2 - Gentle Spirits

So there I was. Lying in the snow on a beautiful, sunny day somewhere in Remnant.
My back hurt badly. Even the horse seemed to be mocking me and Myra couldn't hold her laughter.

Myra briefly entertained the thought of teasing him, but it was already cruel enough.
'You could've told me you never rode a horse before', she was still holding her head with her hands

'Ughn, it's not like that. I just lack talent in that department. Like, completely' Owen pouted, his eyes still closed because of the sun blinding him.

'Come here, let me show you. You can still walk, can you?'

I tested my luck and got up, slowly.
'Yes, only my pride is broken and my back that's hurting, but I am fine'

The girl with the plum hair and cat ears smiled at me with a humorous gleam in her eyes.

After some hilariously failed attempts, I managed to get a hold on the horse and could stay on it.
She showed me a couple of moves and after a few minutes I felt confident enough to begin the journey.

This girl will be my death. At the pace we were going, I wouldn't even know when it happened.
With the wind rushing at my face, I imagined the overture of William Tell would be an adequate theme for my, possibly, last race.
In times of great danger, humor is always a better prospect than fear.
It would be a good death. Having fun and in nice company.
But I still had some plans in life, so I decided to stay glued on the horse as we were blazing through the path of freshly fallen snow.

Myra was having a great time enjoying that, for once, someone was even clumsier than she was.
Well, at least clumsier than when she first tried riding a horse.
She had gotten quite proficient in riding horses in the last years.

They would ride the horses at full speed if possible, Myra didn't want to spend the night in the forest.
That's why she had a certain day to travel in mind, where she would meet with wandering merchants and could sleep, if necessary, somewhat protected from the hazards of the forest.
With Owen riding along, she could manage as well or so she figured.

Be as it may, she rode her horse in a quick manner, evidently trying to reach the town before nightfall.

Owen was a little frightened at first, but after a while, riding the horse at speeds beyond his imagination was thrilling, even fun.
He just had to be sure to remain on the road, twisted ankles and broken bones weren't a nice prospect for the weekend.

Weekend? I don't even know which day it is.

A couple of hours later, Myra decided to slow down, to my relief and the horses' as well.
'We will stop soon, eat something and let the horses rest. But not yet, just keep winding down, I don't want to kill the horses.'

I was glad. 'Yeah, that would be pretty inconvenient. Wait. What about me?'
'I haven't decided yet if I will chew your face off'
'Believe me, it doesn't taste good, I know, I've bitten my tongue like 5 times since we departed'
That elicited a heartfelt laugh from Myra.

After a while, they stopped by a small river.
Myra told Owen to unpack some sandwiches and a water canteen from the bag she had given him before departing.
She reached for her own bag and gave the horses some fruits she had previously stowed.

We would stop for twenty minutes, enough rest for the horses and our sore bottoms, she explained.

I was actually flabbergasted the horses were still in one piece, but hey, what do I know about horses, she's gotta know their limits.

After munching on my first sandwich, a thought crossed my mind.
'Myra, can faunus and humans...you know...?' I gave her the look.
She gave me a knowing smile and scratched one of her cat ears 'Oh, I see what you are getting at... yes you are rather handsome, in a rugged way, but still...'

My spider-sense was freaking out. Call it chastity police.

'Waitwaitwait I didn't mean it like that. Don't get me wrong, no offence. You are a beautiful girl.'
Owen was blushing profusely and Myra loved it to see him lose his calm demeanor.

That, until she heard the compliment. Now she was the one visibly blushing.
'What, no cat jokes?' Her sly grin again.
'I was tempted, but I thought once in a while, harmless honesty could do you well'
'Thanks. No offense taken. So, you were asking?'

He chuckled 'It's just there aren't any faunus where I come from and I was wondering what happens if they get together, I mean Humans and Faunus. Don't look like that, I don't like to stay ignorant if I can help it.

'Hm'

'Well?'

'I ...rather... I don't really know...I mean it works...' she resisted the urge to motion with her hands. '...but I don't know if it can actually lead to a family in that sense'

'Hmm ok, so have you ever seen mixed families?'

'I don't come to the town that much, to be honest'

'Admitting ignorance is not a sin, you know?'

'Argh ok, I just don't know. I'm quite the introvert and never came to the town if I could help it.
My master always handled the business side of things, I really avoided coming to the town'

'And why is that?'

'I...don't know...' She frowned, trying to remember something.

'You don't know much, do ya?'

She punched me on the shoulder and smiled a bit, but she looked hurt.

'Sorry, did I say something wrong?' I feigned a sore shoulder. Yes, use the guilt, Luke.

