The sunlight was during as Merlin lit up a fire to dry himself, but at the instant the warm tongue of a flame flickered beneath layers of firewood and ash, Merlin blew it out. Water was still dribbling from his chin, his hair and his hands, making his clothes stick to his damp body like glue. Still, he refused to satisfy his skin's need of heat. He just simply exposed himself to nature, letting the coldness seep into his bones and allowing the wind to weather his skinny frame. Soon, he would catch a severe cold, let a high fever take over, and just like going up the stairs, the temperature would ascend until he surrendered to dizziness and forged himself into a part of nature itself. Time would slowly nibble on his lifeless body until he was decomposed by the welcoming soil, not including the trespassing animals that would accept the invitation and join the feast.
Still, Merlin shuddered as he curled himself into a ball and started to shake violently. He kept on stopping the desire to strike two stones or stretch out his arms. The hands that were coaxed under his both armpits felt itchy, as if thousands of ants were making their way through a long voyage. The young warlock fought back the agony and gritted his teeth, clenching his fingers into balled fists. The freshness of the cool grass did not ease his unsettled mind. Rolling all over the place like a brown paint roller, he squirmed and kicked, sometimes even flinging his arms up into the sky like he was about to drag down the black curtain that covered the planet.
Such loud noise attracted animals. Owls started to hoot on treetops, as if putting out a notice that there was a person alive and available for a meal. Leaves rustled on branches as some bats took off and soared into the air, slicing their ways in the breeze. A sound of wolf howling wavered in the patch of white mountains that laid forgotten beyond the borders of Camelot.
A pair of yellow eyes gleamed through the bushes that Merlin was facing, with his back to the water. His human instinct of surviving kicked in as goosebumps began to emerge on his pale skin. He scrambled into a sitting position, just in time to see a jaguar melt into his view. Inside, he wanted to scream, to use magic to protect Arthur from the back, but realization took him and he was filled with emptiness and regret, piling up so fast that the wave of emotion made him suffocate, just in time to block the wailing sound that was escaping his throat. His eyes bulged so large that they were like two blue balls of crystal, his muscles tensed so hard that they were squeezing his guts out of him and his brain swarmed so much inside his skull to find a solution that it was aching and spinning. The jaguar just eyed him curiously like he was a crazy boy that needed mental treatment.
Merlin clutched his heart and regulated his breathing. He did't dare blink because the jaguar in pounce in one in a million second.
Two pairs of eyes stared at each other, one sapphire blue, the other the color of amber; one frantically darting in their sockets, the other as still and as cold as stone.
The jaguar lifted its left front paw and planted it in the soft dirt before it. Merlin frantically scrambled several paces back. The animal stopped, no longer wanting to offend the young warlock. It even seemingly appeared to be bowing its head. Then it scattered, fading away as if it never appeared, just like a whip of smoke.
Oh, great, now even a fierce animal doesn't have the heart to kill me.
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