Forgotten Paths: Chapter 3 - Out of the Woods
#3 of Forgotten Paths
Now they're out of the woods :3
Sorry for the small chapter...
Woah, 10 Follows, 2 Favs! That's a record! For me at least xD (Over at Fanfiction)
_ Couple Favs and a few Watchers over here too~ _
_ You've got no idea how giddy that makes me, people like my writing! x3 _
_ Well today is my B-day, and I figured why not give a little gift to others who gave me the joy of knowing what its like to have people interested in my writing. On another note sorry for the long wait, I'm back in school finishing up those few credits I need. So expect a time gap between chapters. I'll do my best to try an' whip up some chapters, but school comes first for me. _
_ As always, reviews and critique are welcome. They mold the story and the writer, so help me become better and have more confidence in my writing xD _
_ See ya'll later! _
_ Smiles~ _
The sun slowly crested over the horizon, bathing the forest and the open field in its bright morning light. The early morning rays of sunlight shone through the small window, revealing the room to be a small bedroom consisting of a small one person bed tucked in a corner by the window, a nightstand, dresser and a chair at the bedside. A tired groan emanated from underneath the covers, the bright rays of light slowly awakening the inhabitant underneath.
'N-no... It's too early to be up... Just five more minutes...'
Sluggishly green arms threw the covers off revealing Leanna yawning as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, reaching for the ceiling as she stretched the kinks from her back from her restful sleep. Observing her surroundings she realizes she was in a bed. The room didn't have much in the way of furniture but enough to make it feel spacious and roomy. Leanna looks at the window slightly open to let the warm morning breeze inside, the white curtains gently moving from the wind.
She didn't even notice Adrian walk in with a plate piled with fruit and a large glass of water in the other hand. His brown hair was in its customary ponytail and his bangs framed his face per usual. What was different were the bandages that covered his torso and shoulders, the smaller cuts along his arms were few and far in between not needing any treatment other than cleaning. He wore black baggy pants with a belt to keep it at his waist, the legs tucked into a pair of well-worn leather boots, his footfalls barely making a sound as he entered the bedroom.
A smile formed on his face as he saw the Gardevoir up and about. "Ah good, you're awake and well I see!"
Letting out a squeak of surprise Leanna spins around her eyes wide when suddenly the chair next to her flared purple, soaring across the room at the woodsman.
Jumping to the side Adrian narrowly dodges the flying furniture watching it crash into the wall and fall to the floor with a clatter.
He quickly sets the plate and water down before raising his hands up in a sign of peace, "Hey Leanna it's just me Adri- umph-mpf!" The rest of his sentence became a muffled pained mess as his vision went black all of the sudden and pain erupted from his nose.
The Gardevoir however had no intention of peace in mind as her fist finished getting well acquainted with the Adrian's face, who was now face first on the floor cradling his face in his hands.
" __Where Did You Take Me?! Answer Me!"_she yelled, only to frown when all she heard was a pained moan sound in reply. _"_ What? Get off the floor you idiot and speak up!"_
With a groan Adrian propped himself up off the floor rubbing his throbbing nose, which thankfully wasn't broken. Who knew a Gardevoir could throw such a punch!
"I said; remind me to knock next time-"He replied giving a pained grunt as he pushed himself up onto the bed. "-and we're in my home. After our grand escape I thought you could do with some rest, given you passed out soon after that fiasco."
"A simple 'thank you' would be appreciated, an apology would be nice too now that I think about it." He added rubbing his sore nose, ignoring the angry glare being thrown his way.
Leanna nearly flipped, " __You're the one sneaking up on people and stealing them away to your home! So I think you're the one who's supposed to apologize to me! You- you-"_ She_ stuttered angrily before she trailed off fuming at Adrian.
If she were a small child Adrian could picture the Gardevoir throwing a tantrum and stamping her feet in a fit. Who was he kidding he could picture her doing that right now! After a few minutes she eventually calmed down, planting herself on the bed beside him with a huff. "You should've just left me..."
Adrian looked at Leanna in confusion; her eyes were locked onto his shoulders and chest all covered in bandages before looking at the floor downcast. Hurriedly he gently calls her name to catch her attention, a warm smile greeting her forlorn gaze.
"I'm fine Leanna; I've dealt with worse believe it or not." He laughed in an attempt to lift her spirits.
But the distraught Gardevoir wasn't going to be swayed. Her eyes glimmered as tears began to form, "If it hadn't been for me you wouldn't be hurt-"
"And if it hadn't been for You I wouldn't be here." Adrian said cutting off her statement, his voice still calm but his smile however wasn't present as he looked her in the eyes. "If you hadn't been around I wouldn't have escaped. That I'm certain of."