'No, it's just, I can't remember...there is a lot I can't remember from when I was little.'
She almost looked depressed, but the expression left her face as fast as it had appeared.

I tried to change the topic, unaware that I would fail miserably.
'You mentioned a Master, did you just exchange roles or...?'

'Well, he is actually my uncle, but he taught me everything I know about forging, welding, bending and such.
I've been living with him since I was 5 and I can't remember much from before'

Forge? Weld? 'I didn't ask before, what do you do for a living?'

'I am a Blacksmith, well I haven't done anything but weapons, so I would say I am rather a swordsmith and I was a gunsmith apprentice but... my uncle disappeared a year ago'

Well shit. Great change of depressing topics, Owen.
'I'm sorry to hear that. He just dissapeared? Do you have any clues?'

'No, I just hope he is all right. He usually left a note when he had to leave in a hurry or to attend something important.

'He had done that before?'

'Yes, once he disappeared for two nights. He never told me why but I guess every man has his secrets'
She winked at me, she was really flirting with me. Heh. What's not to like?

After that, we resumed our trot to the town until our bodies and minds were exhausted.

We stopped at a glade. It was already dark.
We decided to light a small fire as it kept smaller animals away and the big ones would come anyway, it was better being able to see them.
Regarding Myra, I guess with her enhanced faunus senses she could see them even if we didn't have a fire.
Despite my night vision being beyond ordinary, it couldn't compete against hers.

I volunteered for the first watch.
I hadn't forgotten my last encounter with a Grimm, but now I felt a lot more confident knowing I was wielding weapons and could defend myself.

Being completely honest, I had no idea how to use them effectively. I just hoped I wouldn't need them yet.

I unfolded Apollo, the shine only accentuating her beautiful lines.
Yes, I'm talking about the sword, Myra was sleeping behind my back, perverts.

I let my suitcase down on my side. I hadn't tried to open it again.
I grabbed it and placed it on my lap and took a closer look at the long gashes on the side, there were even some small scratches on the titanium innards. I guess it even had some parts made of kevlar.
Oversofisticated piece of luggage.

I let my fingers wander over the gashes on the leather.
Letting one of those claws come close was most certainly a bad idea.

For most of the night, nothing happened.
Besides a few birds and crows, no other animals seemed to approach us.
The horses nickered a couple of times but remained mostly quiet and calm.
The moon seemed less broken than last night. I guess I will need to ask Myra sometime about moon cycles.

After the moon had moved across most of the starry dome above us, I remembered Myra's turn had been due long ago.

I had decided to let her rest a little longer but then forgot completely to wake her up.
I gently patted Myra's shoulder. That didn't faze her in the slightest.
I tried again, to no avail.
Now I ran my finger along her exposed arm. That should definitely wake her up.
But it didn't.
This being an emergency -as I really needed to sleep-, I had to resort to more drastic measures.

I tickled her waistline.

'Aghnn you are no fun' ...so she was feigning it!

'You evil woman, I tried to wake you up for minutes, you were faking it all the time'

'No, no I just woke up with the tickle', she lied. She had felt his finger on the arm.
And she had liked it. Of course she would never tell him that.

He smiled at her. If they weren't in the wilderness, he would have let her sleep, but he needed to be alert as well, at least until they reached the town.

...I wouldn't mind to lay on her side...he shook off that thought and chuckled to himself.
' 'You up?'

'Just a sec, ggggaaahhhnn' she stretched, like a cat would do, totally unexpected, he mused.
But how different are cats from humans really in that regard? Not that different at all.

'How long did I sleep?

'6 hours, I think' That, if his clock was working at all.

She looked surprised and held her scroll out. 'You are right, but why didn't you wake me up earlier? We said 4 hours each'

'Yeah but you looked like you really needed it and I only need to close my eyes for a while, I can rest later in the town'

' 'You sure?'

'Yeahh' he yawned. Damn, he was really tired.

'Ok then, I kept your spot warm' she grinned and patted at the sleeping bag.

'Very funny', Owen slid into the blankets and smirked. Finally some shut eye.

'Good night'

'Thanks, stay sharp, Paws'

She punched him lightly on the arm before standing up, chuckling and finding a spot to keep watch.
That elicited a unconscious smile from him, who was already asleep.

The neighing horses woke me up.
My eyes were open in an instant, my hand on my sword a moment later.
Myra came crashing over me just as I was sitting up. That definitely woke me up

She was panting and seemed to be hurt. I looked immediately past her and saw it.
A Grimm. As big as the last one.

I sensed my grip on the sword getting tenser, feeling the weight.

'Are you ok?'

