Meow
They didn't take the car to the security cabin at the inside edge of the woods. They walked. The border wasn't far at all.
They checked in at the cabin- it was surprisingly lively, with several other uniformed patrollers, playing cards and watching TV. Vash wondered if they ever actually went home, or if the stayed all the time at the security cabin, waiting for their shift.
"Elizaveta, great to see you," The woman at the desk greeted her with a salute, and then handed her a stamped paper.
"Thank you, Ilona. Nice to see you, too," Big Sis replied, smiling and taking the paper, which looked very official.
"And who is this?" The lady, who was apparently name Ilona, looked at Vash and smiled.
"This is Vash. He's going to be patrolling with me today," Hungary replied.
"Okay. Let me go get him a permit."
"Thank you."
"A permit?" Vash asked after the Lady behind the counter had gone off behind a door to another room.
"A patrol permit, so that other officers know that you're aloud to be here," Big Sis explained to him, showing the boy the permit Ilona had given her.
"Oh," Vash nodded.
"Okay, here you go," The lady came back from the room and handed him a stamped paper. He took it and looked at it for a moment.
"Let's go, then," Big Sis turned towards the door and Vash followed after her, reading his patrol permit and looking around the room at the officers in the cabin.
---
The dirt trail seemed to extend across the entire border. It was wide enough for a car to be able to drive down it, but there was a sign posted that said cars were not permitted on the trail. Vash wondered how they made the trail that wide without a truck or something.
The passed quite a few other patrol officers. Hungary said they were just going to monitor a small section of path. She said it was off to the side, farther in the woods, and that it was her usual patrol area.
Vas insisted on staying a little farther behind, looking at all the signs that were posted up, and at the passing trees, most of which were different types of evergreens, since the other trees had lost most of their leaves already.
He was distracted by a little silver spot in a nearby bush, and stopped to examine it. He crouched down near the bush to push away the thick leaves around the shimmering object. He was just about to reach for it, noticing a spot of brownish-red on the object. He pulled him hand away from the object slightly.
"Hurry up, Vash!" Hungary called back from quite a ways ahead.
Vash stood up from near the bush and ran to catch up to Hungary, who was glancing around.
He noticed that she started talking to one of the passing patrol officers, and wandered back over to the bush where he had found the shimmering object.
He crouched down again and pushed the thick branches out of the way, picking up the object in his free hand.
It was silver, and round, with a slightly pointed tip, and a reddish-brown stain. He turned it over in his hand several times, staring at it intently. He somehow felt like he knew what it was, and that he recognized it, but he couldn't remember how or from where he remembered it from.
He dropped it back in the bush and glanced over at a nearby trail. It was barely wide enough for one person to walk through it on a normal patrol, and if someone wanted to follow the trail to wherever it leads, they would have to be careful as to not get their clothes snagged on the branches.
Vash stood up and glanced over at Hungary, who was still talking to the other officer, and then back over at the trail.
He hesitated for a moment before slipping into the brush and following the thin trail. He practically walked sideways, because the trail was that small.
He had no idea why he was following the trail, but he felt like he knew it from somewhere, just like the silver object.
It took him a few minutes to navigate through the brush without straying off the path or getting his jacket snagged on the thorns.
When he stumbled off the trail, he was rendered speechless by the scene before him- it was the same forest in which he had awoken that time. The same place where he had found himself cold and in pain.
And then he remembered it.
Remembered everything…
Author's Notes:
Keeping the notes short, as not to ruin this perfect cliffhanger regarding what really happened.
Fear the cliffhanger of doom.
Disclaimer: Hidekazu Himaruya owns Axis Powers Hetalia and all of its characters.
(Lol, full recovery after short chapter)