All the better; all the worse . . .

[Zach Kaiser]

"It's alright," Eld reassured her at the wolf howl. It startled him too, but it didn't last. "Wolves actually don't normally attack people; they only do if they're starving or humans threaten their cubs or den--and there's plenty of food in the forest, and we're not going to bother them." Chances were they wouldn't even see a wolf; wolves were generally far more wary of humans than the other way around.

However, things weren't good. If Akizetsumei couldn't find the trail, there wasn't much point in continuing to move. This left them with two options, neither of which was inherently better than the other. So he left it up to her. "The way I see it we can do one of two things: Either I can climb a tree and try and get our bearings, or we can camp out for the night and wait for morning."

In all honesty he was still plenty nervous at the situation, but for her sake he was trying to remain calm and focused. Chances were he would be a lot more jumpy if he was alone.

[Nayt]

Eld's reassurance was helpful, yes, but Akizets still couldn't stop her imagination. Every time she heard a noise, she thought it was a wolf. A cougar. A bear. She imagined old monsters she was told about in school and she couldn't unsee them in her mind anymore. A hollow breeze was the wheezing of a hungry monster. The settling grass was the stalking of a wolf. Small woodland creatures snapping twigs became man-hungry bears. She could not un-imagined all these Godless killing machines. She was afraid for her life.

Akizets looked up the tree before them. It was tall and she wasn't much good at climbing trees. The only reason she could climb that cliff back there was because she'd memorized it over the years. No, she couldn't climb one of these trees with Eld. He'd have to leave her to do that.

The thought terrified her.

"P-pleasedon'tleaveme," Akizets whimpered as she clutched Eld's arm tighter. It was dark and there were noises all around her. She could barely see a thing and Eld had become her only comfort through it all. Was staking it out for the night any better, thought? She hadn't a clue and wasn't thinking about it, to begin with. Her mind and heart was racing and she couldn't hold a single rational thought right now.

[Zach Kaiser]

"I won't, I promise." He hadn't been sure what would frighten her more, being left alone for a minute or trying to sleep in the forest, which is why he left the decision up to her. Neither option was more dangerous than the other.

"Why don't we just hunker down here for the night, then," he suggested, looking around for a good place to sit or lay down. "We can use the blanket from your pack to keep warm."

He just hoped she'd be able to relax long enough to fall asleep.

[Nayt]

"I--" Akizets began, but she paused, gulped down her fears, and nodded to Eld weakly.

That bad feeling was starting to creep up into her chest again. It made her chest feel tight and her heart began to feel like it was beating a million miles a minute. She wanted to apologize again.

"E-Eldridge, umm . . ." Akizets whispered as she opened her messenger bag. "I'm sorry. Your parents are probably worried sick and it's all my fault."

She rummaged through the trash they'd stuffed into the bag, all the remnants of wrapping and such they had left from their lunch. She eventually found the blanket she originally planned on using to sit on, but completely forgot about earlier. She slowly and carefully pulled it out, but her hands were very clearly shaking and she wound up pulling an aluminum wrap out of the bag by accident. It fell to the ground and she was left holding a small blanket to share between her and Eld, suddenly feeling the urge to cry again.

[Zach Kaiser]

It was entirely inappropriate for the situation, but Eld couldn't help but laugh. "My parents? No, they won't be worried; they'll probably hardly notice." In a way this was a little sad, but it wasn't that they didn't care about him. He'd grown independent over the last few years was all.

Though, his laughter died abruptly as it lead him to a sobering thought. "It's your family that's probably worried. Ugh, Kyo's going to kill me for this..."

He found a thick enough of tree, and sat down with his back against it. "Go ahead and get comfortable, and try and get some sleep, okay? I'll stay up and keep an eye on things. Don't worry," he said with as reassuring a smile as he could muster, "I'll protect you."

