PART FIFTEEN ~

Arien awoke to a gentle nudge to her side. A line appeared between her brows as she muttered something inaudible and shuddered, but her eyes merely twitched and stayed closed.

"Arien." The sharp voice cut through her fuzzy thoughts, bringing her to reality, and her eyes fluttered open. She squinted slightly, waiting a moment to get used to the shrouded darkness.

"Hmm?" She mumbled, her lips quivering, as her eyes jerked open completely. Her gaze flickered from her surroundings to the familiar figure of Thoros next to her.

"Is it my turn?"

The dwarf nodded and Arien noticed the dark bags under his eyes from the lack of sleep. She immediately felt guilty and gestured to her own warm blankets which had already been set up.

Thoros nodded gratefully and settled himself down as soon as Arien moved away.

There was a cool breeze about her, and she immediately wrapped her arms around her legs, pulling them up to her chest, the effects of sleep still heavy on her shoulders. A drowsiness washed over her body, but she fought it off and struggled to keep her eyes open as she scanned through the shadowy trees for any sign of danger. Obviously Thoros had not encountered any.

The night was slow and uneventful. Arien kept herself busy by drawing strange designs into the soft soil beneath the sea of leaves. She etched mysterious swirls and spirals that entwined to form intricate patterns, lacing them together with spiralling vines that ran through the ground. She did this for some time, until she noticed the pale light of dawn beginning to break through the clouds. The Sun rose steadily from the horizon, basking the forest in a golden hue.

She remembered what Thoros had said about setting off early and wondered over to his slouched form, his features relaxed as he found himself lost amidst his gathering thoughts. He looked so peaceful, and yet in need of such sleep, so she decided to wait a little longer to wake him up.

When the time came, the Sun was already high in the sky, cascading shimmering pools of golden light between the branches. She stretched and gently hobbled over to Thoros' sleeping figure. But Arien was somewhat taken aback to see that his face was troubled; a think line appeared between his eyebrows, deepening slightly, as his lip trembled with unformed words; his forehead shone with a thin layer of sweat and his cheeks burned crimson in the pale light.

Arien gingerly poked his side, calling his name in a soft voice. She received a quiet murmur in return, and he suddenly flinched as if being struck by a weapon.

Arien called his name more desperately now, taking his shoulder and giving it a vigorous shake.

She was about to call again when he suddenly bolted up from his blankets, making Arien tumble backwards in panic. She looked at him in bewilderment as he struggled to catch his breath.

Thoros' gaze landed on Arien and he relaxed slightly. The girl raised an eyebrow and he buried his head in his hands, shaking slightly.

"Sorry," he murmured, his voice muffled. He finally broke away from the clutches of his trembling hands and shook off any weariness, before rising slowly from the ground. "We should get going soon."

Arien merely nodded, gathering the blankets into a messy bundle, but she still caught the uncertain glance he sent her way. What had he dreamt about? She knew he was in no mood to talk about it at the moment, so she lay the matter aside and went to aid him with pulling supplies from the pack.

Odd dreams seem to plague us in this mysterious forest. I hope we don't have to stay here much longer, Arien thought as she munched silently on a strip of cold, tough meet. She trickled a bit of water in her mouth, realising there was not much left in the flask. She shared her concern with Thoros and he nodded.

"We'll look for a small stream on our way."

A small trace of a smile appeared on Arien's lips and she nodded gratefully. Thoros tried to force one back, but his eyes gave away the doubt and concern that plagued his mind, and Arien sighed inwardly.

As the Sun peaked high between the towering trees, the two companions finally set off in the Eastern direction, determined to cover as much distance as they could with only a few breaks.

They marched on steadily, unaware of the danger that lurked amongst the dancing shadows, following their every move.

~