Spelunking is not a Spectator's Sport

[Jaeden Kincade]

57th of Summer, 510 A.V.

Jaeden lightly began pulling at leather, tightening straps to Fortunado’s saddle within the Windmount Stables as he prepared for another trip out into the wild. Already his armor and gear was strapped to his back as he began running through his head other things he might need before he left. He already had rations in case his hunting proved unfruitful. Enough arrows to use that he could afford to miss once or twice. A slow look was given to the small fox who sat patiently beside him as he worked, looking up to him with a curious sort of worry. “What?” Jaeden said looking down at the fox. “I’m not going to make you ride Fortunado this time, Red. So don’t worry.”

The fox began wagging her tail excitedly then before standing on all fours and stepping up to Jaeden. A slight push was taken from her front paws as they hopped into the air before resting along Jaeden’s legs, scratching slightly. Jaeden let a slow chuckle escape his lips then as he reached down, scratching the top of Red’s head then. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Jaeden then said before smirking and closing a flap to a saddle bag. “If you fall behind though, you’re going to have to track your way to the camp site.”

Red’s ears then dropped a little for a moment, giving a little of a grumbling growl and soft yelp in objection. Jaeden took a small lean along Fortunado then as he looked down to Red. He looked as though he were about to say something before a voice called out, “Excuse me, are you a Mister Jaeden Kincade?”

Jaeden’s gaze then lifted to see three standing in front of him, his left brow raising slightly in curiosity. The first, who called out to him, was a male, looking to be close to his late forties in age. He stood no more than five and half feet tall, dressed in worn robes that looked almost like the ones a scholar might wear, albeit a poor scholar. His hair was thinning along the bangs, curly and a dirty blonde in color. A patchy beard was grown out over pale skin as thin wire spectacles rested along the bridge of a short, rounded nose, as green eyes looked through them at him questioningly.

The second was a younger woman, looking to be in her mid to late twenties. She wore essentially the same thing as the male, only it seemed a bit more newer compared to the one the male wore. She had long, wavy blond hair that reached down just past her shoulders. Her eyes were a deep green in color and looked at Jaeden in a more inquisitive manner than even the older man’s did, as a slight smirk sharpened the corner of her thick, pouting lips. A small, slender nose twitched slightly as a smell of the stables seemed to make it’s way past Jaeden, causing the smirk to fade for a moment. Looking between the male and the female, Jaeden couldn’t help but notice a resemblance between the two, but decided not to question the relation right away.

The last of the three was a small girl, looking to be no more than eight years old. She wore a little white tunic with little sunflowers stitched into the front, and a pair of plain brown pants. Her hair was blond, like the woman before her, and her face shorter, but looking as though with age would soon grow much the same. Though her eyes were blue, and shaped somewhat differently, most likely the traits of her fathers, as well as the girl’s lips, which were thinner than the woman’s. Still, one could hardly deny the physical resemblance between the woman and the child, especially when it came to the hair, nose and shape of the jaw line.

Jaeden kept his lean along Fortunado as he looked over the trio once more, his other hand coming to rest along his waist. “Well, no one’s ever labeled the “Mister” part on me before,” Jaeden then said, “but yes, my name is Jaeden Kincade.”

“Ah, splendid. Just the man I was looking for then.” the older man said, stepping forward and offering a hand. “My name is Walter Kolicks, this is my daughter Allison and my granddaughter, Molly.”

Jaeden looked down to Walter’s hand, already feeling the pulse of Ranuri already itching the skin along his back. He gave a hesitant look for a moment before looking up to Walter. “Uh, no offense, really no offense, but I don’t do well with handshakes.” Jaeden then said before Walter lowered his hand. “What can I do for you?”

“Ah, well,” Walter said as he adjusted his robes slightly, “we were hoping to head into the forest for a certain amount of time, and we heard you were one who had a good amount of experience with such. Word has it that you’ve gone deep into the Wildlands and have returned every time, unlike some others.”

“People are talking about me then?” Jaeden said with a smile as he looked bent over, grabbing another saddle bag as it was tossed onto Fortunado’s back. “Who do I owe the platitudes to?”

“Well, I’m not certain. You’d have to ask my daughter.” Walter said, motioning back to Allison. “She did the inquiring.”

“Some of my friends who met you through your, other occupation, complimented your skills.” Allison then said, giving another smirk.

“My other……….” Jaeden said giving a slight look of confusion for a moment. “Oh, right. Okay, they would know. Where you heading?”

“There’s a specific set of ruins, south of the ruins of Nial, that we were hoping to explore.” Walter then said. “See, my daughter and I are somewhat studiers of such places, and a couple days ago, an individual came to us stating he spotted some new ruins in that area that looked like it had been yet to be explored. So, we were hoping you could guide us there, and then inside, offering protection from anything we find in there and helping us navigate the ruins.”

Jaeden smirked slightly, shaking his head. “You don’t need a Wilderness Guide for that. You need a some bodyguards, possibly a couple of Sylirian Knights.” Jaeden then said. “I’d be no good to you within some ruin.”