'Yes, try to keep it away from the horses, I will unbind them'
She hissed and limped towards our equine companions.

'You are in no shape to free them, the beast will catch you at once'

'Doesn't matter, as soon as we buckle up, we might be able to outrun it.

I stood between the beast and Myra. It didn't look pretty.

Apollo heaved in my hand. She was excited. But was I?
I hefted Samnite, I would need it.

The beast's patience came to an end. It growled at me and looked towards Myra and the horses.
I growled back and demanded its attention.
No way I would let him pass.

I must be pretty stupid. Or brave. Most definitely stupid.
I lurched at the monster before it could jump at Myra. With one swing of its claws, it sent me crashing against a tree.
Luckily, I had blocked the blow with Samnite.

I jumped up and looked back at the tree, splintered to pieces. Damn. 'This will hurt like hell later...'

The one good thing about the whole situation was the Grimm having lost interest in Myra.
At least for now.

I was about to ask when Myra whispered 'Done, hurry up and hop on!'
I was happy to oblige.

But the beast had blocked any possible path. No way I would be lucky twice in a week.

The creature decided to turn around and make a dash for Myra.
Just like that, its fate was decided, I jumped at it, blocked one of its instinctive slashes with Samnite and thrusted the sword into its neck. But it wasn't enough to bring it down.

The beast swerved at me and I jumped back before his claws could hit me.
In that very instant, Myra was on his back and making quick cuts with her daggers.

The Grimm threw one of its arms around and hit her.

Myra didn't fall off it but her daggers went flying and when the Grimm attacked me again, she unsheathed her claws instinctively and slashed at the neck of the beast, injuring it but not enough for it to break its attack.

She wasn't fast enough to dodge one of the blows which, hitting her, sent Myra flying across the road.

'Fuck, Myra!'

She didn't respond. I wouldn't be able to come close with the beast between us.

The Grimm decided to go for her prone, unmoving form.
I was pissed.

Dashing at him, I let Apollo slide back into it's coin form and let it jump forward as it unfolded when I was close enough, making a decisive cut into its neck.

The beast staggered and swerved around, punching me to the ground.

This is it, folks.

Pushing the sword further into the beast and thrusting it with all my might, I saw the huge beast plummeting towards me.
I should have crushed me, but it fell apart suddenly before its weight could make pancakes with jam out of me.
Not a second too late.

Shaking the daze off my mind, I leaped up and ran to Myra's unconscious form.

I crouched at her side. Other than a few scratches and dirt, she looked almost as in a relaxed slumber.
She had been extremely lucky. The Grimm had hit her with the back of its hand.
I reached for her neck and looked for any injuries.
Finding none, I decided to wake her up, in the most fitting manner.

'Hnnn, why do you have to tickle me every time?!'

'Because it always works. Are you ok?'

'Yes, I might even walk again' Her eyebrows travelled exaggeratedly up and down while she talked, obviously making fun out of the situation.

I was a little worried at that remark.

'Gosh, can't you take a little joke? Just look at your face. I'm fine Owen'

I helped her up and felt it...
She seemed to have a surprisingly strong aura. Though I'd never felt something like that before. I was just guessing.

'I'd thought that blow had got the best of you' Owen pointed accusingly at Myra.

'It seems I'm not that easy to take out' She shrugged and grinned at Owen.

Remembering a conversation from earlier that day, I asked 'And you still prefer daggers over swords?'

'Maybe I should carry a sword for those situations, but for the city, I'd still prefer daggers'

'Seems reasonable. So. Do you want to rest some more?' He smirked

'I'm in a so-not-sleeping mood right now' Her eyes showed concern but her white fangs hinted at a more humorous note.

'Let's buckle up, maybe we can get there before sunrise' I commented at her growl.

We rode at a lighter pace now, slow enough to talk.

'So you want to tell me, you'd never fought against one of those?'

'No, mostly smaller Grimm, not bigger than dogs and wolves, never something this big.'

'You were pretty reckless back there, Myra' I frowned

She looked down 'Maybe...'

After that, we remained silent most of the time.

We rode through the dawn, the dampness hanging in the air, when we saw the first lights in the distance.
The townspeople were turning off the lamps.

Myra and Owen tied up the horses and filled up a water bucket for them.

They went to the transportation office, still closed this early in the morning, so they decided to get breakfast.

Myra found an open bakery and they sat down. She ordered some biscuits and some tea for both of them.
Both enjoyed the respite and company, wholly invested in the breakfast.

After they finished, Owen motioned for the waiter until he saw Myra's confused expression.
I forgot she was paying, Owen mentally facepalmed, he was certainly embarrassed.

