He returned to Igrette, who was still lying down. He could see that the snow around her had shifted, though, and it was obvious that she had been sitting up, probably ready to come to his aid if he needed it. But in the end, he didn’t need it, and all she had done was sit up, so Jonny didn’t bring it up.He told her about what happened, and she breathed a sigh of relief when he described the beast.“A wolverine,” she said. “Solitary scavengers. We don’t have to worry about more of them, at least for now.”“That was a wolverine?” asked Jonny.“Yes. Relatives of badgers, but usually larger and stronger. Carnivores, but usually not hunters.”“Huh.”I thought that wolverines were yellow…“Are you hurt anywhere?” asked Igrette.“Just a little scraped up on my knuckles,” said Jonny. “But I’m fine. I told you, I’m strong. You don’t need to protect me. You just heal up, and I’ll keep us safe.”He wished that he was as confident as he sounded. “Alright,” she said, clearly not believing him.Jonny gritted his teeth and turned away, determined to get back to his training. If he wasn’t strong enough yet, he would just have to become stronger. It was simple.But it was not easy.The rest of the day passed, and then the night, and the next day, and the next night, and while Jonny got marginally stronger with each passing day as his body adjusted to his mana, internal (...)