Jia stood alone on the track through the woods. Her armour was down. It was a hard feeling to get used to, and at the moment she was not quite able to be so relaxed with her emotions in front of the towns people. Wearing her heart on her sleeve made her feel stripped, bare, . Yet they name down almost without effort on her way here, because the person she was hoping to see had already seen her thrice like this.

Jia wasn't even sure if he'd show, but she hoped he would. In a way, it was Mir that made her emotions arise last night, and if they hadn't she wouldn't be alive.

Perhaps it wasn't quite right to thank him, or to meet him. After all, he was the enemy. Jia could hear FeiFei's sigh of disapproval. But another side of her told herself that there was nothing wrong. After all, Mir did not seem to want this fight, he seemed fed up with this ancient feud. He had two chances to betray her and kill her, yet he didn't.

"I thought you might show up," came a voice from the trees. Jia scanned the woods until she saw his silhouette.

"I came here to thank you for your advice," she said, trying a smile.

Mir ventured out from the woods, wearing a matching grin. "You're welcome. And can I just say, you have a brilliant smile. It looks much better on you than your usually icy mask."

Jia gave a small laugh, but winced. The movement had caused her shoulder to pain her. Mir's eyes moved from her face to her bandaged shoulder and a flicker of concern washed over his features.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "That was a nasty blow Seungho gave you last night."

Jia might have shrugged, but didn't. "The women at the town did everything they could, but it still hurts a lot."

Mir took a few steps closer. "My mother used to be the main healer in our pack. I know quite a bit about healing. Would you mind awfully if I took a look?"

Jia froze. "Why would you help me? You said it before; I'm your enemy."

Mir hesitated before answering. He wore a cautious expression on his features. "I'm fed up," he confessed. "Of all this fighting, of this feud. I don't see why we must fight the townspeople because their ancestors wronged our ancestors. You know, last week I thought this, yet I wanted to kill you so the others would take me seriously. I realise now what a fool I was. Fighting won't get us anywhere, it will only lead to bloodshed and tears. So if we aren't going to fight, I guess we all need to come together. Yet at the present moment, no one in my pack would hear of such a thing. The only way I can think of getting towards peace and a happy ending is if I befriend you. If we can trust each other, maybe eventually we will be able to win peace for both our peoples."

Mir looked pretty happy with himself after his speech. Jia was a little impressed, but there was one thing that bothered her.

"A few days ago we were fighting. How can you expect me to trust you so soon? I may show emotions now, that does not mean I trust every one that I meet."

Mir laughed a little. "Oh Jia," he said. "You already trust me, at least a little bit," he said. "Or do you show your emotions all the time now?"

Jia had no answer; since the previous night's battle this was the first time she had shown them. "I suppose I'm comfortable around you," she said.

"In other words you trust me, just a little bit. And I'll prove my trustworthiness by taking a look at your wound."

Dark eyes met each other as Jia gazed at him, unsure whether to trust him or not. Surprisingly, decisions came easier to her when she let her feelings show. Nodding her agreement, Jia unfastened her red cloak, revealing her plain tunic underneath. Mir approached her, tugging the sleeve down just low enough to show her white bandages. Jia bit her lip; apart from in battle, no one had been this close to her in an age.

With expert fingers, Mir undid the bandages, peeling them away from her skin. Jia winced as air hit the wound, and Mir frowned slightly.

Jia snapped her head towards him worriedly. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Mir shook his head slightly. "It's just treated badly," he explained. "Every healer worth their salt should know that knife wounds need to be bandaged with a leaf of the pom berry."

Jia looked at him blankly. "I know nothing about this," she reminded him.

Nodding, Mir gestured for her to follow him. "This wood is full of it, I'll find it in a second." Mir disappeared into the line of trees, leaving Jia alone.

Jia felt vulnerable. Gulping, she looked around. There was an uneasiness in her stomach, there was a feeling that someone was watching her.

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" a smooth voice asked.

Jia's eyes widened and she gasped, looking around but of course seeing nobody. Jia knew who it was though; it was FeiFei. Jia would never forget the goddess's voice.

"See; if you were a true warrior that wouldn't have been surprised," FeiFei whispered in her head. "But instead you let your feelings show. I expected much more of you Jia, but you're weak. You are searching for a happy ending. But there are never happy endings for warriors..." The voice faded away.

