As Mister Kenway would say…A THOUSAND PARDONS! I'm so sorry I haven't updated this story. I do have a reason but I don't quite feel comfortable saying it. So please take my word for it that there is a good reason. So basically I am deeply sorry. Anyway, since I have not posted for a long time, I will post two (yes TWO) chapters today. Also I have started a page on facebook, so if you'd like, look up "Deer Robin 12" I will also post a link on my profile later. So please enjoy your two new chapters! :)

~Haytham~

"Take me home," Lilly tells me.

"Umm...Okay," I reply.

She pushes herself off of me and stands up. I quickly snap up when I notice the twinge of pain that crossed her face when she put weight on her leg. I wrap her arms around my shoulders and I lift her up into my arms.

"Hayden! Put me down! I came here on my own; I think I am perfectly fine to go back without your help!" She yells, trying to squirm her way out of my tight grasp.

But she fails.

"Lilly! Calm down, please. You barely were able to reach me, and I know that your leg is in a lot of pain. So please, just let me carry you home." I say in a low soothing voice.

"But you do not know where my village is?"

"Then you will guide me."

"But once I am home, how do I know you will not get lost?"

"I know how to retrace my steps. Now please, stop worrying!"

She sighed as she knew that I had won that argument, "You see that rock over there? Yeah that one, head towards it. Now, do you see a tree that is oddly shaped from the others? No, the other one! Just keep heading in that direction."

After about five minutes Lilly finally relaxed in my arms and was fast asleep. As I kept walking I would occasionally look down at her small frame and imagine how she would look in the future. Surely she will be beautiful, and she will have all the men tripping over themselves just to have a better look at her. I know I was already tripping over myself...

I moved my eyes away from her and casted them forward until I noticed a small dirt path ahead. My brow furrowed and I looked back down at the beautiful little girl that slept in my arms.

"Lilly wake up, I need to know if I must follow the path, or if I just continue on my course?" I whisper.

Her eyes open wide and yet again she wiggles uncontrollably to escape my grasp. I sigh and decide to gently set her down on her feet.

"Thank you Hayden, but I shall continue on my own." She says whilst she turns around and limps her way down the path.

"But Lill-" I yell until she motions me to be quiet.

"Hayden we are too close to my village. Do you know what they would do to you if they saw you? Especially when you are with me?" She says over her shoulder.

I swallowed hard, "But you are hurt, I cannot just leave you alone... What if you are attacked by a wild animal, or if you fall again, or-"

She lifts her hand to cut me mid sentence -again-, she turns around and her head is lowered as she gazes at me through her long lashes. "Hayden, I will be fine..."

In two long strides she stands in front of me. I see her rise and realize she is now on the tip of her toes. Before I could register what was happening, I felt a warm sensation on my cheek. My whole body froze from shock, and my eyes widened as I saw her remove her lips from my cheek. Her face started to blush as she spoke softly once more.

"...I promise."

~Kaniehti:io~

This was now the second time I have slept -or fainted from exhaustion- in Hayden's arms. For a boy who has only seen twelve winters, he is strong...at least for a pale face. The boys his age back in the village are almost capable of dragging a deer on their own, for a short distance of course.

But Hayden's arms are warm, comforting. I feel safe knowing that he will not allow anything to hurt me while we are together. If I could, I would stay in those arms for the rest of my li-

"Lilly wake up, I need to know if I must follow the path, or if I just continue on my course?"

I am about to tell him to follow the path until I realize that we are close to my village, a little too close for my liking. I quickly open my eyes and try to escape his tight grasped. Once I broke free -or when he finally decided to put me down- I hurried down the path while thanking him.

I hear Hayden's worried voice and I could only imagine the look he would have on his face. I lift my hand to silence him and I explain what my people would do if they discovered us together.

He stutters as he tries to persuade me into letting him accompany me back to my village. I lift my hand once again to make him stop blabbering and making a fool of him. I slowly turn around trying to not meet his gaze, but something inside me tells me to look up. I obey and my heart stops beating as I see the hurt, and worry in his eyes. I had laughed at his expression before, but this time I could not bear to see him like this. I wish I could just drop every problem, worry, and bad thing off the face of Mother Earth.

"Hayden, I will be fine..." I try to reassure him, however his face does not change emotion. I take a couple of steps towards him -and before I could stop myself- I rise on my toes and stretch over to place my lips onto his warm cheek. I could feel him tense up and I pull away from him.

His face no longer shows the expression of sadness and worry, now his face shows happiness but also shyness. The ends of my lips lift just a hair, almost unnoticeable. I sink back to my normal height, feeling my face heat up I spoke slowly trying not to choke over my words.

"...I promise."

We stood there staring into each other's eyes, until I swiftly turned around and ran as fast as my leg will allow me to. In no time I reach the gate of my village. I quietly peek in and see no one in sight.

I pass by the Bear Clan Longhouse and I am able to hear the sound of drums, the stomping of feet, and the laughter of children. 'Good, the festival is still on. Which means mother and father did not notice my absence.' I let out a sigh of relief as I walk back towards the Wolf Clan Longhouse.

I walk into the Longhouse and head over to my bench. Covering myself with a bear pelt, I close my eyes and welcome the darkness like an old friend.

~Haytham~

I stood there staring at the ground that she once stood on, imagining her lips on my cheek again. I smile the biggest smile I believe I have ever made and head back towards my house.

Each step I take becomes lighter and lighter, until I feel as if I am floating. The spot where her lips once were now tingled, as if there was a feather brushing against my cheek.

I look at the sky; a few stars break free of the suns grasp and shine bright. I instantly think of her eyes, the way they shine when the sun hits them; they way look me, with playfulness and happiness imbedded into them.

'I wonder if she thinks about me like I think about her. Does she like me? What if I kiss her next time, how would she react?'

I stand at the borderline of trees in the back of my house, staring at nothing in particular. Imagination is all that children own that is truly theirs, and mine is filled with images of her: The first day that I had met her. The day she stole my ribbon. The first time she held my hand. When she fell out of a tree and landed on me. The peaceful way she looks when she is asleep. The color her cheeks turned when she kissed me.

'She kissed me...she really kissed me'

My mind kept sending images and memories of her, while my body led me back into my home up to my room. I changed into my nightshirt and slipped under the covers. Without me noticing, I yawned and closed my eyes. My mind kept racing until it fell upon the image of her smile.

Her smile was the last thing I thought about before I fell asleep.