It was several hours later when Kal awoke, still well before dawn. The shoddy traveler’s lodge wasn’t the sort of place he preferred to stay but Astra had been demanding. After she’d finished wringing him out he had been left completely worn out and rather than wending his way back to the more comfortable room he was renting for himself, he’d simply collapsed into bed next to her. She was still sleeping peacefully next to him, moonlight picking out the curves of her breasts and legs.  

For a moment Kal wasn’t sure what had woken him but then his ears picked up the faint scraping sound in the darkness. The sound of metal delicately scratching against metal: lockpicks. That moment of recognition jolted him fully awake, sitting bolt upright in the bed. Astra mumbled something incomprehensible and reached out, pulling him down and shoving his face into her breasts.

“Astra!” Kal sputtered into her chest. “Not now, Astra. Wake up!”  

“Mm? Kal?” Astra mumbled. “Shut up. Sleeping.”  

Kal struggled against her as she pulled him closer and slung one of her legs over his hips. Normally, having his face wedged into her cleavage would be pleasant but he could hear the lockpicks scrabbling in the keyhole. He could tell from the sound that the person on the other side of the door was a complete amateur but the locks in this place were surely not particularly complex either. He twisted his way out of Astra’s clutching arms and finally rolled out of bed, still naked, when the lock clicked open.  

“Fuck!” Kal shouted, “Astra! We’re being attacked!”  

That seemed to kickstart Astra’s warrior instincts and she snapped upright right as the door burst open. A rough-looking man charged in, holding a knife, and made a beeline for the bed, perhaps thinking of taking a hostage. This proved to be a mistake as Astra twisted around, snapping a leg out and connecting her shin with the side of the thug’s neck. The force of the kick spun him completely around and he dropped like a felled tree. In the same motion, Astra whipped herself out of the bed and landed in a crouch between Kal and the door.  

“You’d best close that door and scamper away” She snarled at the other intruders standing in the doorway, her previous playful sleepiness completely gone. “Or you’ll end up worse than your friend there.”  

The would-be robbers hesitated, clearly unnerved by how quickly their companion had been put down. But the lure of coin, or perhaps the lure of Astra’s bare breasts and thighs, seemed to be too good to pass up. They drew their blades and started to advance into the room. Kal was quite aware of his own nakedness and his eyes darted left and right, looking for anything that might serve as a weapon. His eyes caught something in the shadows under the bed: a sheathed blade.  

It was Astra’s sword: a huge, two-handed executioner’s weapon. Normally, a sword that size would be too unwieldy to be much use in combat. But Astra was an Erinys, a warrior-woman trained in primitive, mystical combat arts which granted her practically superhuman strength and stamina. Kal had never fully understood how a mountain-nymph came to be a warrior, let alone an Erinys, but he couldn’t deny her abilities and he’d seen her swing the sword as though it were made of balsa wood.  

He lunged for the bed, snagging the scabbard’s strap and pulling it from under the bed. The weapon was surprisingly light in his hands but he didn’t have time to ponder what that meant. Instead, he sprung to his feet and tossed Astra the sword.    

“Here, your sword!” Kal shouted, “Lop off a limb or two and I bet they’ll run for the hills.”  

*****

Astra heard Kal’s cry behind her and she half-turned, snatching the sheath out of the air. She winced a bit internally but had no chance to explain the problem to Kal before the first of the robbers lumbered into the room. Perhaps he had a bit of ogre blood in his ancestry, he had to duck to avoid breaking his nose on the doorframe. His face looked like he had to learn to duck the hard way.  

The huge thief lunged at Astra, his footsteps shaking the floor. He carried no weapons, trying to grab her with hands like ham hocks. She ducked low under his grasping hands and drove the metal-capped butt of her scabbard into his solar plexus. The thug’s eyes crossed and he choked as the breath was driven from his lungs.

Taking advantage of his stunned condition Astra grabbed a fistful of his hair and rolled her body backwards, pulling him down on top of her. With her back braced against the floor, she drove her feet upwards into the giant man’s stomach, using his forward momentum and her own strength to send him flying towards the back of the room.  

Kal had to duck to avoid being bowled over by the flying robber and he slammed into the wall, shaking the entire room with the impact. Kal looked back and forth between Astra and the poleaxed man, braided hair swaying with his movements.  

“Uh… Astra? He’s getting back up.” Kal backed off a few steps, “Astra!”  

