A beautiful forest, crimson leaves slowly turning darker until they become maroon. Cute furry animals chased one another playfully. Nothing of threat here. Tranquil one would say. Lurisa found the natural pathways of divided trees organically mesmerising. The arch of leaves above them as if nature intended to protect its citizens from a hail of rain. Dim grey light escaped past the leaves to dawn on them. Lurisa missed the sun, funny how she never really appreciated it until now. She wondered about Samara, she knew Arthur was a prince, therefore his training to be an amazing knight was guaranteed.
What if I just ran away and stopped pretending to be a warrior? Arthur thought.
And Bill being a blacksmith suited. He looked like he had a family of four and was enjoying his later years. He really needs a skincare routine, Lurisa thought.He had said he was an apprentice to his local blacksmith, admittedly he was very new and not very good.
But Samara. She said nothing of who she was. She had mentioned nothing of anything except for the name Yoriah that she talked of once. Would a sage hide anything? Or maybe as a sage, she let go of her past? Perhaps she defeated the ultimate evil of all which was ego and let herself go.
Leaves drifted down, not naturally. No, a stampede of leaves fell from a particular tree. No creature that's meant to be up there would cause that. Lurisa readied herself and Arthur fastened his sword, even though he didn't know how to wield it correctly. They all waited.
Samara could see a black boot hidden among the branches, "Come on."
No answer.
"Now!" Samara said in a stern motherly tone.
Trickling down slickly was a petite girl, she couldn't have been older than seventeen. Her skin pale as a ghost, her face thin and angular. White hair followed by heavy black strands, that was rather unique.
"I'm sorry. I'm hiding," she said.
"Not very well," Samara answered.
She nodded as her hair looked even more dishevelled, "I'm being hunted."
"By who?" Lurisa pressed. They hadn't seen anyone else in the forest.
"I don't know exactly. I just know I'm being hunted. They're a clan hunting my clan down. I'm trying to get home but–"
"Name?" Samara asked, her patience wearing thin.
"Quiver."
Who would name their child that? Surely that's child abuse, Samara thought."Beautiful name. Right, if where you're escaping is east then we'll help protect you.
She shyly accepted and moved along with them. Arthur put a hand around her and patted her shoulder, he could see she was shivering, whether it be from the cold or Samara's mothering scolding.
"Awh, find yourself a girlfriend," Lurisa whispered mockingly in his ear.
Arthur laughed, "Jealous?"
"Ew." Lurisa was done with the conversation. Arthur didn't even register the reaction. As a prince, a woman had never said anything negative to him in such an aspect.
An hour later another clapping of branches occurred in the treetops as if a hippopotamus had set base there "Oh gods, strike me down if it's another person," Samara rubbed her face and blew out frustrated air.
A leaf floated down, spiralling around, it landed on Bill's hand with a trickle of blood attached to it. Bill had a disgusted elongated face, he was hoping it wasn't faeces of a dying animal. Thick branches crumpled and next a man fell from a canopy of leaves right in front of the group. "Keep walking," Samara said, "actually can't be arsed with this." A grisly groan followed her words from the fallen individual.
Quiver knelt down beside the tall burly man. He had long jet-matted hair, a strong stubble, a perfect jawline. Arthur found himself irritated just looking at his chiselled presence. He wore an all black outfit and for some reason had his top unbuttoned to show off his muscular chest and abs.
"That just makes no sense to have out in the wilderness," Arthur commented.
Quiver rocked him back and forth, "Are you okay? Hello?"
His eyes shot open, bright cyan exerted as his eyelids activated. He was gorgeous to put it simply. Quiver blushed, her pale skin turned tomato red. He gripped her arm and she gasped, his breathing completely out of order. She put her hand on his stubbly chest and his breathing calmed. Lurisa threw a dirty look of abhorrence, why would a stranger touching him calm him?
"Are you okay?" Quiver asked.
"I think so," he said. "You saved me?"
Arthur looked around to see if everyone else was seeing this, "No. You fell and she just happened to be there."
Arthur's words flitted away in the vacuum of space where reason cannot be heard. "Yes. I did," Quiver said.
She helped lift him up. Oh my gods. There's no way! Arthur couldn't believe it. He stood nearly a whole head taller than Arthur and he would have been considered tall. He was so much broader, he had to be taking drug enhancements, no way was that body naturally attainable! Rips appeared throughout his shirt, veins popping from his bicep and forearms like roots of a tree.
He grabbed Quiver as if a whole group wasn't watching them, "Thank you. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't there," he tilted his head and his eyes leered down at her. She turned her gaze, unable to meet his strong presence..
"You would have woken up anyway! She quite literally did nothing!" Arthur shouted. He was nearly shaking with how irked this was making him.