[Nayt]

All those horrible feelings washed away in an instant. It wasn't that Eld talked about his parents. It wasn't that he vented his concern about Toushikyo. It was the last thing he said.

I'll protect you.

Those words rang through her mind on repeat. His voice kept echoing through her mind and it suddenly felt as if her heart stopped beating. Like her lungs stopped working. It felt like a moment suddenly lasted forever the very second her breath caught, and all those feelings that choked her up and made her want to cry spilled out harmlessly all at once. She felt herself blushing again. The burning in her cheeks was a welcomed feeling, compared to what she had before, those horrible thoughts that made her want to fall to her knees and sob. No, this was almost pleasant.

Akizetsumei half shut her eyes and furrowed her brow in thought. She still stood there, momentarily frozen by Eld's words. The small baby blue cotton blanket hung down by her side and the crumpled up piece of aluminum foil rolled by her feet in a small wind that brushed her by.

She barely had to convince herself. The second she heard another noise, the ball of foil by her feet, she thought it was another brand of monster again-- and she wanted someone to cling to again. Akizets wasted no time at all; she bent down to pick up the ball of foil, dropped it into her bag, and crept closer and closer to Eld. She sat next to him and said nothing, yet still scooted closer and closer until she bridged all the distance between their bodies and felt comfortable again. She thought of a practical purpose only after the fact:

The girl draped the blanket over both of their legs. It could keep the both of them a tiny bit warm. She was afraid to look up Eld's face, though. She was afraid of being too forward or invading his personal space too much-- but he simply made her feel comfortable. He made her feel safe.

[Zach Kaiser]

If circumstances were different it would have made Eld raise his eyebrows. But Akizetsumei was clearly scared by the idea of being in the forest at night, and his presence offered her comfort. She no doubt saw him as far older in her mind than their the actual difference in their age warranted--in the grand scheme of things it wasn't that big of a gap--but if that illusion made her feel better, who was he to break it?

So instead of feeling like his personal space was being infringed on, he gently wrapped his arm around her. Whatever solace he could offer to his scared junior, he would.

"Alright, now get some rest." Whether he would make it all night he didn't know, but he fully intended to stay up as long as he could and watch over her.

[Nayt]

Comfort. Warmth. Safety. She felt it all. Akizetsumei even felt happy. Eld had wrapped his arm around her and it felt like her heart skipped a dozen and a half beats all at once. Without thinking about it, Akizets shut her eyes and nestled into Eld. She leaned her head upon his shoulder and relaxed. She rested her hands upon Eld's chest as if she were nestling up against a pillow and getting comfortable, and moved no further from this point.

And suddenly, she was afraid-- but not of the forest. She was afraid of dreaming. She was afraid of waking. Akizetsumei was scared that she'd wake up the next morning to find herself in her bed-- to find that everything today never happened, that she never held Eld's hand, that Eld never said he'd protect her, that she never curled up next to him at night, and that he never wrapped his arm around her.

His body was warm. Warmer than she was used to. Akizets never got this physically close to boys. She never got this close to anyone. She'd been hugged but it was never like this. It was never at length and she had never curled up to someone like this before. Her fear was warranted, but her comfort and contentment remained all the same. If this one moment could reoccur every day for the rest of her life, she'd feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

There was a rustle in the grass to their distant left, but it didn't seem like much, and it was far too dark to see that way, anyways. In Eld's arms, Akizetsumei simply didn't notice.

[Zach Kaiser]

The sound might have been lost on Akizetsumei, but Eld heard it plainly. It wasn't a distant noise, either--it was something fairly close, though still too far away for him to see in the dark.

For the time being he kept silent; in all probability it was a small, harmless creature, or just the wind. But if it isn't... The thought made his stomach twist. Just in case, he tensed his legs up, ready to move and take Akizetsumei with him if something sprang out at him.

Can I really fight off a wolf or something? He wasn't sure, but at the very least he needed to get her to safety if it was something bad.

