Reincarnated Into A Hell Hound - Chapter 118

In mere seconds we are engulfed in the shadows of the thick trees canopies, the few rails of light that manage to pass the leaves barely being able to brighten the way, and even though it helps us hide yourselves from the others it too obscure most of the path ahead of us, making that our crazy blind dash resulted in many unpleasant bumps and scratches from hidden branches and stones.

At that point onwards our hands stayed glued together so much that I could almost feel his heartbeat through the touch.

With our weak thin bodies we had to push ourselves forwards just to keep moving, the adrenaline easing the pain and trying to overcome the numbness that I had for staying sitting for far too long, which lead to the elf guiding me and pulling me non-stop through the uneven path of this remote forest.

We could still hear shouts from behind us but not many made this far, or rather, not many even manage to get into the woods as the creature, livid as it was, thought they were trying to escape it, making exploding sounds resonates with screams behind us, but I could not turn around to see what had happened as we keep running for our lives, left only to wonder what end they got back there.

I don’t remember for how long we run, I just know that when we finally stop my legs seemed to have been cut by small needle knives and my heart was overtaking all sounds in its mad quick beat.

It took me some time to calm down, bending over and gasping for air, afraid that if I sat down I would not have the strength to stand up again, and only after a while I was able to assert our surroundings.

The elf-boy was already looking around, pilling some wood on the side and binding them with some roots.

I still remember how capable you here… and how out of place I was too. You find a cave, taught me how to make a fire, how to put traps for small animals, soo many little things…

“Do you remember when we were at the river?” I ask you, now, on bed, while your sluggish eyes look at me as if asking what was passing in my mind to go as far as to remember such a thing of the past. Your smile tells me yes and I cannot help but feel embarrassed by it, even if I found it funny too.

“Well, I could not help it you know, who would have thought that wet fish can be so slippery?” I say, wanting to add blame to the moss all over the stones too for all the embarrassment I had there, but my Templar kisses the back of my hand, making me smile and forget about the embarrassment as I keep looking at him and speaking about the past, chitchatting and lazing around.

Since that incident I had always felt that it laid on me the responsibility of speaking for him, so everytime I’m alone with my elf I turn into a chatterbox.

So the words flow now like a river, mere thoughts turning into sound now since he was awake, reminiscing about when we were kids, and how, starving in the wilderness, the loss of a fish wasn’t so funny at the time…

It was strange, really, because in one side everything seemed bright, the freedom, the excitement, like when you are about to move to live alone, a mix of fear and enjoyment, and even if we went though bad things we were still kids and the world still seemed like a magical place, and we truly had fun there, in the woods, in the wilderness.

But the problem lay in the fact that we were still kids, how could we survive on our own in the wilderness? How could we hunt with magical beast around and our little arms? How could we live without a knife to cut wood and clean the fish? How could we live without warm clothes to pass the winter?

But I rather hold into the good memories that the harsh reality; that, in the end, we were two lone kids in an unforgiving world that had to fetch for themselves in the wilderness.

There were bad days with no food, and with only one set of clothes winter was bound to be unmerciful. Those were valid worries we had back in the day, especially since those woods were full of magical beasts, which made even harder for us to hunt anything for the fur; not that there was much two kids could do.

But I guess it is in my human nature too somehow… to want to go back to the city, to a village, to civilization, to find other humans, logging for some normal food, soup, bread, a cozy bed, not a cold place on the floor and a flavorless dish after the other; or no dish at all.

I wonder if my life before had spoiled me somehow… we enjoyed only the best without holding back in the end.

Perhaps that too made me go aghast to the luxury that some high priests enjoy…Because I lived two opposite lives back then.

But no matter the true reason for because, months later, I had the idea of going to the villages and try to earn money. I knew the risks, so at first I thought that by not using my powers it would be enough to keep us safe, that we could find easy jobs to do and buy some clothes, that we would be able to get by.

Only that… my appearance was too out of place, even if my body was dirty and my hair darker with grime, a child coming from the woods carrying a pair of purple eyes, only to be followed by a dark elf, made rumors upon rumors.

I remember that, in the end, we decide to walk separately so we wouldn’t bring so much attention to us, you would stay in the woods and find resources there, while I would stay in the cities asking for money and food.

And that’s how the church found me, how Eanna found me.

I’m thankful for all she did to me, for even though she had no choice but to take me with her, to take me away from you right in front of your eyes, she still gave hopes, ways, means to find you.

I still remember how you promised to wait for me that day, among the guards who held you down as I was dragged away, your hand closing into a fist and bumping against your chest, our little sign to meet up back at this point.

‘Meet again.’

After that…was the life inside the church, a lonely life fearing that everyday guards would knock at my door to take me in front of The High Priestess for judgment.

And for what crime even? That was the worst part, I think, what made me into some kind of… rebel of sorts, on how I was punished by destiny into this kind of life and for something that I had no control of.

I learned a lot of the harsh world we live in in those days, saw the worst of many, inside and outside of the church, not only by the tracking of slave-children with Eanna, but from those who had the power to change that and chose not to.

And for what? A life of luxury? That made me remember my own father with mixed feelings… Of love and hatred, all strong emotions that did nothing for me beyond leaving me exposed to the ridicule of the other sisters.

So, in the end, I chose what to feel, what to think, I chose myself first, I was the only one who would do such a thing after all, I had only myself to count for that.

And I’m ashamed to say that, for many years, we stayed far apart, not only because I could not get out, but because I… did not want to leave.

Childhood memories are so easy to escape our grasp, like sand in the palm of our hands.

Still, I think part of me still remembered it somehow, but in the form of logging that, in the end, I strived to be a wandering sister, to help others, to get out, explore.

To make a difference; to be different from all of them.

What sent me off was when, following Eanna steps, I rescued children from slavery and brought them for treatment, because that day, as I looked at their bruised necks and fearful shy glances, I saw a dark elf among them, small, frail, white eyes, black skin, and all hit me at once.

Humans are quick to adapt and my way of dealing with the environment that I grow on was to angrily discard my own feelings, but no creature alive could do that, which only made me even angrier, turning into an endless stream of torment with no one to vent about, only Eanna would hear my worries, but even her had work to do and could not babysit me all the time.

But still…How could I have forgotten you? That only added to my shame, and I even thought of not searching for you, I could already guess how angry you would be…

Or was I scared of not finding you there…?

In the end it took me years to be able to get out again on my own, to finally ascend into a Traveling Silver Sister, and after asking Eanna in which city she had found me I set on a journey, back to you.

Only to find you there, waiting for me, at our little cave.

We were both so different then, grow, taller, nothing left from the children from back then, and still, when our eyes meet, the only thing we wanted to do was to hug each other and never let go.

So that’s just what I did. I will never let go, not anymore.

“You are stuck with me now big boy.” I say, and you smile at me, the rare sight of your upturning eyes staring at me.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.