“We already requested the Knights, but due to the increase in Slaver activity due to the summer season,” Allison then added, “they need their knights for patrolling.”

“Yes, yes, indeed.” Walter then said, looking between Allison and Jaeden. “As well, some of the bodyguards around here can be, shall we say, untrustworthy.”

Jaeden gave a quick yank on a strap of leather, fastening the saddle bags tightly to Fortunado’s saddle. “What makes you think I’m any more trustworthy than them then?” Jaeden said, giving a questioning look to Walter.

Allison then stepped forward, laying her hand along Walter’s shoulder. “My friends who have, spent time with you, said you are.” Allison then said, looking deeply into Jaeden’s eyes. “They’ve repeated some of the tales you’ve shared with them. About you experience with slavers, with bandits. The animals of the wild, unexpected situations. The more I heard about you, the more suited I felt you were for such an undertaking.”

Jaeden released a small sigh as he reached up to the white patch of hair along the back of his head, giving it a little scratch. He gave a look to Red, who was currently becoming friendly with Molly as she licked her hand and let the child scratch her behind the ears. “Look, I may have experience with all those things,” Jaeden then said as both of his hands fell to his waist, “but the fact of the matter is, I was alone for most of them. I didn’t have to worry about watching out for other people. If it was just me, and we ran into trouble with a group of slavers, pack of violent animals or the like. I couldn’t guarantee your safety. Especially that of young girls. Really, you two are best off finding bodyguards.”

Jaeden then felt a slight tugging at his pant leg, and a surging sensation tingling along the skin of his back where Ranuri rested as desires not his own began to swell within him. He looked down, to see Molly there, her little fingers grasping at the loose fabric of his pants as her middle knuckles brushed up along his calf. Apparently her mother and grandfather’s excitement at exploring a new area of ruins, yet to be investigated by others had driven her own excitement level up. “Are you gonna take us on a camping trip?” Molly asked, all the naivety of a child excited about a vacation trip shining in her eyes, totally oblivious to the dangers the wild presented. Her desire to go was strong and innocent, like a child of her age. So much so, that Jaeden could not brush them away, even in the slightest as they soon began to become his own.

His head dropped, as he looked to the ground for a moment and released a sigh. Slowly, he looked back up to Walter and Alicia who looked to him with hope still in their eyes. “Can you afford seven mizas a day?” Jaeden then asked.

“Yes, yes!” Walter then said, gripping Allison’s shoulder for a moment and shaking her with excitement. “Can we leave today?”

Jaeden then motioned to Fortunado and the gear he had been packing. “I’m getting set to head out already anyways,” Jaeden then said, “how soon can you be ready?”

“Just give us a bell to get our things,” Allison then said, looking to her father who gave a nod in return, “a bell is all it will take.”

“Alright then,” Jaeden said, nodding in the direction of Syliras’ front gates, “I’ll meet you at the front gates in an hour then.”

Both Walter and Allison then suddenly nodded, both of them quickly moving to their left and running out of sight. Jaeden rose both brows for a moment in surprise as he looked at the open space before his gaze slowly dropped down to Molly who was giggling as Red was licking her face. “They forgot you kiddo.” Jaeden then said.

“Give them a second.” Molly then said, scratching generously behind Red’s ears.

Allison then suddenly appeared before Jaeden, the look of her excitement still showing on her face. “Oh, can you watch Molly for us while we gather our things, please?” Allison then said, her expression of excitement seeming to be single minded for the most part.

Jaeden gave a renewed look of surprise as he started at Allison for a moment in silence. “Uh, sure. I guess.” Jaeden then finally said with a slow shrug.

“Thanks.” Allison then said before moving out of sight again.

Jaeden gave a quick shake of his head before he bent over, picking his backpack up and sliding his arms through the straps before it came to rest comfortably along his shoulders. “They do that often?” Jaeden asked, looking down to the child.

“Only when we go on trips.” Molly said, standing up with a renewed sense of excitement over the fact that they were leaving soon. “What’s your puppy’s name?”

“Her name is Red,” Jaeden said with a smirk as Red echoed out a slight whimper over the term “puppy” and gave a nipping tug to Jaeden’s pants. “She’s a fox Kelvic though, not a puppy.”

“So are we gonna wait here then for mommy and grandpa?” Molly then asked.

“Newp, we said we would meet at the front gates.” Jaeden said as he reached down, picking Molly up by the back of her shirt with one hand. She giggled slightly, kicking her legs out as she was hoisted into the air and then plopped down into Fortunado’s saddle. “So, we’re gonna meet them there. Hold on to the horn there at the front of the saddle.”

Jaeden then slowly reached out, grabbing Fortunado’s reins as he tugged the Nightwalker around and began leading him towards the gates of Syliras. “What are we gonna do until they get there?” Molly then asked.

Jaeden gave a quick shrug, giving a light pat to Fortunado’s neck before his hand fell down to hang loosely at his side while Red hopped along, taking small leaps to give playful nips to his fingers. “I don’t know. I guess I could teach you a little something about the wilderness while we wait.” Jaeden said. “That or how to use a sword.”