“Take care of him, I’ll deal with the others.” Astra rolled back to her feet, facing the huge man’s companions.  

“I’m literally naked right now! I don’t even have a weapon!”  

“Whining isn’t attractive Kal!”  

“I don’t give a shit about attractive! Just cut his head off!”  

Astra sighed slightly, “That might be a bit of a problem.”  

As she spoke she grabbed the hilt of her sword and pulled it from its sheath. The blade was almost as wide as her hand but ended in a jagged stump five inches from the hilt. Three months back, she had been hired to explore the Blight and fought one of the aberrations that lived there. The thing had jagged iron teeth and although Astra had won the battle, most of her sword had been left in the beast’s stomach.     

“Astra…” Kal’s tone was worried, “… why are you carrying half a sword!?”  

“Why do you think I’ve been hanging out in this shithole?” Astra snapped, “I’ve been trying to buy a replacement!”  

Before Astra could continue the conversation with Kal the three remaining rogues stepped into the room. One was a woman, sporting a rat’s nest of blonde hair and an eyepatch. She was flanked by two pock-marked men who looked so similar that they might have been twins. Their gap-toothed grins even seemed to match. They carried leather-wrapped clubs and looked like they were used to rough work.  

One of the men leered at Astra, “Drop the blade, pretty lady. The slave market don’t mind a few bruises but they pay less if we gotta knock your teeth out.”  

His near-identical companion chuckled wickedly and licked his lips theatrically, letting his eyes linger on Astra’s bare breasts, “I dunno… girl with no teeth could be a lot of fun. Might want to try her out before we sell her.”  

“If I had a denar every time some scab-faced toad thought I’d make a good fuck-toy, I wouldn’t have to bother with treasure-hunting,” Astra laughed contemptuously and spat on the floor, “If you’re going to fight, then fight.”  

*****

Kal shifted nervously in the cramped space as his oversized opponent climbed to their feet. He was intensely conscious of his own nakedness and the fact that he did not even come up to the larger man’s collar. Kal had been in his fair share of fights, but he much preferred to face his opponents with a sharp blade than his fists. Still, he knew better than to pass up an opening when he saw one and so he stepped in close while the big man was still gathering his wits and drove his fist directly into the huge man’s gut.  

He twisted his waist, putting his full weight and strength behind the blow. The result was disappointing: the giant rocked backwards slightly and Kal nearly dislocated a finger. The big man grinned, revealing a cemetery of dead teeth stained brown from chewing kafe vine.  

“Fuck…” Kal flexed his hand, trying to get feeling back into his fingers. “I don’t suppose you’d like to settle this the easy way?”  

The thug’s only response was a backhand that caught Kal under the chin and sent him sprawling to the ground. Kal’s eyes blurred and it was only instinct that let him roll out of the way of a floor-rattling stomp that would have caved his ribs in. One of his hands fell on something metallic and cold and he snatched it up without thinking, only for his heart to fall when he realized it was nothing more than the overly-elaborate buckle of the expensive belt he had shed a few hours earlier.  

Kal staggered back to his feet and spat out a gobbet of blood while wrapping a length of braided leather around his fist. “Okay… hard way it is then…”  

The giant reached out with a meaty fist, catching one of Kal’s braids and nearly yanking the smaller man off his feet. Kal whipped the belt at the giant’s face, snapping the jagged metal buckle across his cheek. The sudden pain forced the larger man to release his grip on Kal’s hair, allowing him to backpedal out of reach. He spun the belt in a tight circle while the giant clutched at his face, letting the metal buckle buzz through the air.  

“Fukkin rat!” The huge man growled, “I’ll kill y-”

The man’s words were cut off by a cry of pain as Kal’s belt buckle snapped out again, striking like a scorpion and catching him just below his eye. Half-blinded, the giant staggered backwards into the wall, slurring a litany of curses against Kal and his parentage.   Kal took the opportunity to put some space between him and the robber.

With the belt, he barely had the advantage of reach but he needed something more effective. While the whip-cracks might sting, a few feet of leather and half-an-ounce of metal would not be nearly enough to end this fight. He needed a blade.  

“I’m gunnah rip yer balls off,” The huge man snarled. “Then I’ll stuff ‘em down yer face.”  

“Dead god,s man, no need to get so brutal” Kal snapped his belt to keep the big man at bay. “Can’t blame a man for trying to stay alive, can you?”     

