The stream was clear in the morning when I exited our tents. Leo spent the majority of the night clearing the bodies in the stream. He devoured their souls. I had to have a chat with him later to see if there was anything he got from the souls. Last night in my efforts to decimate all of them, I didn't leave any power in them. Still, the essence of their powers had to be in their souls.
"Morning," Angel chortled.
"Why are you so happy today?" I demanded.
Her face brightened. "It's morning. That alone should make you happy. Every passing day in this forest is like being in hell. We should be grateful every day to wake up to a peaceful morning. You can never tell when a beast will jump out at us. Last night should have taught you better."
Last night was a close call. I almost lost Red. It would have been a catastrophic event.
"Whatever," I grumbled. "I'm dying to get cleaned up. You think the water is clean?
She wiggled her nose. "I don't think it would be contaminated since the stream is always moving. I have a tester. I bought it with us just in case we ran out of drinking water and found a spring."
I would not have been bothered if there was not another world under the stream. It appeared to flow on top but underneath it didn't. The majority of animals were not killed last night. The harvest didn't kill the powerful creature, it just took all their powers. They would be stunned by the loss of strength. Paralysis followed. It took a while to wear off. After which the victim would be vulnerable. They could live their life but had no way to defend themselves against attacks.
On the other hand, if the creature was too weak, the harvest would kill them. Not right away. They would be paralyzed and then their life source would peter out. If Leo didn't kill the creatures, they probably would have gone back to swimming or died from their own weakness. Regardless, some of the weaker ones could have died during the spectacle.
It was not my intention to harm those types of beasts. It was never fun to fight or kill weaker species. But, they got caught in the crossfire. It was a pity. However, it was better them than Red.
Angel did her testing thing. She waved me over shouting, "It's okay, you can use it. The device says it's one hundred percent clean."
That couldn't be accurate. No water was a hundred percent clean.
I bit the inside of my lower lip. "Are you sure?"
She provided a curt nod. "Yep. It said the same thing last night before the drama. Afterward, it was ten percent clean. Now it's back to a hundred percent. It seems the water cleans itself or the magical essence in it keeps it clean."
Huh.
I cupped a handful of the water. It was clear with no debris. I guess I wasn't one to judge since I needed that shower.
"Fine," I mumbled and went to grab my things.
When I returned Leo was out of his tent. He greeted me with a smile. The strength of his aura was ten times stronger than yesterday. I couldn't tell if there were any changes to his skin because he was wrapped in that damn suit soaked in a magical barrier that prevented him from the sun or getting too humid.
"Hey, I see you took care of the stream," I praised. "Good job."
He tugged at the hoodie over his head. "Yeah, it was the least I could have done. I figure it was what you would have wanted me to do."
It was. More souls meant he was stronger. When we got to that pool, all this power he collected would remain with him when he returned to the land of the living. It would help him with his rescue mission.
"Hold this," I tossed him my clothes.
I undressed and stepped into the water. Angel had first me. Her wings were always a glorious sight when they wet. She complained the last time that they were heavier when they got wet. Yet, she liked having them out when she washed herself. She was one confusing angel.
"I had Leo save some of that fish from last night," Angel announced. "We can roast a couple for breakfast."
Should have known she was serious. I couldn't say my stomach would refuse anything right now. Roast fish sounded better than cold canned beans. I hoped it tasted better too.
"Sounds good to me," I hummed.
Leo rested my clothes on the rock and went ahead with the plan. He was a clever kid. I could imagine how he was before he died. His pack must have been fond of him. I was. He was a leader who knew when to take a step back and follow. He saw who I was and what I could offer him and grabbed onto that. He was using me and it was not a bad feeling. For one, his loyalty was greater than most creatures. Once he gave his devotion and trust, there was no breaking it. This was what his friend used against him.
I loathed people like those. Deceivers. People who preyed on other people's kindness. Kyleon often attracted those types. Yet, he would always forgive them. It was sickening. This was why he needed me. He had to have someone to watch his back. Backstabbers were the sweet ones we trusted with our lives. I had to protect his back against them.
"Are you okay?" Angel helped me to lather my hair with soap. "You just made that I will conquer and kill everyone in the world. You shouldn't worry so much. Your brother is fine. He is surrounded by friends who will look out for him."
Those friends were now connected to him. He was their Sire. It was hard for them to betray him. Still, I wouldn't bank my trust on that. People would always be people. They would help him through the worst yet turn around and kill him. It has happened too much time with Kyleon. One would think the knucklehead would learn his lesson and kill them all. Not Kyleon. He chose to give them second and third chances. It was infuriating.
I sighed and dipped under the surface to wash out the suds from my hair. "You're right. He is surrounded by friends. I just have to leave the reins to them until I can get there to protect him."
Angel squealed when I flashed the water from my hair. "Ugh! You need to warn me when you are about to do that."
I chuckled. "You are in water and want me to warn you before I flash the same water on you? How intriguing."
She scoffed at my tease. I washed myself and Angel followed suit. It was like having a personal body washer. Or something of the sort.
"The fire is ready," Leo called out.
"Just a minute," Angel clamored, dashing out of the water.
She shook herself and flapped her wings. The wind from them picked up with each flap. When satisfied, a series of twirls, and she was clothed in a camouflage dress. Her wings retracted into her back. All done, she skipped to the fire like a child.
I couldn't get used to that trick. It had to be nice not having to put on her clothes one by one.
I rose out of the water when Red came out of her tent. She wiped her eyes as they adjusted to the light out here. At the sight of me, she strode down to the stream. I noticed she wasn't limping.
"How are you feeling?" I frowned at the slice on the right side of her face.
I missed that last night.
Her face crinkled when she sniffled. "My head feels like someone pounded me in it last night. My ankle feels numb. It's like it's not attached to my body. Other than that, I'm okay."
I touched the cut on her face. She hissed and flinched.
I dragged on my pants. "Do you need help to get cleaned up?"
"No, I'm good." Her gaze lingered on the water. "But it would be awesome if you stayed with me."
I figured coming out here would remind her of what transpired last night. It was a scary night. Even I had to admit it terrified me.
"That's cool with me," I pulled on my shirt and cloak.
She smiled but it never reached her eyes. "Good."
With more caution than needed, she brushed her teeth and washed herself. Even though she acted tough, I lent her a hand. Cleansing lasted longer than it should have but we were both satisfied at the end of it.
"I hope you like powerless roasted fish?" I jeered when she got clothed. "That's on the menu for breakfast."
She laughed. "She did it."