Chapter 2: His new life
When Red awakes on a bitter winter morning, his still groggy mind vaguely registers two things; he isn't cold nor is he hungry. Both are a first, in fact, Red could honestly say he feels comfortable. For a short moment he thinks that the angry circus people threw him into the lion's cage again, the theory was quickly dismissed as he found out that he is moving, and cages were most defiantly not that soft.
In a flash the previous day came back to him; the beating, his dead friend…
His saviour…
He jumps up in sudden panic and nearly falls off of Allen's back.
Red sees his companion stare at him questioningly, "er… good morning?" Allen simply smiles in his own strange special way before turning his head back forward and continues his way along the frosted forest path.
Red couldn't help but wonder where they were going, not that he is going to ask, he'll spare himself the embarrassment of figuring out too late that Allen can't talk.
Massive animal or not he'd rather not go trough another staring contest, Allen seems to think he's psychic or something along those lines. In the end Red could only resign himself to whatever his new friend has planned.
It couldn't be that bad right?
He was wrong, it's terrible.
Allen had stopped by a lake moments ago, let him off of his back and proceeded to stare at him with an expecting look in his ever mirthful silver eyes. Problem is, Red knows exactly what Allen is waiting for, but hell had better frozen over before Red even comes near that lake.
Thus he had decided to stubbornly stay on dry land and glare back at Allen for even thinking he would do something as stupid as what the furry beast has in mind.
Sadly for Red, Allen is just as stubborn as he is. After waiting semi-patiently for Red to head for the lake on his own, Allen had grabbed him by his flaying collar and promptly dragged him over to the cold, freezing lake. Being as small as he is, Red didn't stand a chance.
And so Red had ended up in his current situation, shivering and cold in the half frozen lake, totally butt naked and, for as far as he knew, completely alone.
Allen had totally left a while ago leaving him to his frozen misery. What a friend.
He had just about decided to leave the icy waters when the white fiend of a friendly beast finally returns out of nowhere carrying two large bags on his back.
Red find himself being taken aback at the guild on Allen's face.
"W-who stole y-your la-last piece of b-bread?" he mutters while he struggles to climb out of the cold water with into the impossibly cold air, only to promptly be covered in something fuzzy.
"A-a towel?" Allen brightens up and nods cheerfully, "w-where did-d you g-get that?"
The answer is clear. Right in front of his nose, Allen promptly digs a thick, warm coat out of one of his bags. And afterwards manages to dig out an entire set of warm clothing, all of impressive quality.
A while of amazed staring was enough for Red to decide not to question it, who cares where he got them from, he finally gets to be warm.
He sadly forgot how difficult it is to cloth himself with one arm being as paralyzed as always and the other near numb from the cold, none the less he kept trying. The cold is slowly becoming unbearable and his legs stopped shivering a while ago, Red is vaguely aware that it's really bad if you stop shivering when you're very cold and the sleepiness started eating away at his awareness.
The last thing he hears is Allen's concerned whining.
When Red awakes it's to a strange sense of déjà-vu. Again he's confused by the soft warm surface he's laying on, again he's surprised by the fact that he can feel his limbs tingle with leftover cold.
This time however he didn't panic over where he is, the texture of the fur where he's laying on is without a doubt from his friend Allen. Where-ever he may be, he's safe as long as he's with Allen. He nearly fell asleep again before he is brutally returned to reality.
Clear, slightly irregular footsteps can be hear not to far from here. There's someone there, very close to him. It makes his heart race with fear.
Were they caught?
Is he going back to the circus again?
Had he dragged Allen down with him?
He holds his breath, hoping the person would leave if whoever it was thought he was asleep.
His panic was broken however when he hears kind, elderly voice.
"Has your little friend woken up yet, Allen?" Red feels Allen body shift a little, his whine tugs at his heart and fills him with guilt.
Allen is worried about him.
It makes him feel surprisingly warm and cared for.
Red wishes his body would obey him and let him tell Allen that he was okay. Sadly his young body is simply too exhausted to remain awake.
"I'm sure he'll be fine, there is no need to worry, alright?"
When Red came to yet again it was to the sound of a crackling fire, he could feel the gentle warmth on his face. When Red sits up he notices that he's still very much naked, remembering the very human presence he quickly covers himself with the thick blanket he's been laying under. He looks around the room he's in, "Where in the world am I anyway?"
"You're in my home young man," Red looks up quickly towards the doorway, there stands a relatively tall old man looking at him with an unusually tender gaze. "How are you faring?"
'Like a sinking ship' he thinks, "I'm fine, I guess."
"That's good," the old man smiles at him broadly, "you got into quite a lot of trouble there, I found you and Allen nearby in the woods."
Red stares at him in surprise, "you know Allen?!"
The old man laughs deeply while he moves the sit on the wooden chair next to Red, the tender look in his eyes not leaving the entire time, "why yes, I know Allen since I was a young child. In matter of fact, I can no longer even remember a time where I hadn't known the animal."
