Hey everyone!
I'm back with Chapter 3 of We Are the Same.
I've been writing and editing a tweaking this chapter since this morning, and when I finished I realized it was super freaking long! So I decided to cut it in two. Now bare with me, it may seem a tad boring but it has it's purpose. I PINKY PROMISE the next one will have some action...
Side Note: Anything italicized is a flashback. There are quite a few today.
Enjoy!
We kept going deeper and deeper into the forest and the little light that had been offered by the rising sun was diminishing with every step, filtered out by the dense foliage.
This isn't so bad, I thought to myself. It wasn't nearly as scary as it seemed from the side of the woods was similar to the side I had entered yesterday, except there were no white flowers and the ground was covered with more plants and roots. The trees were tall, the soil emitting the strong scent of the earth mixed with the morning dew. The bushes, plants and leaves were all the deepest shades of green.
I looked around and found that there was a path, not as prominent as the ones in the village, but a path nonetheless. There were boot prints on the path, so I guessed that there had been someone on it not that long ago. I eased the horse onto the path.
After about an hour of being set on the path, I started getting used to my surroundings, and could see the small path without having to concentrate very much.
"I should give you a name," I thought out loud "I mean, I can't go around just referring to you as 'horse' or 'boy'. What did Tyler call you..." I thought out loud as I tried to remember any conversation in which he had mentioned a horse.
"Caroline!" he cried as he came running across the meadow and onto the stone steps of the cabin where I sat, arranging some wild flowers into a vase. I turned my head to see Tyler barreling up the steps, his usually neat hair wild and his face flushed.
"What's the matter?" I asked, standing up quickly and walking over to him, resting my hand on his back as he bent over, placing his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.
He straightened up and looked at me.
"I'm getting a horse!" He said, his face the pure image of joy. Soon I was smiling along with him, his mood infectious. I pulled him into a hug and we both laughed together.
"You're so lucky!" I said, as I pulled him down onto the steps so that we were sitting side by side.
"What are you going to name him?" I asked, curious.
"Well, what if it's a girl?" He answered my question with a question- typical.
"Oh come on!" I cried and slapped his shoulder playfully "You promised that when you would get a horse it would be a boy and I would get a mare, so that they could be best friends, like us!" I whined. He fell back, laughing.
"I was just joking! Of course it's going to be a boy!"
"So, what are you going to name him?" I asked again.
"I'm not sure. My father said that it would be a colt from one of the Fell mares. He said that it's coat is black." He said, rubbing his chin, trying to think.
"Name him Spade" I said conclusively.
"Spade? Why Spade?" He asked, pulling a funny face.
"You know, like the Ace of Spades? Like the one on your father's cards" I said.
"Why not Ace?" He said.
"Ace sounds funny, but Spade sounds strong" I said
"And once you get your mare, you will name her Heart, for the Queen of Hearts." He said and held out his hand for me to shake. I placed my hand in his.
"Deal."
"Spade" I said, and the horse grunted. I smiled, his name was Spade.
"Well, he was smart to keep his end of the deal" I said, patting his neck once more.
After a few more minutes of riding, I saw what looked like a clearing up ahead. It wasn't a clearing though.
Instead I found what looked like semi-cut trees. There were cuts and marks on the side of some of the tree trunks.
"Whoa, Spade" I said and pulled back on the reins, coming to a stop in the center of the mess. I hopped down and went to examine the area.
There was one tree that was completely cut down, and there were others that were pretty close to coming down. I walked around and tried to find any sign that would mean that the lumber workers from my village had been the ones to do this, and that I was on the right track.
Just a few feet away from the fallen tree, I found a discarded saw on the floor. And at the edge of the "clearing", there was an ax that had been jabbed into the ground. I picked it up and swung it back and forth, getting used to the weight. I had never held an ax before, and they were heavier than they looked.
I decided I would take it just in case. Neither swords nor arrows could cut through wood and I would need to collect firewood eventually, so it would come in handy. I walked over to Spade to put the ax into my bag.
The sound of leaves ruffling and twigs snapping echoed through the air. I snapped my head up and looked around frantically, scanning my surroundings in search of the source.
After a moment of silence, there was no more rustling or snapping or any movement for that matter. My muscles were tense. I mounted Spade once again, trying to move as quick as possible, but my movements were jerky and halted as adrenaline coursed through my body.
Calm down Caroline I thought to myself. There are animals in the woods just like there are in any.
I rode around the edge of the little clearing, looking for a sign of exit. There were broken twigs and snapped branches on one side of the clearing, which could not have been caused by a small animal.