[Nayt]

Akizetsumei simply didn't notice at all. She was floating off into her own little world somewhere. She wasn't at all tired anymore, though. Sleep was not coming to her. There was just no hope for such a thing-- and that was perfectly okay by her. She didn't feel at all tired, but she didn't want to open her eyes and tell Eld that-- so she pretended. It wasn't a lie, though, not in her mind. No, she was doing exactly as Eld suggested: she was resting. She just wasn't sleeping, and Akizets felt the urge to just stay awake as long as humanly possible, all to keep drowning herself in Eld's arms and his warmth and closeness and everything about this.

Ten minutes turned to half an hour. Half an hour turned to an hour. Akizetsumei's acting ceased eventually and she actually fell asleep.

She especially didn't hear the rustling in the grass, then. It'd stopped for the longest time, enough for Akizets to fall asleep, and enough to perhaps put Eld at ease-- but when it came back, it was much louder. It was much closer, and this time it didn't stop at one simple rustle. It kept going, kept getting closer and closer, until it passed before them.

Eld would see it clearly, though Akizets was too busy with sleep to notice. It walked before them, stopped, and leveled its gaze upon them. Four thin legs carried its capable body and gray fur covered its every edge but one section below its left eye, where its skin was visible and discolored. It was a scar. The wolf neither growled nor moved from Eld and Akizets's presence. It simply stared and watched them for the longest moment . . .

Until the grass all around them began to rustle.

[Zach Kaiser]

The rustle didn't last, and soon Akizetsumei fell soundly asleep against his side. Things were quiet, peaceful even. It made him drowsy. He yawned as quietly as he could, wondering if he should just give in and try and get comfortable enough to sleep.

And then the rustling returned. Returned, and intensified, and got closer. He followed the noise, hoping and praying it was some tiny creature bustling around. A squirrel, or a raccoon even. He could handle a raccoon.

When the wolf emerged from the tall grass, his heart leaped up to his throat. We're not prey, we're too big, not worth messing with. Wolves don't attack people, people are bigger, people are stronger, people often carry sharp things or big things or loud bang-y things and are to be avoided. It passed right in front of them, and though it couldn't have stared it at him for than a minute it felt like hours upon hours.

When the grass around them began to rustle, panic began to set in. "Akizetsumei! Akizetsumei, wake up!" he hissed in her ear, shaking her and putting his arm around her torso and under her own arm and lifting her to her feet. Cold sweat started to break out all over him, but he forced himself to focus.

Once she started to come around, but before she could entirely grasp the situation, he continued. "Just look at me, and listen, okay? Don't look away. I'm going to lift you up, and I want you to grab a branch and pull yourself up. Climb as high as you feel you can safely, okay?"

And then he hoisted her up by her waist--extremely easy to do, given how light she was. He didn't want to panic her, didn't want her to realize what was happening until she was safe, but nevertheless he hoped she'd follow his instructions quickly...

[Nayt]

Akizetsumei was slow to wake. She'd just fallen asleep a half an hour ago and she was about ready to fall into deep sleep. Her mind was prepared for all sorts of wondrous dreams. When she was shaken, she slowly started to wake, not nearly quick enough for the urgency this situation bolstered.

"H-hunh? Wha . . .?" Akizetsumei whispered groggily.

But then she was lifted by the waist. She let out a small meep as Eld picked her up and pushed her up the tree. She woke much quicker, now, but was ultimately very confused.

"Wh-whatis--" she started meekly, but Eld was too urgent and forceful. She couldn't fight against him even if she wanted to, and with a mixture of confusion and concern, she reached up to take the closest stable branch in her hands, braced her feet against the bark, and started to climb.

When Eld looked ahead again, though, he'd find that his opportunity to climb after Akizetsumei was all but stolen away. He was face to face with the scarred wolf. He was yet to show his teeth or present aggression to Eld, however-- though he was there, he was situated right before him. He was half Eld's size, but he needed only to sink his teeth into Eld's thigh or throat to end his life-- and he was so close now that there'd be no stopping it if he tried. And yet . . . he didn't. He snout was to the air about Eldridge and he was sniffing in a scrutinizing sort of way.