The buckle caught the robber on the shoulder, but he ignored the pain and tried to grab Kal in a bear hug. With little room to maneuver, especially while Astra battled the other three behind him, Kal had no choice but to leap onto the bed to avoid the attack. The rotting bedframe, already weakened by the athletic night he had spent with Astra, sagged and creaked under the sudden weight. While he tried to stay balanced on the lumpy mattress Kal caught a flash of moonlight on metal out of the corner of his eye.

 While the giant regained his balance Kal whipped his arm towards the ceiling, where Astra had buried a knife in the rafters the night before. The braided leather of his belt wrapped around the handle of the dagger and he gave it a swift yank, tugging the knife free. As the giant turned to face him Kal flicked the belt at his face, burying the knife into the giant’s left eye. The thug howled and fell backwards, collapsing against the wall with blood streaming from his face.  

*****

The robber with the eyepatch circled around to Astra’s left, trying to flank her, but Astra swung her empty scabbard and caught the woman in the face. A bloodied tooth skittered across the wooden floor and the woman fell back, cursing and spitting blood from her swollen mouth. Astra lunged forward, ready to thrust the jagged remains of her sword into the other woman’s gut. However, before she could drive the blade home one of the two near-identical thugs swung at her wrist with her club, forcing her to retreat to avoid being disarmed.  

“You bitch, you’ll pay for that!” The female robber wiped blood from her mouth. “I’m going to make sure you get turned into some beastman’s cum-bucket."

“You should’ve stayed in the whorehouse,” Astra sneered. “Or are you somehow worse at fucking than you are at fighting?”  

Despite her brash words, Astra’s situation was untenable. Even nearly unarmed one or two enemies would have been easy enough to dispatch. However, with three opponents in close quarters, any attempt to focus on one of them would allow the other two an opening to rush her. All they had to do was wait for her to stumble or for her stamina to flag, and then they’d have the chance to take her down. Things would be even worse if Kal wasn’t able to handle his own part of the battle and she ended up attacked from behind by the ogre-blooded brute as well.       

Weighing her options, Astra took a step backwards, letting her ankle fold slightly and feigning a stumble. One of the twins took the bait and grabbed for her left arm, only to meet the edge of her empty scabbard hard against his throat. As the other two thieves closed in Astra kicked the thug in the stomach, sending him stumbling into his two allies. With a moment’s breathing room, Astra tossed the scabbard aside and dropped into a crouch, reaching underneath the bed and retrieving a small leather wineskin.  

Astra slashed the skin open with the stump of her blade and brought it to her mouth, drinking deeply of the liquid inside. It tasted of spices and honey, but mostly it had the burn of potent spirits. She gulped the brew down, letting the excess run down her chin. Her nipples tingled slightly when the alcohol splashed onto her chest. She tossed the empty wineskin aside, wiping her lips with the back of her hand.  

The three robbers facing her were briefly left nonplussed, sharing confused glances at Astra’s behavior. The woman with the eyepatch shrugged slightly before hefting her club and rushing Astra, hoping to take advantage of the brief gap in her defenses.  

“Stupid bitch, you’d better take us ser-” Her words cut off when Astra’s hand snapped out and grabbed her by the throat.  

The woman struggled in Astra’s grip, raising her club to smash Astra in the face but it dropped from her fingers when Astra tightened her fingers, lifting the thief off her feet. Astra smirked at her and then, with a sudden surge of power, she flung the hapless rogue through the nearby window. There was a brief scream followed by the sound of her hitting the ground a story below. Her companions stared, both wearing near-identical slack-jawed expressions.  

Astra felt the heat of the firemead spread from her belly up to her breasts and then her face and her breathing became deeper and more rapid. Her breasts, glistening in the moonlight, raised and swelled slightly as the muscles of her torso tightened and flexed. The heat continued to spread, traveling downwards and settling between her legs. Her skin tingled with the same excitement she felt just moments before orgasm as the strength granted by the firemead flowed through her limbs.  

“Come on,” Astra purred, her voice made huskier by the drink. “Please don’t leave me waiting.”  

The twins shared a glance, clearly uncertain of their chances now but also unwilling to flee. Eventually, both seemed to come to a decision, raising their clubs and advancing on Astra in an attempt to flank her.  

