Chapter 1
*
Avian swallowed her last bite of food. Nils had been talking to her the whole time, and she listened to every word. Which was considered nice for him, because everyone else in the camp ignored him, or considered him unimportant enough to listen too. She seemed to listen on every word that he spoke, and that was gratifying to the young bard.
Nils looked at the sky. It was getting pretty dark, fast. Ninian was going to worry about him. Not that she already did. But the more worried she got, the more the others got involved, and then he would get in big trouble. "I'd better get going Avian. I'll come back tomorrow morning, 'kay?"
The little mute girl nodded her head vigorously. She had very little means of communication, so she used her head a lot. Literally.
Nils got up and stretched. "You'd better get back to your hiding spot. I don't know what'd I say if the others found you!!" Avian nodded, and took off immediately. She leapt back into the mix of trees and bushes, and was invisible to the human eye.
The young boy brushed himself off, and then left to go back to the rest of the group. He had to think of something to tell them – he couldn't just say he felt like walking through the woods. "Maybe I could say I lost something and had to go look for it. Then I got lost, and made my way back. Yeah, that'll work!!" He grinned as he walked along the forests' worn down dirt path. "Besides, I'm sure that SOME of them could care less about where I've been!" He added, immediately thinking of Hector and Raven.
*
"Where have you been, Nils?" Ninian asked him, as soon as he entered their shared tent.
"I was going through the forest 'cause I lost something. I found it, but then I found out that I was lost. It took me a while before I finally came back out." He hoped that his cover story worked. He had used a lot of cover stories before, and about maybe 80% of them worked.
"That's the fifth day you've gone into the forest!!" Ninian looked at her brother sternly as she asked.
"Uh-Oh!! Uh . . ." His mind was racing to come up with an unsuspicious answer. "I had lost something five days ago, but I could never find it. I found it today."
"What did you lose?"
"This bell you gave me for my birthday that one year." He replied smoothly, pulling it out of his pocket. To make sure that this story worked; he had brushed it a little with dirt, to make it look like it had been in the forest for that long.
Ninian was starting to think suspiciously of her brother. ". . . All right. But I don't want you to go into the forest again!! You'll make me go gray with worry before I reach my old age!!"
Nils grinned. "Alright Ninian!!"
Now he had to worry about getting to Avian. "How am I going to do that?" He was thinking as he was trying to get to sleep. But soon enough, sleep claimed him and he couldn't resist its power.
*
"I have a reason to think that Nils is hiding something." Raven was talking to Lucius at dinner. No one really bothered to talk to the red-haired mercenary, so he could always talk in private.
"Why would someone as young as Nils want to hide something?" Priscilla looked at her brother with questioning eyes.
"He keeps going into the forest after meals. He takes food in there, and then comes back without any."
Lucius slurped his soup quietly before making a reply. "Well, maybe he just wants to eat in privacy. You know how it is being the only one here that's HIS age!!"
Raven snorted. "Somehow, I doubt that. Rebecca is pretty close to his age. She's maybe a couple years older then him." He took a bite out of a bun, chewed and swallowed before continuing. "The only reason I could think of when he has to sneak out food is if he has a pet, or he's caring for someone following us."
Priscilla sighed, and rested her head on her hands. Then decided to add her two coins. "Hmm . . . I guess the only way to find out is to follow him!"
"That would be an invasion of privacy!!" Lucius said right back at her, a shocked look on his face.
On the other side of the eating area, Nils glanced around before sneaking two buns under the table, and into his pockets. "Better save these for Avian . . ."
*
The little girls' stomach rumbled again. Clutching it, she had to remind herself to find some other food while waiting for Nils. Falling back on her reverse side, she sighed. "Nils should've arrived about an hour ago!!" She thought, scrounging through a near-by bush.
"Avian!! Avian!! Sorry I'm late!!" It was Nils' voice!! Her head poked up from the bush, leaving Nils to stare at a pair of worried, and hungry, eyes.
"I think they're getting suspicious of me. Hector was watching me leave for the forest. He was also wondering why my pockets were stuffed." He explained, while pulling the two buns out of his pockets. "Sorry it's so little. I couldn't try risking more then that."
She smiled, and patted him on the lap, trying to reassure him that it was all right. Then she started eating one of the buns, and smiling. Nils liked it when she smiled.
The young bard sighed though. "I don't know how long I can keep this up. I just might have to introduce you to them. Or maybe we could head back to Ostia . . ."
Avian immediately curled up and shook her head. Arms wrapped around her legs, she made it positive that she didn't want to go back to Ostia.
Nils huffed. "Well then what are we gonna do?"
The girl just shrugged, and started on the second bun.
Matthew and Legualt were hiding behind a couple trees. "So that's who Nils has been seeing in the forest . . ." They both thought, and left. Time to go tell Lyn, Hector or Eliwood.
--- --- ---
Ta-daa! The next chappie! ^_^. I like this fic already!
Kent: If you didn't like it, then why would you be typing it?
. . . . Whatever.
