A long journey (2/4)

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***

The silence of the forest was broken only by the rustling of leaves in the wind and the snapping of twigs under the feet of small animals.

Joseph sat on a rock, feeling the late afternoon chill spread across his skin as he watched the elf draw symbols on the ground with a thin branch. She leaned slightly to the side, the dim light of the setting sun outlining her features.

"Arlen," the elf said, pointing to a drawing that resembled an eye.

'What a fucked-up language,' Joseph frowned. "Arlen?" He tried to repeat it, but the pronunciation felt stuck on his tongue.

The elf lifted her eyes to him and nodded with a small smile but quickly pointed to her mouth and repeated the word, emphasizing each syllable with patience.

Joseph huffed, crossing his arms. "Is my pronunciation that bad?"

She tilted her head, not understanding.

He sighed, gesturing to himself and pointing downward. "Bad?"

The elf thought for a moment and then nodded, indicating "yes."

Joseph burst into laughter. "Hahaha! Alright, thanks for the honesty."

She laughed along and repeated the word. He tried again, this time paying more attention to mimicking her intonation.

The elf nodded and smiled in satisfaction.

***

The day was hot, and Joseph could feel sweat trickling down his neck as they rode at a slow pace. He chewed on a piece of red fruit he had picked from a tree, which had the texture of a banana, while trying to repeat some words the elf had taught him. "Thalen... Darniel..."

The elf covered her mouth, muffling a laugh.

Joseph narrowed his eyes. "What are you laughing at?"

She pointed at him and then mimicked the way he had spoken, exaggerating the sounds comically, forcing the words until they sounded as if they were spoken by someone with a piece of food stuck in their throat.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, very funny."

The elf smiled and moved closer, pointing to her own mouth and showing him the correct tongue placement.

'Alright, let's take this seriously,' Joseph focused and imitated the sound. "Thalen darniel."

She nodded in approval before moving on to another word.

***

Days had passed, totaling five since they had begun riding, and Joseph had finally started putting some words together. He wasn't fluent, but he could now form short sentences, which was a significant improvement.

As they rode along the dirt path, Joseph pointed to a fallen tree blocking the trail.

"Fell... tree... this," he said, his voice slow but understandable.

The elf widened her eyes in surprise. Then, she chuckled softly and corrected him. "Thorn'el... nel'ara."

Joseph repeated, trying to mimic the sound. This time, she grinned widely.

"Better?"

She nodded.

***

Three days later, in a clearing illuminated by firelight, Joseph and the elf began to understand each other in a rudimentary way. Their conversations were still clumsy, but words came more easily with each passing day.

Joseph took this moment to finally ask a question that had been bothering him for the past few days.

"You... name?" He gestured toward her, hoping she would understand.

The elf smiled, pleased with his progress, and replied, puffing out her chest. "Aelith Veynara."

Joseph repeated the name a few times, then pointed to himself and said, "Joseph."

Aelith tilted her head, analyzing the way he pronounced his own name. "Joz...eth?"

"..."

"..."

"Please, don't call me that."

***

'Ten days and no sign of civilization. Should I be worried, or should I already be worried?' Joseph reflected, his thoughts swirling as he pulled the reins, bringing the horse to a stop in an open area with few trees.

"Are we... stopping?" Aelith's drowsy voice came from behind him, muffled against his back, where she had been sleeping. Her eyes fluttered open, still heavy with sleep.

"Awake now, sleepyhead?" Joseph asked, turning his head to glance at her over his shoulder with a playful grin.

"I'm not—" She started to protest but froze, eyes widening as she noticed the damp patch of drool staining Joseph's shirt. "I just... there isn't much to do here," Aelith muttered, quickly rubbing at the stain with her hand while turning her face away in embarrassment.

Joseph chuckled, shaking his head, then smoothly dismounted, his feet landing firmly on the ground. "Huh, so I'm not interesting enough to keep you entertained?" he teased, raising his arms to help her down.

"You know what I meant," Aelith huffed, accepting his help and sliding into his arms. He set her down, her dress billowing before settling around her.

"Sure, sure," Joseph replied, still grinning as he adjusted the backpack on his shoulders. "We'll set up camp here. It's getting late, and this spot looks good enough."

He glanced around, assessing the clearing. The terrain was flat, perfect for a tent, and the open view would let them spot anything approaching. "What do we do first, Aelith?"

"What do we do first?..." Aelith echoed softly, thinking for a moment before answering, "The tent!"

"That's right." Joseph untied the tent fabric and began unfolding it. Then, grabbing a stone, he hammered the supports into the ground with firm strokes.

"Hold this end." He handed one side of the fabric to Aelith, who held it with both hands, stretching it as he secured the other side. They worked in comfortable silence, each focused on their task.

