Real Dad, Chapter 2
The cool, crisp morning air was still covering the ground like a thick blanket. As the sun rose in the sky, beams of warmth made their way to the ground, cutting through the cold like a knife. The morning dew had lost its grip on the helpless blades of grass below as it melted, running towards the dirt only to be absorbed by its prisoner. The trees were holding their buds in the palm of their branches, forcing the new leaves as skyward as they could, giving their foliage the long awaited warmth they craved to grow. With the veil of winter lifting, plants all throughout the land of Emelka rejoiced as their elongated slumber was broken. Spring not only brought hope to the plants, but the fauna also stumbled out of their holes and borrows to take in the scene of a new season dawning.
Everywhere that the light has touched seemed to spring to life. The birds of the land were all flying about hunting food or caring for their nests. Deer and foxes stumbled out of their homes to stretch and soak up some rays of golden sun, shaking off the last remnants of winter. The first day of spring was a time of rebirth and light for everyone and everything living in the land of Emelka.
As the tofu and the deer begin to graze, they all jerk their heads up to the sound of footsteps coming close to the forest at an alarming rate. The animals scatter in just enough time to get away from the figure of a human that ran past them further into the woods.
A small human figure was running as fast as his little feet would carry him. This small boy had his special-made blue hat trailing him as tears raced down his face. Yugo had been crying ever since he left The Crusty Gobball. Running in and out of trees, Yugo's bare feet crushed the leaves and twigs underfoot. Due to his abrupt exit from the inn, Yugo forgot to take his shoes or any kind of jacket to cover him from the morning bitterness; yet he didn't seem to care about anything other than finding a spot far away from home where he could be alone.
After what had seemed like an eternity of running, Yugo found a small clearing in the foliage where a dead tree laid in its side forming a bridge over a small brook that ran through the woods. He stopped right next to the log and placed his hands upon it, trying to catch his breath in between the sobs. Yugo then fell to his knees, and leaning onto the log, broke down in tears burying his face in the few pieces of bark that the log had to offer.
In town of Emelka stood a large building on a hill overlooking the rest of the buildings below it. The Crusty Gobball was the town's most famous inn, run by one of the town's most renowned retired Enutrof Alibert.
As the sun was starting to make its decent from the sky, Alibert made his way out of the kitchen into the dining room. He wore a very sad look on his face as his feet grew heavy with guilt. Yelling was never something Alibert did, especially at his son Yugo. True, they weren't related by blood, but Alibert felt as if Yugo was the son he never got the chance to have. His adventures with his close friend and fellow Enutrof Ruel Stroud left him without a chance to settle down or find a wife. Finding Yugo in the fog on the outskirts of town was the answer to his prayer, giving him a reason to settle down. But juggling the raising of a child and the running of an inn, he was just as busy as before.
Alibert walked over to the front door, and flipped the wooden sign to say 'Closed'. The dinner crowd would be showing up within the hour but he was in no mood to continue cooking. Multiple times during the day he had spaced out, worrying about Yugo and whether he's get hungry or cold, or lost. Then his mind would spiral to 'What if he got injured? He'd have no way of getting back home.' Alibert would start working himself up so much that he'd start shaking. His shaking hands would drop a couple plates, and he'd snap back to reality.
Alibert went around the dining room picking up the piles of dishes left on the tables, and pocket whatever tip would be next to them. Business on the first day of spring was good, but all he cared about was Yugo and his safety. 'Strange…' he once thought '… how one small child would make me forget all about how much Ruel and I hunted down kamas.' The past eight years have definitely been different for Alibert.
Alibert piled up the last dish and made his way towards the swinging door of the kitchen when he stopped mid stride. He made eye contact with a small frame on the wall hanging near the fireplace. Alibert walked over to it, placed the pile of dished on a nearby table, and picked up the frame from off the wall.
Encased behind the sheet of glass was a picture of Alibert smiling next to a very young boy struggling to hold two plates and what would arguably be the biggest grin in the world. Yugo was just six, and wanted to help Alibert serve some of the customers. The inn's regulars knew the young boy all too well, and very much encouraged Yugo's effort. Alibert told his customers that all tips that day would go directly to Yugo. He earned nearly fifty kamas, and bought a porcelain gobball bank to store his money until he had "… enough to buy my own inn so I can own one just like my daddy!" which was what Yugo told all of his customers. They all loved the kid's energetic personality and his yearning to help everyone who needed it.
A few teardrops landed on the glass as Alibert sniffled to hold himself from breaking down. He felt so bad for yelling at Yugo. The poor eight-year-old didn't deserve to be yelled at. It wasn't even his fault. Az didn't mean to knock over the vase either.