So he wasn't the only human being Allen knows, Red isn't sure how he should feel about that.
"Allen is really worried about you," the old man continued to Red's surprise, "he was almost right on top of you when you had passed out."
"He, Allen, where is he?"
"Outside, walking a ravine around the house no doubt."
The old man sniggered a little, "He such a worry-ward truly. But it shows that he cares."
Red stares into the old mans deep brown eyes for a while, there is a peculiar spark in there, one Red hadn't seen before. As much as would like to vehemently deny it, he grew more curious the longer he stared.
"Who are you?" Again the old man's eyes sparkled.
"My name is Vincent Willeson, but feel free to call me Vincent or something along those lines. Mister Willeson makes me feel old." Though, really, he couldn't exactly be called young anymore. Red grins mentally, at least the old man has a name now. After a while of pondering the old man's, now Vincent's, oddities he dares to look up at him again.
The friendly grin is still on his face.
"I don't have a name," he starts, slightly apprehensive "though they call me Red."
"Very well, it's nice to meet you Red." Vincent pats him on the shoulder. His very bare shoulder, Red reminds himself of his current state.
As if the old man could read his mind, Vincent grabs a pair of familiar bags from who knows where and puts the seemingly heavy bags right besides him with ease.
"Allen left these, there are clothes your size in here, I can tell. Do you need help getting dressed?" Apparently the look in his eyes spoke for him because the old man grins at him and moves towards the wooden door at the other side of the room. "Don't be afraid to yell if you need anything young man." And off he goes.
Red is promptly left to his own devises, and a pile of clean clothes. He secretly glad for the temporary solitude. As if he would need help with something as simple as getting dressed.
He grabs the coat on top of the pile and stares at the rest of the clothes in confusion, what do you start with anyway?
"Good afternoon Red, I see you got dressed properly." Old man Vincent greeted him upon his arrival to what looked like the dining room, the hearty smell of cooking meat filling his senses.
"Of course, like I would have trouble getting dressed, I'm not a little kid you know." He grumbles, it was a blatant lie however and old man Vincent knew it, Red was certain that the ungodly amount of buttons and what-not's have been put on the clothes just to bully him.
He stares at Vincent in suspicion, "did you make them?" The old man has the decency to act like he's confused, "Sorry?"
Red rolls his eyes and he gestures to his clothes "The clothes, did you make them?"
His annoyed inquiry is met with a warm laugh, "I know what you were asking about young man, however no, I did not make those. Life thought me many skills but sewing is not one of them."
"Then who did? Where did they come from?" Surely it wasn't Allen who made them, speaking of which, "and where's Allen, is he still outside?"
"Ah yes, I believe I have heard him inside for a moment, I think he'll come in when the food is ready."
Food, right, that sounds nice. He bets the old man wouldn't bother to give him some, he's been bothersome enough. Besides, he's used to hunger, it didn't kill him them and it won't kill him now- "Young man, is there anything I should know?"
"What?" Old man Vincent is looking at him oddly, his usually sparkling old eyes are looking at him with an emotion Red doesn't recognise.
"Do you have any allergies Red? Anything that makes you unwell?"
Red frowns at old man Vincent's odd question, why would he want to know something like that?
"Almonds, I hate almonds. They make me feel like I can't breath."
"I see… well then there's nothing to worry about. I don't think I even own any almonds."
There, there it was again, that strange look in his eyes. Even though he was smiling at him, Red couldn't help but feel like old man Vincent was angry about something.
Just as he was about to ask, he hears a strange bark like noise.
Allen, quite literally, appeared out of nowhere and tackled him to the ground.
Red just couldn't bring himself to be angry at his friend anymore, when Allen excitement at seeing him is so clearly visible, even someone blind would have noticed.
Vaguely he hears old man Vincent laugh while he calls them for dinner.
Apparently it wasn't old man Vincent's intent to poison him with almonds when he asked about it, he should have known. The way the old man looks and acts tell him that he wouldn't hurt a fly and Allen trusts him. If anything, Red really trusts Allen.
The food is truly delicious though, it's probably the tastiest cooked meal Red had in his entire life, he has to stop himself from crying like a fool. Luckily Allen is too busy eating his own meal like a starving bear to notice. Small mercies.
Though Allen makes for a wonderful example, wolfing down food for as much as he could looked like a pipe dream, but before he could imitate Allen he was stopped.
"Don't forget, humans need to chew young man, Allen doesn't. He's a dog."
Allen hilariously stopped eating, if you could call it that, and looked at old man Vincent with a scandalised look on his face. Red decides to join him.
"How did you even know what I was thinking old man?!"
Vincent sniggers, "I didn't, but I do now."
The rest of the dinner was spend with laughter and playful arguments.
Worries were temporally left forgotten.
Author notes:
I often lament the utter lack of proper formatting on this site, it's a real pain. But I'll survive, I suppose. In any case, this entire story is completely improvised, that is done completely on purpose. I kind of like to challenge myself into thinking up storylines and plot-twists on the go.