Chương 2: Abandoned

Beneath a distant tree that overlooked the Village of Four Rivers within the Redwoods hidden by a veil of mist, Zariel sat with a small red apple in his hand, trying to ignore the stare of his new stalker, peering down from above.

"You're being ridiculous," said Zariel incredulously.

Aurelia merely continued to stare until he relented, tossing the apple up into the air. She caught it leaping down from on high with a flip. She landed on her feet like a nimble cat.

"Thanks, big brother!" She said. And with the strength that did not seem possible for one her age, Aurelia snapped the apple in half and handed him a piece. "Old Mar says sharing is caring."

"You take it," He refused, noticing brown smears across her fingers. He shook his head, resisting the urge to puke. He had lived through one hell. He wasn't willing to relive another.

From the day he arrived from between his Mother's legs, Zariel had made it his life mission to keep himself clean. Compelled by the ceaseless nagging of his inner demons.

Aurelia pouted. "But you look hungry."

"No more than you," He retorted, tired. Two days of constant walking had made his legs sore, and his feet blistered from his long journey. "You look like you've not eaten in weeks."

Aurelia had the grace to blush. "I.. I… I have," she lied, nibbling over the crisp red apple that crunched with each bite. A faint rosy hue stretched across her cheeks as the sweetness of the apple pooled like nectar in her mouth. She took another bite, and another, and another, biting through the core as if it didn't exist.

It had been weeks since she last had something other than nuts, insects, and whatever she could forage within the Redwoods. More often than not, she would ingest something poisonous, faint, and wake up the next day to continue looking for food.

Life within the Redwood had not been kind to Aurelia.

"Thank you," She said but still pushed Zariel's half of the apple towards him. She sat beside him, stealing a glance at the boy who seemed like a pristine blanket of snow. Hair and eyes of silver over milky skin. She nearly wanted to believe he was a knight from the stories Old Mar had told her about.

'Though he was missing his armor,' she thought.

"You smell."

Aurelia made a face." You're mean."

"And you had the chance to bathe with me and didn't," Zariel retorted, unsure why he was giving the girl the time of day. He had never gotten along with those his age. Yet he found himself enjoying the company of another, enjoying the feeling of speaking to someone who wasn't a figment of his imagination or worse.

"The Animals leave me alone when I'm smelly."

Zariel looked at her peculiarly. "You seem strong for a mortal. Why don't you hunt?"

"I'm a girl." she tilted her head. "Good girls don't hunt?"

Zariel nearly choked on his spit. That might have been one of the dumbest things he'd ever heard. "Then are you waiting for someone to help you?" He asked quite mockingly. "You might die before that happens, you know."

"No, I won't! Papa's coming back for Aurelia!' She snapped with a belly full of fire, clenching her small fist into balls. "He said he'll come back. Papa never lies. Never!"

Zariel eyed the ragged clothes matted by mud and dirt, leaves and twigs, festering with insects and worms, and nearly smiled. "Is he?" he snickered. "How long ago was that?"

A week? Two weeks? A Month? Aurelia couldn't answer. "He… He… He said he'd come back. He promised." she said in a whisper so soft it seemed like a cry. "He said he'll be back. He promised."

"So you got abandoned, eh?" He mused, ignoring the globs of tears shrieking down the six-year-old girl's cheeks. He didn't care about that. He looked down at the village below, guarded by a vale of mist. "Does he live down there?"

Through tearful whimpers, she nodded. "Y...Y…Yes."

"In a house?"

She nodded. "Yes… with Mother and Ainsley."

The winds gently billowed against Zariel's silvery hair, caressing his tender features. Cool with the approaching of winter. It felt nice against his naked flesh. He'd always liked the cold. Feeling it again was something he never thought he'd experience again.

He wanted to cry, yet he had no tears to shed. He wanted to scream, yet his voice seemed to have died long ago in the Hells. So he smiled… he smiled an ugly smile.

"Family?"

