Finally clean and clothed again, Scrib held Mera in his lap, watching the sun set on the horizon.  The hilltops were perfect for this kind of thing.  Poor thing had worn herself out.  Scrib petted her hair softly and hummed a tune as he watched the sparse birds still able to live in these conditions flit about.  The trees were starting to lose their leaves.  Summer was ending soon, and fall would begin.  They would have so much work to do, keeping leaves from getting into the gardens, finding water to store and trying to keep it from getting infested with tadpoles and bugs, finding enough food to get through winter...  He would need to lead a team into another town to see if the stores there had been raided yet.  It had been so long that they were running out of stores to raid.  being stationary and having so many mouths to feed had its problems.  He was on lookout to see if the hunters had found anything.  So far, he hadn't seen any movement except for birds and bugs, and it was starting to get late.  Mera had already shifted twice today.  Scrib didn't know if she had another one in her, which meant he would have to partner up with another tracker mutant to find the hunters.  He didn't often work with anyone but Mera, but there were a few others that trusted him.<br/><br/>Scrib looked down at the unconscious woman in his lap.  He felt a tug on his heart as he really looked at her.  She was so delicate, so lovely.  He hated working with anyone else because they weren't her.  They would never be her.  And he wasn't in love with anyone else.  She had a special place in his heart.  His first partner.  His longest friendship.  She was just so quirky and responsible, and a million other contradictions.  He hated leaving Mera alone because he wanted to keep her safe.  He was her handler, it was his responsibility.  Keep your partner safe, help your partner learn to control their abilities.  That was the job.  But she was so much more than just a job...  She was his best friend.<br/><br/>He turned slightly at a sound from behind him, shielding his eyes from the last rays of sun.  He knew someone was there, but he stared for several minutes as the sun finished sliding behind the treetops.  "Hey, who's there?"