[Flashback] Why Here? (Closed)

[Aello]

Summer 1, 506 AV Location: 15 minutes outside Zeltiva "Nathan?" Aello called, her voice echoing through the forest. Bouncing off the trees; rustling their teardrop shaped green leaves. The girl moved in a hunched position, her knees bent, her body kept closer to the ground. Her dark brown eyes darted back and forth wildly, as she searched the area for any sign of life. But all she saw was the occasional squirrel scurrying up a tree, or tossing an acorn at her from one of its branches. Thankfully, the scruffy little things had yet to perfect their aim. "Nathan?" Aello called again, waiting for him to jump out from behind something and tackle her. Or scream 'boo,' or something ridiculous in a failed attempt to frighten her or piss her off. "Please say you're here too, otherwise, this little camping trip is off, and it's back to the city with us." Aello paused, as she crept forward, stepping carefully over some gnarled tree roots which threatened to trip her. "Nathan?" Aello called one last time. "Why are we out here? Why insist on this place, when there are so many other locations within the city walls to meet?"

[Nathaneal]

Yes, indeed why here? To be honest, it did not matter for Nathaneal. He wanted out of the city. “Because we were in the city all spring. And winter. And the entire year before that! Don’t you want to see something outside the city gates?” he asked, and jumped down from the tree he was sitting in, falling on his back on the ground in front of Aello. Then he got up and grinned at her, brushing the dust off his clothes and out of his blonde hair. It had been an awful winter for Nathaneal. While he no longer dreamt of walking on his sister’s dead body hanging from the roof, he still could not forget it. How could he? No. He would not think of that. Not now. Nathaneal decided he would merely enjoy the time away from it all. He took a deep breath and smelled the forest, the smell was fantastic. Unlike the city, the forest felt so much more alive, and even though they had barely left the city, Nathaneal felt like he was in another world. The sun was shining, and it was a warm and beautiful day. Yes, a marvelous day indeed. Perfect for a camping trip! “So, what do you think? Should we just camp here?” he said, and turned to watch Aello. While he did his best to hide it, the reason he wanted to camp there was not because it was a nice place, but he did not want to venture much further into the Wilderness. Who knew how many of the stories that were told about this wilderness were true?

[Aello]

"Of course, doesn't everyone?" Aello asked, "at least every once in awhile," she added, as her eyes darted back and forth over the terrain, in search of her companion, who was more than likely hiding himself from her. When she heard a sudden thud, her heart leapt, as her gaze darted back to Nathaneal, the boy who had just revealed his hiding place. Chuckling, Aello offered her friend a hand he never did take, causing her to return it to her side. "But that still doesn't explain why we had to come to this particular place," Aello went on, as the boy brushed himself off. "We always could have met in another stretch of forest, or even along the pass. By the water, past the docks." Aello shrugged, any of those places seemed like a fine place to spend one's day, or even, to have an adventure. "We don't have to stop here," Aello replied, as a small smile crept across her lips. "We should explore a little first. Look around, see what there is to see. Isn't that all a part of venturing outside the city's walls?" Aello asked. "Exploring? And then when you're satisfied, finding a cool place to settle down for a time. At least, long enough to give your parents to scare, should you return home too far after curfew." Aello chuckled. "But no one is forcing you if your heart is set on this patch of trees."

[Nathaneal]

Why did it matter exactly where they went? It didn’t. Simple as that, and he voiced his opinion to Aello: “Well it doesn’t matter where, but really, can one part of the forest be so different from the other?” he spoke as he looked around, but saw little but trees and more trees. “Besides, we’re here now. If we went to the water or the pass, we would just waste time and would have to return almost immediately.” Then Nathaneal understood what Aello was trying to do. She wanted to see if he was afraid! Hah! “You want to explore, you say?” he smiled, and ran off into the forest. He did not run too fast, of course, as he did not wish to lose sight of her, but at least they were exploring now! Dodging roots and holes in the ground, he let out a laugh as he continued on into the forest. Suddenly he came into a clearing. A small river was running down to join a larger one, and a horse-like creature was drinking from it. “Aello! Come and see!” he shouted, assuming she was right behind him, but suddenly the creature looked up and spotted him. It jumped into the forest and away, leaving Nathaneal alone. I wonder if the water is warm? he thought, and a devious plan to throw Aello into the river formed in his head, and he went down to the riverbank to test the temperature.

[Aello]

"Well isn't that what you dragged me out here to do?" Aello asked, as she playfully but her hands on her hips and stared at her friend. "Or did you simply want to sit under a tree and talk about the lovely weather we've been having of late?" she asked, as she watched Nathan dart off into the forest. Startled by the sudden change in his behavior, Aello shouted, "hey, wait for me!" before scurrying after him. Her feet pushing against the terrain, her arms swinging, propelling her after him. As she glided along, Aello leapt over fallen tree branches, over gnarled roots, and darted through shrubs and bushes, ignoring the thorns which sometimes scratched her sides. "Hey Nathan slow down!" Aello called, as she lost sight of him after awhile, only to find that with his constant shouting, she knew where he was even though she couldn't see him. After having rounded a bend, the girl caught sight of him again, and something running past. "You must have scared it away," Aello commented, as she came to a halt beside him, and simply stared at the water. "Don't tell me you want to go for a swim Nathan. We could have done that easily enough back at the beach. Besides, this looks pretty darn shallow." Aello chuckled. "Shouldn't be too much of a hassle for you though. You never were the strongest swimmer..." Aello's voice trailed off for a bit, as she finally took a few steps closer to the water, and lowered herself into a sort of squat along the side of its meandering trail. She cupped her right hand, and lowered it into the cool water, scooping it up and flicking it towards her friend playfully. Watching the spray as it sank to the forest floor. "Come on Nate, the water is really refreshing!" Aello giggled, as she lowered her hand again, and sent another cup of moisture flying towards him.