I started following the light trail and soon found a few footprints on another path, similar to the ones I had seen coming into the woods from the lumber yard.
"Come on, Spade" I said as I lightly pressed my heels into his sides, getting him into a slow trot.
After a few hours, when the sun was already beginning to set, I stopped again and decided to set up camp for the night. The idea of sleeping that deep into the woods and alone didn't settle my stomach.
I tied Spade to a nearby tree and grabbed my bag, slinging it over the shoulder. I then started heading North, keeping the setting sun to my left, trying my best to stay on a straight path that I would be able to follow back later on.
I needed to find firewood and hopefully some fruits to eat so that I wouldn't starve. I sighed, looking around for any dry twigs or logs.
I heard the snap of a twig and snapped my head to the side to see the outline of a rabbit. I froze, feeling my stomach rumble with hunger. I had only intended on finding fruit and eating some bread and cheese, but the sight of the animal made me realize that I was indeed hungry. I hadn't eaten in nearly a day, but I was so concentrated on my search that I had hardly noticed the growing pain in my stomach.
Breathe a small voice said in the back of my head. You know the steps.
"But Daddy I don't want to hunt!" I whined, slouching and furrowing my brow, trying to get my point across "None of the other girls in the village have to hunt" I argued.
"Caroline-" He began, but our discussion was soon interrupted.
"Here you go, honey. I made this one special for your trip" My mother said as she entered the room with a brand new dress. It was made with a dark grey fabric and came with matching slippers. It was very simple, but the lace pattern in the front made it look a little more dressy than a regular everyday dress.
"Oh thank you, Mama!" I said, jumping into her arms for an embrace, then I grabbed the dress and ran into my room, eager to change into it.
I made a huge fuss about having it smoothed down and having the slippers on having my hair back in a braid, choosing a matching ribbon to tie at the end.
Soon after, I was riding with my father to some hunting grounds about a half a days trip West of the village. My father at the time had just started to work at the lumber yard, but had previously been working with the butcher. They had yet to find a replacement for him, so he still went out hunting for game to bring back to the village.
I had never been interested in hunting, but my father was adamant on showing me and my mother did not protest.
We reached the hunting ground a few hours past noon and my father began to unload the hunting tools from the wagon. There were bows and arrows, knives and spears. He picked up a bow and a quiver loaded with arrows, passing it over to me. I slung the strap of the quiver across my body and held the bow.
He himself carried a knife and a bigger bow with his own arrows.
"Now, remember how I showed you to hold the bow" He instructed, I positioned my hand in the correct place.
"Good, and how do you set up an arrow?" He asked, I reached back and pulled out one of the arrows, setting the head on the grip and its fletching on the string, pulling back slightly.
"Yes, excellent job. Now remember your stance and breathing. Are you ready?" He asked, turning towards the hunting grounds. It was a small forest and it looked extremely similar to the woods back at home. But it wasn't the same, we were allowed to be here.
I nodded and we proceeded in through the trees, leaving our horse and wagon behind.
We walked for quite some time, every once in awhile my father would turn and instruct me on how to step and where to step so that I wouldn't snap any twigs or disturb the silence of the forest.
I trailed behind him. He would look around, scanning the forest, but I had no idea what he was looking for.
He stopped abruptly and if I had not been paying attention I would have crashed into him. He signaled for me to come closer and stand next to him.
"What do you see?" He whispered, not taking his eyes off a spot on the forest ground. I followed his gaze, but all I could see was green.
"Uh-" I said, trying to find what he was so concentrated on "I-I don't know" I finished.
"Look closer" He whispered again. I started looking, trying hard to find something out of place. I slight breeze passed through then and all the plants moved and the leaves rustled. There was one spot on the ground, though, that did not move.
"It's a hare" I whispered, keeping my eyes on the figure. Its silhouette was clear now, darker against the green.
"Very good," He responded "Now kill it"
"What?" I asked incredulously, still whispering.
"We are hunting. Remember what I taught you" He said eyes still trained on the poor hare.
My fingers trembled as I reached back and grabbed an arrow, placing it against the bow. It wouldn't stay steady because my whole arms were shaking now and my heart was pounding hard against my rib cage.
"Breathe" My father whispered next to me. I did as he said and took in a ragged breath, realizing I had been holding my breath since the moment I caught sight of the animal.
"Relax" He continued to instruct. I rolled my shoulders and attempted to relax the contracted muscles in my arms and shoulders.
"Pull" I pulled back the string along with the arrow.
