She always made such a trek worthwhile. She spoke with him, walked with him through the halls of the Mayship, insisting yet again, she be on her feet. She even fed him, saying he was too skinny. He didn't mind it all. At least there was company to occupy his mind and hungry soul.
Just a few days ago, she surprised him by arriving at his door, by herself. He knew she could have gotten lost just by doing so and scolded her for it, but she didn't seem phased by his warning. Maybe it was a good thing after all. She proved to him she was doing fine. But what worried him more was the time when the pirates would be able to fix their ship and finally be on their way. If they went, then that meant Dizzy would be gone, too.
He didn't want that happening. A crazy thought even crossed his mind to even sabotage their ship, further delaying their departure. But could he really bring himself to do that?
Yes, of course. It is for a good cause.
Distracted in his own thoughts, Ky suddenly lost his balance on a patch of snow, sending his legs out from under him and landed on his backside. His hands barely caught him, but the landing wasn't too harsh—or embarrassing. At least there was no one around to witness it.
Or so he thought.
His mind wandered back to where he left off, before he found himself thinking of Dizzy. Again. He repositioned himself, pulling his legs under him until he was squatting comfortably, his fingertips to the ground like a big cat stalking its prey. But the prey was unknown. There was a possibility that whatever he was tracking was just a spook. It wasn't the only occasion he found himself chasing shadows.
Maybe it was because the pirates were stirring up the forest or maybe it was because he was losing his mind.
It wouldn't be a surprise. Why would the forest suddenly get to him like this and make him start seeing things?
He couldn't help to think he was being watched. Even now, he still felt it.
He shifted and began to pull one leg forward, finding solid ground, then pulled his body forward, crouching again. He pressed his shoulder up against a tree, his cheek nearly pressed up against it as he peeked past the edge of it, his skin just grazing the rough bark. He narrowed his eyes and watched a collection of bushes in the distance.
Nothing moved. The spot he had expected that held whatever was watching him showed no sign of life or disembodied beings. He must have sat there for at least a few more minutes, watching, before his body and mind finally gave in. His body gave in first, his shoulder muscles tightening, pressing him up against the tree beside him. He leaned his head against it and sighed.
What are you chasing after anyway? How many times do you have to do this? You know what this is, you know exactly what this is. So why are you playing its game?
He was right, but he still couldn't shake that feeling.
Ky finally stood, letting his hands climb up the tree as he unfolded his legs until he was standing again. His leg muscles cried as they found their freedom again. He leaned against the tree as he gave one last gaze to the spot he could have sworn eyes were watching him.
It's just a spook.
He nodded to himself, then finally turned away. His boots kicked a few lasting patches of snow that had survived the last snowfall as he moved back towards his cabin.
As he moved, a corner of his mind still felt the urge to look back. He bit down hard on his lower lip, his only resort from allowing himself to do so. And it worked. Sometimes a little pain was the only thing that could get his attention. He bit himself so hard, he even tasted his own blood. He sucked on the blood on his inner lip, following his tracks back to the stream that neared the cabin. With a step back and a healthy bound across it, he cleared it.
But then, subconsciously, he found himself looking back again.
Damn it.
"Ky!" he then heard Dizzy's voice.
That's snapped him out of it. He shook his head and looked ahead to see Dizzy walking from the front of the cabin, towards him. She was carrying something at her side. He hadn't expected her to be here so early. She waved a hand as she limped to him, greeting him with a smile.
"There you are. Where were you?"
"I was," he said and looked back again. "I was just taking a walk."
He wasn't going to admit the truth this time. He didn't want to worry her.
"Oh," she said. "I got a little worried."
Too late.
"You're normally here."
"Well, I wasn't expecting you at this hour. But it's a nice surprise." He passed her a faint grin.
"I came here to bring you something," she said and brought the object by her side into further view. Under her arm was a wicket basket, with a little red bow on the handle. It was tied the same way she had her bows in her hair and tail. She slid her hand into it and brought out a rather tempting looking muffin.
He cocked a brow at it and fought off a nasty little grin. "Come here to feed me?"
"Yes, I did. Here, take it. And I brought some for Nora, too."
Of course, he had no choice but to comply to her wish, and took the offered muffin. Blueberry, and it looked delicious. He watched as she took out one she had planned to give his horse.
"Well, if you give her that you'll be her best friend," he said.
"Good," she said with a smile. "Where is she?"
"I don't know." He glanced around. "She would be normally roaming around, but I hadn't seen her. Certainly on a nice day like this."
He had been noticing odd behavior from her lately. It was as if she were getting just as paranoid as he were. Was there something out here after all?
"Let's go find her," he offered with a wave of his hand, and lead her across the clearing. He checked her normal spots where she grazed or slept, but found no sight of her. But when he trekked up to her stable, there he found her standing by the far corner with her head down. He grabbed a hold of the edge of the door as he looked across at her. "There you are."
