It was a whole different world than what he was used to. He no longer had his parents to talk to, or do the talking for him. He wasn’t sure what to say. He wasn’t guilty of anything - hell, he just wanted a reason to go on. Maybe this could be it. These people seemed nice enough to let him go along with them, but he weren’t sure why he couldn’t be trusted. He stood up, and the others looked at him. He didn’t say anything, he just turned towards the cliff side and watch the sky for a bit.
“Would you like to help with something?” Ordna came up from behind him. He turned towards her, and she had a bundle of wood. He looked at the wood and she handed it to him.
“Do you know how to make a campfire?” She asked in a kind manner, and smiled.
Akahsha shook his head, and she beckoned over to the center of camp, between a few big rocks they pulled over to make as seats.
“Here, let me show you how to do it. Watch closely.” Ordna said, and began to place the wood from his arms and into the center of this pit. She placed certain types of leaves underneath the sticks, but left some space between the big logs and the little ones to let oxygen through. She explained her steps as she went, and Akahsha watched and learned as much as he could. He wouldn’t take his eyes off of what was happening. Before he knew, he was following her steps to the final parts, and his hands were the ones doing the work.
A fire began to crackle under the newly formed firepit, and she patted him on the shoulder. A big grin lit across her face, as if she discovered a treasure. She turned to Akahsha and smiled wide and closed her eyes.
“You learn quickly,” Ordna stated. “You’ll do well with us. Stenson and I love teaching things.”
“I definitely don’t love teaching,” Quinta barked from a few feet away.
“I know that, Quinta. There’s a reason I didn’t say your name.” Ordna shot her gaze towards her, with less of a smile.
“Just saying so the boy knows,” Quinta remarked. She looked at her nails and smiled. “It’s going to be interesting if you try to learn from me. I’m not as nice to play with as them.”
Ordna frowned and turned back to Akahsha. “Let’s learn something else,”
Ordna lead Akahsha away from the campsite, heading further east. They walked down a decline until they reached a small cropping of woodlands and shrubberies.
“Sometimes I really don’t like Quinta,” Ordna finally spoke. This time she spoke less enthusiastically as she did before. “She just dampers my peppy mood. She’s only been this way around you, from what I can see.”
Akahsha stopped and pointed at himself. “Why would I cause an issue?”
Ordna shrugged. “I don’t know. All I know is that she acts like such a crab when you come up in conversation. I don’t know if she’s just trying to act cooler than she is, or if she’s trying to get under your skin. I think you’re nice, and I trust you, but she doesn’t come from a history of trusting others.
In fact, it took her nearly a year to get along with me. We were at each other’s throats when we first met. She’s really nice when you get to know her, but she tries to keep her composure.” Ordna knelt next to a bush and began to root through it.
Akahsha knelt next to her and started to dig through a different bush.
“Back in Holstenkaft, there was a boy named Grimden. He was always mean to me. He beat me up, called me names, gave me this -” Akahsha revealed his forehead scar underneath the bandana. “-but one day, when his father talked to him, he apologized to me. He was sorry for what he did, but to this day I don’t know why he always hated me. I think it might be because he didn’t know me. I was always different from the others.”
Ordna stopped picking the berries she found, and let them drop into her lap, where a fur skirt caught them. She placed her hands on his shoulders.
“That’s it! Maybe tomorrow you can tell her a bit about yourself! Maybe she’ll open up to you like you did for me,” Ordna picked up the berries from her lap and examined them. “Of course, we’ll see how it goes. You should be careful, and I wouldn’t say anything about our conversation. She might not appreciate us talking behind her back.”
Akahsha nodded his head. He understood that it was going to be an interesting time tomorrow with her being with him anyways. He figured he could make it less awkward by telling Quinta about his past.
Ordna smiled and stood up. She turned towards Akahsha. They walked back to the campsite, and Quinta had set up the tents, which were covered in furs to keep out the cold. Stenson had stoked the fire while they were gone, and he had a map out. The sky was growing darker, and they were getting ready for bed.