"Aim" I closed one eye and direct the tip of the arrow straight for the hare.
"Wait" This was the tricky part. I waited for the wind to calm and for my heartbeat to steady, enough so that I could feel the rest in between the beats, just like my father had taught me.
"Release" As I said the words, I let go of the arrow and it shot through the air. I waited for something to happen. The hare bolted away.
My father ran towards the area where it had been and began looking around. He turned with a smile on his face.
"Why are you so happy? It got away" I said, grumpy and a bit humiliated.
"I cannot find the arrow" He said, his smile big and proud.
"Is that a good thing?" I said, confused as to why he was in such a great mood.
"You hit it" He said simply, looking around and turning in the direction that the hare had bounced off to "Again" He said, and began walking. I followed behind, a small smile playing on my lips.
She had been riding for the whole day, keeping the horse which she called "Spade" on a soft trot. She would survey the ground most of the time, and after coming closer and looking at the path which she was on, I knew she was following something.
Now she was distancing herself from her steed, heading in a Northern direction. She started looking around, but soon her gaze became far off. She stepped deftly over the roots and plants, staying in a straight line but not really paying attention to her surroundings.
Suddenly, she perked up at the soft sound of snapping twigs- her eyes wide, her head turned to the side. She reached back into the quiver on her back and pulled out a large, sharp tipped arrow, positioning it on her bow.
I watched as she concentrated on the rabbit that was about fifty feet away from her. It had sensed that she was there and stopped in it's tracks, mimicking the girl's statue state. For a couple of minutes, nothing moved, not even the leaves in the wind. The small animal hesitated and took a few steps forward, but with that, she snapped her bow up, and released the arrow. To my surprise, the arrow had gone straight through the animal's stomach. I looked between her and the rabbit, shocked at how skilled of an archer she was.
She relaxed her stance and bounded over to the animal, her steps so delicate and light that anyone would have thought she was floating.
I took a few steps to the side and followed her from a distance, watching as she bent over the now dead rabbit and grabbed the arrow. She muttered something that I wasn't able to make out, but she soon had the arrow out of the animal, and she set it back into it's quiver.
I watched in wonder as she ripped a large leaf from a tree and wrapped the small animal in it. I was so distracted by the sight that I didn't realize that I had stepped on a twig, creating a low snap that vibrated softly throughout the woods.
Faster than I had time to realize, she had grabbed her bow off the ground and placed another arrow, and was aiming it straight in my direction. Her eyes darted around the area in front of her, trying to find where the sound had come from. I tried to remain as still as possible.
It was not time for us to meet.
An arrow shot passed my head, only a few inches away from it. A smile threatened to appear on my lips- she was beating the bush.
Now she stared straight at me, waiting for some movement, I knew she couldn't actually see me, but I entertained the fact that maybe she could. Her beautiful eyes were locked with mine, her long blond hair flowed in the wind as she waited.
Soon enough, she grew bored of waiting and bent down to pick up her game, walking back in the direction of her camp. She soon made a fire, skinned the animal, and cooked it. She was skilled in many aspects of survival, I observed.
The sun set further into the West and she lay down on the ground. The red cape she had been wearing was draped over her body, protecting her from the elements. The fire she had made earlier still burned, and her horse remained tied to a nearby tree, where it had been snacking on the grass in that area.
She had given it almost all the water she had in her bottle, and took meager sips from it every once in awhile.
She was now drifting off into a deep sleep, and didn't notice as I stepped into the radius of her camp, watching the light of the flames flicker across her skin. Her horse, of course, started neighing and whining and would soon wake her with all of the noise.
I stepped closer to the beast and acquainted myself, and soon it was as calm and quiet as it was before.
I remained at the edge of her camp, watching her sleep. She looked so peaceful. I decided to wait until dawn to make my next move.
There you go!
Here we got some new layers to Caroline. This hunting-badass persona is not going to dominate her character, but it is something to keep in mind. There are still a few secrets to be uncovered...
There were a few questions as to who the monster was and Klaus and his relationship with his family etc., etc. All I have to say is that good things come to those who wait, my dears.
Unfortunately my updates are going to become less frequent (like I won't be updating everyday) because of school and other real life responsibilities. I'll definitely be updating at least once or twice a week, and since I already basically have the next chapter ready that will be up soon.
Bye for now!
~M
P.S.: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU Panda0990, Han, DreamsBeatReality, Aaaammber, and the guest who reviewed! Your constructive criticism and enthusiasm is just amazing! Also thank you to everyone who followed, favorited, and alerted- you're awesome.