“Okay!” Molly said, excitedly.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden and Molly stood just outside the city gates, waiting for Walter and Allison as they packed for their trip. Jaeden stood behind Molly as she held a small stick in her hand, Jaeden’s hand lightly resting under her hand. “Okay,” Jaeden said, an amused smirk on his face, “remember that you won’t get much power if you’re swinging at the wrist. You have to swing with the whole arm, and follow through with the wrist.”

Jaeden then began guiding Molly’s hand in her swings, his hand close to three times the size of her own. It was slowly guided in a swing to the side that came from the right, before being brought back from the left in slow motions. Jaeden finally drew her hand back, as Molly’s hand came even with her waist before it was slowly pushed forward. “Don't forget, a one handed sword won’t be about power most of the time. It’ll be about speed and grace. About manipulating an opponent’s blade to create an opening, rather than just trying to power an attack through.”

A smile passed over Jaeden’s lips as he felt Molly’s desires. She was enjoying this, truly enjoying the lesson Jaeden was giving her, and the more Jaeden remained in contact with her, the more and more he felt himself shifting into a persona that left him as a close friend to this child, and his heart sank a little at that despite the pleasure as Molly enjoyed what she was currently doing. She was a child in the end, and she wanted nothing more than to have fun as a child. The practice was, in the end, a form of playing for her, almost as if she were playing knights and bandits, with friends, Jaeden soon deduced through Ranuri, she didn‘t have.

Jaeden slowly circled around Molly, standing in front of her as he bent over, picking up a stick of his own off the ground. “Okay then Molly,” Jaeden said with a smile on his face, “time for you to show me what you‘ll do to bandits. Come and get me.”

Molly giggled as she began to step forward towards Jaeden, swinging her stick around. Her motions were similar to what he was teaching her, but they were more relaxed, playful. He would have stopped and corrected them if not for the fun she was having with the play fighting. Jaeden maneuvered his own stick to block and swat away her incoming strikes for a short time before finally lifting his stick into the air before Molly slapped her own along his stomach. “Garg.” Jaeden echoed out in mock play as he slowly began to drop to the his knees, acting out death.

As soon as he slumped to the ground, he eventually felt the stick smacking him repeatedly along his back and shoulder as Molly echoed out an amused giggle. “Gah, you got me. You got me kiddo.” Jaeden said, letting a chuckle slip from his lips as he shielded his face.

“Take that, and that, and that.” Molly said, continuing to giggle as Red suddenly came barreling in, licking Jaeden along his face as she joined in on the enjoyment of the moment.

“Help, help.” Jaeden said jokingly as he rolled. “I’m being overwhelmed by cute and fuzzy.”

The sudden sound of someone clearing their throat soon caught Jaeden and Molly‘s attention as they both looked toward the gates of Syliras to see both Walter and Allison standing there with large packs strapped to their backs. They were looking upon Molly and Jaeden with amused looks. “Well then, we are ready to go if you both are?” Allison said with a smirk on his face.

“Mommy,” Molly suddenly yelled, dropping the stick as she ran into her mother‘s arms.

Jaeden slowly stood up, brushing himself off as Walter approached him. “I‘m hoping my granddaughter wasn‘t too much trouble.” Walter said with an apologetic smile on his face.

Jaeden gave a slow shake of his head as his hands came to rest along his hips. “No, not at all.” Jaeden said as he looked up to the sky for a moment. “Well then, we should get going I suppose.”

“Indeed, indeed. I am very much ready for this.” Walter said with a smile, like an excited schoolboy may have from a field trip.

Jaeden gave him a sidelong glance for a moment, a small smirk crossing his features. “Yeah, well conserve your energy. It‘s at least a two day walk from here just to get into the general area.” Jaeden explained, stepping towards Fortunado, giving a slow whistle.

“Onward.” Molly suddenly yelled, pointing out towards the forest in the distance.

Jaeden gave a quick exhale, looking back to the family for a moment. While the smirk remained on his face, he had the feeling he would have to keep an eye on them. In the end, he felt that energetic nature and curious attitude might cause them to stumble off course if he didn‘t. Already he felt like this was going to be a long trip.

[Jaeden Kincade]

They slowly walked through a small path along the forest, Jaeden moving in front of Walter and Allison as Molly found herself riding along Fortunado’s back once again, Red walking at a casual pace beside Jaeden, occasionally making a bumping rub along his leg. Jaeden had an expression of both amusement and annoyance on his face as he heard Alison and Walter debate behind him. He looked to Molly, who simply giggled over their little squabble, showing that the child had a certain elevated sense of maturity when it came to this particular moment. Jaeden slowly reached out, snagging a branch from a nearby tree, it’s stems littered with ripe mulberries, before handing it off to Molly in offering of a small treat. Her face brightened up, looking it over with a lick of her lips. “Just don’t eat the leaves, kiddo.” Jaeden said with a slight smirk only to have Molly stick out a purple tongue at him, having already gobbled down a few in that short time.

