Real Dad Chapter 3
The cold breeze which swept over the town, now bathed in darkness, flowed between streets and alleys, ushering people indoors for the night. The local guards, and a few shop owners were busy lighting the street lanterns and closing up their wares, satisfied about the new season's approach and the things it has in store for them. A guard shift-change would send the most of the men on duty home for the night, leaving just one man who was to patrol the grounds until dawn.
One of the guards was donning his coat, and gathering his gear, about to make his way home. "Alright then, Dale. You have everything under control? I mean, I could stay for a while if tha-"
Dale cut him off as he gathered his belonging into the footlocker of the guard tower. "No. No, it's fine Fai. Nothing happens in this town at night anyways."
Fai had smiled at Dale, then made his way out the door yawning. "My house is only down the street if you need help."
"Yeah. If a band of mask-wearing clowns show up causing trouble, I'll be sure to call you for assistance." Dale said with a chuckle.
"Oh, well if it is clowns, then don't bother waking me! You know I can't stand clowns" Fai responded with the back of his hand, making his way into the dark night.
Dale laughed to himself before making sure his padded armor was securely fastened. He reached for a spear on the wall, and walked outside only to be met with the cold breeze across his face. "Gah! Still too cold. The summer couldn't come fast enough" he mumbled to himself, before walking down to his patrol path in the center of town.
Alibert was tightly grasping Yugo's coat as he hurried towards the guard tower. Thoughts rushed through his mind as he tried to remember where else Yugo would hid away. The large wooden bridge in the center of town was empty of any children, let alone his son.
"Let's hope Fai is still on duty. He could help cover more ground" Alibert thought to himself. His pace had doubled as the worry inside him did the same. Every moment Yugo wasn't home was another moment out in the cold. As Alibert's thoughts were swirling rhythmically mirroring the chill in the air, he had not noticed the sound of someone coming around the corner of the street, and ran straight into a man wearing heavily padded armor. Due to his speed, both of the men fell straight to the ground with a clamor of metal on stone. Alibert looked up to see the guard react to his feet holding his spear before letting it down, exhaling in relief.
"Are you okay? I didn't see you come around the corner until it was too la-"
"I need your help!" Alibert cut him off, standing up.
Dale had looked at the man blankly before registering he was breathing fast and holding onto a coat which was far too many sizes too small for either of them. "Is someone missing?" he spoke looking the man in the eyes. Alibert's eyes were filled with worry, and slightly showed signs of redness. Dale could almost definitely tell something was seriously wrong.
"My son. He ran off early this morning, and hasn't been back home. With the frost tonight, I'm not sure he'd….. I need to make sure he's alright." Alibert held back any more tears. There would be time to cry after Yugo was returned.
"Right. Where did you see him last?"
"We had an argument, and he ran off into the woods. But that was hours ago. I tried his normal hangout spot in town, but not a soul was there."
Dale was surprised at how well this man held himself in a time of crisis. "I wouldn't imagine so. No one would want to be out in this col-" Dale stopped mid-sentence, realizing how there were now three people outside, exposed to the on-growing frigid gust.
From the lights of the lanterns hung on the posts above, he could see a few tears forming in Alibert's eyes. Dale shook his head and responded "Don't worry. If he's in town, we'll find him; however if he's wandered off into the woods, then our best bet would to look for him during the day."
"Thank you. You work with Fai?" Alibert asked extending a hand, feeling the first ounce of relief all day.
"Yes, I'm Dale. Fai gave me the first spring night-watch. You're the innkeeper, correct? I've heard all about you and your son." Dale responded, shaking the man's hand.
"Yes, I'm Alibert. Small town, word gets around fast."
"Okay then. I'll start looking on the East side of town, you cover the North, and we'll meet at the Bakery. From there, we'll search the rest of town." Dale said, giving Alibert a reassuring smile.
As they both started their search, the thought of waking Fai crossed Dale's mind, but the other half of him hoped that they wouldn't need to. Dale cared about all of the citizens of Emelka. No one wants to think about a child left out in a cold night, especially if he's your own child. Dale worried for Alibert and the suffering he was going though. With a quickened pace, Dale started methodically searching alleyways and around buildings.
"Gods protect him" Dale whispered under his breath.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Time seemed to slow down to a grinding halt for Yugo. Neither he nor the man standing only ten feet away seemed to move. All Yugo could register was his chest rising and falling as he tried to calm the beating of his heart which threatened to escape its fleshy bonds. With every exhale, small puffs of condensation escape his lips forming small clouds, which would promptly disappear only to be replaced by another. Yugo's eyes widen as the rest of his body stiffens up when he notices the standing figure making the first move.
The man reaches around to the side of the firmly packed bag, and grabs something metal. He moves it in front of his face, and with a few sounds a squeaking and a click, the lantern brings light on both him and Yugo who squints at the sudden change in lighting.
