[Dark Elite_H2]

Weeks of healing had passed by. The blizzards became torrentially worse, and stripped part of the village we spent little by little. The canyon was blowing the cold air to us like a tornado, so we had to move back to the Native's Village, where we first saved the Grubbs from the Wolvarks attacking.
The Grubb Queen let us on our own this time, she moving back to her native birthplace in Last Legs. The Grubbs were treating us like gods, but it's not that great. I mean, we saved their lives 'n stuff...
Anyways, we were fully healed, physically, but not mentally for me. I still had the terrible nightmares of Sekto and the destruction of his dam.
Spring was slowy regaining its courage popping out of the cold brightly. But the air was still frosty.
Stranger had become a little thoughtful of something that really tore at him irritatingly. He would go around grumbling incoherent thoughts, sometimes leaving the house for a while, and not to return 'til the sun went down.
I could sense his problems, but I couldn't help him if he didn't tell me. He had a secret from me again, tearing at me as well...

Stranger placed on his hat over his hat, tucking out his ears crushed down on his hair.
Umi blinked over the doorway to Stranger all dressed up in his poncho and tights.
Stranger looked back to Umi, apathetically grinning.
"I'm goin' out fer a while," he turned to the door.
"Keep the door locked, 'dun answer ter no one, got's it?"
Umi only nodded, wrapping herself back in the large blanket, and lying bordely on her pillow.
Stranger turned to close the door, avoiding to let a cold draft inside their already warm home. He turned back to the snowy hills of the Native's Village, shivering coldy. His hair prickled up with the goosebumps rising off his tan skin.
The Grubbs greeted the Steef kindly.
Stranger returned the greet with a respectable nod, continuing down the icy path to the docks to the Mongo River.
His boat sloshed in the slushed water, the drips that had came off from the nautic waves frozen.
Stranger carefully sat down in the freshly-innovated boat. The holes ripped in the rotting wood was stripped off its surface, and nailed down with better lasting wood. The bow of the boat still had a dragon's face popping out fiercely staring out in the distance.
He held the oar handles tightly, turning the hull face-around out to the Mongo River, filled freshly back with its water.
he stroked through the half-frozen water, driving his way out to Last Legs.

Last Legs was about as frozen as the Native's Village, but more bustling of playful Grubbs wandering around the rebuilt town.
Stranger docked himself gently after a half-hour boat ride to the capitol of the Grubb tribes.
The Grubb guards helped Stranger tie his boat securely to the dock, then sent him off to the Queen, whom was settled down in a nearby tavern called, "Tardy coops".
The host, however, was a filthy-rich Clakker, whom created a old run-down tavern for the bustler kooks of the town.
Stranger took down his hat in his bundled arms, walking calmly around the chatting excited Grubbs soaking in their pints.
Nearby a crackling-hot fireplace sat the Queen Grubb; her lavender-purple eyes locked upon the dressed Steef approaching her humble table.
She smiled up to the Steef as a greeting, waving a hand invintingly.
"Please, sit," she nodded.
Stranger scooted his chair out under him, sitting with his legs freely out from under the table, leaning up against the black-stained table.
Clakker waiters picked at the charred coals fueling the fire with a pike, the fire engulfing unused charcoal, and growing hotter. It nodded respectfully to the Queen and Stranger, waddling away back behind its bar.
The Queen then stared back to Stranger.
"So," she said in a calm, womanly tone.
"Why have you summoned me here, Steef? Is something troubling you?"
Stranger scratched the back of his neck. The skin was dry and flaking, the new skin itching irritatingly.
He looked back up to the Queen, nervousness shaking in his tense neon-green eyes.
"Yeah, uh..." he began, looking around suspiciously, leaning closer to the Queen.
"I've been wonderin' 'bout somethin'..."
The Queen still looked at him with curious eyes.
Stranger scratched his neck again.
The Queen let out a soft laugh.
"Don't be so nervous, Steef. I am willing to help you with any complications necessary to make you feel at home," she smiled kindly.
Stranger's eyes looked back up to her again.
"'ll...It's more...'bout...uh...Umi," he spoke so low, the Queen could barely make it out.
She blinked at him, waiting for more of his explanation.
He was about to speak again, when she held up a hand to him.
"Wait," she said, staring deeply in his eyes.
Stranger held still, blinking confusingly at the Queen.
She relaxed back in her whicker chair, nodding acceptingly.
"I see what's wrong, Steef," she spoke.
"The human you were destined with..." she closed her eyes.
"...you have problems the way you live with her?"
Stranger blinked at the Queen.
"Uh...no...but...uh,"
She opened her eyes again, listening to the Steef closely.
"You see...I want Umi ter be...my kid..." Stranger whispered closely to the Queen.
She nodded back to Stranger.
"So I see...human and Steef don't make a good pair, huh?"
Stranger looked at her confused again, with a wild brow up high.
She gave a slight giggle.
"Not like that, Steef! She's way too young! I can understand why you want the human to be yours. You two've been really close. I can see the bond you share with the human," she nodded.
Stranger nodded with her.
The Queen looked down to the rickety boards of the tavern. She looked back up to Stranger, with his hat tightly in his hands.
"I know what we can do, Steef," she spoke.
Stranger looked back up to her brightly.
"We have a special bonding ceremony. It's like a wedding, but a tad bit different. Not that you two'll get married, but bonded lawfully. We do it on rare occasions, when a Grubb wants to take in an abandoned Grubbling, or Gabbit," she said.
Stranger's lips curled to a grin.
The Queen smiled back.
"I knew you'd be happy, Steef," she ratted her fingers togather.
"We'll begin the ceremony a week from today. I suggest you get yourself ready, and Umi, too,"
Stranger smoothed the back of his head.
"Kind'a wanna make 'dis a surprise...some feelin' of me think's that this is too special ta spoil," Stranger told.
The Queen nodded understandingly.
"Very well. All you need to do to keep this a surprise is to hide any signs of nervousness. That'll give away the entire surprise," she suggested.
Stranger nodded, standing up from his chair.
"Thank you, ma'am. Yer a life-saver," Stranger bowed his head.
The Queen only raised a palm.
"Not to worry about, Steef! Things like this always come to me," she stood from her chair as well.
"Best be goin'," Stranger place his hat over his head, trotting back to the doors.
The landlord of the tavern gave him a kind smile as he made his way out.
Stranger blinked up at the dark grey sky of the mid-evening. He gave a confident smile to himself, as he trotted back down to the docks. This ceremony would be the biggest change of his life, and so would be Umi's.