“You, my child, are definitely oblivious to the actual nature of what the Valterrian meant in the long run.” Walter said to his daughter, slapping his fist into an open hand for a moment. “It was about the acquisition of too much power. Too much power held by single individuals who weren’t meant to wield it.”

Allison shook her head slightly at her father, her hands resting along her hips as she had a certain swagger in her walk. “You’re looking too much into the political aspect, father.” Allison then replied, her head slightly turned as she gave her father a sideways glance. “Suvan wanted to fight and fight till the end of time, with all their savage glory. All of their actions leading up to the wedding and possible peace, were being swayed by Rhysol in the end. He had his finest moment of chaos, tugging at the strings of the Suvan, just to give that last great pull the night Galifer was going to consummate the wedding. He knew the rage that Ivak would unleash.”

“Oh Gods, you and your celestial beings conspiracy theories again.” Walter said, throwing is hands into the air for a moment. “You’re insane.”

“Well, how about we allow and unbiased party settle things?” Allison finally said, looking forward. “Jaeden, what do you think?”

“Yes indeed, tell her how ridiculous her theories are.” Walter said quickly.

Jaeden slowly rolled his eyes, giving a slow grumble as Molly gave a slow giggle. “Told you they would.” Molly said with another giggle escaping her lips.

Jaeden slowly looked over his shoulder, his gaze shifting between the two of them for a moment. “I think you two are being too loud.” Jaeden then simply said to them. “You’ll draw bandits or slavers making such noise in the forest. In the end, one guy killed a girl, and her lover got really, really ticked off about it. There’s no use in trying to find some deeper meaning of the event that nearly wiped out all life in the lands.”

Both Allison and Walter then fell silent, looking around to see if any of the individuals Jaeden spoke of were near, getting ready to rush at them. Molly just gave another giggle, patting Jaeden on his head for taking neither side in the debate, and finding a way to close it to boot. Jaeden, in the end, was somewhat serious about his reason for quieting them, but he knew right now there weren’t any individuals around who would within miles of them right now. The path he was taken was normally just littered with the usual wildlife.

Soon, Jaeden took a slight turn from the normal path, walking for about another half of a bell before coming to a small clearing in the trees. “Alright, we’ll set up camp here tonight.” Jaeden said looking around for a short moment.

“Camp?” Walter said, looking confused. “I thought you said we had close to three bells of light left a short time ago?”

“I did.” Jaeden replied as he began helping Molly off of Fortunado.

“Then why are we making camp now?” Walter then asked, motioning towards the path. “Shouldn’t we keep on going until dark?”

Jaeden simply chuckled, looking over towards Walter for a moment. “You ever try to set up camp in the dark, Walt?” Jaeden the asked as he began pulling backs and bags from Fortunado’s back. “As well, there’s the issue of gathering dinner for tonight as well. We have rations, but I’d prefer not to dip into them unless we get into trouble.”

“Oh, I guess I never thought of that.” Walter then said, rubbing his chin slightly. “I suppose it’s one of the reasons we hired you.”

Jaeden simply gave a nod, pulling off Fortunado’s saddle as he began carrying off to the side. “Right.” Jaeden said as he set the saddle down next to one of the trees. “So unpack your tent, and start with setting it up first.”

There was an awkward silence that then passed over the clearing as Allison and Walter glanced at each other in question for a moment before looking back to Jaeden. “Uh, tent?” Allison then asked.

Jaeden paused in what he was doing, giving an almost absurdly look of surprise. “You’re kidding me right?” Jaeden said, quirking a brow. “This is one of your scholar jokes or something?”

“I don’t, I mean I thought, well…” Walter then said, reaching up to scratch his head almost sheepishly.

“So you go on a trip that you knew would keep you outside of the city for over a day, and you didn’t bring any form of erectable shelter?” Jaeden then said, standing strait up as his hands came to rest along his waist.

“Sorry, we didn’t really think of it. We just got too excited about the trip itself, and what we might discover I guess.” Allison said, cupping his hands together. “Sorry. We’ll sleep under some trees or something.”

“Right, because that’s the sensible thing to do.” Jaeden said, giving a slow grumble. “No, here’s what will happen. I’ll set up my tent, showing all of you how this first night, so the three of you can do it tomorrow night. However, I won’t be able to hunt now, because I’ll need time tonight to build my own shelter. So, we’ll be eating dried beef and some bland soup for dinner tonight. Just, please, please tell me that you all brought dishes at least to eat from.”

“Oh, yes. We have those.” Walter then said.

“Good. At least we have that going for us.” Jaeden said before moving over to his pack, breaking out his gear for the tent.

“You don’t have to sleep outside though,” Allison then said, “it’s your tent after all.”

Jaeden slowly looked at Allison for a moment, shaking his head. “No, even though it’s big enough, I think it would be better if the family doesn’t have a person who’s still somewhat a stranger sleeping with them.” Jaeden replied as he began pulling a few long tent posts from one of the packs he had removed from Fortunado. “Besides, I don’t mind sleeping under a stars.”