Only then, now that he was this close to the wolf, Eld would be able to see the nature of the scar below the beast's eye. It wasn't caused by an animal. It was too straight and too deep and too perfect to be from a beast of any brand. No, this scar came from a human being.

[Zach Kaiser]

Akizetsumei was safe. That was good. That was the best thing. If nothing else, so long as she stayed up there, she'd be safe for the night, and once morning came she'd just have to climb down and go over the bloody chunks that used to be him to get back to the trail and back to Hillcrest. Which was extremely dark and grim and getting more likely as by the time he was able to let go of her the wolf was right up by him. He'd practically have to kick it in the face to climb the tree, and if it wanted to take a bite out of him there was no way he was getting up fast enough.

But it wasn't growling. It wasn't drooling. It was just staring at him. Which was unnerving to be sure, but he imagined it wasn't as unnerving as if it started growling at him. It almost seemed to be expecting him to do something. If it was a pet he'd have just reached out and scratched it behind the ear. But it was not, and he wasn't in the habit of trying to pet anything liable to take his hand entirely off.

He still didn't have a clue what to do though.

A part of him, the part of him that worked automatically even when his entire being wanted to be somewhere far far away, noticed the scar. It was the kind of thing he'd trained himself to notice, and to appraise.

Because he could think of nothing else to do, and because he felt like he was going to shut down entirely if he didn't do something, he started to speak. "Someone did that to you, right? A human? It must have hurt. I'm sorry. But...umm...I'm not like that. She's not either. I don't want to hurt you. Besides, neither of us have much meat on us. Hardly even worth your time."

He was babbling to be sure, and it wasn't like the wolf could understand him, but maybe it would sense his intentions or something. Sarah claimed horses could tell what you meant even if they didn't understand what you said. Maybe the same was true for wolves.

[Nayt]

Akizetsumei ascended a total of six feet on her own, but she didn't want to go much further without understanding why. Eld had woken her up so hastily and rushed and urgent, and it was only now that she was starting to come to terms with how rushed and hasty he actually was.

And so, she paused in climbing, took a deep breath, and looked down.

The scarred wolf bared his teeth by the time Eld finished speaking. He growled low and intentional; the sound rumbled through his rib-cage and shook up his wind-pipe and throat. He took a step forward, and if Eld didn't take a step back, he'd find the wolf's snout planted firmly into his belly. He was not going to back down. He was going to walk forward slowly and aggressively and he was going to push Eld back. His growl became louder-- but though his teeth were bared, he was not drooling. This wolf was well fed.

He was not here to feed.

"E-Eld-Eldri-- Eldri--" Akizetsumei's voice was tiny in disbelief. Her breath was caught and her lungs felt like they'd stopped working. What she was seeing was . . .

It was impossible.

It had to be a dream. A nightmare.

"Eldridge!!" The girl shrieked from above.

[Zach Kaiser]

If this was a nightmare, Eld would have been happy to wake up at any time. As the wolf approached him instinctively backed away, matching step for step, until his back was up against the tree.

Distantly, he heard Akizetsumei's scream; he couldn't spare her too much attention, she was safe after all (and he most certainly wasn't) but he did respond. "Akizetsumei, whatever happens, stay up there, okay? Don't climb down." Even if I'm disemboweled by a wolf, he thought grimly.

But it didn't seem hungry. Maybe it was just threatened by him? "I'm not going to hurt you, or any of your pack," he said, trying sound as soothing as possible. "If you don't hurt us, we won't hurt you. You have nothing to fear."

It may have been stupid or even silly, but it was all he had. Even if he were capable of fighting off a wolf, it was too close for anything like that--it could kill him the second he made a move it didn't like.