As much tired as they were, they had to continue on to their next desination.
They rested upon the ridge of the flat-top mountains, gazing upon the calmer Chixapox field.
Umi, however, rested fully on her back, ignoring the extreme uncomfyness of the rocks ridging her spine and neck.
She was too tired to experiance the pain, let alone to even move from it.
Her eyelids dropped heavily on her eyes, falling lost in to translation.
The sun burnt a hot orange in to the lavender evening sky, creating a pattern of mesmorizing colors that hypnotized him in to looking at it.
Stranger laid his legs flat out, while propping himself up by his arms, staring out beyond the jagged peaks, where the sun was hiding its bright face.
His fur went against the sunlight, changing in to a rich light brown down his jaw, and hidden under the brim of his hat.
He gazed back down to the Ezums, calmly grazing their meal for the night, and settling down easily from the recent event started up.
The Ezums didn't act worrysome no more.
In fact, they showed triumph, proud, and grateful.
They saw what the Knifal had done, to sacrifice itself, to rid of the Hunters that preyed on them at night, keeping them uptight and nervous around the fields.
But since the Hunters scurried away, the Ezums could finally rest in peace, and so would the Knifal, which would be dearly kept in remembrance.
Stranger smiled to himself, scratching his jaw, and turning his head over to Umi.
He crawled quietly over to her, sitting beside her shoulder, and placing a hand gently on her forehead.
"Tired..." she mumbled.
"I know," he purred.
"I am, too..."
He gazed back out to the peaks again, his lips falling down to a slight frown.
"But, we's still got'a, move on,"
Umi groaned, opening an eye to him.
"Why today?" she mumbled.
"Why not tomorrow?"
He shrugged.
"I...can't, guarantee the Hunters're gonna be, gone tonight," he told.
"They might just, stroll on out ter the fields, 'n, figure a way up to us,"
Her brow raised skeptically.
"'ey," he said.
"They might act stupid, but they're, really a bright bunch o' pecker heads,"
She scoffed, placing her hands on her head, and stretching widely out.
"How far is it?" she asked, while yawning.
He looked back behind him, the road they prepared to walk on a wide, dusty, and rocky trail out to nothing.
"I...dunno," he admitted, turning back down to her.
She sighed, slightly closing her eyes again.
"I don't think I have the energy to walk, if it's far away..."
"Then I can carry you," Stranger said.
She chuckled softly.
"Don't even bother with my extra weight," she said.
"It'll only make you tired along wiht me,"
"Oh really?" he grinned.
"You think a small-fry like yeh can, weigh down ol' Stranger in 'is boots?"
"Who you callin' small-fry?" she tiredly told.
Stranger chuckled, moving overhead of her, and slowly moving down.
She felt his presense come closer to her face, suddenly springing awake.
Her arms flung around his hat, tightly hugging it to her chest, and rolled away from his face.
Stranger held still, grinning at her cunning to take his prized posession.
"A'ight, kid," he smiled.
"Gimme my hat back,"
His hand unrolled out by her shoulder.
Her head turned to him, she smiling under her heavy eyes.
"Eh...no,"
"C'mon, Umi," he told.
"I know you long 'nuff that I know yer weak spots,"
Umi only shook her head, hugging his hat even tighter to make him avoid capturing it.
"Oh...ok," he got on his knees.
"That's how you wanna play, 'ey?"
His fingers wrenched under her arms, attempting to pry her arms apart.
Her muscles flared, pushing against Stranger's force to open her arms.
He grunted in impressment, opening her arms partly to see the peak of his hat.
Her strength was incredible, but it was no match to a fully-grown Steef's.
"Damn..." he grunted.
"You's, a lot stronger than when I first met you,"
He chuckled, pinching his hat, and slipped it from under her arms.
"but...you's can't compare to me," he chuckled, placing his hat perfectly back on his head.
"Nice try, you lil'-"
Umi jumped him, the force knocking him flat on his back.
Her arms spread out upon his, locking him down with her frail body.
Stranger only smiled craftily.
"You...have a lot'a guts...ter do somethin', like this, my child,"
He slapped his arms together, locking Umi's hands between his arms, and rolled on to her back, now spreading her arms out under him large palms, and tucking his legs upon hers.
She writhed under his weight under her legs, wiggling her legs free.
She tucked her legs tightly near her chest, and sprung her muscles under his belly.
Her legs lifted him off over her, and throwing him down on his back.
He grunted, immediately snapping his head up to her.
She was already stood up, and ready to do another attack.
She jumped to him, her arms and legs out over him.
His arms snapped up, catching her under the arms in a perfect glide poise over him.
She snorted ruefully, her extremitites dropping limp by his arms.
He frowned at her, disappointed of her suddenly attacks on him.
"I...think yer done..." he said, and dropped her on the ground.
He stood up, wiping off the dust that covered his jade-green tank top.
Umi spat on the ground from the dirt that stuck to her tongue, suddenly feeling the brush of Stranger's shadow eclipse the sun.
"Well, I can say..." he placed his hands under her arms, and lifted her on her feet.
"Yer, combat skill've, improved,"
Umi nodded at his slight extol, patting off the light-brown dirt that covered her knees and back.
Stranger glanced back out to the teeth of the mountain peaks once more, the sun now appearing shattered below its bright scarlet-orange face.
He slipped his fingers over the brim of his hat, and turned back down to Umi.
"Best we, get movin', 'fore nighttime delays us more,"
He turned out to the rocky road, treading forward through the sharp rocks cutting at his boots.
Umi took a step forward to follow him, when a cool brush of crisp air whipped gently across her arm, turning her around immediately.
She stared out to the peaceful fields, the wind she felt vanished.
But she still held still, now staring at a spiral of white wind, winding around a forming body inside the vortex.
Umi blinked cautiously at this unexpected omen, feeling a familiar presense stand just in front of her, within that spiral.
The head formed first, Umi suddenly realizing what the wind was winding around.
A faint copy of the Knifal's body formed in the cyclone, its bright mystic eyes locked upon her.
Its spirit returned, only in the form of a white wind.
Her lips forcefully curled in to a joyous, tearful smile, tears springing to her eyes.
Its spirit bowed respectfully to her, its eyes not moving from her face.
Her mouth opened, but the words choked in her throat.
"Thank...you," she quivered.
"...for everything,"
The Knifal blinked at her, a smile creeping upon its mouth at the human's grateful reply.
It bowed its head once more, and the white wind spiraled around it, taking away its body first.
Its eyes reopened to her, gently staring at her, before its was engulfed back in to the white mist.
The wind winded around once more, then took off from the Knifal's stand, gently brushing across her face before departing away in to the sun.
Its spirit had returned, only to check on the human before they took off.
The pressure contained in her chest depleted, staring back upon the allayed field once more.
Without the Hunters to ever bother the Ezums again, the Knifal could rest in peace.
The Ezums trilled happily for the Knifal's reappearance upon the mountain ridge, their savior.
Umi nodded to herself once more, then spun around to Stranger, running to catch pace with him.
Even though the Knifal was gone, it would always watch over her high above, until death would do part to her, and from this strange world she stood upon.
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