Shortly after Jaeden had commented about sleeping under the stars, a slow rumble seemed to echo across the skies to the east. Jaeden slowly stood up, his frame drooping slightly as it continued for a long moment. “Shyke.” Jaeden then simply said.

[Jaeden Kincade]

A steady night rain fell over the grounds of the camp, and it didn’t take long for it reach them after it’s first signs either. Jaeden barely had enough time to build his own shelter before it hit, as a large row of branches layered with foliage formed a steeple over his head. It was small, however, and left Jaeden to sleep in an uncomfortable position, a tiny fire near it’s entrance barely shielded from the rain his only source of warmth in the long run. Jaeden would be lucky if he got two bells of sleep tonight, as his eyes drifted closed, only to quickly open again when a breeze of the storm carried a cooled air to hit his face, laced with a hint of moisture from the rains. At least he had managed to convince Red to sleep in there with the family. She would at least be well rested and pick up any slack Jaeden had tomorrow due to lack of sleep.

A bell had passed by, perhaps two as Jaeden couldn’t be sure in his semi-lucid state, before his eyes shot wide open at the sight of a silhouette standing at the opening of his shelter. A quick exhale was let out as his hand reached up, rubbing his eyes. “Molly, what are you doing out here?” Jaeden then said, resisting an urge to yawn. “Go back to the tent and sleep.”

“It’s cold and wet out here.” Molly said sort of in a matter-of-fact sort of way.

“It is, and you shouldn’t be standing out in it.” Jaeden replied before flicking his head in a shooing motion towards her. “So get back to bed.”

Jaeden paused then, looking down to his hand when he discovered that Molly had grasped his large hand in both of her own. “You can come in too. It’s okay.” Molly then said, water beginning to drip down from the tips of her long hair as it slowly became more and more matted by the rains.

“Kiddo, it’s really not…” Jaeden said before Ranuri’s influence, reinforced by Molly’s sudden touch, filled Jaeden’s sensations once again with the child’s desires. His shoulders dipped as his head lowered, his gaze dropping to the ground. “Okay, you win.”

Jaeden soon began dragging himself out of the crawl space of his shelter, dragging his feet along the ground as Molly led him towards the tent. He was tired, and the warmth of the tent seemed all that much more inviting at Molly’s invitation. Jaeden felt a certain contentment as he crawled inside, finding the others in the tent still fast asleep. Allison had taken one far side, Walter the other. Molly herself shifted herself under the blanket, snuggling up into her mother’s arms with Red sleeping at their heads, curled up into a thick furred red ball. Jaeden eventually found his own spot, laying along the space that rested between Walter and Molly, his red resting along the flat surface of the tent as his pillows had been held hostage by Allison and Molly’s heads. He also had no blanket to slip under, but that mattered little as Molly’s own desire for sleep soon encouraged Jaeden’s own. It only took about a chime after closing his eyes for Jaeden to finally drift off to sleep himself.

All in all, the night wasn’t ended on a terrible note. Perhaps tomorrow would be a better day overall as well.
________

Jaeden’s eyes fluttered opened to the sounds of the nature in the morning. Birds chirped loudly as the noises of crickets and other insects were all but silent. However, another surprise soon took Jaeden’s attention as he began to look down along the front of his body. There, laying across his chest, he soon found three arms and hands resting there. The first was small, and lightly tugged at the fabric of Jaeden’s tunic in lucid dream induced movements. Jaeden followed the arm to see it belonging to Molly’s, as she cradled herself along side Jaeden’s side, her little foot resting along Jaeden’s thigh just above the knee, and her heard resting along his shoulder..

The second arm belonged to Allison , as she left it draped over Jaeden’s stomach, gripping his waist lightly. Jaeden could only conclude that Allison rolled to cuddle with her daughter at some point in the night, but instead found that she had to reach over Jaeden to pull herself closer to her daughter. Her head laid along Jaeden’s bicep, slightly cutting off the blood flow to the rest of his arm as the fingers and forearm of his left arm felt numb. This was not the main problem with Allison’s position in the long run. For as Jaeden looked further down, he noticed her leg also draping over both his own and her daughter’s, as her toes slid lightly along the calf of his leg.

Finally, the third arm was soon followed to Jaeden’s other side, fearful for a moment despite the smooth skin and fair tone, that the arm might belong to Walter. A quick sigh of relief soon passed his lips when he noticed it was red who occupied the other side of him, his hand laying over his upper chest. His relief soon faded when he realized that Red was in human form, and unclothed. His arm was cradled up between her breasts, her head nestled into the crook of his neck. The worst of it all, was the Red’s leg was draped over his other leg, much the same Allison’s was. The difference was, Red’s thigh rested dangerously close to Jaeden’s crotch, risking a friction that would have scared Molly had she been the first to wake that morning. “Red,” Jaeden whispered lightly down to Red, “shift back to your animal form.”

