S*cid@l Rookie
She wished she could disappear, or maybe the ground would open up and swallow her, or maybe a boulder would miraculously appear from the middle of nowhere and flatten her till she couldn't feel the pain of her lungs threatening to give up.
She hated running, in her former school she had barely passed gym, she couldn't run without feeling like she was on the verge of a heart attack, and the one time she tried rock climbing, the doctor said it was a miracle she hadn't split her head open like an expired coconut.
Point is, there was nothing about her that was athletic, not a single atom.
She was sweaty and far behind from the group. It was truly pathetic, she was breathing like a dog.
She was running and confused, she had no idea where they were headed and their ward decided that it would be a good idea to run behind them.
That was another reason why she wanted to cry, he was witnessing how pathetic she was first hand.
He was disappointed to say the least. He had expected more from the fierce looking red head, but as he trailed behind her, he wondered if she was physically okay. She was panting like an old dog, and he wondered how someone so small created so much sweat.
The sight was really disappointing.
She slowed down, barely jogging at this point, she could barely raise her legs.
She took a step and nearly went plummeting into the ground, her foot getting caught in a stray root.
He was quick to act, grabbing her by her damp shirt and pulling her hard against him.
His heart was beating faster than normal, and he looked down at her with an annoyed look.
Great he had a suicidal rookie in his group.
She sags against him a sigh of relief leaving her lips. The action brought a tingle to his chest. One that he crushed immediately.
He didn't have time to mix business with pleasure.
"Are you dense? Do you have a death wish?. You could have tripped and broken your skull or your neck." He growled his hold on her side tightening so hard she lets out a small sound of pain.
He tells himself that he was only angry at her for being clumsy because if she had gotten hurt she would have made him look bad.
It certainly wasn't because of the way her scent wrapped around him and made him feel warm, like a fire on a cold night.
"I'm sorry." She squeaks breathing even harder.
Giving her a small shove he sends her sitting on the ground a grumble leaving her lips about being manhandled.
"Sit, drink some water and recuperate." He says handing her a bottle of water.
She looks up at him wondering why he hadn't offered her a bottle of water a few yards ago when she was choking.
"You had this all this time?." She questions looking up to face him.
He lets out a grunt, his eyes still glaring at her.
"Thank you. Isn't the group going to get lost without you?"
His only response was a grunt as he continued to glare at her.
"Okay" she whispered taking a big gulp of the water.
She already felt refreshed, she doubted she would be able to continue with the run but, maybe the brooding boy over there would be nice enough to let her go back to the cabin.
She doubted that.
"Soo…. What's your name?" She asked looking up at him.
He looked down at her and grunted "None of your business".
This was going to be quite the week.