She was acting strangely, even the way she held herself showed it. She almost looked like she could bolt at any slight movement. Dizzy didn't even follow her into her stable. She looked up at him for his permission first.
She didn't even have to ask.
"You can go head and give it to her now."
She nodded and reached a hand down into the basket. "Come here, Nora. Come here, girl. I have something for you." She held it out to her as she remained by the open doorway. He looked on as the offer of food brought the mare out of her corner, her ears up now.
After a few moments of declaring it safe, Ky leaned up against the side of the stable and ate the muffin that he had been holding, tearing pieces of it off before he ate it. He ate it slowly, savoring the taste and freshness of the bread. He talked with her as she fed his horse, casual talk. It still felt like a new skill to him. He never really had a casual talk until she came around.
He supposed there was a first time for everything.
"Should we worry about the male?"
"I thought you understood the plan by now, Jonas. The male isn't a concern. All we're concerned about is the female."
"I think he knows about us. He seems more on high alert. He noticed us this morning. He could have discovered us if he weren't looking for the wrong spot. What if he does know we were watching?"
"Stop worrying. We've got it. It happens today."
Jonas let out a breath after that. He knew there was no swaying his uncle in a decision, certain when it involved a Gear hunt. Whatever he said goes, that was the rule he quickly learned about him after he took the boy in after his parents' death years ago. He adored the man nonetheless. He was a great Gear hunter and even trained him after he was old enough. He always thought he should have became a Holy Knight, but he never did. He always talked about it, but blamed his bad knee for not doing so. At least he was there with his men to defend the village from any Gear.
—But these Gears, they were nothing he thought they would be. When a stranger came into their village saying there were two Gears in the forest, the group took no hesitation, gathered their weapons and went out into the forest. And after passing through that horrible place, it was proven that there were Gears here. The female give it all away. But the male in black didn't seem like a Gear at all. Maybe they were wrong about him. There was nothing Gear-like about him, from a distance at least.
The female didn't seem so Gear-like either. She acted like a girl, a plain, normal girl. She played with the male's horse, watched what few animals there were and even giggled like a normal girl. All she seemed to Jonas was a girl with wings and a tail. But he couldn't mention such a thought to his uncle or the other hunters. It wasn't his place. He knew better than to question him. He couldn't ruin his first hunt.
What if she did have a Gear side? He wouldn't know until they finally captured her.
He gripped his hand around his spear tightly and followed the group into the woods.
"May said we'll be back in the skies soon. They got engine parts from a nearby village and Novel's started fixing it yesterday. She said she worked all night on it."
"They finally got parts?"
"Yes. It must have taken a long time, but they're finally going to get the engine back together and working again. Isn't that great?"
Ky shifted on his hip as he sat on the floor with his company. She decided to try to teach him a few card games while on her visit. She went for a simple game, one ironically called War. He didn't like the name too much but it was an interesting game. He quickly caught on after a brief explanation of it. They were on their fifth round.
He grabbed another pair of cards and slid it towards him, then set down another card. "I guess so. I suppose the rest of the girls are looking forward to it."
Dizzy giggled. "They are. Some of the girls want to pitch in anyway they can. Novel already has two helpers now. But I can tell some of them are anxious. They've been that way for a while." She placed a hand over her mouth before she placed down another card.
"I can imagine," he said. "You'll miss the surface won't you?"
"I always do. It's why this place is so nice."
"This place? Nice? Are you sure you're alright?"
She giggled again. "Yes, I am. I do like this place. The forest is interesting, the stream is always wonderful to listen to. I actually feel safe here." She turned her head to look out the window.
"Not everyone would say that," he said. "But then again, no one comes here."
"That's why I feel safe," she said, then turned her head back down on the cards again. She didn't place her new card down though. "Hmm, but it's starting to get late. I don't want to worry anyone."
"You're right," he said slowly. "Do you want me to escort you again?"
"You don't have to."
"I should. You know I don't like you going out there alone. I don't want anything happening to you."
She grinned. "I know you don't like me going alone. But I think it's better that I surprise you. I don't mind you walking me, but I have a feeling that you don't like coming to the Mayship too much."
He looked past a few strands of his bangs as he looked across at her. No, he didn't like it, but he wasn't going to admit it to her. He didn't want to upset her in any way. He knew she loved these people. "Come on, I'll take you back." He stood up again and held his hand out to her, offering it to her.
She looked up at him before she picked up the cards and put them into the basket she brought along with her. She took his hand and was brought back to her feet. He gave her a nod before he lead the way outside. There was at least an two hours before the sun would set. It was a good time for the girl to be home.
