CHAPTER ONE

Pools of orange light dim and flicker across the warm, cocoa-coloured walls of the log cabin. In the fading light, the dark outline of a bent figure shifts restlessly on the sofa, causing the tan, beaten leather to creak slightly.

On closer inspection, the figure is that of a twenty-something year old man. Long, vivid blue hair falls over his shoulders, concealing the sides of his pale face as he hangs his head dejectedly.

Shifting again, the figure stares blankly between his feet. A sigh spills from his lips before he can supress it, and silence follows.

Aoba had become somewhat accustomed to supressing his emotions from living with Mink. He no longer wanted to display his feelings so openly, for it only gave Mink another reason to scorn him as weak - and he was determined not to be perceived as such.

Now, however, he could not contain it; and besides, Mink was not there.

Without Mink, the cold silence of the cabin felt almost intrusive, and the feeling was perpetuated by the fact that Aoba could easily hear the soft crackling of the fire's dying embers, which in any other situation would be barely audible. The only other sound was the odd gust of wind, pushing through the forest and causing the trees' branches to creak wearily, as if they were alive. At this thought, Aoba let out another sigh. Well, there were no other signs of life.

"Aoba."

A deep, mechanical voice pulled him from his thoughts, and compelled him to look down at the tiny, fluffy blue dog standing in front of him.

"Are you okay?"

With a small smile, Aoba reached down and brought Ren up to rest against his chest. Ren was always concerned about him if he behaved even slightly out of the ordinary, and it was clear that he could read Aoba's conflicted feelings right now as if he had a window into his mind.

"I'm fine, Ren. Sorry for worrying you."

Immediately issuing his typical response, Aoba smiled more widely, patting Ren's fur in reassurance. Unconvinced, Ren gazed into Aoba's eyes until his smile cracked and his hand froze in the air.

Although he was accustomed to violence from living in Midorijima, most of the fighting took place in the Rhyme field. Police officers like Akushima were always on the prowl to break up any fights which might result in physical damage, and so the number of people injured owing to street fights was relatively low.

The situation in Cedarwood was different. Here, street brawls and bar fights occurred on a daily basis. Poverty and unemployment were rife in this district, and tensions between Cedarwood and the newly built neighbouring village were high. Knowing that they were despised as intruders, people from the neighbouring village often visited Cedarwood for their evening entertainment, i.e: provoking residents until a full on fight broke out.

Mink wasn't the sort to initiate a fight with any old stranger, but recalling the time that they had spent together before he had arrived in Cedarwood, Aoba knew that Mink wasn't very good at keeping his temper in the face of provocation.

Worst of all, all of the residents owned firearms, and many wouldn't hesitate to use them. The thought of somebody drawing a gun on Mink made Aoba feel physically sick. Before he knew it, he found himself on his feet and vocalizing his concerns to the silent pressure of Ren's gaze.

"I…I have to find him. He's always back by now. He should have been back hours ago. What if something's happened to him? What if he doesn't come back?"

"Aoba. The temperature outside has declined, and it's dark. It may be difficult for you to find him at this hour."

As factually as ever, Ren listed the risks of going on a wild-goose chase in the middle of the night; but Aoba was beyond listening to logic. The sense of urgency building up in his chest was suffocating, and a panicked feeling of claustrophobia overtook him. He had to find Mink now.

Grabbing his bag and kneeling at the doormat, Aoba pulled on his jacket and boots before yanking the door open and running full force at the forest.

He ran until the icy air piercing his lungs became too much, and his breaths came in ragged gasps. As if the outdoor air had brought him back to his senses, he slowed down and almost came to a halt.

Directly before him, the black forest loomed imposingly. The night sky was starless, and he knew that once he was inside the forest, it would be impossible to see clearly relying on eyesight alone. He would have to use the light from his Coil. Balling his fists, he screwed his face in determination and set forwards at a greater pace.

There weren't any other log cabins immediately around this area, the nearest being a twenty minute walk away in the village centre. As a result, there wasn't a public path through the forest – only scattered trails showing greater wear than others from the tread of hunters.

Aoba swallowed nervously. If he kept walking forwards, he'd reach the village eventually…he hoped. Flicking on the light of his coil, he looked at Ren's head poking out of his bag.

"Let's go."

In the darkness, Aoba felt as though his senses had been heightened by a thousand.

Every little noise caused his flesh to jump, goosebumps springing over his skin as he looked around wildly. In reality, he knew that they were probably just small birds and animals. There wouldn't be any hunters at this time, and there was no reason for anybody else to go in the direction of their cabin, apart from Mink.

Yet the sounds were nothing like Mink's footsteps. Their sound had been imprinted in Aoba's mind from waiting for him to come home each night.

So if it wasn't Mink, large animals or hunters, why was he so jumpy?

He continued cautiously over the uneven ground, avoiding a large rock here and a fallen branch there. It seemed as though they'd been walking for a long time, but there was no sense of them nearing the edge of the forest. In fact, the trees seemed to be getting thicker.

"Ren – how are we doing?" Aoba asked tentatively, looking down at the bundle in his bag and stopping to take in their surroundings.

It was no use. Everywhere he looked; there were trees, trees and more trees. It was highly disorientating, and whilst they were making seemingly no progress, the cold and the darkness were growing. The icy wind bit into him even deeper from standing still.

"Aoba, I am unable to download a map of this area." Ren said apologetically.

The words sounded so much like the worst-case scenario, that for a second, Aoba thought that he had imagined them.

"It usually takes no longer than 20 minutes to get to the village – and we've been walking way longer than that, right?"

Ren nodded, and the two looked into the depths of the forest silently.

They were lost.