forum Throw the Characters together (oxo) (open) (stalkers welcome)

Started March 14, 2023 by Deleted user

tune

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The next morning, Sandra got the last of their bread and a bit of jam and took it out to Kaysen with a small mug of coffee.
“Ready to go?”

Kaysen was already up, having folding the borrowed blanket and being in torture of smelling breakfast and coffee.
"Ready," he said, and his stomach growled loudly. His face flushed with embarrassment and he gratefully took the plate and mug when Sandra offered it to him.
"How long did you say it would take us to get to the barn again?"

“About 20 minutes on foot.” She took the blanket back inside and fed Basil. She grabbed her bow and med pack before she and the dog went back outside. “It’s north of here.”

Kaysen followed, keeping up easily with her fast stride. He reached down and briefly scratched the dog behind the ear.
"Thank you," he said to Sandra, "For helping me. I can't say it enough." And he meant it.

She cleared her throat, feeling slightly awkward. “Don’t mention it.”
They finished the hike in relative silence. A while later, they reached the barn.

Kaysen looked at the structure with a slight grimace, trying to prepare himself for the road ahead. He took the small pack of provisions Sandra had prepared for him and walked a couple steps towards the barn.
"Well," he said, hesitating, "I suppose this is where we part ways."

“Yeah,” she agreed awkwardly. “Uh… there’s small game around, and the stream isn’t far to the east.” She cleared her throat. “Good luck.”

Something struck a cord in Kaysen's mind.
"Thanks," he replied, "I guess if I suddenly disappear one day, you'll know why. I just wish I had my sword… it will get left behind if I don't have it with me." He shrugged, and entered the lonely barn, waving goodbye.

“I thought you took-“ a low growl sounded behind her and she stopped mid-sentence.
A small mountain lion stalked the edge of the clearing. Sandra hardly dared to breathe, biting back a whole string of curses.
She slowly reached for her quiver, watching the mountain lion. It stayed back, tail twitching as it paced.
She nocked the arrow and raised her bow, agonized at how slow she had to move.
The Lion snarled and pounced.
Sandra dove out of the way just in time, but its outstretched paw caught her bow. It snapped.
“Dammit! KAYSEN!”

Kaysen watched the event unfold before his eyes, frozen and not sure what to do. There was no water nearby, so his powers were out of the question. When the lion pounced and Sandra screamed his name, he knew he had no choice. He ran head-on at the girl, and at the last minute–with a flash of white light–he transformed.

“WHAT THE HELL?”
A bright white flash temporarily blinded her. The mysterious sword fell at her feet, and she grabbed it. The lion pounced again and she rolled.
Before she could recover, it lunged again.
Sandra desperately curled up into a ball and raised the sword.
The Lion fell right onto it.
She stayed for a moment, praying it was dead.
When nothing happened, she pushed it off of her, leaving the sword.
She was shaking almost too hard to stand, so she sat back on her heels, fighting tears. “Oh God. KAYSEN?”

Kaysen winced, and almost didn't say anything. He knew how shaken the poor girl was and wished there was an easier way of explaining his situation.
"Um…" he started, still in his sword form, "I um…. can't move." He was glad he didn't have to make eye contact as a sword. Still, he wished he wasn't stuck where he was so he could transform again.

Sandra stared at the sword, adrenaline still raging.
“Uh-“

Kaysen sighed, and in another bright flash, he was a boy again. He was standing close to the dead lion and he stumbled away quickly. A drop of blood stained the front of his shirt, but otherwise he seemed unaffected by what just happened. He looked at Sandra and rubbed his arm nervously. He didn't know what to say.
"I…" he stuttered, "I can explain."

Sandra stared in shock. She tried to stand, but her adrenaline left her. “What the hell,” she whispered. “What the actual HELL?”

Kaysen went to approach the girl, but thought better of it.
"I–" he didn't know where to start, "I'm sorry. I lied about the sword, and i really should have told you sooner but I didn't know if– I didn't know– I'm really sorry, I–" He stopped babbling at last and rubbed a hand through his hair.

Sandra pushed herself to her feet, not sure what to say. She weakly gestured to his shirt. “There’s uh… ya got something-“
She took a deep breath. “This place probably isn’t safe anymore, uh… may- maybe you could-“ she cursed herself for the stutter. She never stuttered. “How long can you do… that?”

Kaysen felt sorry for scaring the poor girl but didn't know where to begin to console her.
"I've… always been able to do that," he swallowed, absently trying to rub off the blood from his shirt. Suddenly, his head shot up.
"You weren't hurt, were you?" He asked, his eyes wide with concern.

She inspected a nasty scratch on her arm from where the Lion’s claws caught her, but she shook her head numbly. “Not bad.” She went to retrieve her broken bow, trying to shake off her shock. “You probably shouldn’t stay here, the carcass may attract wolves or other predators. I can-“
She took a breath. “I’ll take the hide to the tannery, they can deal with it. But you shouldn’t stay here.”
She glanced at him warily. “How long can you stay like that? At a time I mean.”

Kaysen knew she was telling the truth when she said she wasn't injured badly, but still– that cut needed to be tended to.
"Let's get back to your place first," he said, his hands shaking, "I'll explain everything there."

“Yeah,” she nodded to herself. “Yeah, okay.”
The walk back was silent.

Kaysen was grateful for the silence; it gave him time to think. He walked a step behind Sandra, looking straight ahead.
Stupid, stupid! He should have told her the truth from the beginning, or they never would've been in this mess. Now the girl probably didn't trust him, and he felt guilty. And the image of him next to a dead lion with blood on his shirt– gah! An idiot; that's what he was.
When he saw the girl's house, the pressure in his chest was released. He let Sandra lead the way inside.