Confusion laced her features as Adrian continued still maintaining eye contact with Leanna.
"While I'd rather have done some things differently back in the caves, not everything goes to plan. If we had taken things my way, if you hadn't pushed me to act, I don't think we'd be alive right now."
"You saved my life Leanna; with the diversion with the Dire Wolves, and in helping me fight one of them, standing in the face of danger to save my life. Regardless of my want for you to leave me behind when things got dangerous... You stayed."
Moving off the bed Leanna watched in complete confusion as Adrian fell to one knee with his head bowed, his ponytail draped over one shoulder as his bangs hid his face. "And for that I am in your debt."
A silence fell over the both of them, the human his head bowed before the Gardevoir, and she a small blush burning on her cheeks. The sun climbed higher and the birds outside chirped and sung their morning songs.
The presence in the back of his mind suddenly flared to life, a feeling of calm eased his worries as Leanna's melodious voice scolded him, "I don't need your thanks; I was only returning the favor." Averting her gaze she looked down to her lap fidgeting with her dress hoping the blush on her cheeks wasn't as noticeable as it felt.
Taking that as his cue Adrian raised his head back up giving Leanna a reassuring smile before walking out the doorway, only to pop his head back in.
"In case you hadn't noticed, I came in with some food." He pointed to the small plate of fruit and water on the nightstand.
Fresh apples had been cut into slices, along with an assortment of grapes and berries ranging from the sweet Oran to the sour Aspear.
While common across the border in Pokémon Territory Poké-Berries were rare in the Human Regions. Here humans grew the regular fruits and vegetables, while they grew quickly with the proper care, Poké-Berries didn't seem to grow in the human owned regions. They just didn't seem to grow as easily.
Looking back up Leanna caught sight of Adrian leaving the room waving as he left.
"My home is your home; don't hesitate to ask if you need anything, I'll be outside for a bit."
Leanna watched as Adrian left and waited patiently, listening intently until she heard the sound of a door opening and closing. With a frustrated groan the Gardevoir fell backwards onto the bed, shaking her head ignoring the thoughts that raced through her head, conjuring up emotions and thoughts best left to her and her alone, things that made her mind go blank with desire.
"Stupid, stupid man... I can't think like that of him!" she whined, mentally berating herself for being so easily swooned.
For Arceus's sake, he hadn't even done anything except thank her! While she was sorry he was hurt, and she did appreciate him thanking her, did he have to do it shirtless!?
The blushing Gardevoir's thoughts trailed back to the human's body. Tall and slim he was indeed attractive; while his chest was covered in bandages she could still tell that he was fit...
Leanna again furiously shook her head trying to purge her mind of such thoughts.
Thinking it best to just move on with her day her hunger began to make itself known as her stomach felt uncomfortably empty and her body still felt heavy from sleep. Scooting closer to the nightstand she pulled the plate of fruit onto her lap throwing an Oran berry into her mouth, savoring the fruit that exploded with taste on her tongue before quickly washing it down with the cold water. Not before long all the food and drink had disappeared leaving Leanna smiling in content as her stomach was full and her body wasn't as heavy as it once was before she ate the revitalizing fruit.
" __Well, I guess I should look around, see what there is to do around here... _ If __ there is anything to do that is."_
Looking out the window she spied Adrian relaxing under a large maple, nodding off in the peaceful morning, until a nut lands on his head startling him awake as he rubbed the top of his head searching for the source of the disturbance above him, earning a light giggle from Leanna.
"Maybe it won't be so bad though, a little payback wouldn't hurt." She smirked, remembering when the human threw his dagger at her giving her a huge scare. The memory made a cold shiver run down her spine as she remembered the rest of the night including the fight with the Dire Wolf.
Looking back outside she watched as Adrian slowly fell back to sleep.
"I guess only a little though, I'm not that heartless." She smiled down at Adrian, though being fast asleep he didn't notice.
"I'm bored."
Adrian sighed turning another page in the large book in his hands while he relaxed on the couch, his boots propped up on the table in front of him. "And I'm reading. Leave me be."
A few days had passed since they first arrived at Adrian's cabin and all had been calm. Leanna seemed to have made a full recovery while Adrian's wounds still needed a little more time but could wear heavy clothing now that the wounds on his shoulders had healed somewhat. Though now that the Gardevoir was well again she wouldn't leave him alone, much of the time she was around was spent like this, much to Adrian's displeasure.
