Markus could feel the heat pounding down upon him, the sun at its zenith above seemed to mock him as all traces of would be shade retreated to nothing. His skin burned as the thing mocked him and with a start Markus sat up as he tried to attack the thing. A second later a voice brought him crashing back to reality, it's soft, worried tone touching something just then. "Mark? Are you feeling well?"
Against his forehead soft paws brushed his skin, and before him Sparrow appeared blazing a mute red as the sun shone around her. Markus locked away his fear and anger as he forced a smile, a quick quick nod confirming his betterment as he started to stand, grasping his coat that had been draped over him. "I am fine, just a bit of a night terror. It happens from time to time."
Something stopped Markus just then as he looked up at Sparrow, slight damp fur around her eyes, slight jitters still working their way off. She seemed to seize up then, the jitters fading while she wiped her eyes, rubbing the fur gently as Markus turned away guiltily. He stooped and hooked his fingers around the rope for the jerry can, a quick attempt at lifting it almost putting him down as the thing resisted him heavily, apparently topped off at some point. Sparrow gasped, and he knew, but besides a sore shoulder he felt fine, so he laughed as he tried once more, pulling the thing over his shoulder. "That was certainly, you are already doing better than the rest of my friends!"
Sparrow shook her head and brushed imaginary dirt from her nearly pristine shirt, footpaws gently working her toes Into the soft dirt. "It was nothing, something of a chore I am use to performing."
Markus felt a pang of guilt and voiced it. "You don't have to do any such thing Spa-"
"Saying that will only make me want to do it." The Fox said, a slight playful smile on display. Markus paused at that and took a moment to ponder just what kind of woman he had stumbled upon.
"Fine, but don't expect me to let you do everything." The Fox only perked up more as she helped gather the last of the gear up and left the soldier miffed as he shouldered the silver can once more and turned to the stream. A quick step forwards launched Markus over the small body of water and to the other side, a quick glance back showing the Fox right behind him. She landed beside him but sank in the soft sand as her jump fell just short of the firm banks. Markus's hand darted out and grasped her wrist and the Fox gave him a nervous smile. "Quick thinking Mark…"
He flashed her a small smile. "It was nothing."
"Oh good, then you can release my hand?" Markus looked down and realized he was still had her hand clasped in his. He released her, a quick apologetic flashing across his features as he continued on. Behind him the Fox reached out slightly but then resigned herself to follow the human and accepted a piece of jerky that he passed back, gnawing on it quietly as the two carried on.
[-]
The first hour dragged on slowly as Sparrow followed Markus down the road, the human not making things any better after the morning as he continued in silence, seemingly in another world as he walked on. Sparrow made to say something but paused, considering briefly what to converse on as they roamed. "Mark?"
She managed to gain his attention as a few long steps brought her shoulder to shoulder with the man. "Something up Sparrow?"
A quick glance over to Markus left Sparrow wondering if she had the right idea as she started to speak up. "Everything is fine, just wanted to know if you wanted to talk is all."
The man seemed to give her a knowing smile, his face friendly. "Well the weather is lovely if that is what you mean."
Sparrow took a brief moment to scan the burning sapphire sky overhead, not a cloud to be seen as of that moment. "That it is… how are you today?"
The human looked over at Sparrow and he chuckled. "I believe I am fine, I slept surprisingly well considering the lack of well… everything. I can't really complain."
Sparrow was suddenly glad she bore her thick red fur as she was sure she would have blushed had it been otherwise, the memory of the previous night still fresh in her mind. A nervous smile played at her lips as she looked over at the stranger once more. "It was rather nice, better then an iron cage."
The human nodded, his body tensing for a moment and the Fox immediately regretted opening her mouth. "Sorry about that Markus." She said, slightly crestfallen.
The human waved it off and let the smile come back. "No harm, the thought just a little painful."
The human's words sounded sincere and Sparrow couldn't help but wonder why. She let the thought slip away, instead enjoying the company provided for her as she attempted to change the subject, the human beating her to it as he spoke up. "Any idea which way to go?"
Sparrow followed his gaze and found a disheartening fork in the road. "No actually, I don't remember a fork in the road." The keidran did perk up at the sight of a sign. "Says there… Port Ecrin."
Beside her the human lept before becoming somber once more. "Well, that solves one problem… but I still lack the coinage to by passage."
Having had forgotten the human's plight momentarily Sparrow attempted to offer some encouragement. "Maybe you can find a quick job in the port and earn the money quickly?"
The two of them fell quiet at the mentioning of such a thought as they continued on, the human making an almost random observation. "Well, we were out of jerky anyways… not like we could continue on for much longer without food."
