A.N. Now, here we go. Things are about to start getting really interesting, and I hope you'll enjoy it. Without further ado, let's get on with it!
OooOooOooOooO (The Campsite, Night)
Merida and the lordlings had quickly set up camp in a clearing deep in the forest, creating rather ramshackle tents out of saddle blankets, or, in Merida's case, a shelter of wood, leaves, and other natural supplies. It appeared to be waterproof as well as insulated; she would be comfortable if it rained or even snowed. The boys stared in amazement as she grinned at them from her well-constructed, rather spacious shelter.
"How… di' ya learn tha'?" Ranulf finally managed. The other two boys snapped their jaws shut, but they were still gaping, wide-eyed.
"My da, how else?" She asked, still smirking proudly. Her mind flickered through hundreds of moments, all filled with red hair, hearty laughs, and the green of the forest; some of her fondest memories came from this place. "We wen' campin' here lots 'o times, an' he taught me how ta survive. My mum dinnae approve, bu' she never stopped us. It's how my brothers learned ta be so sneaky, as well. Da'd play game o' hide n' seek wi' them here, an' they learned how ta win. 'Course no one really knows how good, or bad, really, they are 'cept me."
"Bu', tha's… tha's amazin'!" Ranulf replied.
"Incredible!" Ainsley agreed.
"Yet another thing ye're better at than us," Valan teased. The warm look in his blue made her stick her tongue out at him rather than be offended.
"O' course! I'm better at everythin'!" She teased in response. "One o' these days, I'll teach ya boys how ta do this. Fer now, though, who's hungry?" Rousing cheers were her only answer. She couldn't help thinking in that moment that these boys might be harder to feed than her mother in bear form, and that was saying something. She let out a long-suffering sigh.
"Well, we haven' eaten in a while!" Ranulf protested, having correctly interpreted her sigh.
"Ya ate at midday!"
"We were too embarrassed ta eat, though. O' course we're hungry!" Ainsley added. Merida simply slumped and led the way to the river, thinking tiredly about how many fish this was going to require.
When they arrived at the river, Merida drew her bow, put an arrow to the string, and shot a fish, all in one smooth motion. The boys, having grown used to her skill with the weapon, managed not to stand there, slack-jawed. Instead, they stood silence and watched the girl work.
"Ya could help, ya know. It's no' jus' my dinner," she pointed out after a few minutes.
"Bu' ye're doin' fine; ya don' need help," Valan retorted. Ranulf, chuckling, attempted to punch him good-naturedly in the shoulder. However, he miscalculated, and Valan was sent flying into the water. He emerged, dripping, with a glare.
"Sorry; I dinnae mean to," Ranulf practically whimpered. Valan continued to glare for a moment, prompting Ranulf to shrink back, before splashing a great wave of water over the larger boy and breaking out into a grin. Ranulf, of course, laughed and charged into the water, beginning a battle. Ainsley was quickly drawn in as well, and soon all three were splashing and joking around like old friends.
"Ye're scarin' th' fish," Merida chastised with a small smile as she set her bow aside. The boys responded by sending a big enough wave her way that she was swept off her feet. She immediately began floundering and yelping, and the boys rushed to her aid, thinking she couldn't swim. When they got within range, she planted her hands on the bottom and swung her leg around, knocking the legs out from under all three boys. They all fell, and she stood with a smirk.
"Tha's cheatin'!" She heard a voice protest, though through the sputtering, she couldn't quite tell who.
"No; tha's playin' smart, boys," she retorted over her shoulder as she flounced away. Most of the way to the shore, she stopped to attempt to wring out her skirt, but this distracted her long enough for arms to catch her around the waist and throw her back into the river. The splash fight resumed, this time with Merida as an active, and very skilled, participant.
Significantly later, all four teens climbed out onto the shore, shivering and soaked, but still laughing.
"Le's ge' back ta camp," Ranulf suggested breathlessly.
"We can star' a fire," Merida agreed as she wrapped her arms around herself.
"An' fin'lly eat!" Ainsley added plaintively. Merida looked at the rather large pile of fish that had laid unattended on the shore for the last hour or so and started back up laughing.
"Fine, bu' I caugh' 'em; I'm no' carryin' the fish back ta camp." Behind her back, there was a brief scuffle, with Ranulf coming out as the loser.
"Have fun wi' tha'," Valan commented rather smugly as he and Ainsley followed Merida back into the forest.
