Aidan awoke a few hours later. His sun sense told him that the sun had just slipped below the horizon. He lay still for a moment, unable to summon enough energy to overcome the lazy feeling of contentment he felt and get moving. He and Flame Song were still lying by the fire, which was nothing but glowing embers now. His arm was around her, and one wing was draped over her. When he breathed in, he smelled the scent of her hair. She was still sleeping soundly and doubtless would remain so for another hour or two. Eventually he managed to overcome his inertia and get up. Flame Song stirred and shivered as he removed his wing from over her. He padded barefoot into the bedroom and got a blanket, returning and tucking it around Flame Song. She sighed and dropped back into slumber.

Back in the bedroom Aidan picked out some traveling clothes. He selected black trousers, blue vest and a matching blue shirt, an easy enough choice, since his wardrobe was almost entirely composed of black or blue in various shades. He put on his pants but left the shirt and jacket off for the time being. No need to struggle with awkward buttons when Flame Song could do them up for him later. He came back into the main room and sat down by Flame Song’s side. With a tender smile he brushed a strand of fiery hair off of her forehead. I’m the luckiest man in the whole world, in all the worlds, he thought. Maybe I shouldn’t go. Even for just two weeks I’ll miss her. But no, I need to go. I’ll just have to hurry back as soon as I can, that’s all. He got up and added another log to the dying fire, then sat back down and watched Flame Song sleeping. He was still sitting there, looking at her, when she awoke.

“Good morning,” she said sleepily.

“Actually, it’s more like good evening,” he replied. Flame Song smiled, then yawned and stretched. “Sleep well?” asked Aidan.

“Yes. How long have you been sitting there?”

Aidan consulted his internal sundial and said, “About three hours.”

“You’ve just been staring at me for three hours? It’s a wonder I didn’t have nightmares about being watched. And it’s a wonder you didn’t get bored with the view.”

Aidan grinned. “I could never get tired of looking at you, love.”

“Evidently not. When are you leaving?”

“The sooner I go, the sooner I’ll be back. I’d like to go now.”

Flame Song nodded, then grinned again. “I’ll give you a hand with your shirt then.”

A few minutes later Aidan was dressed and ready to go. He straightened his amulet. “How do I look?” he asked Flame Song. Since his reflection no longer showed in mirrors, he had to depend on her opinion. She gave him a quick kiss and said, “Wonderful.”

He went into Littlespark’s room. At the creak of the door she opened her eyes and sat up. “Daddy?”

Aidan sat down on the bed beside her, picked her up, and put her on his lap. He gave her a hug and said, “I’m going to go on a trip, Spark. I’ll be back soon, but while I’m gone you can keep your mother company for me.”

“Where are you going, Daddy?”

“To see an old friend. I’ll miss you, fuzz-ball.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek and put her back on the bed. Then he got up and went to the front door. Flame Song and Littlespark followed. Outside the stars were shining brightly and the aurora, though dimmer than the night before, was flickering overhead. Aidan launched himself into the freezing air. He circled their hill once, waving. Flame Song and Littlespark waved back. “Bye-bye Daddy!”

With one last wave he turned and winged off to the southeast. He flew on for an hour or so before spotting a herd of deer below. They were large animals, similar to the caribou or reindeer of earth, but with antlers more like ordinary mule deer. He circled the herd once, looking for a likely target. Then he spotted a young male standing a little ways off from the rest. With a flick of his wings he turned and dove at the animal. In one smooth motion he back-winged and landed next to the deer, grabbing it around the neck. Before the startled animal had time to react he’d sunk his fangs into its neck. The deer froze. Aidan had noticed that his bite seemed to paralyze his prey. He wasn’t sure exactly why, but it made things a lot easier. When he’d had his fill, he released the deer. It staggered away, then shook itself and straightened. The animal was large enough that it wouldn’t miss what he’d taken. Aidan preferred to feed on the large northern deer for just that reason. He didn’t like having to kill to live, even animals.