BIRD OF PREY | a reiner braun spinoff

chapter t w e l v e

Peaceful and rested.

For a moment... All laid still. The chilly winds seemed to hold its breath. And the owls hushed their hootings. Even the trees froze in place.

"I'm sorry," Came a hoarse whisper.

And then from the forest.. The sound of a small fracture echoed through the silence.

Saito snapped his head up at the sound of a cracking twig. Swiftly, as if the weapon was just another one of his limbs, he lifted the gun from his side and aimed into the pitch darkness. He could almost hear the blood rushing through his veins from his anxiety.

His eyes perked up at the shadow in the darkness as he remembered to breathe. To his relief, only a huge stag stared back at him ever so cautiously. It froze stiff and still like the trees it poked out from. Saito looked at it directly in it's eyes. It was a gorgeous beast. Huge with branching antlers. It stood tall and proud under the glow of the moonlight that peeked through the trees. No doubt a king in the forest with all it's ferocious muscles and meat.

Meat that would suffice two men on a long journey.

Yes.. Even after they've taken some meat for themselves to last their whole journey, there would still be plenty left that they could sell for a handsome price. A price that would have them travel comfortably. And the small pilot would do anything for a taste of comfort, the solace of his old life, in this biting cold.

Ever so subtly, he aligned his aim perfectly to the animal and he lowered his finger down to the trigger. He took a breath and held it in. With his articular good eyesight and steady hands, Saito was known around to be an excellent marksman. The Marleyan force even acknowledged him for it among his piloting skills. If he hadn't been made a pilot, he'd have been assigned as a sniper.

Saito curled his finger, slowly pressing on the trigger.

However from the corner of his eyes he caught a movement and a soft snore. Saito slid his eyes down to the sleeping figure of Reiner by the dying fire. The stag took Saito's distractions as it's que to flee. With it's white tail flaring in the air, a warning flag to all the other deer within sight, it vanished into the forest. Lowering his rifle, Saito sighed as he watched the stag escape– although the pilot didn't look particularly disappointed.

He glanced over to Reiner who curled up due to the bitterness of the night, peacefully asleep. He had his head propped on a log as if it were a pillow. He oddly looked comfortable despite the dirt and the chill. Saito couldn't figure out how he was able to sleep so deeply in those conditions.

Or how he found himself hating the idea of waking him up because his dumb ass decided to shoot a deer.

Saito returned back to his seat on the other side of the log. He sat down slowly, holding his side as he still felt the pulsating pain. He planted the base of the gun on the ground and let the barrel lean on his shoulder.

He glanced down at his wound. It had been a day since he had cauterized it but the pain still held him prisoner. It felt like his guts would fall right out if he didn't hold it. But when he did or showed any sort of signs that he was in pain, Reiner's hawk senses would catch it and his stupid worried face would be all up at him, suggesting they take a quick break and all that.

If Saito had taken his every suggestion they probably would've never left that cabin or traveled the distance they had for the day. But there was a price for his stubbornness and it was coming to him now. Saito sighed painfully before he growled and cursed at his injury.

There was always a fucking price. He furrowed his eyebrows.

He lifted his eyes over to Reiner. The Warrior shifted positions again, still fast asleep. I should wake him up soon... It would be about time they switched watch duty. But he found himself hesitating...