Myra simply grinned, knowing she would not get to see Owen blushing very often, or so she thought.

The sun was already up when we exited the bakery and I sensed trouble when one guy in charcoal clothes wielding a whip approached us.

He had a black ornate symbol inside a white circle. The symbol resembled a person with a whip and a pistol, a dust crystal hovering over its head.
Owen would notice it just in passing, but it was a symbol he wouldn't forget.

What really alerted him were the other two guys walking a few meters behind him, leering at Myra, holding their own whips with clenched fists. Now both were truly surrounded.

Owen also hadn't missed one of the guys trying to grab Myra's hand before she had swiftly withdrawn it.

The thug who looked the oldest of the bunch wanted to teach both of them a lesson they would never forget and maybe, if he timed it right, he could enjoy himself before he had to dispose of the damn animal later.

Killing the human would be regretful but necessary if he posed any resistance.
Fear may work on him, like it usually works, the thug thought for a moment, but the guy was faster than him and had already taken a defensive stance between them and the cat whore.

So it was decided. The thug spoke loud and clear, so that the peasants of this town would also learn a lesson.
'I have no fear to punish you, scum. Fuck off or pay your betrayal with your life'

So he is talking to me then, Owen concluded.
'I could say the same, but that would be lame now. Back off. Leave her alone. I won't ask you twice' Owen replied, in a very nonchalant way.

'Owen, let us just go' I heard the fear in her voice. So she knew this kind of scum. I begrudgingly accepted.

I took her hand and as soon as we had turned around, the other two thugs blocked our way.

'I guess there is no peaceful outcome to this situation' I whispered to her.

'Let us pass or I will...' Owen started but was interrupted...

'Yeah, show us, oh dangerous ranger' one of the thugs interrupted.

I looked at Myra and the reason as why she avoided the town was quite obvious to me now. Something had already happened before.

I decided to be blunt with the assailants. 'Fine, let me be perfectly clear.'
Owen leapt forward and dealt the bigger thug a powerful but clean slash across the chest.
The thug was evidently not prepared for Owen's sudden attack and jolted before being hit. The slash sent him crashing against a railing.

The guy was stunned, his aura dropped low. Very low, he could feel it. 'Ah guys, we should really back off' He nervously babbled.

I must say, I didn't expect that.
It seemed my blows were dealing a lot more damage than they should.

'Listen to this guy, don't make me stain my boots with your blood'
Owen noticed the other two would be villains not backing out of the fight. They intended to continue.

The big guy was out of the fight and had already crawled behind some crates.

Surrender didn't seem like an desirable option, so Owen decided to make them draw their weapons and let them make the first move.

'Please?' he teased.

Both attacked at the same time. Owen gently pushed Myra to the side and motioned her to make room for him, which she conceded.
The brown haired, younger boy slashed at him first.

An attack which Owen dodged, batting the concealed axe away with his suitcase, a move which surprised both of the assailants. Owen made a quick dash and slashed at the older one of them, stunning him and pinning him to the ground.

They seemed to be inexperienced in combat. At least more than he was himself.
'Quantity over quality, is it everywhere the same shitty mindset?'

The older one tried to get up, only to look at a very sharp blade, very close to his face.

'Don't. One more blow and your mother will get a fruit basket and some flowers'
That seemed to work, as he visibly slumped.

Before the young boy could lunge at him, Owen shouted instinctively over his shoulder 'Don't even think about it, junior. I'd be sad to put an end to such youth. You may still learn to coexist with different cultures, so please, leave the bad influences behind and I won't have to kill you'

The youngster hesitated until Owen stared for a moment angrily over his shoulder, not leaving the pinned guy out of sight.

'Ah, yes sir...thanks?, I will try'

'Don't try, do it. Now go away before I reconsider'
I heard him run away and then I looked at both criminals with a fierce and determined look.

'I don't want so see you ever in this town again'

'We won't list...'

'I said fucking never. There is no bargaining here. Does it seem like I had a sword inches from my nose? No? Bingo.
Listen, maggot. I'm giving you two options. A promise of certain death or the chance to retreat and reflect on your own stupidity.
And in neither case your body shall remain in this town'

Harsher talk seemed to seep to the thug's brain, as he stood up and motioned the other goon to retreat.

After both were out of earshot, Myra approached and drew my attention, grabbing my hand.
'Owen, I am impressed, I didn't know you had it in you' She said, half jokingly, but also serious.

She noticed his hand shaking.

'Are you allright?' She asked, now concerned.

'Yes. I just didn't want to become a murderer'

'That would be in self defense'

'But still. You see, we avoided bloodshed, so it definitely could be done this way. I was this close to getting lazy and cutting him up' he smirked at the last remark.