Jia frowned.

"Are you okay?" Mir's voice was dripping with concern.

Jia didn't answer. She gulped audibly. It wasn't every day that a goddess spoke to you.

"Jia, are you okay?" Mir repeated, stepping forward to come beside her.

Jia gave a nod.

Not convinced, Mir looked at her pale face but said nothing. In his hand he carried two dark green leaves. He brought these to his mouth and popped them in. Jia looked confused at him.

He chewed a few times before spitting them out into his hand. He immediately pressed them onto Jia's wound.

"Eugh!" Jia grimaced in disgust. "What did you do that for?"

Mir grinned, re-wrapping the bandages around the leaves. "Just doing my job."

There are many that would call Mir a fool. Jia could easily kill him, or betray him. But Mir was tired of fighting. More than anything, he wanted this hatred to stop. And so he was willing to take a big risk by trusting Jia. He believed that was the only way to make peace.
"I need to go," he said. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

Jia fixed her tunic and refastened her cloak, pulling up her hood, still wincing slightly. Despite her original disgust, she could feel the juices of the pom leaf soothing the pain already. "Yes," she said, giving him a smile. "Goodbye for today. And Mir? Thank you."

Turning on her heel Jia walked down the track. Mir's grin turned into a frown however, as he watched Jia. As she walked down the path, Jia's smile melted, the twinkle in her eye faded and her stone mask rece more.

Meeting in the morning became a habit for the two.

Every meeting became longer the more they met. Jia's shoulder slowly but surely healed, and the Wolves' attacks on Huang Shi grew less and less. 

Every morning Mir and Jia would meet up. Mir told Jia about the Wolves' history. 

Jia told Mir about her life before she nearly drowned. She told him about her family and about how she was promised to a man named Taecyeon. She confessed that now she could experience emotions she felt guilty; she was alive yet her mother, sister and betrothed would never know.

Mir told Jia whenever the Wolves were preparing attack and Jia told Mir about how hard she found it to be herself instead of the shell in Huang Shi despite how easy it was for her with Mir. She also told him how her relationship with Qian was improving and how she was so comfortable with her, she could show emotions.

These meetings were daily. The days stretched into weeks, and the weeks stretched into months. And through the turning of the season, the two began to truly trust each other and their friendship grew.

But not everything was good for them.

Tensions were rising in the Pack. Seungho and Joon were constantly fighting and Mir could see everyone taking sides. Mir also had a hunch that Joon suspected there was more to journeys to the well. Mir made mental notes to be more careful; if Joon found out Mir might lose his life...

Jia felt like an outsider. She could not express this to the townspeople, but at night she felt lonely. Although things were getting better with Qian, she couldn't yet fully trust her. The only she could truly trust was Mir; her supposed enemy.

FeiFei also often spoke to her. During the nights she spoke cruel messages, telling Jia to revert back to her emotionless self.

It was during one of these nights that Jia realised why she was lonely.

It hit her suddenly that didn't simply want companionship with those around her, she simply wanted more with Mir. 
It hit her like an arrow in the heart. Jia had gone years without love, and the new found friendship left her wanting more.

As Jia went for so long without human feelings, every feeling was amplified one hundred times stronger. That was why she felt so strongly for Mir. The realisation that she loved Mir was shocking to her, and not a good feeling at all.

She felt sick to her stomach. She could see that although she loved him, she was but a stepping stone to peace for him. And even their friendship would be condemned by everyone; if anyone found out that they were friends let alone that Jia loved Mir, nobody knew what could happen. FeiFei didn't help; the goddess didn't want Jia to leave her post as guardian of Huang Shi, but she wanted Jia to stop seeing Mir and have her emotion's armour on in battle. Jia refused to do so, and so FeiFei spoke to her in the night, sending her cruel messages.

Jia lay in the dark alone as FeiFei whispered that her love for Mir was doomed, how any friendship was also doomed.

That was the first night that Jia ever cried herself to sleep. 

A/N

So yeah, I'll just explain this;

Basically Jia went for years feeling little or no emotions. Now that she lets herself feel when she's comfortable (ie with Mir or Qian) or when she believes it will help her (ie in battle) every emotion is magnified. So while it might take one ages to fall in love, it only takes Jia a few months. Get it?