"There. That's much better." The man says as he holds the lantern higher as to get a better look at the boy on the ground. He removes his hood to show his face a bit better. Yugo can see that the man was somewhere in his twenties, and had a scruffy chin. The man had blueish eyes, and small amounts of dirt on his face showed that he'd been traveling for a few days.
Yugo was still tensed up against the tree base, not knowing how to react to this man. "He surely didn't seem threatening, but who wanders in the middle of the woods at night?" Yugo mentally scoffed, realizing that he, himself was someone who fit that profile as well. He quickly snapped back to reality when the man started to move closer.
"I heard your scream, and I needed to make sure you're okay. You are okay, aren't you?" The man said taking a few steps forwards. When he saw Yugo try to back up further, he stopped his advance, and knelt down placing the lantern on the dirt beside them both.
"Stay back. I-I don't want any trouble" Yugo said trying to straighten up as much as his current position on the ground would allow.
"I mean you no harm." The man said raising his hands in front of him. "My name is Fenrier Stallis, but you can call me Fen for short. I'm an adventurer, and have been traveling for a few days. I was supposed to hit a town called Emelka before nightfall, but got sidetracked."
Fen noticed Yugo's legs covered in mud up to past his knees. Glancing over the boy before him, he also picked up on the fact at how he was without shoes, and shivering faintly. It was hard to tell if it was from the cold, or from fear. He moved his backpack straps around and off of his arms, and sat on the dirt facing Yugo.
"My name is Yugo. I was looking for my friend, and then I got lost."
"What's your friend look like? I haven't seen any other children in these woods, especially not after dark." Fen was curious and thought to himself "Who would let their child outside this late, and not come look for them?"
"Oh, he's not human. My friend is a tofu named Az. I've known him since I was little." Yugo couldn't understand why the man looked confused at his last statement, as if who doesn't befriend animals?
"Well, it's a bit late to be wandering in the woods at night. You can hardly see your hand in front of your face. I was just about to make camp for the night. I'd help you find your friend tomorrow." Fen thought to himself "Okay. Kid covered in dirt and mud, in the woods at night, and friends with a bird. Perhaps this boy is homeless…" Fen worried that if no one was around to take after this young boy, he might have died of hunger, or hypothermia; or even ran into the wrong type of person who would get the wrong ideas.
He quickly shook these thoughts from his head and asked "Do you have a place to sleep? You must be cold"
Yugo did start to feel cold, now realizing how he was nowhere close to being properly dressed for chilly nights outside. He had no idea how far he was from home either. In this darkness, it was impossible to recognize any sort of land mark which could have been used to find his way back. "No, I don't. I mean… not really."
"Then you should camp with me tonight, if that's okay. I have a bedroll you could use. Plus a fire would be better than sitting on cold, hard dirt."
Yugo thought for a moment if he could trust this man, but then the realized at how the alternative would be to hobble through the cold trying to find his way back home, which was hard enough when he was able to walk properly. "Okay. That'll be nice. But… I hit my leg pretty hard, and it hurts to stand."
"May I take a look at it?" Fen said offering his arm extended to the boy.
"Umm…. Okay. J-just be gentle." Yugo said extending his hurt leg towards the man.
Fen grabbed the lantern and brought it closer to Yugo's leg to get a better look. He could see the blood starting to run down Yugo's leg, which added another worry to Fen's mind.
"This doesn't look that bad. Just need to clean it up. While I was in a past town, an enrispa gave me some First Aid things." Fen reached over to his bag, and brought out a clear canteen, some cloth, and bandage wraps. He held the canteen up to Yugo, showing him the silvery liquid. "This stuff will clean off the germs from your cut, but it might sting a bit."
Yugo nodded, reaching behind himself to a nearby root and grasped it firmly, preparing himself for the pain. Fen then poured the liquid over Yugo's leg, to which Yugo instantly started screaming and pulled his leg back.
"I'm sorry. This is the only way to make sure your cut doesn't get infected."
A few tears ran down Yugo's face as the rest of his body tensed up, but he knew "It could get worse if not treated." As his dad always said when he refused to lay in bed all day with a cold. Yugo took in a deep breath, and re-extended his leg outwards.
"I'll try to be quick." Fen said as he poured more of the liquid on the boy's leg. Yugo clenched his jaw and tightly gripped onto the root, digging his nails into the bark. Fen took the cloth and wiped off the mud and blood around the cut. Then he firmly placed a new cloth on the cut and wrapped it to Yugo's leg using the bandage.
Yugo let go of the root and loosened up his jaw while taking in deep breaths.
"There, all done. Now it won't get infected." Fen said putting away his supplies, making sure to put the used cloth in the discarded pocket of his backpack. Yugo wiped away the tears from his face with his wrists, and smiled up at Fen.