A few minutes later, the tent was standing—slightly crooked, but functional. Joseph took a step back, wiping his hands on his pants. "We're getting good at this, huh?"

Without waiting for a response, Joseph walked over to her backpack, gathered some branches, and built a small pile for the campfire while Aelith unrolled the blankets inside the tent.

"I'm lighting the fire!" Joseph announced, knowing that Aelith loved to watch. As expected, he soon heard hurried footsteps and then saw her kneeling beside him, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"I... can I do it this time?" she asked, nervously twisting her fingers.

Joseph raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Sure, I'll teach you."

He picked up two stones and showed them to Aelith. "The secret is friction and patience. First, you need something dry that catches fire easily." He pulled a few leaves and placed them in the center of the twig pile.

Aelith watched intently as he positioned the stones. "Now, you strike one against the other until a spark appears. Like this."

He demonstrated, scraping the stones together until small sparks flickered. After a few tries, one landed on the leaves, and a faint wisp of smoke began to rise.

"Your turn," he said, handing the stones to Aelith.

She took a deep breath, adjusted her grip, and tried to mimic Joseph's movements. At first, nothing happened. But after several attempts, a spark fell in the right spot, and the leaves began to smolder timidly.

"That's it! Now blow gently," he instructed.

Aelith leaned in and blew softly. The flame flickered, and soon the fire began to grow, crackling gently.

She smiled triumphantly. "I did it!"

"Good job," he said, placing a hand on her head and ruffling her hair slightly. Aelith blinked in surprise, her pointed ears twitching subtly before she tilted her head into the touch.

"I already told you to stop doing that..." she murmured, puffing her cheeks in a small pout of protest, but she didn't pull away. On the contrary, she closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the gesture.

"Hahaha, alright," Joseph shook his head, amused, and stood up. "I'm going to hunt something for us to eat. If anything—"

"I'll scream, and you'll come running, I know!" she interrupted with a sly grin, already familiar with their arrangement.

'This girl... she's even interrupting me now,' he thought, laughing to himself as he stretched his back. As he started to walk away, Joseph took three steps before hearing Aelith's voice again.

"Don't take too long, Joe, and please be careful," Aelith called, her eyes watching him with a worried glimmer.

'No one's ever worried about me before. Should I be happy or sad about that?' Without looking back, Joseph simply raised his hand and waved it in the air. "You know I always come back."

***

Joseph walked silently through the forest, his eyes alert to the subtle signs the woods offered. He hadn't gone far from the camp—he could still hear the faint crackling of the fire and, if he paid attention, even the sound of Aelith's voice humming a soft tune.

The "sun" had already set, leaving the sky a deep purple, and the weak light filtering through the treetops made everything a bit more difficult. He stepped carefully, avoiding twigs, his hand steady on the hilt of the dagger at his waist.

Then he heard it—a faint rustle, almost imperceptible, coming from a bush to his right. Joseph stopped, crouching down slowly, his muscles tensing, ready to react. His eyes caught movement—a small gray rabbit, nibbling on something on the ground, completely unaware of his presence.

'Perfect,' he thought, adjusting his stance. It wasn't a large catch, but it was more than enough to fill their small stomachs for the night. In one fluid motion, Joseph drew his dagger, channeled a bit of Ki into his arm, and threw it toward the rabbit.

The blade sliced through the air soundlessly, its trajectory guided by the energy of Ki. In the next instant, the rabbit fell without a sound, taken down before it even realized what happened. Joseph stood up, keeping his senses alert as he walked over to his prey. He picked up the small body, feeling the lingering warmth of its soft fur.

"I'm really amazing," Joseph murmured, flicking the dagger in the air to shake off the blood before sliding it back onto his waist.

With the hunt secured, Joseph made his way back to camp. The cold wind rustled the treetops, and the distant hoot of owls echoed through the forest.

When he arrived, he found Aelith wrapped in one of the blankets, her knees pulled to her chest. Her eyes met his instantly, and a smile lit up her face as she saw him approaching with the rabbit. "Everything went well?"

Joseph raised an eyebrow. "When doesn't it?"

***

After finishing their meal, Joseph leaned back against a blanket, watching the flames dance in the fire. Turning his head, he looked at Aelith, who was absentmindedly nibbling on a piece of meat.

"Aelith," he called, catching her attention. "How about telling me the story of this continent again?"

She paused for a moment, blinking. "Again?"

"Yeah," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You know… I still can't remember anything."

Aelith tilted her head, studying him for a moment before letting out a resigned sigh. "Alright… from the beginning?"

Joseph nodded. "Yeah, from the beginning."