Nils: Please review! Pretty please with a cherry on top? Pwease? * uses puppy dog eye *
Erk: Run!!! * dashes off *
-_-;
*
Avian swallowed her last bite of food. Nils had been talking to her the whole time, and she listened to every word. Which was considered nice for him, because everyone else in the camp ignored him, or considered him unimportant enough to listen too. She seemed to listen on every word that he spoke, and that was gratifying to the young bard.
Nils looked at the sky. It was getting pretty dark, fast. Ninian was going to worry about him. Not that she already did. But the more worried she got, the more the others got involved, and then he would get in big trouble. "I'd better get going Avian. I'll come back tomorrow morning, 'kay?"
The little mute girl nodded her head vigorously. She had very little means of communication, so she used her head a lot. Literally.
Nils got up and stretched. "You'd better get back to your hiding spot. I don't know what'd I say if the others found you!!" Avian nodded, and took off immediately. She leapt back into the mix of trees and bushes, and was invisible to the human eye.
The young boy brushed himself off, and then left to go back to the rest of the group. He had to think of something to tell them – he couldn't just say he felt like walking through the woods. "Maybe I could say I lost something and had to go look for it. Then I got lost, and made my way back. Yeah, that'll work!!" He grinned as he walked along the forests' worn down dirt path. "Besides, I'm sure that SOME of them could care less about where I've been!" He added, immediately thinking of Hector and Raven.
*
"Where have you been, Nils?" Ninian asked him, as soon as he entered their shared tent.
"I was going through the forest 'cause I lost something. I found it, but then I found out that I was lost. It took me a while before I finally came back out." He hoped that his cover story worked. He had used a lot of cover stories before, and about maybe 80% of them worked.
"That's the fifth day you've gone into the forest!!" Ninian looked at her brother sternly as she asked.
"Uh-Oh!! Uh . . ." His mind was racing to come up with an unsuspicious answer. "I had lost something five days ago, but I could never find it. I found it today."
"What did you lose?"
"This bell you gave me for my birthday that one year." He replied smoothly, pulling it out of his pocket. To make sure that this story worked; he had brushed it a little with dirt, to make it look like it had been in the forest for that long.
Ninian was starting to think suspiciously of her brother. ". . . All right. But I don't want you to go into the forest again!! You'll make me go gray with worry before I reach my old age!!"
Nils grinned. "Alright Ninian!!"
Now he had to worry about getting to Avian. "How am I going to do that?" He was thinking as he was trying to get to sleep. But soon enough, sleep claimed him and he couldn't resist its power.
*
"I have a reason to think that Nils is hiding something." Raven was talking to Lucius at dinner. No one really bothered to talk to the red-haired mercenary, so he could always talk in private.
"Why would someone as young as Nils want to hide something?" Priscilla looked at her brother with questioning eyes.
"He keeps going into the forest after meals. He takes food in there, and then comes back without any."
Lucius slurped his soup quietly before making a reply. "Well, maybe he just wants to eat in privacy. You know how it is being the only one here that's HIS age!!"
Raven snorted. "Somehow, I doubt that. Rebecca is pretty close to his age. She's maybe a couple years older then him." He took a bite out of a bun, chewed and swallowed before continuing. "The only reason I could think of when he has to sneak out food is if he has a pet, or he's caring for someone following us."
Priscilla sighed, and rested her head on her hands. Then decided to add her two coins. "Hmm . . . I guess the only way to find out is to follow him!"
"That would be an invasion of privacy!!" Lucius said right back at her, a shocked look on his face.
On the other side of the eating area, Nils glanced around before sneaking two buns under the table, and into his pockets. "Better save these for Avian . . ."
*
The little girls' stomach rumbled again. Clutching it, she had to remind herself to find some other food while waiting for Nils. Falling back on her reverse side, she sighed. "Nils should've arrived about an hour ago!!" She thought, scrounging through a near-by bush.
"Avian!! Avian!! Sorry I'm late!!" It was Nils' voice!! Her head poked up from the bush, leaving Nils to stare at a pair of worried, and hungry, eyes.
"I think they're getting suspicious of me. Hector was watching me leave for the forest. He was also wondering why my pockets were stuffed." He explained, while pulling the two buns out of his pockets. "Sorry it's so little. I couldn't try risking more then that."
She smiled, and patted him on the lap, trying to reassure him that it was all right. Then she started eating one of the buns, and smiling. Nils liked it when she smiled.
The young bard sighed though. "I don't know how long I can keep this up. I just might have to introduce you to them. Or maybe we could head back to Ostia . . ."
Avian immediately curled up and shook her head. Arms wrapped around her legs, she made it positive that she didn't want to go back to Ostia.
Nils huffed. "Well then what are we gonna do?"
The girl just shrugged, and started on the second bun.
Matthew and Legualt were hiding behind a couple trees. "So that's who Nils has been seeing in the forest . . ." They both thought, and left. Time to go tell Lyn, Hector or Eliwood.
--- --- ---
Ta-daa! The next chappie! ^_^. I like this fic already!
Kent: If you didn't like it, then why would you be typing it?
. . . . Whatever.
Nils: Please review! Pretty please with a cherry on top? Pwease? * uses puppy dog eye *
Erk: Run!!! * dashes off *
-_-;