“It seems clear down the East path, and besides the snow leopard from ways away, we should be fine for tonight.” Ordna placed the berries in a pouch in one of her bags. Akahsha did the same, in his own bag.
“Good job, Ordna. Judging by the map, and the decent weather, we should make it to Vlandon by midday tomorrow.” Stenson grumbled. His hair was no longer in a ponytail, but it still was well kept. His silvery hairs shone against the fire’s light. “After Vlandon is the Divide.”
“The Divide?” Akahsha looked up from his bag. “What’s that?”
Quinta cleared her throat. “The Divide is a section of land south of Darmonia’s Peak, where Gnolls, Trolls, Goblins, and Orcs live. It’s a part of our region right now that we just don’t have control over. The Mayors of the different towns are trying to do things about it, but without a King in these parts it’s hard for one power to take control of such a large land. Vlandon hires adventurers to take out some parties that they believe are trying to take over the town. We’ve nearly died there a few times, but I’m sure with you we will,” Quinta looked at him. “Still nearly die.”
“Now, now. We are only passing through. Our real destination is a desert far south of these lands. We were given a job to deliver a letter to a strong political figure in that region.” Ordna said, taking a seat next to Stenson.
Akahsha took a seat next to Quinta, who scooted a bit away from him, even though there was plenty of room before.
“Do you think we ought to take watch?” Ordna asked.
“I think so,” Stenson gave a quizzical look to Akahsha. “Ever kept watch before?”
“I have stayed up all night before,” Akahsha remarked. “But it was never to keep an eye out for danger. Mostly for myself, you know.”
They looked at him for a moment.
“I watched the stars?” Akahsha tried his best to put on a smile.
“Well then suppose you’ll be first watch. We did find you sleeping this morning, so you should be plenty rested. If you feel like you’re gonna fall asleep, wake up one of us.” Stenson said, and rose from his spot. He used his sword as a crutch to pull himself up, but then placed it by his side when he was done.
“Yeah, you can just wake me up whenever you’re ready,” Ordna said with a gentle grin.
“Yeah, don’t wake me up.” Quinta looked at Akahsha and then rose. She walked away from the fire and crawled into a tent.
Ordna made a mock expression of Quinta, and then Akahsha laughed lightly. Quinta popped her head out, and her hair had fallen into her face. She quickly went back into her tent with an exasperated humph.
Ordna sat with Akahsha for several hours, not really saying anything. They watched the stars above, and they listened to the wind blow. The night was getting very cold, and Akahsha started to shiver. He had mostly gone numb by the time that Ordna noticed.
“You must be freezing! Here, let me find something for you to warm you up,” Ordna rushed over to her bag and began to dig.
“I-I’m f-f-fine, Ordna,” Akahsha’s teeth clattered.
“Nonsense! I’ve got you covered!” Ordna pulled out a comfy looking fur shirt. It had long sleeves, and was made from wolf fur. “Put this on,” Ordna handed it to him.
Akahsha looked around, as if he needed a place to change.
“You can just put it on here,” Ordna laughed. “I don’t mind.”
Akahsha minded, as he didn’t even change in front of Winona. He didn’t have much choice now, though. This was now his life.
He took his shirt off, and for the first time really looked at his muscles. He knew he exercised back in Holstenkaft, but he didn’t know that it was all that he did. His biceps were larger than he’d seen before, and his arms were bulky. Of course, his frame was solid now that he realized all that he’d done. He was only strong enough to hold his father’s sword with two hands, at least for the moment. Who knew what he would be capable of if he furthered that strength.
He put on the fur shirt, and then the rest of his fur clothing. He felt a little warmer, but not too too much difference was felt. He looked back at Ordna who was leaned forward with her elbow on her knees and her jaw resting on the palm of her hand. She smiled.
