'To be honest, he always seemed like a withdrawn lover. And I was right' Ann wondered as she pulled the reins to Beauty.
'Why am I always right?'
The previous day when she was taking a stroll in the forest, Ann accidentally ran into Kalan. By chance, she learned about his past which was riddled with melancholy.
Hearing a sad love story right in the middle of reading her favorite novel was earning Kalan more pity points than she had anticipated.
In 'He and his other half', Arthum and Helo were having their relationship put under heat for loving each other. They were fighting for their love in their own battles while trying to conceal it from one other.
It was just the level of tragedy mixed with romance that she admired.
Right then, Kalan bumped into her back.
"Oh... I'm sorry" He apologized promptly.
"It's fine. The road is bumpy"
Ann rolled her eyes. She had lost count of the number of times he had apologized since they started.
Ann and Kalan have been sharing a horse since morning as his horse Carrie was sick from a stomach ache. Carrie was walking parallel to them without any extra weight loaded onto her for the day to aid her recovery.
The road they were traveling was bumpy causing Kalan to collide into Ann's back from time to time.
Ann figured that no matter how many times she dismissed him, Kalan would keep apologizing to her till they reached the destination for the day.
According to their travel plan, the entourage would be crossing the river area in the forest where they will camp for the night which was around the red zone for monsters.
Thus, until they reach the location there would be no time for breaks including lunch. It was decided unilaterally by both the teams to avoid running into monsters or any other dangerous creatures.
*NEIGH*
Without a warning, Beauty jumped up into the air.
"Whoa!"
Ann's eyes widened as she instinctively pulled on the reins to steady her position.
Since she was steadily seated on the saddle there was no fear of being thrown out. But the person behind her was not as fortunate enough.
A fall from such a force could result in serious injury if he hadn't caught her in time.
Just as Ann was about to warn Kalan when she felt a pair of arms around her waist. He tightened his grip so as to not slip down from the horse.
Kalan immediately let go of Ann's waist after she got Beauty stable.
"I'm sorry"
"Kalan, you've been apologizing non-stop since we started. We're traveling along a rough path. It's bound to happen and I'm used to it" Ann sighed.
Considering his personality, it was only natural for him to be apologetic all time.
It kind of reminded Ann of the time Eugene was on her horse during one of their jobs. Amused by his expressions she let Beauty run wild on the open field thus unintentionally initiating his fear for extreme speed.
Eugene stuck to her back like a koala bear on a tree until the end of the ride. But one has to reap what they sowed. Since then Eugene refused to ride on the same horse as her for fear of his life.
'It was worth seeing him scream though' Ann hid the grin sneaking up on her face.
Coming back to the matter at hand, Beauty was a horse who does not flinch even at the sight of monsters. For him to jump up spooked then there could be only one reason behind it.
"It's a mouse" Kalan commented above Ann's head.
"You're afraid of a mouse?" Ann snorted.
*neigh*
Beauty whined in protest. He was feeling embarrassed about being surprised by the unexpected appearance of the one thing he hated seeing.
A tiny mouse stood frozen in fear with a seed clutched in its hands. It trembled at the sight of the angry horse in front of it and dropped the seed before hightailing its way into the bushes.
"Look at that cute mousie!" Ann exclaimed with a smile.
*neigh*
"You're cuter" Ann smiled at the jealous horse and ruffled his soft mane.
*snort*
"Maybe we should make a gift out of rat toys for you?" Eugene smirked, causing Beauty to glare at him.
"Hey! Don't poke fun at him. That's my job"
Ann defended Beauty in her own way only to make him stomp his feet in annoyance. He didn't like anyone making fun of him when his crush Carrie was beside him.
*neigh*
Beauty jumped in the air again to hide his embarrassment.
"Beauty! Calm down!" Ann exclaimed, pulling him down.
Though she was unaware of the reason behind his sudden tantrum. The person beside her was not.
"Your horse is energetic" Kalan stated, letting go of Ann's waist.
"Of course he. Did you know Beauty is the most handsome horse in the world? He is-..."
"Speaking of which..." Eugene interrupted her,
"What do you want for your birthday? It's today right? We are inside a forest so the options are limited though..."
It was only after he said that he noticed Ann glare at him with an annoyed expression.
"What?" He shrugged, unable to comprehend her glare.
As soon as those words came out of Eugene's mouth, Kalan asked,
"Today is your birthday?"
'Noah, you had one job!'
Ann facepalmed. All he had to do was to inform the others to not say anything till they got out of the forest.
"Haha... yes"
She awkwardly laughed as she turned around and requested,
"Please don't tell anyone"
Time and time again Ann regretted getting drunk in front of the Nero mercenaries when they first met. The twins were undeniably persuasive in convincing a drunk person to do what they wanted.
"Kalan?" Ann called out.
He had become unresponsive after hearing Eugene run his mouth. He seemed to be contemplating something with a serious expression.
"Today is your birthday? How can that be?" Kalan frowned and mumbled under his breath.
Noticing Ann's suspicious eyes he snapped back from his trance and said,
"I wish you a happy birthday"
"Thank you. But seriously, don't tell anyone"
All of a sudden, the carriages at the front come to a halt.
"What now?"
Ann and Kalan got down from their horses curious about why they had stopped.
Did they reach the destination for the day? But as far as their eyes could reach there was no river or any forms of water body within sight.