Astra flicked her wrist, sending her broken blade flying and burying it in the throat of one of right-most twin. The man gurgled as he tried, and failed, to breath around four inches of cold steel.  

“Stoobie!” The other man shouted. “I’ll-”  

Before he could complete the sentence Astra darted close to him, side-stepping his swing and grabbing his weapon hand by the wrist. Yanking the man off-balance she pulled his arm straight before driving the palm of her hand into the back of his elbow, snapping his arm like a rotten tree branch. He screamed in pain, a scream that only intensified when Astra kicked the side of his knee, causing it to bend sideways with a sickening popping noise. 

“Mmmm,” Astra let out a pleasant sigh as she gripped the groaning man by the hair, “That was nice but I wish you could have made it last longer.”    

*****

Kal panted as he stared down at the hulk lying on the floor, still buzzing with adrenaline and somewhat shocked that he’d managed to take down such a huge opponent. He spared a glance for Astra just in time to see her toss another woman through the window. He caught sight of the emptied wineskin on the floor and realized that Astra wouldn’t be needing any help from him dealing with the other two. He had no idea what they put in firemead, but the effect it had on Erinyes was dramatic, to say the least.  

Hopping off the bed he snatched up his breeches and pulled them on, glad for the chance to cover himself at last. He spotted Astra’s rucksack and started to stuff their discarded clothing into it while trying to ignore the unpleasant gurgling and popping noises as Astra dealt with the two remaining thugs. While he could fight well enough when needed, he didn’t share Astra’s excitement for violence. He was confident she’d be done soon enough.  

While shoving things into the sack Kal spared a glance at the giant slumped against the wall, wondering if the big man or his companions might have anything worth bringing along. They didn’t look particularly wealthy, but they might still have a few pilfered coins in their purse and Kal wasn’t one to turn down ready money. However, his eyes caught something peeking out from under the giant’s sleeve and he froze. Moving closer he pulled up the tattered cloth to get a better look: a rampant heraldic lion sporting wings and the tail of a scorpion.  

“Shit…” Kal muttered before raising his voice to call to Astra, “Hey, this is going-”  

His words were cut off when the giant suddenly lashed out, grabbing Kal by the throat. The man’s hand was large enough to almost completely encircle Kal’s neck. Kal tried to break free but the giant didn’t even seem to notice his struggles.  

“Fukkin rat…” The giant’s face twisted in fury, blood still pouring from the knife embedded in his eye. “I’ll pop your head like a boil.”  

Kal could hear his heartbeat pounding violently in his ears and there was a tremendous pressure behind his eyes, as though they were about to pop from their sockets. He kicked ineffectively at the giant’s torso as his vision began to dim.  

“This is why you make sure they’re dead before you try looting them.”  

Just before Kal’s vision went entirely black he saw the giant look up at someone standing above them. A split-second later he saw Astra’s hand lash out over his head, slamming the heel of her palm into the butt of the knife stuck in the man’s face, driving it fully into his brain. The man gave a hissing death rattle and his grip finally loosened, allowing Kal to suck down blessed gulps of air.  

“That was…” He was interrupted by a fit of coughing. “That was much too close. Thanks for the help.”  

“No problem,” Astra stroked Kal’s chest hair, pressing him firmly back against the wall. “Now, you can help me out.”  

Astra leaned in, laying a line of kisses along Kal’s neck and shoulder and pressing herself against him. Even with his throat still burning and his head still spinning Kal couldn’t help but take note of her nipples brushing through his chest hair. Her breathing was heavy as she moved her lips up his neck and sucked his earlobe into her mouth, nibbling it gently. He could feel the heat radiating from her body, especially from where her waist was pressed against his, as though he were standing close to a roaring campfire.    

“No, Astra, no.” He tried to push against her but with the firemead in her veins, she was just as immovable as the giant she just killed, “Keep it together. We have to get out of here!”  

“Mmm, you know what the firemead does to me…I need this.” Astra’s hand slid into his pants, circling her fingers in his pubic hair. “But we can move to a different room if you’re going to be a baby about a few dead thieves.” 

Kal struggled to keep his thoughts straight as Astra’s fingers moved lower, stroking the length of his cock and coaxing him to hardness despite himself. He took a deep breath and ran his hand up Astra’s back and into her hair. She moaned eagerly as he gripped her short hair and pulled her head back, kissing her deeply. Their tongues stroked and flicked and he could feel her body soften against his. Then he pushed her away, taking advantage of her temporary relaxation and holding her face firmly in both hands and gazing directly into her eyes.  

