What Lies Beyond || AOT Boys x Reader

Chapter 4: A Strange Finding

You could hear the faint chirping of crickets outside the abandoned house you sat it. After Thomas's pleading after the sun dipped behind the walls, you chose a house to settle in for the night.

Accompanying the crickets, you could faintly hear the light snoring of the boy curled up next to you. Dark circles were painted beneath his thin eyes from limited amount of sleep. You knew you looked worse; you rarely slept these past days, afraid if you did, Thomas would up and disappear the minute you shut your eyes.

You sighed and rubbed your eyes, refusing to let the crickets lull you to sleep. Trying to distract yourself from sleep, you slipped your hands inside the pocket where Lark's bag was. You frowned and pulled it to your lap.

It was a simple bag. Nothing stood out from the ordinary, just the clasp which was a red gem. Fiddling with the strap that kept it shut, you debated opening it. One one hand your curiosity was far to great to leave it untouched, but on the other hand the grief of losing Lark was still fresh.

Taking a deep breath, you shut your eyes and opened the satchel.

You opened one clear (e/c) eye and stared at the contents. The first item that caught your eye was the knife. Thin, small, and deadly. Your nimble fingers gingerly gripped the hilt and pulled it up so it dangled in front of your eyes. It looked new, the shiny metal glinting in the soft moonlight that flooded in through the window. You turned it over, little scratches near the hilt catching your wandering eye.

Curious, you squinted at the scribbles that you soon realized, spelled something out. Leaning even closer to the dagger, you nearly chucked the blade away. On the steel were two engraved letters;

Little Kestrel

Slightly disturbed by the dagger, you fished around desperately for the sheath and carefully encased the blade. Setting it down beside you, you promised yourself to inspect it later in daylight.

The second item you picked was a small notebook, the writing too small for you to see in the dark. You huffed and set it next to the dagger. Impatient, you dumped the rest of the contents of the bag on your lap.

A wrapped up bundle of berries was the third item you saw, your stomach grumbling at the thought of food. Any food you managed to find always went to Thomas. Of course if the boy knew you had been starving yourself for his sake he would be horrified and force you to eat. In honest, you had eaten a little bit, but not enough to keep the effects of hunger at bay.

You ignored your growling stomach and tilted your head to the side as a thin chain glittered. You pinched the chain of silver and figured it was some type of necklace. It was simple, the only bead or whatever it was, was the silver circle that matched the chain. Even if it was rather dull for your liking, you strung it around your neck anyways. After brushing your hair from your messy braid away, the cool metal met your heated skin.

Your fingers brushed against the chain and a feeling of comfort settled inside you. You didn't know why, but it felt like you were carrying a piece of Lark with you now. A small smile graced your lips and your eyes wandered over to the moonlit window.

You heard Thomas sigh and roll over to his other side, his brows knitting together before going lax again. You could see the thin cuts above his eye and on his jaw line, the layer of dirt covering some other hidden scrapes and bruises.

You had your own fair share of cuts and bruises as well, Thomas pointed out a rather nasty one on your hairline a while back. It stopped bleeding the day you received it, but it still hurt and throbbed like it was fresh.

Thomas mumbled something in his sleep, his lips turning into a deep frown. He started mumbling frantically and squirmed, his face contorting into one of fear. Your heart stung seeing your friend like this. He never had nightmares before you had fled your home, but now he had one nearly every time he slept.