Red stirred a little, a small smile crossing her lips as she shifted her body, a golden light flashing around her as she soon appeared as the Fox she normally had been when their travels had began. Her tail brushed lightly along his side as Jaeden began to shift slightly, sliding his body backward as his left arm slid out from under Allison and Molly’s head gently. Red, on the other hand, had woken up, giving a slow yawn as she popped her head up before lifting her forepaws up to lean along Jaeden, giving his face a good half chime of licks in morning greeting. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Jaeden whispered, “it’s nice to see you too. Go find use some tracks for breakfast, would you Red?”

Red quickly pushed herself from her lean, moving quickly out of the tent, pausing there to sniff the ground for a moment before she turned north and began walking towards the deeper forest. Jaeden soon freed himself of both of the females in the tent, giving a slow exhale as he began to rub his left arm, working eeling into his forearm and left hand. He soon moved outside, his first sight in the forest that morning being Walter feeding the fire with some new branches, looking back to Jaeden almost indifferently. “Good morning.” Walter said, his tone almost indifferent.

“Yeah, about your daughter and..” Jaeden began to say.

“My daughter’s always shifted around like that in her sleep. Though finding your Kelvic friend‘s nude backside was a pleasant way for me to awake I must admit.” Walter said waving his hand before a smile crossed his face. “Had you going with the look though, didn’t I?”

Jaeden took a slow deep breath, his hands coming to rest along his waist for a moment as his head dropped a little. “You did.” Jaeden said, finally looking back up to Walter.

“Though I will say I’m surprised Molly was like that.” Walter then said. “She’s taking a liking to you rather quick.”

“Well, I can’t say it’s because I have any special way with kids.” Jaeden said giving a slow scratch to his arm, “but I will admit she’s a fun kid. Smart too for her age.”

“Yeah, she takes after her mother.” Walter said, poking the fire idly.

“Where‘s her father?” Jaeden asked curiously.

“Abandoned them both.” Walter said simply. “Damn fool would be willing to drop into some deep, threat infested land to read ancient text off of some pot, but fatherhood scares him for some reason.”

Jaeden gave a simple nod at that, letting his arms drop to his side for a moment. “You think the writing on the pot would have read, “Made in Suvan,” or something like that?” Jaeden then asked out of the blue.

Walter simply smirked. “Funny,” he said almost sarcastically.

“Yeah, I can come up with a zinger or two.” Jaeden replied with a smile. “Okay, I‘m going to head out into the forest for a bit, see if I can‘t gather up a little breakfast. None of you follow any weird sort of diet, do you?”

Walter shook his head slowly. “No, no special diets. Meats, vegetables, fruits.” Water replied, shaking his head. “They‘re all pretty good for us to eat.”

“Good, that makes things a lot easier.” Jaeden said before pausing for a moment. His gaze soon dropped down to see Molly standing behind him, still half asleep. Her hand grasped Jaeden‘s pinky and ring finger lightly, shaking his hand a little as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes with her other hand.

“Can I come with you?” Molly asked softly, bringing a smile to Walters face.

Jaeden felt her desires become more prominent once again, and where there was once just a desire to sleep and to nuzzle against Jaeden‘s side during that sleep, there was now a desire to accompany him, watch him as he hunted. Jaeden‘s head tipped back slightly, letting out a slow exhale. This was the third time Molly had manage to sneak up on him and touch him before he could notice she was even nearby. “How is she always doing that?” Jaeden muttered lightly.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden held his bow in his hand, staring across the distance of forest at his prey. He soon moved to pull back the string before pausing, looking down to Molly who stood crouched beside him, looking out at the same thing he was. “You, uh, don’t find all animal cute and cuddly, do you?” Jaeden then asked.

“It’s a pig.” Molly then said to Jaeden, her tone answering his question.

Jaeden looked at her for a moment, as if thinking the answer was a little too mature and witty for her age, but being amused by it all the same. “Okay then.” Jaeden said with a chuckle before raising his bow. A slow exhale was taken as he narrowed his eyes, aiming the tip of the arrow with the animal, which wasn’t large by most boar standards, but large enough not to be considered a piglet and to young for hunting. A final exhale was given as Jaeden pulled the string of the bow back just a slight further before finally releasing his grip his fingers had along the string. The string snapped forward, giving that familiar “twang” as the arrow was vaulted forward through the air in blurred motion. It covered the distance between Jaeden and it’s target in a little under a second, cutting through the air like a needle before finally piercing the flesh of the young boar between it’s ribs, puncturing it’s lung.

The boar cried out in pain, quickly rushing forward in a fleeing panic before stumbling to the ground yards from where it had started. Jaeden gave a satisfied smile as he lowered his bow, looking down to Molly as she smiled sweetly up at him, like a child happy with the attention. He pushed himself up from his knelt position along the ground, giving Molly’s hair a tussle as she giggled slightly before following him as he made his way to the kill. As they came near the fallen animal, Jaeden slowed their pace, eventually stopping it at ten feet away. “Alrighty kiddo,” Jaeden said, handing Molly his bow to hold on to for a moment as he reached behind his back to pull out his hunting knife, “you wait right there for a moment while I make sure it won’t still jump up and hurt us.”

