I follow Ragnar away from the group, aware of them whispering, wondering what he wants to talk to me about. I understand their curiosity even as I wish Ryuth wasn't such a hot topic of conversation.

When we're far enough away to ensure a modicum of privacy, Ragnar stops and turns to me.

"How fares your progress with my brother?" he asks quietly, his eyes searching my face like I have concrete answers. "I feel as though I am not reaching him at all. He still isn't speaking or communicating...it still feels almost as though someone else has taken over my brother's body."

I can see and hear how frustrating and heartbreaking that is for him. It hurts my own heart that there isn't more progress, that Ryuth hasn't made a full recovery. But what must it be like for your own brother to be right in front you, but lost all the same? Physically there, but as out of reach as if he was on the other side of the planet?

"I think I'm getting through to him, at least a little," I say, smiling tentatively.

His eyes meet mine, hope blooming in them. "You are?" he asks, a thread of excitement entering his voice. "How so? What kind of progress?"

I lick my lips, feeling the pressure of that hope. "Yes. He's calm when I'm there."

And it's true. He is calm when I'm with him. When he's alone, he rages, trying to tear out of his cage. Or he sits. Silent and sullen, staring off into nothing. Almost catatonic. There is no in between, no sense of normalcy when he's alone. I'm not sure why.

Maybe his captors kept him alone a lot while he was with them? Or maybe having me there serves as a distraction, something to keep his mind occupied? I'm not certain.

"Calm?" he repeats, disbelief warring with excitement. "Not simply unresponsive, but calm?"

My smile widens. "Yes, calm. He eats when I feed him, without a fuss. He watches me when I talk to him, though I'm not sure how much he actually understands. Maybe he just listens to the tone? But I can see that there's something there, a person in those eyes, not an animal."

I'm convinced there is.

Ragnar rubs his face, shaking his head. What he says next really resonates with me. "I want to believe there is hope. So badly do I want to believe that there is." He drops his hand and looks at me. "Can you show me? Show me this calm Ryuth who I have yet to see? Who remains calm even when you interact with him?"

I nod, feeling my heart break for him. "Yes. Yes, of course. I think it is about time to bring him food again anyway."

Ragnar and I procure some bivo meat from the fresh kill the hunters brought in and some of the vegetables we've grown. Ryuth always prefers the meat, but I figure he should have some kind of produce.

Ragnar walks by my side as we make our way over to the cave that Ryuth is locked away in.

The Tribe says he has to be separated from everyone else and I can’t really fault them for it. I don't know what the Zzlo did to him, but the effects are long lasting. Even being in our care for this long hasn't brought him back to any level of normal. Though I am seeing improvements.

My own hope is a stubborn thing.

I don't know why I'm so invested in his well-being when all the others apart from Ragnar still see him as a raving lunatic. Ragnar is his brother, it makes some kind of sense. I don't have a logical explanation for my own emotional attachment to Ryuth, why I've been trying so hard to reach him, to bring him back to himself.

But it's there, the connection I feel.

Unexplained.

But there.

As we near the entrance to the smaller cave there’s snarling, grunts, and the sound of the gate rattling. He’s in a full rage, trying to get out of his cell.

"Ryuth," I say softly, stepping forward.

His beautiful green eyes lock on me, the anger and frustration in them fading. He quiets almost instantly.

He's dressed in the same breathable mesh clothing that the other Zmaj wear, which is more than the loincloth type garment he was wearing when we first saw him. I'm pretty sure the clothes are Ragnar's. And they do nothing to hide how impressively muscled his body is, how wide his shoulders are. He's obviously strong, which should scare me. Even though there's a hint of fear sometimes when I realize exactly how much bigger and stronger he is than me, I have to admit I admire his body more than I fear it.

The tan, blue and yellow edged scales apparent on the sides of his face highlight the clean, handsome lines, strong jaw and high cheekbones. When he calms, the resemblance between him and Ragnar is clearer. His dark hair is disheveled, pushed back from his face to hang down his back, small horns peeking out from underneath the silky mass.

His tail switches back and forth as his eyes remain on me. Slowly, his hands uncurl from where they were tightly wrapped on the bars and he steps back, his leathery wings flaring briefly as he crouches down, watching. Anticipating that I'm going to enter and moving back because he knows now that I won't if he crowds the gate.

