The Price of Freedom

When Fu woke up in the mornings, Ma would already be gone. Every day, she would leave for the mountains before the sun could find their little hut, and returned when the only light remaining was the faint shine of the moon and the stars. Initially, Fu had insisted on coming with her, but he would always fall asleep, and fleet-footed Ma would slip out without so much as a tremor in the wind. He had gotten used to it now, but he still felt a pang of guilt when he woke up alone in their small hut.