Fern followed carefully, uncertain and curious but also having fun. She tried her best to emulate what he was doing, copying his moments as best she could, though she still moved at a much slower pace. She wondered if Zavian noticed she was beginning to really lag behind.
Zavian found uis way quickly to another part of tye limestone bed, looking behind to see Fern. His heart rate speeds up. You left her?! "Fern?" He called out a few times before looking around.
Fern hadn't realized just how far she had fallen behind until she looked up and Zavian wasn't there. She heard her name being called, so she responded in kind. "Zavian?" she yelled back, unsure where he was, but facing the direction she heard the call come from.
A twin snapped behind him and he whipped around. She wasn't there, but something had been. He wasn't sure what, but it wasn't her. "Fern!" Hus tone was more urgent. There was never been anyone else back here, human or larger animals. Or at least, not to his knowledge. "Fern!"
"Zavian!" she yelled back, her tone making her nervous. "I'm fine! I just fell behind! I'll just follow you!" She glanced around before taking a careful step forward.
"No, stay where you are!" He could hear her better now. Everything was making him on edge. A simple breeze sent him twirling around. "I think I'm almost to you!"
She paused mid-step, frozen. She was glad to have his jacket as a breeze sent a shiver through her. "Okay!" she shouted, waiting. She didn't know why, but she felt safe. The thought that Zavian was there calmed her down, even if she couldn't see him.
A crunch behind his brought his heart rate up. There was still nothing behind him. Then, the noise started to get closer. And more frequent. He quickened his step, anxiousness filling every inch of his body. Everything was beginning to blur, he just needed to make sure she was safe. Where is she?! He seemed to bounce off the limestone bed, his foot not sinking even an inch into the mud. He quickly pushed past brush. He wasn't sure why he was so worried. The forest wasn't big enough for real trouble to live in here. Maybe it was the fact that she was alone and had never done this. Maybe it was- No. He just needed to make sure she was safe. He came to a tree, pushing past the leaves. She stood there. "Thank goodness." He ran up to her, pulling her into an embrace. The noises stopped and they were left to silence. He held on for a long moment before letting go, realizing what he had done. "Are you okay?" Heat filled his cheeks. Idiot idiot idiot.
Heat flooded Fern's face as well, her face definitely red. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, a bit surprised but also relieved. She smiled at him. "I just got a little bit lost, I guess. Sorry to scare you." She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, embarrassed.
"No, it's fine, I just-" He sighed, running his hand through his hair "-I got ahead sorry." He was grateful that whatever it had been was gone. Or hopefully was.
“It’s okay,” she said, smiling and shaking it off. “You didn’t mean to. You don’t have to apologize.” She looked around at the forest again before bringing her gaze back to his face. “So are we still going or what?”
He thought about the twig snaps. "Let's go back." It was one thing if it was just him, but putting her at risk was something else. He'd probably come out later to see what it was.
Fern looked at him in surprise, a bit disappointed as well. “Why? Just a moment ago you were dying to go,” She said, confused. “I’ll try to keep up this time.”
"I don't think we should. There was something, I don't know what, but there was something. It was following me." He looked to her and sighed. "If you really want to, we can. But, I don't know."
Fern frowned at his apprehension, but figured he knew better than she did, so she went along with it. "Okay," she agreed, trying not to show her disappointment. "I trust you." The words surprised her, and she didn't even realize they were true until they were out of her mouth. She smiled at him slightly.
"Okay." He looked down at the ground. "Let's go." He headed back the same route they came, it was easier down than up. It was a steep climb which meant you had to run up the edges of the path with grass so you wouldn't fall. "You ok?" He asked with a quick glance back.
"I'm fine," she replied with a chuckle. "And I thought I was the worrywort."
He laughed a little as they reached the top. "Well, you've been replaced." He was only generally worried about his grandma. Anyone else would have to have a someone else to worry about them. That is, until now. He wasn't sure why. Maybe he was. He still couldn't understand his own mind.
She sighed with mock exasperation. “Well what am I supposed to do now?” She teased.
He laughed. "I don't know, I guess you'll have to apply for something else." His heart dropped a little as they neared the fence. The worse part for him was facing reality again.
She smirked, not noticing his sudden change in mood. “Too bad, I was getting pretty good at worrying about nothing,” she replied lightly. “Hey look, we’re almost there!”
He smiled lightly. "Yeah." Unfortunately. Every part of him ached to be back in there- it always did, but sometimes it was better than others.
Fern smiled back. “This has been pretty fun,” she said, taking a sweeping look back a ton the forest.
"It has." He doubted it would happen again seeing as how the next time she'd see him he'd be the jerk from school. He sighed. "You have a ride, right?" In the pit of his gut, he didn't want her to leave. She made him want to be a better person.
She ran her hand through her hair. “I should probably call my mom and get her to pick me up,” she replied. “I normally would’ve driven myself but my car’s in the shop.” She blushed a little.