Aurelia's soft whimpers became cries, and soon after wails, "Yes… Papa…Papa…Papa…"

For a long while, Zariel just listened to her cries, only speaking when they'd died down. "Want to stay with me?" He didn't want to be alone… not if he didn't have to be. "I can teach you how to hunt."

Aurelia looked at him. "Huh?"

"What's with that stupid look?"

"But you said you didn't want to be my friend," Aurelia pointed out, recalling quite vividly how he threw up the moment she said those words.

He looked away, peeking down at the village. " I don't. I just… Don't want to waste time hunting. Nevermind me. Have you ever held a sword or a spear? What about a bow?"

Aurelia shook her head.

"I'll show you. But first, eat." He commanded her, pointing down at his half of the apple. He'd rather die before he touched that thing.

"But—"

"Just eat it." He said, standing up, ignoring the cries of his aching muscles.

Aurelia reluctantly began nibbling at his half of the apple. Plump and sweet, she felt her stomach rumble in memory.

"I can't believe I'm doing this. Listen up; the first step to hunting is moving without sound. Animals tend to be sensitive to their surroundings, so we use foot techniques to maneuver the forest without disrupting the grass or breaking through twigs. Watch closely." He said, lifting a leg. Zariel seemed to glide across the grass, silent like a shadow. "Toes to heel is basically it. However, what really matters is compartmentalizing your weight and balance. Do that and—"

Pausing, Aurelia began taking a step forward, and the echoes of churning grass sounded. By the second and third steps, the sound became softer, and by the fourth, her steps became like the gentle rustle of the winds against the grass.

"Good," He plainly said. "The next step is to try running without sound. You'll have tons of practice as we hunt. Come along."

Awkwardly pacing behind him, Aurelia stared at the shoulders of the boy, maybe a year older, wondering who he was. 'He knows how to hunt but doesn't know his name?' She moved like a Shadow Dancer, mimicking Zariel's footsteps until, like he did, she glided across the grass.

Through the Redwoods, they moved without sound, silent like shadows. Zariel slowly explained to Aurelia how tracking was done, and like a great sponge, the young girl seemed to absorb all he said, finding herself asking more questions more often than not.

And soon, some hours later, a small Dear approached, bearing antlers of shimmering blue. The creature nibbled at the grass, seemingly ignorant of the two hunters to its rear some hundreds of meters away.

"Watch Carefully," Zariel whispered to her. " This is what we call Spirit Control." He moved out light as a feather and smooth like a shadow. He was upon the dear, brushing its palm against his mane. The creature looked down at him, its large beady eyes seemingly meeting with nothing. Despite Zariel and it exchanging glances, the Dear felt as if the winds had graced its fur, not another living creature. "You always want to aim for the heart or head. If it's a long hunt, aim for the legs to get it to tire out."

He slid the rusted blade from his scabbard. The entire sword's edge seemed like a dark obsidian that did not seem to reflect light but rather absorb it into its infinite depths. Zariel struck, sliding the tip of his sword past the rib, piercing the lung and heart in a single thrust.

The deer died before it could squeal; it flopped onto the ground, and life's blood flowed out in slow pulses from its wound.

When it was over, Aurelia stepped forward, confused. "It just stood there. It… It didn't even try to run."

"This is called Spirit Control," Zariel explained, cleaning his blade over the deer's fur. "By masking the intent to kill beneath an indomitable will, you can make yourself appear dead to most animals. If you get better at it, you'll be able to pressure your foes to their knees or just die altogether."

"Wow!" The little girl sang in awe. "Can you teach Aurelia?"

"If you promise you'll do all the hunting in the future. I don't mind." He said, finding the entire thing more tedious than ever. He wasn't used to being hungry. Much less sore. "I'll leave you to drag it."

Circling the deer well over a hundred pounds, Aurelia held it by the antlers and pulled. Finding it easier than she thought, she beamed a grin." Where are we going?"

"Somewhere… safe," said Zariel, taking off while the young girl followed after dragging a deer nearly five times her weight, smiling.

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