“Daddy!” Espoir screamed when she saw Black Shadow run up to the gate. She ran to him not stopping and gave him a hug. Tears were filling her eyes, she was scared, terrified for Black Shadow. “I missed you so much! Did you get the bad bad man?” She asked. She was always his biggest fan, and even if he could not tell her what he was doing she always supported and agreed with him.

Black Shadow smiled and bent down, holding Espoir in his arms tightly. It felt so nice to him to hold onto her so tightly after the week of hiding. He then backed up and signed “I sure did, he’s as good as gone.”

“That’s my handsome man!” She said smiling. Black Shadow looked at her confused. Espoir always seemed to find a way to tell his expressions through his mask. “What? Uncle Gavner always says that!”

Black Shadow laughed then signed to her, “He does, he does indeed. Now let’s go home.”

Black Shadow took Espoir by the hand and walked with her back home. On trips like this they would walk until Espoir got tired, usually a few minutes in, before Black Shadow would pick her up and walk her the rest of the way. They were beginning to develop their own way of communicating without speaking, and every now and then on the walk Espoir would ask a question and with only his head movements he would answer her. He loved his little girl and needed a way to talk.

The form was not quite mastered and would often mix up, and with Espoir being so young trips like this were filled with a million questions, most of which Black Shadow did not mind answering, but sometimes she asked the weirdest questions.

“Daddy, where do the deer go at night? I never see any outside at night.”

“To the pine trees.” Black Shadow tried to answer.

“To the rine? What’s the rine?”

“No, to the pine trees.”

“The dime pees?”

Black Shadow shook his head, they were almost there. “He set her down for a second and signed to her “This mean pine trees.”

“oooooooooooh! They go to the pine trees? Why do they go there daddy?”

Black Shadow thought for a second, trying to give an honest answer, but when no one came he just shook his head, “I don’t know.”

“Oh okay… Well why aren’t the owls out during the day? I know you said they’re notural but what does that have to do with anything?”

Black Shadow shook his head, this was going to be a long journey home.