Alibert inhaled deeply and then exhaled, trying to calm himself down. He put the picture back on the wall and headed past the dishes towards the door. He grabbed this coat and noticed how Yugo's coat and shoes were still in the front closet. Alibert's heart dropped into his stomach when he realized how it would be getting cold soon. He had to find Yugo before the weather got too bad. He also grabbed Yugo's coat off of the hook, opened and locked the door, and headed out into town to try and find him.
The sun was making its way towards the horizon with only a few hours before it started to get dark. Alibert knew where Yugo liked to spend his free time, and decided to start towards the bridge in the middle of town.
As the sun was beginning to set, the sky had bright pigments of purples and oranges strewn across the few clouds that inhabited it. One of the clouds even looks like a boat cast out at sea.
Yugo had move himself on top of the log, and sat against the exposed roots as he stared up at the beautiful painting above him. Yugo had calmed down from crying, and enjoyed the sounds of the brook below him. He had been starting at the animals that were all making their way to their nests and homes when he suddenly realized something.
Yugo's eyes shot open and he jumped off of the log, racing towards the woods once again. The chirping of the tofu reminded Yugo about Az and how he was still missing. With it getting darker, spotting a small yellow tofu would be progressively harder.
"Az!" he screaming, trying to listen closely to the different pitches of the chirping, hoping his friend wouldn't be too far.
Yugo ran in what he thought was the direction of home. Or perhaps he was running in the opposite direction. He spun around for a moment trying to get his grasp on direction when he shrugged it off. Finding his friend was of a higher priority. Nothing else mattered to him; not the growing darkness nor the on-coming cold air, not even the mud puddle that he stepped in covering his legs and most of his pants in wet mud deterred his quest.
Yugo ran yelling out for his friend louder and louder with nary a sign of his tofu anywhere. He stopped for a moment leaning his hand on a tree to catch his breath. He started to worry that he'd never see his friend again.
The sun had traveled past the far hills and below the horizon giving life and light to the opposite end of the world. The sky darkened to reveal a vast collection of stars scattered amongst the clouds. Visibility was deteriorating to where Yugo could only see a few trees ahead of him.
He started running in the same direction starting to get frantic and stressed. "AZ!" his screams carried and echoed through the woods.
"AZ! Where are y-"his words were cut off as his foot got caught on a root. Yugo gasped and put his arms out in front of his face to shield him from the impact. He landed on his forearms with a thud, stopping his face from hitting the rocks. However the front of his right leg made contact with one of the pointy rocks, hitting him hard in the shin.
Yugo rolled on his back and screamed in pain as he brought his leg up to his chest. After the initial shock, he looked down as the source of the pain only to see blood starting to come out of where the rock hit, mixing in with the semi-dried mud.
Yugo gritted his teeth as he forced himself up to a standing positon, using the tree as a crutch. He tried putting pressure on his hurt leg but pulled back instantly regretting the decision. Pulling his leg up made him lose balance and fall on his bottom into a sitting position.
In front of his, right behind a few trees, Yugo could hear rustling coming closer. "Who's there? St-stay away!" Yugo said using his left leg to scoot himself backwards and away from the noise. He backed himself against a tree, and hoped that whatever it was would go away.
From the direction of the noise, a man appeared around a tree. He was wearing a dark cloak and had a heavy backpack which looked to be full to bursting. He walked into the clearing so Yugo could see him as he raised his open palms to the child to show his lack of aggression.
Yugo's heart raced as his breathing picked up. He was alone, partially immobile, and nearly defenseless in the woods at night. Yugo had been alone before, but never for this long or after hours this late. He had no idea of what to do.
Should he scream? Run? Both? Different possibilities ran through his head all looking for what to do. His mind came to a halt as the man spoke to clear the on-growing silence...
[Author's Note: I want to apologize for the long absence. With holidays, a death in the family, and my visit to the hospital, there was no time to write my story. As I mentioned in DeviantArt, the best way to keep updated with my stories is to subscribe, so whenever I post a new chapter, you'll know immediately.
There is a reference in there for another one of my close friends, Dib. You're the only reason that comment is in there, lol.
I want to thank Nimue, a very dear friend for giving me names for the characters used in my stories. It takes me forever to come up with cool names. I also want to thank Dale for being in this story as well. Yugo and Alibert both belong to Ankama, so thank them for coming up with the base ideas of my stories. {Watch Wakfu now on Netflix}
Keep commenting on my stories so I know what you guys want more of whether it be more Yugo, more Alibert, or more random townsfolk. I'll take every comment into consideration for this story, and the next ones to come. Thanks everyone!]