Chapter three
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"Hello?"
Cardin twirled trying to find anything that can tell him where he was. All he saw was an endless darkness that went on and on. He walked forward slowly.
"Hello? Any one there?"
He kept walking but it didn't seem like he got anywhere. The teen couldn't tell if it was because of the darkness or if he truly wasn't moving. After what seemed like an eternity of walking, a voice, soft and melodic, cut through the dark.
"Cardin," it said to him. The voice was calming but he couldn't tell who it was.
"Who's there?" He called out to it.
"Cardin," it said again. It became clearer; he could tell it was a woman's voice.
"Cardin, my little cardinal." Cardin's eyes widened and his breath became labored. He knew that voice.
"Mom?" He started to run forward towards his mother's voice but no matter how far he ran it never seemed to get any closer.
"Cardin."
"Where are you?!"
"Cardin."
"I'm here Mom!"
"Cardin, how could you leave me?"
He froze.
"Mom, I didn't-"tears pricked at his eyes.
"How could you leave me Cardin?"
Cardin fell to his knees; his heart throbbed painfully in his chest.
"You left me behind. You abandoned me."
A warm feeling was felt on his cheeks. He reached up and grabbed the hands that held his face.
"Let go my little cardinal."
"No Mom I-"
"Let go."
-0-
"MOM!"
Cardin clutched his chest tightly, trying to calm down his breathing. A cold sweat clung to his face as he remembered the nightmare.
"All these years, why now? It doesn't matter, it was just a dream."
The armored teen attempted to stand before he fell back down as pain shot through his leg.
"Right, broken leg."
He looked down and was startled to find his right leg was in a splint and tightly wrapped.
"How did?"
He took in his surroundings and noticed that he was in a small cave with the entrance covered in . . . flowers? A thousand questions went through his mind at the moment. How did he get here? Who set his leg? Why-
Before his thoughts could continue, he could hear someone humming from outside the cave. He reached down quickly and grabbed his mace. It wasn't a moment later that Velvet Scarlatina walked in carrying what looked to be herbs. She jumped when she saw him.
"OH, you're finally awake."
Cardin didn't say anything as he still held his mace. Velvet shuffled awkwardly as she waited for an answer that wouldn't come. She exhaled before speaking.
"It's good that you're awake. I was getting worr-"
"What happened?" He said sharply, cutting her off. She ignored the interruption and answered.
"The ship was attacked by what I don't know. We both fell from the ship and you broke your leg on the landing."
"How is it you aren't injured?" She looked down trying to hide her blush.
"Um, Faunus are naturally more durable so . . ." The silence that followed was awkward for the rabbit Faunus. Shaking her head for a second, she knelt down next to his leg and began to unwrap it but was stopped when his hand grabbed her wrist.
"What do you think you're doing?" he said glaring at her. She looked up at him nervously.
"These herbs need to be applied to-"
"Don't." He threw her hand away roughly and lent back against his moss pillow. She looked at him perplexed. She gulped before continuing.
"Cardin, I have to or-"
"I said no," he scowled. "It's bad enough I'm stuck here with you, I'm not accepting the help from any Faunus freak." Velvet narrowed her eyes. The expression was so foreign on her face it made Cardin flinch.
"Now listen here," she said sternly. "If I don't apply the herbs, your leg could get infected. If it gets infected then it will have to be amputated. Is that what you want?"
Cardin gaped at her for a moment but she didn't let him answer before continuing.
"Not only that, but we are miles from Beacon and in the middle of a Grimm infested forest, if you aren't in top condition than we're dead and there is no way I'm leaving you behind!"
The Faunus breathed heavily for a moment, her eyes still narrowed, until she realized what she just did. Her face flushed in embarrassment as she turned away from the boy, instead looking at his leg. She reached for it and when she was met with no argument she began to unwrap his leg.
"Why do you bother?" The question caught her off-guard but she didn't look up from her work.
"Because that's what I do, I help people."
"No, I mean why do you care?" She smiled slightly at him.
"Do I need a reason to? You need help. I'm not going to turn you away."
Cardin found himself far more confused by her answer. Why is she helping him? Didn't she hate him? He bullied, teased, and insulted her. Yet she's helping him . . . why? He gazed at the rabbit girl that continued to unwrap his leg. When that was done, she lifted up some of the herbs and ground them in her hands. She closed her eyes for a moment and her hands glowed a white hue. She pressed the herbs into his leg but it didn't hurt as Cardin expected it to. The moment it touched his leg he was instantly filled with a warm feeling. Velvet wrapped his leg up with the herbs still in place, nodding in satisfaction when she finished.
Cardin looked up at Velvet and she smiled. He didn't return the smile but he didn't scowl.
That's a start," she thought to herself.
"So." She looked down to him.
"When my legs fixed, where do we go from here?" Velvet thought about it for a moment. The smoke trail dissipated but she still knew the general direction.
"Well, Beacon is east of here so when you can move again we'll head there."
"What?"
"I said we'll head to-"
"No, what direction?" Her brows furrowed for a moment. It was east right?
"Um, east?" Cardin stared at her.
"Beacon is west of here."
". . . oh . . ."
Cardin sighed. It was going to be a long way home.
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