" I said I'm bored." Leanna stated again folding her arms.
Lowering the book in his hands he stared at the Gardevoir looking down at him with an annoyed look on her face. "And I said, I'm reading. Go read a book or go outside, something else that doesn't involve me!" he exclaimed, rubbing his temples as he looked back at his book.
Oh how he wished he could just finish this one paragraph without an interruption!
" __Go outside and get my dress; which I _ *Just * _finished cleaning by the way, dirty all over again? Plus I don't want to read your dusty old books..."
Adrian closed his book. Obviously he wasn't going to finish reading "Of Myths & Beasts", maybe another time. Though he'd read about the legends and myths countless times, he still wondered if besides Pokémon there lived other creatures like them somewhere out there.
" __And if I recall it was you who said to 'Not hesitate to ask for anything, my home is your home- blah-blah.' So I say again, I'm _ bored _."
Begrudgingly she was right, he knew she was right. Though that didn't mean she had to constantly be in his space all the time!
"Alright, guess I can't put it off anymore." Walking passed Leanna he set the book back on the bookshelf, grabbing his boots and cloak of a coatrack as he talked.
Leanna frowned, "Wait, put what off?" she asked following close behind, watching Adrian grab a small satchel that hung at the waist held by the strap across the chest over the shoulder.
He turned and pointed to the other room where the door to the kitchen could be seen.
"I need to get more supplies; meat, vegetables, some spices- oh and tea! Definitely need to restock on that." He said listing off some items he needed on his fingers. She could see a faint flicker of glee when he spoke about getting more tea.
From what she had learned about Adrian he was in fact a woodsman, living out at the edge of the forest away from the village nearby, but still close enough for a comfortable walk. Much like her he preferred a quiet existence; not bothered by the serene silence that would normally weigh heavily on a social being.
Selling wood, hunting, even running small errands for the town had been his way of income. Before that, before moving here to the outskirts of Hollingshead, Adrian never talked about his travels; always saying that it wasn't much different from now, at least in his view.
She didn't buy it, not for a second.
His black dyed cotton pants tucked into his boots and woolen vest and cloak Adrian opened the door but paused letting the chill morning breeze in.
He turned back to Leanna. "Would you like to come with?" He asked.
Leanna hesitated, looking down at her dress not wanting to get her clean clothing dirty all over again. But she didn't want to be left alone...
"Unless you want to stay, although aside from the 'dusty books' and other knick-knacks I'm pretty sure you'd be bored being cooped up here. Plus I'm sure we'd find something for you in town." Adrian added.
His lopsided smile and small joke making a similar smile tug at her lips before following him out the door.
"Alright, but we'd better find something I like. Or you'll have to start thinking how to cook my favorite meals. Or start learning sewing."
"Sounds like a plan." He laughed.
The door opens and shuts as the robed figure enters the room. The room was a study, the fireplace lit with a roaring fire, a desk and a high backed chair sat in the center of the room, and several glass doors leading out to a balcony sat behind the desk and chair. The walls were lined with tall bookshelves that reached the high ceiling filled to the brim with old tomes and books of ages long ago.
"Speak, any news of their whereabouts?"
The robed figure's hood shifted to the side, the owner's voice feminine, low, and sultry that rung pleasantly in one's ear.
"I'm sorry sir, but the group you sent for hasn't reported back. Their last sighting was when they crossed the border and reached Hollingshead nearby, but any sign of them leaving has yet to be found."
A silver haired old man stepped from behind the high-back chair. His hair reaching his shoulders, his beard neatly trimmed but the grey facial hair still very visible on his pale skin. His face was what looked to be set in a constant grim frown rarely changing, and his creased brow and stern features gave him the impression he was rarely pleased with anything but in a constant grim form of concentration. The man wore large robe made of the finest furs hiding his tall frame; obviously a man of wealth from a stranger's perspective.
"Hmm..." He stood straight with his hands behind his back pacing as he thought to himself while the robed woman waited patiently as the nobleman paced back and forth.
"Send another group out to find out what happened to the first; I want to know what's so important that they left their post without notice."
Giving a low bow the woman turns to leave but stops at the door hearing the old man call to her again.
"Just send a few out, Hollingshead is nearby so it shouldn't take long for them to arrive there. Remember, I don't want these activities to be noticed. It is imperative for both my sake and your own."
The woman turns and bows low again, this time the light from the roaring fire catching her eyes making their smiling crimson irises gleam from beneath the hood and shadow. "Very well my lord, I will relay your command at once."