Molly gave a quick nod, cradling Jaeden’s bow in her arms almost like a baby as the length of the bow itself was almost twice her own height. Jaeden began walking softly towards the boar, his knife held lazily at his side as he began to circle around it slightly, approaching it from behind. With short steps, he crept slowly towards the animal before finally lowering his frame as he slipped one knee to the boar’s hindquarters, his free hand resting along it’s head as he made sure it was pinned to the ground. With a swift swing of his arm, Jaeden brought the blade of his hunting knife into the boar’s chest, the tip of the blade piercing the boar’s heart as it’s body twitched violently under Jaeden’s weight, letting out short grunts of pain that caused Molly to turn her head and close her eyes for a moment. A moment passed before the boar’s movements finally stopped, causing Jaeden to give a quick exhale of relief at the lack of any major struggle. He pulled his knife out from the boar’s chest, wiping it clean along his pant leg for a moment before slipping it back into his sheath. He slowly turned to look at Molly again, giving a warm hearted smile as she looked to him finally after another moment. “Okay, kiddo.” Jaeden said. “Let’s get this hog back to camp and I can begin cooking breakfast.”

“Yay!” Molly yelled out, scaring a few birds from their perch.

_____________

Jaeden slowly walked back towards camp, the boar dragged along the ground by it’s legs as Molly sat along Jaeden’s shoulders, still carrying his bow. Jaeden hummed out a slow tune as he kept his gaze shifting from the ground to strait ahead of him. “What is that song?” Molly asked curiously as she leaned forward, her upper body resting along the top of his head. Her hair drooped in front of Jaeden’s face as he looked up, seeing her tiny head above, her eyes peering down into his.

Jaeden smirked as he reached up with his free hand, brushing aside her hair so he could see. “It was a song my mother used to sing to me when I was younger than you.” Jaeden said, feeling that insatiable curiosity of a child swelling up within Molly.

“Was she pretty?” Molly then asked.

“Yeah, she was for as long as I knew her.” Jaeden replied, circling around a tree.

“Where is she now?” Molly asked, continuing her questions.

“She was taken, died when I was a little kid.” Jaeden said softly, not sure how to put it lightly towards Molly without insulting her intelligence, which Jaeden found to be much higher than most children her age.

Molly slowly turned her head, laying it along the front of Jaeden’s brow. “I don’t know my daddy.” Molly then said after a moment of silence. “He went away.”

Jaeden was silent for a moment, recalling what Walter had said to him of her father. “Well, he was an idiot to leave you, kiddo.” Jaeden said, reaching up and giving Molly a soft pat along her head. “He missed likely the best thing he could have discovered in his life.”

Jaeden could feel a desire of happiness then washing over him from Molly, the child giving a small hug to Jaeden’s head as the bow wobbled around against Jaeden’s cheek for a moment. She then slowly began to hum, trying to get the same tune Jaeden had been humming moments before correct. Jaeden gave a soft smile, and soon began humming again himself, leading Molly in her tune, giving her direction to learn it that she could do it on her own eventually.

Soon, Jaeden’s humming stopped however, as his gaze dropped to the ground, his attention grabbed by something that immediately unsettled him despite Molly’s contentment. Jaeden released his grip along the boar as it slumped to the ground. A quick exhale was then taken as Jaeden crouched down, his hand pressing along the ground for a moment as he began observing small indentations along the earth. “What is it?” Molly then asked curiously.

“Trouble I think.” Jaeden replied, noting that the tracks he was now inspecting were human, and no more than a quarter of a bell old. “Molly, I need you to get off my shoulders for now please.”

Molly began squirming around, her legs swinging behind Jaeden before she slid down his back before her little feet hit the ground. Jaeden then slowly reached out, grasping his bow from her before looking into her eyes. “Okay kiddo, this is very important now.” Jaeden said, his hand resting along her shoulder. “When we begin walking back to camp now, I want you to stay close to me. Grab my pant leg and don’t let go of it. Don’t go anywhere or do anything unless I say. Okay?”

Jaeden could feel Molly’s fear rise, her desire to understand and make the fear go away slipping along Jaeden’s core like icy needles. “Okay.” she said softly, a cracked voice, silent and unsure, replacing her usual warm and cheerful voice.

“Don’t worry, kiddo.” Jaeden said, offering a smile as he rested his hand along her head. “Everything should be alright, but I want you near me in case it isn’t.”

Jaeden’s own words would likely prove to be inaccurate, since the tracks he saw were heading for the camp sight themselves. Jaeden could only hope that they would turn off, away from camp as they got closer, but he had so many encounters in the past that he couldn’t be sure in the end, and chose to be cautious. Someone was heading towards camp, and while it was fortunate that there were only one set of tracks, he couldn’t be sure if the owner was friend, foe or neutral. He would soon find out.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden approached camp slowly, his eyes narrowing as he heard cries and struggle echoing from the camp’s general direction. Jaeden paused for a moment as he felt Molly tug on his pant leg. His gaze fell to her before she pointed towards the west. Jaeden’s gaze then immediately shot towards the direction, seeing Red approach slowly, he paws avoiding any fallen leaves, twigs our outstretched foliage. She stopped in front of Jaeden, those fox eyes looking up into him for a moment. “They came when I stepped away from camp. I was gone for a chime, only a chime. I’m sorry.” Red said, giving a regretful whisper into Jaeden’s mind.