A slimy trip to camp, several unsuccessful attempts to light a fire, and one fight over how to cook the fish later, everyone was happily settled, warming by the fire and enjoying the meal.
"Tha's the most fun I've had in ages," Valan commented contentedly.
"Me, too," Ranulf agreed. "I used ta have splash fights wi' my siblings, bu' lately, there's been too much ta do, an' Da wouldn't le' me. I remember one time, though, when I was wee-"
"Were ya ever wee, Ranulf?" Ainsley joked, to everyone's surprise. Ranulf shoved him with a grin, managing not to dislodge him from his seat, and continued with his story.
"When I was abou' six, I wen' wi' my two oldest brothers an' my older sister, who was abou' three, ta the loch. She sat in th' sand makin' a castle. It was a perfect model o' our castle, bu' then my brothers kicked it down. She go' up, stared at them, an' then pushed them both inta th' loch. It started this massive splash figh', an' we were ou' late. Mum was nae happy when we came in soaked an' shiverin' after dark, bu' it was so much fun."
Merida smiled at the mental image, and she decided that she wanted to meet Ranulf's sister some day. They could cause so much havoc together; she would have to hope that she never met Merida's younger brothers, though, because she wasn't sure the world could handle that combination.
Ainsley went next, telling a funny story about a misunderstanding involving a sheep, a maid, and a broken spear. The best part was that he told it deadpanned and as though he was still mildly confused. Merida laughed so hard at the tale that she had to excuse herself to go to the bathroom. On her way out of the clearing, she heard Ainsley ask about his father's confusing statement earlier that day.
She was just finishing up her business when she heard a shout echo through the trees, startling many of the nearby birds into flight.
"What?!"
It took her several more minutes to return to the clearing, as she was laughing too hard to walk straight. She thought she heard some unnatural rustling in the bushes on her way back, but she eventually dismissed it as birds settling back in for the night after their scare.
The rest of the evening went similarly, filled with fun stories of childhood and simpler times. Valan shared the tale of how his father named his sword; Merida offered up some of her brothers' escapades. Eventually, the night ended in laughter, with Merida inviting all of them into her shelter as it began to rain. They all settled down for the night, not quite touching, to the sound of the pattering rain and the sight of the last glowing embers from their fire.
OooOooOooOooO (The next morning, Castle Dun Broch)
Everyone awoke in the castle, strewn about everywhere, with headaches and no memories of the night before. Right around the middle of dinner, everything became a blur. This in itself wasn't unusual, as drinking heavily tended to cause memory gaps, and well, they were all Scots, after all. What was rather odd was that everyone woke up stark naked. However, they all chose to write it off and not speak of it again, no matter where and with whom they awoke.
By the time the teens returned near noon, everyone was clothed and moving about, although they weren't coherent enough to notice that all four returned together. Most of the servants were attempting to repair the rather impressive amount of damage done to the castle and its decorations the night before, which the teens felt the need to comment on.
"Wha' on earth were ya drinkin' las' nigh'?!" Merida demanded of her father, who groaned and put his hands over his face. "Everythin's destroyed! Ya made a fair mess o' things, all o' ya!" She gestured to the completely shattered table in the middle of the Great Hall. "Tha's it; no more drinkin' for any o' ya until ya can control yerselves." She didn't expect to be obeyed, but she hoped it would limit the smashed furniture and ripped hangings the next night; they couldn't keep replacing it forever, after all.
"Oh, leave me be ta die in peace!" Fergus grunted at her as he dropped his head back to the table. "I never wan' ta drink again, anyway!"
None of the teens, or the boys who had just returned from their own adventure, noticed the new scratch marks gouged into the walls. Thus, they didn't realize anything was amiss until that night, when the sun set. In the middle of dinner, which was going surprisingly well except for the alcohol consumption, all of the adults dropped out of their chairs. When they got up, a bit furrier than before, the room was silent for a moment. Then a single voice broke it.
"Gadsbudlikins!"
OooOooOooOooO
A.N. Aaaaaaand there it is. Well, I hope you liked the camping scene; I wanted it to be adorable and bonding, while also reminding everyone that they are, in fact, teenagers. And now the truth is out, so life just got a lot more complicated. Anyway, let me know what you think of the chapter, PLEASE! I live to hear from you guys; if I don't get a response, I don't know how I'm doing. Next chapter, we'll get back to the witch, as well as some panicking teenagers with bears for parents.
Review, or Merida might get eaten by a bear – you never know.
