UT, Somewhere In The Tian Shan Mountain Range, China
"How did it end up like this?"
Irade looked over to the sun, setting behind the mountains in the distance. The sky was darkening, breaking into a kaleidoscope of color over the horizon. The clouds were tinted orange and purple, the mountains a solid, cold blue among the scattered colors.
She looked down to see the boy and Black Wind, sitting around the fire opposite to each other. The faint scent of deer meat wafted up, the smoke from the fire going straight up thanks to the lack of wind. She sighed, and hoped Black Wind wasn't making the boy feel uncomfortable.
A lot had happened that day.
After dropping the bear head, the boy had said salam. Irade remembered that this was a greeting in Uyghur. Instinctively, she copied the gesture, and repeated the word.
Then they just stared at each other for a moment.
