"Elder..."
Logar stood and watched with a desolate expression, he knew that once he had decided on something he would not change his mind, he had never seen him so excited.
He had known him for as long as she could remember, and among the many gifted boys of his generation, he never took students, not even him, the strongest of all the people in his clan.
"Mm? Are you perhaps opposed to taking that boy as my pupil?" asked the stymied Elder.
"Nono Elder is that..." Logar didn't know how to express himself at that moment, he paused for a few seconds.
However, the Elder understood what was going through his mind, "Is it because of Rei?" he asked teasingly.
Logar sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, "I hope I'm wrong, for heaven's sake, this is hardly the time for such things!"
The Elder observed Logar's expression and was amused.
It was the misfortune that every father had to suffer sooner or later.
"Ohohoho, isn't it a little early to be thinking such thoughts?" asked the Elder as he continued to tease Logar.
"Perhaps, however I have never seen her so upset" said Logar, his tone was slightly lower than usual, he sounded depressed.
The Elder then replied "Let life take its course, there's no use dwelling on such things and it's not something you can force anyway, children grow up and have to leave their nests sooner or later."
The Elder's words seemed to bring back old and painful memories in Logar's memory.
"I do not want her to suffer the same fate as her mother, however it seems that some things cannot be changed, I can only blame my weakness for that" Logar's words grew somber.
"What has happened to your wife is yet to be determined, it is not yet the end Logar" the Elder said in a serious tone.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Logar doubtfully.
"Ohohoh, you'll see!" the Elder replied with his usual laugh, but this time it had something of an evil ring to it.
It was already late dawn by the time the two men finished talking, Rada was still sleeping along with little Kiba who was rolled up on top of his chest.
"Big brother breakfast is ready, can you get up?" Cody's voice from outside woke him up.
"Yeah yeah... What the hell time is it?" he answered still with his eyes half closed.
His voice was slurred and his mouth was dry, it almost felt like he was hearing a completely different person. He wasn't used to waking up early, in fact he was a true nocturnal animal.
Kiba also woke up from his long sleep, hearing Rada's still sleepy voice he snuck under his shirt pulling his head out, stretching shortly after, he was too cute.
"Oh? Well awake sleepyhead, are you hungry? Hm?"
Rada sat up on the bed stroking the puppy, all the while stretching to shake off the sleep.
"Wait, these clothes??" he wondered surprised, he wasn't wearing his usual clothes anymore.
What he was wearing were simple pants with a long sleeve shirt, but they were so comfortable and snug, he didn't even realize what he was wearing. They were one color, light blue, his favorite color by the way, with gold trim on the edges of the sleeves.
As soon as he finished rinsing off, he headed towards the dining room, there he found Cody still setting the table along with another person.
"You've arrived, come take a seat" it was Rei.
Rada sat down where the girl had indicated, "Are you okay?" he asked looking at her.
"Yes, thank you. Are you okay?" she seemed engrossed in her chores.
But when she realized the boy was watching her, she immediately looked away from him and headed for the kitchen.
"Did something happen?" Rada asked Cody.
"Not that I know of big brother, why?" the little boy replied with a puzzled face.
"Nothing nothing..." Rada decided to drop the subject.
"Look Cody..." he asked again, "What happened to my clothes?"
"Oh? we threw them out big brother, it was ripped beyond repair and stained with blood, were they important? I'm sorry I didn't ask you sooner!"
Cody replied mortified, but thought it was there right thing to do after all, the clothes were practically destroyed.
"Oh no Cody, it's fine!" replied Rada smiling.
"I find these clothes to be very comfortable, I didn't even notice I was wearing them ahahahah."
A few minutes later the rest of the family joined the breakfast, namely, Elder and Logar.
The two were seated at the head of the table opposite of each other, while Rei and Cody was seated next to each other, with Rada facing them.
The table was banished with food that was quite rudimentary in appearance, but gave off intoxicating scents. Completely new to him, he was already looking forward to trying these strange dishes in front of him.
There was a strange silence at the table and the atmosphere was not exactly what one might call ideal for breakfast. For a moment Rada found himself out of place, he was not used to absolute silence, especially at the table.
At home, he was used to the noise of his brothers and sisters and to the various fights to get the last piece of bread, he found it uncomfortable to find himself in all that silence.
Noticing the tense air, the Elder immediately broke the ice;
"So young Rada, what do you plan to do once you are fully healed?" he asked in a tone that was pleasant to hear.
Rada paused for a moment before answering, he picked up a pitcher of milk and poured it into the glass and drank it.
The taste of milk made him in a good mood, his eyes lit up and he said: "Elder, may I know where this milk comes from? It is delicious, I have never tasted anything like it!
He had decided that this new world was full of things to discover and decided not to let anything slip through his fingers.
"Ohohoho it's goat's milk young man" replied the Elder cordially.
He didn't seem displeased by the boy's behavior, unlike Logar, who seemed quite disturbed by it.
"Goat's milk???" Rada was astonished.
(But it doesn't give off any unpleasant odor...) thought Rada to himself.
After a few moments of thought, Rada answered the Elder's previous question.
"To tell you the truth Elder, I don't have a destination at the moment, this may sound like a joke to you but... I have no knowledge of the place, the people or your customs, it's all new to me" he said with a long sigh.
He took a piece of sweet tasting bread and drowned all sorrows in its fragrance.
"Big brother are you perhaps descended from some mountain?" he asked and Cody innocently.
"You may put it that way," replied the boy smiling.
Then he saw Rei not uttering any words, she was quietly eating some fruits, not caring what was being said at the table, it didn't seem like her that attitude.
"Rei?" he called to get her attention.
The girl found herself surprised for a moment, but quickly recovered and answered, "Yes?"
"Are you sure you're okay? I don't know, you seem strange lately" the boy said, saddening his face in concern.
It was stronger than him, if a person came in contact with him and he felt he could trust them they automatically became like family to him.
But there were very few people who could gain such trust, the rest of the people he called "people in transit".
"It's nothing, I'm just a little tired that's all," Rei replied.
There was something melancholic in her gaze.
"I wonder where that tomboy from a few days ago went..." he sighed, his theatrical expression causing the girl to grimace in anger.
"Tomboy to whom?!" the voice of Rei sounded like a roar.
"Ah!, now I recognize you ahahah!"
Rada snickered at the girl's angry look, while Cody and the Elder burst out laughing, Logar remained silent as usual.
Rei recomposed herself and gave Rada a bad look, but the boy didn't pay too much attention and continued to smile at her. The girl found herself displaced and her sudden anger evaporated like snow in the sun.
"Son, we generally don't allow outsiders to stay in our village, as a matter of safety," the Elder broke the boys' laughter.
Touched on the subject, Rei sighed, as did Cody, their gazes suddenly darkening, leaving those laughs from moments before as mere memories.
"I understand Elder, I'm not going to take advantage of your kindness anymore, you've already done enough for me" Rada replied quickly.
But the Elder quickly interrupted him, "Wait to run, I'm not done yet, we generally don't allow strangers to stay, however we will make an exception for you."