'Yeah, I guess laziness is the only thing that would make you a cold blooded outlaw' She smiled, showing her fangs.

In a more serious tone, he remarked, 'If they had touched you again, I wouldn't have backed down'

He seemed to calm down and looked her in the eye.

'Are you ok?'

'Yes. Thank you'

He squeezed her hand and resumed walking.

Owen didn't want to press the issue, there would be another time for asking what had happened before.

'Here, a train schedule' she motioned for a big notice board.

'You can take a train to Patchburg and from there, you should be able to catch a small craft to the mainland, the next train should leave in 40 minutes'

Owen was happy, he could finally do things right.
He didn't know it yet, but he already had.

Owen's brows furrowed for a moment. He would certainly miss her, he guessed.
Myra looked away. She knew she would miss him, but didn't want to be a nuisance.

'Say, Myra...how...can we communicate?', he interrupted her thoughts.

That startled her and I didn't know why.

'What do you mean by that?'

'I don't have a scroll or anything like that'. At least I don't think Remnant has 4G networks up and running.
He knew he had 2 mobile phones stowed somewhere in the suitcase.
But they wouldn't be of much help.

Myra realized what Owen meant. 'Oh. I mean, I almost never use it, but I have a scroll with me and I gave you my address. But I see the problem. Let us get a scroll for you.'

Ah shit, I didn't mean ... 'But I don't have any m...'

'What did I tell you? You can pay me back later'

'Are you sure? I don't even know how much something like that costs'

...And she wouldn't tell him, he was already stubborn as they came.
'Don't worry, come, let's go'

After picking up a nice, black scroll for me, she walked along until we reached the train station and she produced me a small pouch with money. She wouldn't let me take a look though. 'Forget it. Do it in the train or leave it here'

She produced a small bag and gave it to Owen. He didn't know where she had it the whole time.
It was the same bag he had been using throughout the journey to the town.

Myra has a kind soul, I thought to myself.

We interchanged scroll contact information and I looked up the screen.

"Myra Catweazle"

'You've got to be kidding me' 'So much for nice introductions?' She seemed to enjoy my lack of tact, reversing an earlier occurrence.

'Owen Crown, at your service' I made a reverence, she chuckled and then saved the data.

And when she said 'Scroll me', I had to suppress a fit of laughter. I guess this is a thing here too.

'I will. But that goes both ways, ok?' I called, before stowing the scroll away in the pockets of my jacket.

'Sure. Take care Owen. And thanks for saving me. Twice' Her eyes glinted for a heartbeat.

'Nothing to thank me for' I genuinely smiled 'Thanks for the shelter, food and everything'

She pulled me into a small, shy hug and whispered 'Please, be careful' into my ear.
I chuckled and hugged back 'I will, you too, ok? Don't go back alone, please, promise me'

She grunted, but smirked and nodded 'Just for you'

'And don't look for trouble either'

She pouted 'You are no fun' and poked me with one finger.

'You know that is not true' I pretended to give her a punch on the shoulder which she avoided, not noticing my real goal.

To tickle her in the waist.

She gave a small cry and blushed 'Owen, don't humiliate me in public. I will find a weakness and will use it next time we meet'

I laughed and turned around, walking towards the train 'I am sincerely looking forward to that'

I would miss her. I waved over my shoulder and she waved back.

I climbed the small steps and entered the wagon. She stood on the platform with crossed arms and a small frown in her face, waiting for the train to depart.

A part of me regretted leaving her alone, but there were things needed to be done.

I looked for a free spot and stowed my suitcase between the seats. I put the bag Myra gave me in one of the railings above the row of seats. It seemed like I had a full compartment for me alone.

The train departed as I watched the snow melt and the raindrops travel through the window.

After a while, I pondered what would happen if I had been transported to the wrong era, I knew only some limited facts about the timeline. This worried me, I just wished the time was right, not too early and definitely not too late to be of any help.

A sleepless night and the fights were taking its toll, as my eyes were constantly trying to close.
The compartment I was travelling in was empty.
I could catch a nap now, I hadn't slept in a while and certainly deserved it.

I closed my eyes. I was closer to my destination.

Patience,

Is hard to find.

Shadows,

Seem to fill your life.

A/N: Chapter 3 is underway, a big chunk of it was actually written as chapter 2 and I noticed the chapter getting bigger and bigger, so I decided to make a nice, clean cut.

I hope you enjoy!

ps: If you find any horrible typos or other errors, don't hesitate to point those out.

ps2: I prefer PM's but comments are ok!

Ps3: As of 2019, I checked for typos and fixed some phrases.