As they stood confused, Chief Gallahan climbed on top of a carriage and announced,
"We're here folks! We are at the Eldom river... though I'm not sure where it is hiding at the moment" He grumbled stroking his beard.
Murmurs and confusion filled the small group of people searching for the lost river.
Eugene and Ann peered at the map for the forest.
"Hmm..."
As per their map, they were standing on the shores of the river.
"Did the lake move? Or did the fairies mess with the forest?" Ann joked to ease the tension.
By seeing that they lost an entire river, the situation was worse than they had anticipated. They would be in serious waters if they do not find the river.
The river was a travel marker used by travelers who crossed through Eldom. Without reaching the river, there would be no source to restock the water supply until they reach Parthellam.
"That is a possibility" Eugene nodded, accepting her theory.
"Hey, I was only joking. Are you serious?"
"Fairies do not like humans invading their territories. They are said to confuse travelers by creating passages using illusion magic" Kalan added for his share.
"The river we are searching for must be within a few meters in the vicinity"
"You know a lot about fairies... Hmm fascinating" Ann raised her eyebrows in awe.
"It was a part of my education"
"Education huh?" Ann hummed before turning back to Eugene,
"So should we go river hunting?"
While the group was discussing the forest, Ann heard something between the trees that caught her attention.
"Wait a second... What was that?"
It was a familiar sound. Almost as if a voice was calling out her name.
*chirp*
"What? What was what?" Eugene asked, following her line of sight. He couldn't find anything unusual in the trees.
*chirp*
"That! Did you hear that Eugene?"
"All I hear is wind and bugs and everyone else talking"
*chirp* *chirp*
As the voice was growing distant, Ann felt an urge to chase after it.
"Eugene and I will search in that direction. The rest of you can search this area!"
Ann said in a hurry, running towards the trees while pulling Eugene's arm.
The two disappeared into the forest leaving behind a blank Kalan to take care of both the horses. He stared at the trees and withdrew his extended hand when he heard Ezra call out to him.
Meanwhile,
"Don't pull me!"
Eugene complained running behind Ann as she chased after an unknown voice. To be precise, he was being dragged through bushes while being slapped left and right by branches.
They have been running for twenty minutes with no sense of direction. And now were stranded in one of the largest forests in Orion.
When finally Ann came to a stop, she looked around in all directions.
"Where did it go?" She bit her lips, her eyes wavering restlessly.
"We... we came too far. How will we find our way back?" Eugene panted, catching his breath.
"We can just return the way we came"
"We're lost" Eugene threw his hands in the air.
"We are not lost. Just misplaced"
"We're lost!"
"Stop that. Don't jinx us" Ann mumbled.
Taking a small break, Eugene leaned on a tree and glanced at Ann. She was busy searching for something in the bushes.
"Can I ask you something?" He asked removing the leaves on his hair.
"Anything for you baby. Ask away" Ann said, on all fours looking under the stones.
"Why are you being nice to him?"
"To who?"
"To the person you let ride on your horse"
"His horse was sick" Ann shrugged.
"Is that all?" Eugene raised his eyebrows.
"Well excuse me for feeling sorry for someone" Ann stood up feeling offended by his reaction. For once in her life, she was nice to someone. Yet instead of being praised, she was getting scrutinized for it.
"I don't want to gossip. But remember when he told us that he was married. Turns out his wife left him"
"What?"
"Yeah... Exactly my reaction"
"Are feeling a sense of companionship with him since you are both in the same situation"
"No!" Ann looked at Eugene with a twisted face.
"Kalan wants to get back with his wife. Whereas I will set my ex on fire when I see him. There's a difference"
Ann added massaging her throbbing head,
"Me being nice to him is like feeling pity for a lonely puppy shaking in the rain. Nothing more. Nothing less"
"Really?"
"Yes! Why are you even asking about this!"
"Just looking out..."
"Looking out for what?"
Before Ann could question him more.
*chirp* *chirp*
A little bird flapped its wings and flew across her eyes as if enticing her to follow it. It circled before her face and heated into the trees once again.
'Isn't that?'
It was a hummingbird with beautiful iridescent wings.
But hummingbirds are not native to Eldom. And for one to survive this deep within the forest it could not have been a normal bird.
"There it is!" Ann took off chasing after the bird.
She was able to recognize it but was unable to remember where.
"I don't see anything. At least tell me what we are chasing after!" Eugene shouted chasing Ann in close proximity.
"THAT!" Ann yelled and pointed at the little bird tilting its head on the top of a branch.
"Oww! Oww! Don't shout in my ears!"
When looked up, there was no bird or what so ever present. It was like Ann was chasing after a ghost.
*chirp*
As soon as they got close, the bird flew away as if waiting for her to catch up.
"Stop flying away birdie!" Ann accelerated her speed.
She noticed the trees thinning along the path. In a trice, the bird flew into the distance. It disappeared under the blinding sun and a cliff emerged, alerting Ann to slow down.
"Whoa!"
Ann managed to stop on her feet right at the edge of the cliff.
"Where's the bird?"
Eugene emerged holding his fast-beating heart.
"Forget the bird" Ann waved at him to come forward.
"Look what we found"
Under the cliff was the Eldom river stretching over the horizon. The sky was turning red and the sun was about to set.
But the bird was nowhere to be seen.