“You remind me of my brother,” She said. “You kind of have his long hair.”
Akahsha felt his hair. She was right, his hair was much longer than he remembered. The bandana was keeping it out of his eyes, so he didn’t even notice. It felt clunky and not clean. He grimaced while he ran his hands through his hair.
“You want me to cut it?” Ordna asked cheerfully.
“Can you?”
Akahsha sat on a rock, and Ordna grabbed some shears from her bag. She began clipping at the knots in his hair.
“Luckily for you, I picked this up when we went through Ostenberg.” Ordna said, still clipping.
“Where’s that at?” Akahsha asked, genuinely curious.
“South of Holstenkaft. You took the East route, which leads to Vlandon.”
“Oh. I’ve never been out of the village, until now.” He admitted.
“Well it’s a beautiful world out there, albeit a little dangerous here and there. Tonight is a calm night, whereas other nights it’s not as smooth.” She clipped off a large portion of his hair, and let it fall to her hand. “Hey, I’m keeping your hair. I can use it as substitute materials for some of my spells, if you don’t mind.”
It reminded him of something his mother asked him, where she wanted his toenail clippings for some elixir. He always thought she was weird for asking him, but he always complied. Now didn’t bother him too much.
“Sure, use whatever you need. It’ll just be weird to have short hair again.” He looked out at the night lit valley to the East and South. There were several similar fires to the one that they had lit themselves; perhaps adventurers, or even intelligent creatures of the forests. Akahsha could not say for certain, but he had a feeling they would find out the next morning.
After about fifteen minutes of Ordna cutting and holding his hair, she stopped and cleared her throat. She took out an ornate hand mirror from her bag, perhaps a trinket of sorts. She showed Akahsha his face, and for the first time in two years he saw his reflection.
His face had gotten a little more full, but his jawline was strong. He didn’t grow any facial hair yet, but he had a feeling it would betting to that time. His hair was short, but long enough to have some poking out in front. He put the bandana back on, and he could see his brown eyes clearly. It was like looking into his father’s eyes.
“Are you okay?” Ordna asked.
Akahsha had tears streaming from his eyes, but he didn’t know how to answer her. He felt okay, but he was crying. He nodded, and stood from the stone. He bowed to Ordna and closed his eyes.
“Thank you so much, Ordna. I will do my best to serve you and this group.” Akahsha said, diligently.
Ordna patted him on the head. She shook her head.
“You’re silly. You’re welcome. I appreciate your pledge, but all I did was cut your hair. Here, get some rest, and I’ll take the next watch, okay?”
Akahsha looked at her with a smile and still some tears. “Okay.”
Akahsha crawled into a tent and closed his eyes.
When the morning came, Akahsha woke up on his own.
There was a distinct smell of eggs, Akahsha awoke to find Quinta making breakfast. She seemed as disinterested as ever, but the eggs smelled absolutely delicious. Ordna and Stenson also sat around the fire, and they waved to him as he crawled out of bed.
“Good morning,” Stenson said with a stern grin. “Get some food in you, and we’ll be leaving shortly hereafter.” Stenson took his map back out and studied the land. He stared at it for a few minutes while Ordna ate.
Akahsha sat next to Quinta, who didn’t budge. She placed the fried egg onto a large leaf and handed it to him. He looked at it, and it was still sizzling from the hot iron. He let the scent travel through his nose, and fester in his brain.
“Eat up before it gets cold,” Quinta said, and plopped another egg white on the frying pan. She was free frying with the open flame. With her other hand, it lit up with a blue energy, and the egg turned over. She cooled the hand that was holding the frying pan, so that it didn’t burn.
Akahsha ate his food, and soon after, Quinta and Stenson ate theirs. They packed up the campsite, which took roughly twenty minutes. They put their large bags on their backs, and Stenson lead the way further down the East path.
They walked past the trees and bushes that Ordna and Akahsha had stopped by the night prior, and they left the mountain pass.
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