Burden of the Cursed -- Chapter Five

As an hour gradually passed; the pair left the safety of the city walls surrounding roads and wandered aimlessly into the dense forests outside. It had already grown late and the moon was high now. Adam led the way through the thicket with a burning torch with one hand and his sword to cut through the density within the other. Tinnus had now taken the majority of the extra equipment from Adam to help him progress through the forest, he now carried a new sword scabbard tied to his side, two more extra bags of rations and supplies and a new chainmail to be wore with leather strung around his rucksack. He watched the burning ember of Adam's torch sway within the darkness and after a few more minutes of trekking, finally arrived at their intended location.

"This should be it" Adam whispered. A tiny circular clearing opened up before them, a large boulder lay flat to the side of the sphere and provided small shelter from the heavens above and a couple of logs were positioned properly in the middle like a seating arrangement.

"What is this place?" Tinnus asked as he watched Adam strike the burning torch into the soft soil that coated the ground and strolled backwards and forwards to observe his surroundings. They both shed themselves of their heavy equipment and rested side by side on one of the tipped logs.

"I was told that it was a high spot for Rangers to hunt local wildlife, my orders were to stay here for two nights and keep away from the city as much as possible"
"Your orders were to leave the city?" Tinnus asked, even though they had trekked through the darkness for over an hour they talked very little, perhaps because Tinnus knew from experience that when Adam was ready to speak, then he would do so.

"Yes, I've been given my orders from the contract but they tell me that it's not a good idea for me to be seen in the city during the mission, so as not to blow my cover."
"Blow your cover? What exactly does the mission involve?" Adam sighed a little, turned to Tinnus and smiled weakly.
"Help me make a small fire first and then we'll talk"

They quickly departed and went about collecting small amounts of twigs and fallen branches from the bushes; Tinnus took his time however and gathered a large quantity of fire wood, giving Adam a perfect amount of time to prepare himself for the conversation ahead.

It wasn't a matter of confidentiality or anything anal like that, Adam had many times before explained and shared with Tinnus the different adventures he had embarked on as a Fighter for the Guild, this time however he felt as though that he may be treading on toes where he shouldn't be. It was in fact the first time that he had ever followed Adam outside of Huma for a mission and didn't realise how much he was supposed to be involved.

As Tinnus returned to the clearing, Adam had already made work on a small fire behind the boulder in the corner, this way it would seem that no one would be able to see it from a distance. It was very dark now, almost impossible to see beyond the thicket of trees which cradled and surrounded them in a blanket of light provided by the now-lit fire.

Adam continually poked the edge of the flames with one of the twigs collected and then looked up to see Tinnus appear from the corner of his eye. He had noticed now that he was no longer wearing his cloak and hood and walked confidently with his tail swinging proudly behind him. Adam made no sound to start with; he simply waited for Tinnus to sit comfortably besides him by the fire.
"So…" Tinnus asked quietly, he now sat still, his hands coiled around his knees and his tail dragging by his side.
"Alright…" Adam started rather quietly "We have a couple of choices to make, you ready?"

Tinnus nodded.

"The mission isn't as straightforward as I was intentionally hoping for. In fact it may be even more dangerous then I currently believe it to be." Adam stopped, and stared Tinnus straight into his eyes.
"And I can't ask you to come with me."

The night drew darker and the silence which followed only aided the sudden alienation the surroundings gave the pair. Adam broke the stare and turned to the burning embers, waiting for a response from his companion.

"So, what are the options" Tinnus asked, his tone soft enough to pass for a whisper. Adam licked his lips.
"You can stay here and wait for me, you could head back to Huna or you agree to come with me. But I can't ask for you to do that."

Tinnus smiled weakly, watching Adam's face tilt from side to side trying to find the right way to express his feelings. He did not wish to part with Tinnus, nor did he wish to see him in harm's way. Tinnus outstretched his hand and placed it softy on Adam's chin and turned his head to gaze into his aqua sphere-eyes.

"What time do we leave?"

Adam smiled, deep down he knew that there was no way their time together had ended just yet. He knew that whether they could help it, they were going to be together for as long as possible. Yet his logic continued to dampen his spirit.

"You need to think about this though Tinnus, you need to tell me that this is what you want"
"It's not even a debate really" Tinnus smiled; he slowly clambered over the log edge and quickly kissed the side of Adam's face affectionately. A gentle laugh escaped from both of their lips afterwards.
"I guess that's true when you think about it, well I guess that settles that then" Adam smiled; he nuzzled his chin softly on the top of Tinnus' head and rubbed gently into his hair.

"Will you worry?" Tinnus asked
"I always worry"
"Try not to"
"I know but I won't stop just because you told me so"


They sat for a while, watching the dancing embers of the campfire reflect upon the boulder's smooth surface and huddled together for warmth whilst listening to the calming darkness of the night.
"It's nice up here" Tinnus whispered, watching the moonlit stars above twinkle in a rhythm of their own choosing.
"It certainly is" Adam nodded. His mind wondered to how a simple life like this could work for him and if it were indeed possible. He pictured a lonesome wooden shack in the middle of a thick forest surrounding by crops and animals of all kinds, he imagined making the difficult choice between exchanging his sword for a hoe and becoming a farmer much like his father before him. He imagined a life with no conflict, of isolation and self-dependence. But perhaps more importantly, he even imagined Tinnus, perhaps playing with the horses in the stables or tending to the livestock on the farm. And that image alone seemed to make him smile the widest.

"So, tell me about this mission?" Tinnus interrupted as Adam snapped out from his daydreams.
"I'll tell you what; let's leave it for the morning. You have a busy day tomorrow so we should get some sleep." Adam jested as he broke away from their embrace and found himself rummaging through the supplies. Upon investigating Adam's claims of having an eventful day, Tinnus learnt nothing new and was ensured that it would be a surprise. He then started to help in spreading the bedrolls on the hard soil and prepared himself for the cold night sleep ahead.

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Time soon past, a sweet and gentle midnight breeze swept through the forest trees like a mother tending her children to sleep, the sky became filled with dotted patterns of mysterious constellations and even the brightly lit moon herself found temporary cover behind a patch of soft dark clouds.

"Adam?"
"Yes?" The two adventurers now lay side by side, comfortably snuggled upon a bedroll each whilst watching the remains of the earlier burning campfire becoming nothing more than a trail of light smoke ascending high into the sky.
"Can you sleep?"
"Trying too, I've never been a camping sort. How are you holding up?"
"I'm fine; back home I used to sleep on the ground all the time, kinda reminds me of when I travelled with my father." Tinnus whispered, a small smile appeared on his face at reminisces of his past.
"Your father?" Adam asked; his voice was low and clear but still noticeably tired.
"Yeah, well my entire tribe would travel with us of course, and that naturally included my family, but my father and I, we would travel together mostly ahead of them, to either hunt or explore. Mostly the latter…I miss him"

Speechless, Adam pushed himself closely towards the Savag teen and rested himself neatly against his back, he felt the boy accept the gesture by slipping deeper into his warm presence and even smiled when he felt the brush of his tail wag slightly during the shift. Although Adam had known Tinnus now for over a year, he still knew little about his past back on his homeland as well as his family. He had always come to the conclusion that given the circumstances of Tinnus' arrival here in Bo'resent that he would come to express his feelings to him at his own time and pace. Regardless though, Adam held him tightly through the blankets; placed his arms around his tiny form and did nothing else expect close his eyes and attempt to dream.