"No. Your arm," Quiver said frightened as blood dripped down a potential scar.
"It's nothing," he whispered. "I'm more worried about you. Are you alright?"
"Yes, she is. She was under our watch. After we saved her!" Arthur raised his tone.
She slightly whimpered, "I guess, I guess I'm alright now." She caressed his arm, "My name is Quiver."
Lurisa hadn't conjured a single thought. This man was the most beautiful thing she had laid her eyes upon, she just wanted to hear his name now. Samara couldn't give a damn. Bill was messing with a furry companion named a Cogul, they were like cats but larger with grey fur and eyes settled on the side of their skulls so they could see in front and behind.
"Dante Luciano. It's a pleasure," he smirked, for some reason. Everything he said seemed to just require a smirk!
What is happening? Why is nobody saying anything? No way that's his actual name, Arthur thought. Am I the only sane person here?
Half an hour went by, Lurisa now understood where Arthur was coming from. The two strangers had this weird chemistry, acting like they were soulmates even though they knew nothing about each other. Lurisa wasn't jealous, obviously. But the hunk, Dante wouldn't even look at her. Not even in a respectful manner but closer to the likes that Lurisa's profile disturbed him so he had to avoid her.
"You're right," she whispered to Arthur, "they're weird. Really weird."
Samara walked ahead of the group. If young love sickened the others, Samara was surely over it before it began. Samara halted in her tracks. The trail was muddy and trodden. She could see broken branches on the ground, lots of them. And an abnormal amount of fallen leaves on this specific row of trees. I'm going to lose it. I'm genuinely going to lose it, she thought.
A group of men dropped down like predators who had just caught their prey in a vulnerable position. Six of them in unison, stomped toward Quiver and Dante. Walking past the others.
I guess we're just not here then, Lurisa thought.
The bald man spoke with a hushed tone, "Dante. You got the girl. Well done. The Patriarch will be happy."
Dante levered his arm across Quiver. He had to protect her. "No, Osmon. Leave the girl alone."
"Excuse me?" He answered.
"The girl stays with me. You hear me!" He snarled at them.
She held Dante's arm close and pushed herself into his warmth, "Dante. What's happening?"
"I'm sorry Quiver. I'm–"
"He's a sasquatch. Just like the rest of us," Osmon answered, sneering at him.
"Explains why he's hairy," Lurisa noted to Arthur.
"Quiver. I didn't want you to find out like this," he gulped with regret. "I know my people hunted down your clan. But when you saved me–"
"She didn't save you!" Arthur shouted among them. Dante actually acknowledged that he said something. Finally. They heard my common sense, he thought. But Dante ignored the comment instantly and continued. "Who is that? Anyway. When you saved me. You showed me what love really is. A stranger you hardly knew."
Dante snarled and in a moment he became hairy and taller, his muscles doubled, his face became more like a flat wall of features. His arms lengthened to his knees and his back hunched. His voice was more bestial and deep, like an echo in a chasm, "Leave! Before I kill all of you."
"Just for the girl?" Osmon asked.
"Only for her!" Dante roared.
Lurisa almost fainted over the cringe. They had just met each other! What was wrong with these people? There's no possible way you could fall in love with someone after thirty minutes. Osmon waved his companions to leave, "We'll be back Dante. You better watch your back." They disappeared into the trees, all transformed into sasquatches.
Lurisa was gobsmacked, "What just happened."
Bill stared at Dante who was transitioning back to a human, "I thought sasquatches were a fairytale?"
"Not quite," Dante snorted.
Arthur darted his head from side to side, "Why is he acknowledging Bill and nobody else?"
"Shuddering at having to transform, Dante held Quiver, I didn't want you to find out like this."
"Oh, Dante. I knew you were a sasquatch from the beginning," Quiver said
Dante was shocked, "You did?" He blushed, he couldn't believe it. She closed her eyes and nodded up and down.
"How did it happen?" Bill rubbed his beard with a sense of curiosity.
Dante answered, "When I was young, I was exploring the mountains with my brother. Long story short, I was fed the hair of a sasquatch so I wouldn't die and ever since I've been like this."
"Okay. Long story short just doesn't work in this scenario. How on earth were you given sasquatch hair to eat?" Lurisa asked.
Bill kindly tapped Dante, "When did that happen?"
"Two hundred years ago."
"And you're flirting with a seventeen-year-old? He's a pervert. Quiver! Even if he was twenty-two it would be weird." Bill, Quiver and Dante were talking as a trio. "Why are you acting like I'm not here!" Arthur was ready to tear his hair out.
"I know you're here," Lurisa sighed. Arthur fake sobbed into his palms exaggerating the anguish he was suffering and she put a hand on his cheek, "It's gonna be a long. Long. Long day."