“Look, I promise I will fuck you until you’re cross-eyed,” Kal whispered, making Astra smile and move in for another kiss but he held her back. “Later. Right now we need to go. We don’t need a new room, we need to get out of town.”  

Astra’s eyes were dilated and still somewhat unfocused but she seemed unconvinced, and her green eyes were starting to show impatience. Before she could rip his pants off and shove him to the ground he put a finger on her lips and pointed at the giant slumped next to them.  

“These aren’t just thieves Astra, they’re members of Manticore.” He could tell from her expression that the name meant nothing to her. “They’re a night guild. A big one. And their standing policy is to execute anyone who kills one of their members.”  

“I’m not worried,” Astra ran her tongue along Kal’s finger, “I’m happy to make sure there’s a few less thieves in the world.”  

“Hey, a few of my best friends are thieves,” Kal chided. “And I wouldn’t be so confident without a proper sword. Besides, even if they can’t kill you, they can damn well kill me. And who would fuck you then?”  

Astra pouted but seemed to be considering his words, although he could still feel her hand stroke up and down his cock. With a frustrated growl deep in her chest, she buried her face in the nape of his neck. Kal gently pushed her back and she reluctantly allowed him to separate them.  

“Are you sure you couldn’t just give me a little lick?” She grabbed Kal’s hand and pressed his palm between her legs. “I’m burning for you, Kal.”  

Her pussy was dripping wet and was hotter than before, like touching the side of a warm teapot. She rolled her hips, moving his hand up and down the slick lips of her cunt. Her lust was infectious and Kal had to resist the instinct to slip his fingers inside or to stroke the firm nub of her clit.  

“No. No,” He said firmly, talking to both of them. “If I start then you’re not going to let me go until you’re satisfied. We have to leave town now, before news of this gets back to Manticore.”    

“Damn it!” Astra finally pulled back, slamming her fist into the wall and snapping one of the thick pine boards with the force of her blow, “You’re so lucky we’d already fucked a few times tonight.”  

She picked up his shirt and tossed it to him. “Get dressed, the sooner we’re gone the sooner we can pick up where we left off.”  

*****

It was a few miles out of town when Astra’s patience finally gave out, just as the sky was beginning to lighten with the advent of dawn. Kal had privately hoped that the rushed flight from town and the nighttime hike might have cooled her down enough to put off any further dalliance until they had the chance to catch some sleep. That turned out to be wishful thinking: the firemead’s physical enhancement might have worn off but her craving had not.  

The two of them were hiking along the eastern road when Kal paused briefly to fetch a sip of wine from his own traveling pack to cool his throat. He offered the flask to Astra who took it, tightened the cap and tossed it to the ground.  

“What was that fo-” He was interrupted when Astra literally pounced on him, knocking him back against a tree. “Ow, damn it, woman!”  

“Shut up and get your dick out.” Astra was already tugging her own belt off, “I’ve waited long enough.”  

Kal sighed, but obediently begin to undress. “It’s been kind of a long night, couldn’t we sleep first?”  

Astra gave him a withering look and he rolled his eyes, but he knew the answer when he opened his mouth and continued to shed his clothes. Astra unrolled a traveler’s roll and spread it on the soft grass by the side of the road. It was early spring but Astra was unbothered by the early morning chill as she laid across the blanket, shedding the last of her clothing. She stretched, feeling the tension in her muscles that had built up over the hike and the eager ache in her loins the firemead had left behind.

She watched as Kal stripped off his fancy clothes once more. The man was a bit of a dandy, but she enjoyed watching him undress, exposing his dark brown skin and his tight, curled hair. While he undressed she gently massaged the lips of her pussy with one hand while the other cupped her breast. Before too much longer Kal stood completely naked and, noticing her eyes on him, he made a show of stretching to better display his athletic build.  

“Stop posing and get down here,” Astra demanded, although she did enjoy the show.  

“As you command, my lady.” Kal kneeled on the edge of the blanket and slid between Astra’s spread legs, letting his mouth run up her stomach and to her chest.

