Rhidenstone

Friends?

Katie had sat there all the way through the afternoon, by now it was sunset and she was fixated on the sight of orange, pink and red around her it was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. As she was sitting in silence she heard a twig snap from behind she jumped a foot in the air and spun around her hand on the sword as a deterrent. In front of her was a boy, around her age with black hair brushing the tips of his shoulders, brown eyes and a cocky grin. "Who are you," Katie asked hoping that her voice didn't betray her nervousness. He looked at her with a hit of something in his eyes, was it sadness? He still didn't reply, "I said who are you?" Katie's hand tightened on the sword.

"Relax, relax," he said putting his hands up n the universal sign of surrender taking a couple of steps back, "I'm Xander." Katie eyed him suspiciously, "anyways what happened to you? You look like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards!"

" I'm Katie," she started a little offended that he hadn't asked her for her name, "as for being dragged through a hedge something far worse has happened."

"What's that?" He said he said curiously, Katie noted that he was less flippant and now more concerned which mollified her somewhat.

"I met some of the remaining Parum Bugairi I'd learned about them in school but they weren't portrayed as murderous, I was just told that they left to seek a better life!"

"Yes, well history is often written by the victors," Xander mused, "I assume that you're a long way from home judging by the state you're in have you any idea where you plan to go to next?"

"Well they weren't telling me complete lies and they told me of a village named Amalite, I don't have any way to get there but I was hoping to follow this path and stumble across it."

At her words Xander visibly brightened, "well you're in luck," he said exuberantly with a grin, "for I just happen to be from Amalite!" With that he did a twirl on the spot, then extended his arms and did jazz hands.

A reluctant laugh left Katie and she shook her head, "you seriously expect me to believe that the only other human I've met out here is from the place I am trying to go?"

"No, I'm serious," he said, "its about a days walk over there," he gestured to the gap between the trees the path was snaking through.

"Then why are you here?" Katie looked at him in askance, "its so far away, I can't believe you decided to go for a leisurely stroll."

"You're right," he gave a self-deprecating smile, "I don't exactly fit in there."

"Whyever not?"

"Because we moved to Amalite a while back being an outsider meant I had no friends on principle and when I was finally deemed worthy enough to be around everyone already had their friendship groups." Katie gave him a look of understanding which Xander misinterpreted, "don't look like that, I'm perfectly happy being on my lonesome me!" Xander pointed at his chest, "now come on," he seized Katies hand, "lets get you help."

And with that he began pulling her towards the path, Pepper left Katies hair and settled down on Xander's head instead, "traitor," Katie mumbled.   

Walking down the path Xander glanced over at Katie as she tilts her head to look at the stars above them without warning she trips over a protruding tree root, "careful," he says as he catches her.

"Thank you," she says righting herself. They resume walking in silence, eventually Katie cant stand it and she asks, "when did you go to Rhidenstone?"

"It was a while back now," Xander shrugged, "my parents were looking for somewhere to move."

"And you didn't choose Rhidenstone?"

"It was deemed unsafe because of The Curse, Mum and Dad didn't want anything to happen to me."

"You told me you had no friends, surely you must have had one?" Katie's inquisitive nature got the better of her once more.

Xander huffed good naturedly, "what is this, twenty questions?" He continued, "well, I suppose you can say I had one she was very dear to me although we didn't leave on the best of terms, I worry about her now and then."

"I'm sure she's fine."

After this Katie was lost in thought, so lost in fact she didn't realise when she nearly stepped into a huge sinkhole that had opened up on the path, "woah, careful," Xander exclaimed rushing forward to steer her away from it.

"Its fine," Katie said, "we can just go around it," and with that she started to make her way to the sided of the path already calculating her way through the brambles and trees.

"We can't do that," Xander said walking backwards in front of her, "its not safe off the path, just look at your run in with the Parum Bugairi its much better to stay safe." Xander went and walked around at all the trees on either side of the pathway, he stopped at a silver birch, "can I borrow your sword?"

"What," Katie said reluctant to hand it over as it was her only safety net.

"Don't worry you'll get it back," Xander held out his hand expectantly.

Katie placed the sword in his hand, "just be careful."

Xander doesn't bother with a reply, instead he scales the birch tree like a monkey and starts shaking the branches, "this one will do," he calls down to her. He takes the sword and starts hacking at the branch he deemed acceptable, after a few minutes hard labour the branch makes a creaking sound, "timber!" Xander shouts as it falls his face alight with excitement. 

Katie walks around the branch examining it, "why exactly did you do that?" She asked.

"Well," Xander replied hacking off the twigs protruding from the branch, "I thought we could do that thing, you know, you run and use the branch to propel yourself through the air."

"You mean pole vaulting?" Katie asks dubiously. Xander nods his head excitedly, "absolutely not, no way."

"Please," Xander wheedled.

Katie sighed giving in quickly, it had been a long day after all, "give me that," she said irritably snatching the sword from his grasp.

Katie heaved up the branch, thankful it wasn't too heavy and ran using the branch to push herself over the hole and to the other side, Katie landed awkwardly on her ankle and cried out in pain. Seining she was in trouble Xander rapidly vaulted himself over the hole with Pepper following swiftly behind, "here let me see that," he said poking at Katies ankle.

Katie hissed in pain, "watch out," she said.

"Sorry," he grinned sheepishly, "I think its just a sprain though, you'll be fine. You can lean on me the rest of the way."

"How far is it until we get there?" Katie asked using Xander for support.

"Not long," he replied walking at a slow pace, "at the rate we're going it will be another hour or so." Katie felt her heart sink to her feet.

Catching sight of her expression Xander grinned giving her a nudge, "don't worry, we get to do some more bonding," he sang the last word. Katie felt her heart sink through the floor.

"There it is," Xander said excitedly.

"Where," Katie asked irritably.

Their hours walk had turned into two with the amount of times Katie had to stop and take a break, that combined with Xander's egregious enthusiasm about everything had made Katie extremely tetchy. "Over there," Xander continued pointing down at the valley below them, Katie had been looking down at her feet and was so tired that she had missed the spirals of smoke rising from the tents altogether.

"Fantastic," she said her face crumpling in relief. With that she started hobbling down the path at a surprising speed.

"Hey wait for me," Xander yelled jogging to catch up with her.