He entered through the door away from the already-rising midnight moon shining a silvery grey upon the mounds of snow piled by the huts lit warmly. He shut the door quietly, the house quiet of noise. He hung hit hat and poncho on the rack near the door, walking quietly as can be in to the front room.
The blanket was whipped with nothing underneath.
He gave a concerned sigh, turning back to the door and walking out.
'And you'd think a kid would be home when you were, Stranger...' he thought.
The first place where he thought Umi would be was near the river's edge, messing around with some adolescents splashing in the frosty river, antagonizing Gabbits or baby Fleeches.
He heard the cry of playing children, right in the tall stalks of catweeds, and the splashes of a large body.
He calmly strode up to the backs of the children Grubbs throwing pebbles across the icy river.
Then spun around to him, cheering happily, and running up to his sides.
"Hey, kids," Stranger greeted happily.
"Have yer seen Umi 'nywhere?"
The children fell silent.
"She walked down through the cattails...that's the last time we saw her," one replied quivery.
Stranger's lip fell askew, blinking his shining eyes down the flattenedd trail of half-frozen catweeds. He passed the children by, following the trail by the river.
The moon began to rise quickly over the flattop mountains. Stranger's worrying was growing in his chest.
"Umi?" he began to call.
He was wandering too far from the village, he could barely hear the children any more.
"Umi!" his voice grew louder.
A shivery shudder cawed a cry over the reeds.
Stranger growled, running through the sharpness of the weeds.
"S-S-S-St-ran-g-g-ge-er-er," a voice shuddered wearily as loud as it could.
Stranger stopped by the river's edge.
Umi lay in the tall grass, dripping wet.
Stranger knelt down by her, his lip quivering.
"Kid! What happened?" he picked her up tightly in his arms.
"I-I w-w-w-as ju-u-ust walk-k-king around t-t-the r-r-r-rive', 't-til I slippe-d-d-d-d..." she shivered cooly.
"Odd-damn, kid. Yer just one heart attack, you know that?" he ran through the weeds towards the village.
The children were gone to their homes, not worrying of what was going on in the night.
Stranger ran up the hill to their hut, kicking the door open, and running in to the front room. He wrapped Umi around in the blanket, laying her head on the pillow.
She tightened herself in the blanket, burrying her face deep in to her pillow.
Stranger sighed, walking back calmly to the door, shutting it closed and locking it.
Umi lifted her head up to the doorway.
"S-Stranger?"
Her shivering was sober more.
His head turned back to the front room, where Umi's head perked up.
"Are you...mad at me?" she asked innocently.
Stranger sighed again, frowning down at the floor. He kicked off his boots, and flung off his shirt.
"Nah...not really..." he replied gently, walking in to the front room, and sitting on the bed, minding her legs.
"I can't really stay mad at yer..."
He touched her cheeks. They steamed of blood-red heat, and her hair was defrosting from the wind freezing the water over.
She sighed exhaustedly.
"I'm sorry..." she whispered.
Stranger smiled slightly, fickling gently with her hair. He scooted under the covers beside her, resting his head on his pillow. He kept Umi near his chest to warm her chilled body.
"It's fine, kid. Just, promise me you won't do that again, without tellin' me. Ai'ight?" his chest rumbled.
Umi shuffled her head up and down, closing her heavy eyelids, and pressing her forehead on his chest.
Stranger rewound his voice earlier when he brought Umi in. He already sounded like he was a parent. His pride swelled. He knew now that he would make a good father.