Tired as he was, Kal could still feel his cock stirring. It was almost impossible to fail to perform when faced with the magnificence of Astra’s bare body. In the light of pre-dawn, he took in her beauty: strong, muscular legs leading up to a narrow waist and then to full, beautifully rounded breasts tipped with soft pink nipples, firm in the cool night air. Astra arched, thrusting her breasts upward and causing her lean muscles to flow smoothly under her velvet-soft skin. Kal moved back down her body, trailing kisses down her breasts, her ribs and past her navel before reaching the warm mound between her legs.  

Astra’s pussy was totally clear of hair, something Kal vaguely recalled was a characteristic shared by all nymphs, and was already eager and moist. Kal traced a gentle path with his tongue, up and down the skin on both sides of her pussy. He avoided her lips and clit, for now, teasing closer and closer without ever making direct contact. Astra made a hungry noise and pushed her waist upwards, trying to push her pussy directly into his face, but he carefully moved with her and kept teasing with his lips and tongue.  

“Fuuuck.” Astra drew the word out, bunching the blanket in her fists, “Don’t do this Kal, I need to cum! Please!”  

Kal grinned to himself, “I just wanted to hear you say it.”  

Astra moaned happily as he spread his tongue flat and lapped up the outside of her pussy in big, strong strokes. She pushed her hips against his tongue, feeling it stroke and tug at the soft hood over her clit. Her breathing quickened and he switched to a more focused approach, running his tongue just inside the lips of her cunt and letting it lead him to her swelling clit.

She cried out as he closed his lips and sucked, gently pulling the hood away and tugging at her clit with lips and tongue. The sensation spread through her torso, causing her stomach muscles to twitch and sending pleasant ripples up her breasts. She spread her legs wider and ran her hands through Kal’s braids, feeling their silver caps tapping gently against her legs and waist.  

When Kal started, he was unsure if he would have the energy to do more than eat Astra out, hard cock or no, but the sensation of her writhing under his mouth filled him with newfound stamina. The pain and exhaustion from the earlier fight and the flight from town were suddenly gone, replaced only by the intense ache of his hard cock between his legs.  

As though she was reading his mind Astra reached down and pulled gently at his back, “I want you in me. Now.”  

With gusto, Kal lifted himself into a kneeling position between Astra’s spread legs. He grabbed her under her buttocks and lifted, pulling her against him. For a moment he allowed his cock to slide up and down the lips of her pussy, prodding the tip gently against her clit. Then he dipped his hips down and thrust forward, feeling his cock slide easily up her wet, eager cunt.  

Astra gasped as he entered her, tightening around the hard length inside her. She folded her legs across Kal’s back and pulled him even deeper inside her. He lifted her waist a bit higher and she could feel the head of his cock brush against her G-spot as the angle of his movements changed. She couldn’t keep silent as he thrust in and out, letting out small, happy noises and gasps of pleasure.

  Despite his newfound vigor, Kal’s movements were still somewhat less precise and effortless than they were the night before. But this was more than matched by Astra’s increased eagerness. Firemead turned her already active libido into a raging inferno of lust and it wasn’t long before she was totally overcome by the feeling of Kal’s cock sliding deeper and deeper into her cunt.  

Then Kal shifted his grip on her waist, freeing his left hand. He leaned back and brought his hand to her pussy, splaying his fingers across her belly and pressing his thumb softly onto the top of her clit. Her body tightened around his cock, practically sucking him in. He could feel every contraction of her cut against the head of his cock and he picked up the pace of his movements as her grip became tighter and tighter.  

He was embarrassed to admit he came first, exhaustion overriding his normally iron self-control, but she followed seconds later as the twitching of his cock pressed against her g-spot. She pulled herself upright, wrapping arms and legs around Kal and pulling him close in a bone-cracking hug as her body arced and jerked with the power of her climax. She kissed him, sucking the tip of his tongue into her mouth and tasting a hint of her own pussy on his lips.  

Both collapsed onto the bedroll, breathing heavily and muscles weak and twitching from the night’s exertions and the aftershocks of orgasm.  

“Please,” Kal gasped. “Please tell me that you’re satisfied. I swear if I cum one more time tonight, it’s just going to be dust.”  

There was no answer. Rolling over he could see that Astra had already fallen asleep, breathing gently, with a small satisfied smile on her face. Much like the expression of a  cat napping in the sun. Kal smiled himself and briefly thought about grabbing another blanket from the pack and covering them both. But before he could gather the willpower to rise from the bedroll he was already out cold, snoring softly next to Astra.