She smiled, also, then demurely turned away. I ordered a glass of Nugan Estate Shiraz for myself from the bartender, and requested that he take her a...other CherryHill Pinot Noir on me. “Forget it, buddy”, the bartender smiled, “she’s turned down two already.” I asked him to try anyway. I watched as he took the wine to her and then nodded in my direction. She smiled at me again, and then began to push the drink back towards the bartender… but just before he cleared it, she put her hand on his. “Do you really forgive me?” she asked nervously as we lay in each other’s arms afterward, recuperating.“Have I ever lied to you?” I asked.“No,” she replied, also shaking her head.“Then as long as you continue to behave and get along with everyone else, you may consider yourself one of my Sharklings. I do insist that you complete thorough military conditioning and training before you even consider attacking a fly,” I growled threateningly.“And if you ever disobey an order again...” I added,. Hepatiently waited, and picked his target, finally shattering the knee ofone rider with a massive strike of his hammer.Tilara ducked around her pursuers, avoiding their blows, and tried tocome up with some plan of action.From the weeds nearby, a shaft whistled into the fray. Tilara watchedthe man she'd hit with her energy bolts take an arrow into the side ofthe head. His screams of agony were horrible. His wracked, convulsingbody slid from the saddle and crumpled to the ground. Although. I stand up here at the top of the hill, liable to fall over the edge as I tremble, knowing that I must start rebuilding both you and me again. It’s not hesitancy that shakes me, it’s the fear of failure. When you fell, I fell. So if you stand, so shall I stand. It feels like a nanosecond and an eternity until you come up here. We stare at each other awkwardly, the few feet between us an ocean of fear. How do we restart? I only know one way how. I take your hand in mine. I smile, gazing into.