"I'll get Nora. Stay here." He trekked up to the small stable and pulled the reins from the wall before he found the horse sunning herself by a tree. After bridling the mare, he lead her to Dizzy and helped her onto her back. "Your reins." He handed them to her and double checked her position on the mare. She kept her basket on her lap in one hand while the other held the reins. She kept her back nice and straight, the way he had taught her.
He began to take a few steps forward, looking over his shoulder as he watched her guide the horse after him. He stayed by her side as he lead the way into the dark woods, with the shadows and shade of the gnarled trees surrounding them quickly. The woods almost seemed to consume them, with the trees jutting up at their sides, crowding each other in like a faceless crowd watching them.
The woods were oddly silent this time, no howls or spirits following them from a distance. It was like the spirits within it had found some other to torment. He was expecting some sort of sound or sensation, but there was nothing. It almost seemed like a normal forest for a long moment. And Ky didn't like it. Something didn't seem right.
But then, he finally heard something. It was something that he never heard the forest do before, but at least it was alive again. He heard whispers in his ears, whispers that formed no words that he could hear or make any sense out of. They continued to work in his ears, even feeling as if the whispers were in his head, as if he had finally become a madman.
The whispering ceased a few moments like there were a true conversation going on, then after a while, he noticed the whispers becoming faster and faster. The whispers became faster until it was just a jumbled, chaotic sound in his ears.
"Cut it out," he muttered, having enough of it, but his warning only went upon deaf ears. The whispers continued in his ears and even his mind. He couldn't dare to look up at Dizzy if she was getting any of it, but he believed if she were, she would have been screaming. A sane person would have been screaming by now.
But then, they suddenly ceased—or he had gone deaf. While slowly removing his hands from his ears, he stopped and glanced around himself, waiting for something to happen.
But nothing happened. The forest remained in that strange silence.
"Ky?"
He snapped his head up, his ears finally hearing something that was real. He must have seemed dazed to her.
"What is it?"
He must have.
Ky shook his head and even tapped a naked palm at his right ear. "Nothing, nothing. It's just the forest. Ignore it. Come on." He began to step forward, while Nora's slow gait followed him soon after. And so did that silence. But it was broken for a brief second as he heard a twig snap, like something was walking through the forest. He turned his head, and that was when he saw something streak across the air towards him. It was too fast for his eyes to capture. For a moment, he thought it was just an illusion.
Any thought was snatched away from his brain then as a blinding pain suddenly latched onto his upper arm, right into the flesh and muscle of his shoulder. He screamed and grabbed for the source of the pain—which lead to something he wasn't expecting. His fingers found themselves gripping a fine shaft of an arrow sticking out of his flesh, the arrowhead buried.
"Ky, was is that?"
He stared at the arrow sticking out of his shoulder, and that was when thoughts returned to him.
They weren't alone. The way the forest behaved—the whispering—and now the arrow.
They were being hunted.
He quickly snapped his head up, his eyes wide. "Dizzy! Run!"
"But what's—"
"Run damn it!" he screamed at her, then slapped his hand hard against Nora's backside, hard enough to make his hand sting. The strike made Nora take off down the trail with Dizzy shrieking as she held on for dear life, bouncing along the mare's back. Ky watched a moment, making sure no man would suddenly jump out of the woods and attack her.
But they did.
Two armed men dashed out of the woods and chased after her like dogs, running hard to catch up to the fleeing mare. He saw one carrying a sword.
"Dizzy!" He began to spring his legs forward, but he heard someone ran out from behind him and struck him at the back of his skull. He stumbled and fell to his knees, his vision quickly overcome with dizziness. He felt numb a moment.
"Get him, boy! Get him! He's easy!"
He turned his head over his shoulder and saw a teenaged boy in a tan-hide coat behind him. Another hunter, an older male, stood behind him. He saw a glimpse of a crossbow held by his thigh. He was a gruff looking man, brown hair with streaks of gray in them. But the boy was what his slightly dazed eyes focused on. In his hands, he cocked a long spear back, with the blunt end aimed at him.
He could never forget the look in the boy's face. His eyes. It was as if he couldn't bring himself to attack him. His eyes were wide, almost afraid.
"Uncle, I can't. He's—"
Ky then heard Dizzy scream. He turned his head down the trail, but he couldn't see her.
"Dizzy!" He stood up and felt the boy behind him. He turned his head to look at him, seeing his eyes widen more as he came face to face with him. He stared him dead in the eyes. He saw the boy begun to sink under his demonic glare.
He began to lunge at him, focusing his rage on the youth, an easy target, but when he moved, the boy gasped and leaned back as if he were a snake about to strike. And in defense, he finally threw the end of his spear at him. He swung it at his head. As he saw the blunt end come at him, a flash of red attacked his eyes. And then, everything went black.
Dizzy's screaming stopped.