It shows that he's learning. This is definitely an improvement from. Initially, he was exactly what the Zzlo made him.

An attack dog.

It still makes me angry when I think about it.

Ryuth was taken by the Zzlo long ago, so long ago that Ragnar thought he was long dead.

Delilah told me the story of how it all happened. When the Zzlo attacked the Tribe's old home with a crazed Ryuth in tow...surprise was a mild word for Ragnar's reaction. Despite the chaos of the attack, he was able to knock Ryuth out and contain him so that he could be brought along.

But Ryuth is still kept locked away in this cave. Not only for everyone else's protection, but for his own as well. I know Ragnar hoped for a much swifter recovery than we're faced with.

I reach out to open the gate.

"Perhaps I should go in first," Ragnar murmurs, obviously worried about my safety.

I shake my head no, opening the lock. "Does he look like he’s going to attack?" I ask calmly.

Ragnar stills, watching his brother. "No," he says wonderingly. "He does not."

I nod and open the gate, stepping inside. I've done it what feels like a thousand times now. And as expected, Ryuth doesn't rush us, but instead stays crouched, waiting. His eyes glance down briefly at the plate in my hands, but then they move back up to my face, where they stay.

"Hello, Ryuth," I say softly, speaking to him in his own language, hoping he understands. The technology in the city, the breakthrough that allowed all of us there to basically download the language into our brains, was a lifesaver. He still hasn't given any indication that he understands it, but I know he won't understand Common.

He starts humming, a soft tune that caught me by surprise the first time I heard it. But now it's something I've become accustomed to and know it means he's calm.

"Are you hungry?" I ask, showing him the food.

He frowns slightly as he watches my mouth move, glancing down at the plate when I bring it closer. When I move over to the table at the back, he follows me, still down in a crouching position, moving smoothly.

I set down the plate and sit down in one of the two chairs. He never sits in the other one, but it's a symbol of hope that I like.

When I pick up some meat, he opens his mouth. Another sign he understands. I bring it up to his mouth. He takes it almost delicately, careful not to nip my fingers.

"Is it good? I also brought some of the root that we're growing on the farm," I explain, picking up the vegetable.

He looks at it skeptically. I could swear he almost sighs. But he obediently opens his mouth again and eats it.

I smile. "It's not so bad, right?"

He wrinkles his nose a little but chews and swallows. I hide my smile.

"He's doing so much better!" Ragnar exclaims softly, stepping closer. "You're right—he does seem calm!" He shakes his head. "He's bitten me more times than I can count, but he's so gentle now!"

He takes another step forward, his hand coming down on my shoulder and squeezing it, his joy at seeing some progress clear.

I see Ryuth's eyes narrow on where Ragnar is touching me.

The humming stops.

I see his body tense.

Oh no.

"Ragnar—" I warn, moving to stand.

But it's too late.

Ryuth snarls and springs up, his attention fully on his brother now, his face twisted in rage. Ragnar lets out a curse as Ryuth stalks towards him, a low, growling sound trickling out of his throat.

"Ryuth, stop!" I put a hand out, but hesitate to actually touch him. "No!"

His eyes stay on Ragnar, but his forward motion stops, his body almost vibrating with his need to attack.

"Ragnar—go," I order, backing away to the gate as well, making sure to keep my body between the brothers, hoping it will make Ryuth hesitate.

This went downhill real fast.

Ryuth's eyes stay on Ragnar as we both make our way back to the gate, the predator clear in his eyes. I step outside after Ragnar, disappointed. He was doing so well. And then this.

"What happened?" Ragnar asks raggedly, the hurt on his face clear. "He was doing so much better," he adds, an echo of my own thoughts. His shoulders slump, and then he walks away, not waiting for an answer.

Ryuth's attention turns back to me when his brother is out of sight, his body still tense.

I watch him through the gate, frustration coursing through me.

"You're not an animal, Ryuth," I finally say. He watches me with that laser-focused attention again. "You can come back from whatever happened to you." I swallow. "You have to," I say in a softer voice.

He takes a step towards me, frowning slightly, though I don't think he understands what's going on. Not really. Shaking my head, I sigh. Stepping back, I turn to follow Ragnar out.

Leaving Ryuth in the cage that he forces us to keep him in.