The logic was irrefutable and Sparrow nodded, the obvious at the forefront of her mind. "But will that not cost more?"
The man cringed at the words and his hands moved to his pockets, patting them gently to produce a quiet jingle of coin. "I really wish you had not mentioned that Sparrow… Whelp, might as well wish for the best but know the worst."
Sparrow could not help but wonder where this human's unending optimism came from as they walked, for it seemed he had no doubt he would be returning home soon enough. As distant as it was the forest eventually yielded open plains just before midday, the port town visible off in the distance. Markus broke out into a chuckle, the soothing sound soon infecting Sparrow, her own light chuckle ringing out behind the strange Human's.
An hour later and her paws touched the warm cobblestone, the town's market just before them, several inn's just beyond and what looked like a tavern in the distance. The smell… Fish had never really appealed to Sparrow before, and the market was not helping in the least, the smell of the water dwelling beasts everywhere under the noon tide sun. The human seemed untroubled as ever, his stride never faltering as he entered. From his confidence you would almost think he owned the place, almost.
He smiled and gave a friendly wave to those who returned the gesture, everyone unfazed by the appearance of the newcomer. In no time the human had led Sparrow into a shabby Inn house, several wooden beams warped gently yet still holding the place high. Taking in a curious sniff through her nose Sparrow nearly lost what little material left from her sparse meal. The air was rank with sweat, fish, stale ale, and the bucket in the corner that seemed to function as the ground floors' toilet. Sparrow looked to the nearby window and felt a sudden need to wash her feet with sand and soap, Shivers running down her spin that raised her fur ever so slightly. It was then the soft clank of metal on wood rang out and she looked up to watch Markus collect a little over two dozen copper coins before waving for her to follow.
Up a set of cramped, dimly lit stairs, the worn wood squeaking in protest. Markus threw open on of the doors and stepped in, making for the window he threw it open, the sea breeze wafting through, pushing the smell of stale booze and perspiration. Sparrow gave a happy sigh then, her nose twitching as the salt air rolled over the town. Of the two beds Sparrow chose the one closest to the window, sitting on the hay stuffed cloth. Markus sat beside her, lost in thought. "Mark?"
He seemed to perk up at surprise at the issuing of his name and looked over towards her. "Yes Sparrow?"
"Are we staying here long?" The man looked away, something seemingly bothering him.
"I would think not, after all, push comes to shove I could always find work on a ship in agreement for passage home." Sparrow's heart sank slowly, his words coming with a sting. Her feelings turned slightly bitter towards the man whom she had not even know for two days, the man who, for what he claimed anyways, sprung her from captivity based on his famine driven thoughts. She jolted into awareness as a hand fell upon her shoulder. "Sparrow! Snap out of it, you are not sick are you?"
Sparrow sneezed then, sniffling slightly as she turned to face the human, wondering if he carried magics that could read the future. His hand brushed her forehead and he frowned, seeming to be be unsure of what he was looking for. He stood then, waving for her to stay put as he made his way for the door. "Stay there and get some rest, I will find something for you to eat."
Sparrow raised a hand, about to object, call him back, but the door was already closed. The room suddenly felt so much larger without her companion in the room, so she lay down and looked out the window once more, blue skies slowly yielding to grey.
[-]
A cool breeze ran wild through the streets, made harsh by the moisture it carried, sending shivers down Markus's spine. He pulled his uniform coat closer, wishing for his desert ware once more, the stiff uniform not giving him much in the way of protection from the harsh breeze. Turning yet another corner he stumbled onto a tavern with a clean look about it, as clean as it got in this town anyways. The soldier spit on the ground and resisted the urge to smoke, opting to use them in a worse situation than his current. Pushing the door open he grit his teeth, almost every eye upon him, his uniform a dead giveaway to his foreign home. Markus pushed their gazes to the back of his mind as he found a seat by the bar. Soon enough a woman approached him, a white spotted leopard dressed in a ridiculous bar maid's get up.
The woman gave him a fake smile and leaned in. "Wha' can I get you hun?"
Markus went to ask for his usual until he locked down this thoughts, stressed stowed away for the moment he nodded. "You have any soups or stews on hand?"
The leopard leaned in. "Wha', no drink?"
Markus didn't really feel he needed to explain himself to anyone at that point, so he shook his head. "Two bowls of soup or stew for the road."
With a quirk to her smile the leopard continued the chatter. "Not scared o' some fur an' fang are ya lad? Now that jus' ain't right. Come on, stay awhile, food-" Markus felt his annoyance, the slight twitch in his brow. And evidently the woman saw it as well as she stopped podding. "Ve have clam chowder, und if tha's not to your liking then maybe a bit of brat and sauerkraut…"
She cleared her throat. "Stewed… as you were looking for."
