By the time the woman woke, half a day had passed. The instant she opened her eyes, she sat up to look for her children. Finding them both lying beside her, she hurriedly checked them over. Apart from some bruises, neither had suffered any serious harm, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Only then did the woman belatedly realize something and look up to examine her surroundings.
The campfire brought warmth and illuminated their surroundings. She discovered that they were inside a cave, with dry grass beneath her and her children and several pieces of clothing draped over them. Then her heart tightened as she spotted Farolynch.
Farolynch lay near the cave entrance, his back hunched on the grass-covered ground. His clothes looked terribly thin, and his face, turned toward the fire, was peaceful in its flickering light.
Farolynch was not asleep, but he did not open his eyes. He knew the woman must be frightened, but he was not Mulan and was hardly skilled at conversation, especially with a woman in a panic. Perhaps pretending to sleep and waiting for her to calm down would be better.
Sure enough, Farolynch's approach seemed to work. The woman looked down at herself, then at her children, recalling the terrifying ordeal they had suffered not long ago.
It should have been a peaceful night, but disaster had struck without warning. Her parents had been murdered, and she and her children had nearly met the same fate. At that desperate moment, a man had charged toward them with a shout.
He saved us.
The woman gradually let down her guard. He had braved danger to save them; saying he had given her and her children a second life was no exaggeration. Besides, judging by the arrangements inside the cave, he must