"Thanks…" Yugo let out quietly
"Now we need to set up camp. I thought I saw a clearing up ahead not too far." Fen grabbed the straps of his backpack, and hoisted both it and himself to standing. He then clipped the lantern onto the side of the backpack. He looked down at Yugo, who then looked at the ground.
"It still hurts to try and step with… How far i-" Yugo was cut off with Fen grabbing his wrist and hoisting him up off of the ground. Fen put one arm under Yugo's legs, and one behind his back, and carried him in the direction beyond the tree line. Yugo was shocked at how this man would be willing to lift both himself and that backpack at the same time. "Better not question someone helping." He thought to himself.
"Huh, you're a bit heavier than you look" Fen said with a laugh. Yugo rested his head against Fen's chest for warmth as they walked in and out of a few trees, appearing in a clearing in the trees. On the other side of the clearing, Yugo could see a dead tree fallen over a small stream. "Wait, I've been going in circles this WHOLE TIME?!" Yugo was embarrassed to admit openly.
"This will be just fine" Fen said, gently putting Yugo down on the grass. He grabbed what looked like a rolled up blanket from the top of his bag, and unrolled it next to the boy, who hoisted himself on top of it.
Yugo laid back and watched the stars shine in the sky. Fen gathered up some sticks from the dead tree, and put them in a small pile in the center of the clearing. He also gathered some rocks and placed them around the sticks in a circle. He grabbed the lantern, and poured a bit of the oil onto the pile. With one swift motion, he lit a single stick and threw it into the pile. The campfire came to life almost instantly. Yugo could already feel its warmth hugging him like his dad did before bed every night.
Fen rustled around in his bag for something rolled up in a different cloth, to which he asked "Yugo, you must be hungry. When was the last time you ate something?" Fen tried to get some more information out of this mysterious child without sounding intrusive.
"Well…" Yugo was cut off by the sound of his stomach making a loud grumble. Yugo's blushed and responded "I guess I haven't eaten all day…"
"Oh my GOD! This kid really IS homeless. Someone has to take care of him. He can't live like this!" Fen thought to himself. Instead, he unrolled a whole loaf of bread and gave it to Yugo, sitting down right next to him. As soon as Yugo grabbed the bread, he started scarfing it down.
"Whoa, slow down there little gobball. You'll choke if you eat too fast."
Yugo swallowed hard what he had in his mouth, and then smiled up at Fen. "Sorry. I'm just not used to eating bread."
"That's a smile I could look forward to seeing every day. But could I really take a kid along on my adventures? I guess if he has nowhere to go…" Fen's mind trailed on as his stare moved towards the fire.
"Is everything all right mister Fen?"
"Oh… Yeah. Just got something on my mind, is all..." Fen noticed how Yugo already finished a whole loaf of bread. "You should get some sleep"
"But what about you?" Yugo said lying down with his body turned towards the rays of warmth coming off of the campfire.
Fen set up his backpack and leaded up against it, finishing his smaller portion of bread. "I'll be fine. Someone has to keep watch too. I've never been in these woods so I don't know who, or what could be out there." Fen looked over to Yugo who seemed to already be nodding off. He placed a hand on top of Yugo's hat and patted his head. "Sleep tight little one."
\\\\\\\\\
"This is hopeless!" Dale thought to himself. "We've checked everywhere. He's probably wandered off into the woods. We can gather a search party, and start looking for him first thing in the morning. But for now, I think it would do you some good to get some rest. You look like hell."
"No. I have to find him!" Alibert huffed, out of breath.
"Alibert, it won't do you any good to run yourself dry. You'll need your energy for tomorrow. Look, I know a guy who used to be good at tracking. He's the blacksmith, and I'm sure he'd be more than willing to-"
"Dale, with all due respect, you don't understand what it's like to lose your child."
"Actually sir… Never mind. You need some rest. I can finish up looking around town, just in case. We can start again in the morning" Dale said the last sentence with emphasis on each syllable, trying to get his point across.
"Okay. FIRST thing tomorrow morning then!"
"First thing…" Dale nodded
Alibert made his way back to the inn, slightly hoping inside that Yugo would be there waiting for him at home "Oh Enutrof, please keep my boy safe from harm. Please let him come home…"
[Author's Note: So glad on the growing feedback from you all. Seeing how my story has been ready by over two hundred people from thirteen different countries is both humbling, and awesome! You guys and your feedback is what's fueling this train! And as long as you keep it up, I'm sure to write more stories after this one's end.
Thanks to Nim for her characters, and I can only hope I portrayed Dale accurately.
PLEASE continue leaving comments telling what you think, and what you'd want to see more of so I know where to shoot for with my next story(ies). You guys are all awesome! And if you haven't already, Watch Wakfu on Netflix! [French vocals, with English (or your language) subtitles.]