Markus picked up on the accent change, the woman's sharpness something else entirely. He nodded regardless. "Yes, one of each."
After what felt like an eternity, albeit a short one, the leopard returned with two bowls of the stuff, still steaming mildly. Setting the dishes down the Markus felt his spirits lift, this would do Sparrow some good. "fifteen copper."
Markus looked up at the leopard, the deadpan voice mildly grating, but he couldn't complain. With a quick dip into his pocket he produced seventeen such coins, piled them neatly before the woman and made his way to the exit, both wooden containers exhuming large quantities of heat all the while. With his current objective completed Markus attempted to think of his next course of action, only a block away from the establishment when someone lay a hand on his shoulder, his thoughts suddenly banished as he looked back. Behind him was a very peeved snow leopard from the bar. His mind instantly jumped to consider the worst, despite there being no way for this woman to be on his enemy's payroll. Her words hit him like a bucket of ice water.
"You overpaid sir." She held out a hand, revealing two copper. Markus, taken off guard by this began to chuckle.
"Its called a tip." He explained simply.
"No one tipz a keidran." She explained right back, her accent growing in the slightest.
"Well, that makes me a someone." Markus shot back before giving a slight smile. "Keep it, good service can not be found everywhere."
With that he set off once more into the town as the orange glow of the sun faded, leaving Markus to his own devices while the lamps were lit around him, the dark of a mostly moonlit night prevailing as he reached the small in. He observed the sign once more on his way in and up. The 'Mudy Rut' was a shabby name for a shabby Inn, not that it mattered much, almost any other place would have been too much. The door loomed up on his left, his thoughts rapidly stashed for later pondering as he knocked on the door. Something soft hit the ground and a moment later a familiar red head stuck itself through a slightly agape door.
Her eyes went wide at the food in Markus's hands, her nose twitching slightly as she admitted the him into the room, eyes never straying far from the food. Once more in the small room he lay the two bowls on a small wooden table Markus took a seat on the unoccupied bed, his voice breaking the silence. "Feel free to pick whichever one you want."
Sparrow looked at the food with longing eyes before turning to face Markus, a quiet sneeze escaping her just before she asked. "Are you sure Mark?"
Markus smiled and nodded his head. "All yours."
Sparrow sniffed at both bowls and notably scrunched her face up upon sniffing the chowder, opting to take the stew instead as Markus picked up the chowder, taking a small sample. The warm food hit him hard, it's taste waking him up to the situation he had been in just the other day, and he smiled with delight as he enjoyed the warm chowder, doing his best to not shovel it all down quickly.
Dinner was a quite affair, the only notable noise being the scraping of bowls near the end, the light soft, provided by a candle on the edge of his vision. Markus looked reluctantly as his empty bowl but set it aside, knowing that the stuff was not likely to just appear out of thin air. Across from him Sparrow set her bowl down on the small table, a wooden spoon the only thing within. She shifted around until she was stretched out across her bed, the blanket beneath her shifting with the movements as she turned to face Markus.
"Who are you?" She asked softly.
Taken aback slightly he raised an eyebrow. "I would hope to be myself, if that is what you are asking."
With her head buried in her pillow Sparrow gave a gentle cough and then replied, softer. "Never meet a nice human before…"
Markus was about to say something until he realized his companion was already asleep, her shape distorted by the flickering candle light. He smiled, her breathing steady, almost like a lullaby. But he could not sleep yet, so he stood and closed the window as he proceeded to check his pockets. Laying out his belongings to survey them, his eyes wondering over what little was left. The metal matchbook, an almost empty pack of cigarettes plus another half empty pack that had been partially crushed, a single silver lion and twenty three coppers, and lastly that dully shining metal jerry can that had carried him to safety.
Inventory check in place he unbuttoned his shirt and let the garment fall away, the cool night air getting to Markus as he shifted around on the bed, the thin blanket covering him. He chanced one last look over to the fox and smiled before he blew out the candle. Under his breath he whispered. "Good night Sparrow."
In the darkness he missed the woman move, attempting to bury her head deeper into the pillow as she flushed. So he drifted off, sleep taking him back over the sea, to the country he had left behind.
[-]
A big thank you to all who waited for this chapter. I found it a bit hard to focus as my mind has wondered well beyond, considering the future of this story before the beginning is even complete. Now I know I am usually one for action, and rest assured action will be found, yet I feel it is too early to introduce violence greater than a verbal conflict at this point. Feel free to review and let me know what you thought of the chapter and the story so far.