“It’s okay Red,” Jaeden said as he looked back towards camp. “How many?”

“Two. They’re not slavers.” Red whispered into his mind then. “They’re rooting through all of the belongings, looking for valuables.”

Jaeden gave a nod as he once again began to approach the camp, his feet moving slowly and treading lightly along the ground. Pausing only when he couldn’t feel Molly’s fingers tugging at his pant leg. He crouched down low as the clearing soon began to catch his gaze, coming to a halt when he saw the camp. As Red had stated, there were two men. One hovered over Walter, jabbing the blunt end of his spear into the Walter’s stomach when he uttered words of resistance and demanding whatever coin the old man had. The other had since seemed to have given up on finding coin, taking his payment in other means as he racked Allison’s body back and forth in an attempt to tear her robes off and get access to the body they covered. Allison’s resistance prevented it for the moment as only a small tear had been accomplished at the color of the robe itself.

Jaeden’s blood began to boil slightly as a frown crossed his features, his fingers sliding over the feather’s of one of his arrows. He paused then, sensing Molly’s fear as she finally caught view of the sight. The sight of her grandfather being beaten, of her mother being molested as the bandit began grabbing her mother’s breast through the clothing before his other hand abandoned tearing the clothing free to simply pull it upward from the bottom. “Save them.” Molly then whispered in a frightened tone.

Jaeden’s head twisted slightly as desperation seemed to fill him, but one that didn’t want bloodied violence that was being visited upon Molly’s loved ones. The animal, the pig, she could witness, but seeing how a human reacts when an arrow suddenly pierces their body or a sword cuts their flesh. That, for some reason, seemed to scare the child. Jaeden slowly released his breath, slowly turning towards Molly as his hands gripped her shoulders. “Molly, no matter what happens, I want you to stay here.” Jaeden whispered, looking dead into her eyes. “Don’t move from this spot until it’s safe. Do you understand?”

Molly gave a slow nod, tears starting to well up in her eyes. “Okay.” She said softly and silently.

Jaeden gave a slow nod. “Okay.” Jaeden then said before handing his bow out to Molly for her to hold. “Keep hold of that for me.”

Jaeden the looked to Red, setting his hand down along her head. “The spear holder,” Jaeden then said as he looked into the Kelvic’s eyes, “think you can take him if you have the surprise?”

Red gave a quick whimper before jumping up slightly and licking Jaeden’s face in response. Jaeden simply gave a nod before turning towards the camp, his legs tightening as his jaw clenched. “Go.” Jaeden simply said as Red bolted off before him, overtaking Jaeden in running speed easily.

The sound of Jaeden’s feet stomping along the ground what caught the bandit’s attention first. The spear wielder snapped his head around, spotting Jaeden approach, just before the other began popping his head up after a forced kiss to Allison’s lips. The bandit with the spear smirked as he saw Jaeden rushing in blindly, his fists clenched, but at the rustling of bushes, his gaze soon dropped. Surprise crossed his features then as he saw the little fox bolting in from behind the foliage, leaping into the air. As Red flew towards the bandit, a golden light flowed over his body, growing large as her human form appeared after, the now increased weight carrying more force with the speed of her jump as she impacted with the bandit before he could raise his spear, her elbow smashing into the man’s nose as he yelled out in pain, falling backwards with her on top. Red let out a loud growl as she began slamming her elbow repeatedly into the bandit’s face, her usual rage when dealing with such individuals coming fully to the surface.

The other bandit, distracted now by not only the attack, Red’s change and her obvious nudity, looked up too late as Jaeden came charging in. A cringe appeared on his face as Jaeden’s right arm drew back, his fist clenching tightly, before a running uppercut was thrown at the second bandit. With all the strength Jaeden put into his swing, the Bandit’s body was suddenly hurled upwards off of Allison’s body before he landed two feet away along his back, screaming loudly as his hands shot up, grabbing his face.

Jaeden took heavy steps up to the man before his leg swung fully forward, planting a kick strait between the bandit’s legs then as he gave a whimpering cry before another stomp to the man’s stomach was given to silence it. Jaeden hissed through gritted teeth then as his hand snatched out, grabbing the hilt of his sword as he pulled it free from it’s sheath, ready to deliver the deathblow as he held his blade up above his head. “No!” Allison’s voice cried out then, giving Jaeden pause.

Jaeden quickly looked back towards Allison as red threw the spear away from her opponent, kneeling along his throat. Allison looked up into Jaeden’s eyes then, almost pleadingly as she nudged her head towards the direction he had came in. There, at the foot of the clearing, Jaeden spotted what gave the woman pause, as Molly stood there, cradling Jaeden’s bow in her arms, a frightened look on her face over the ferocity Red and him had just displayed as her lips quivered, her eyes still watering as if on the verge of crying one more time. Her desires hit Jaeden more fiercely now, and all he could think from what he felt from her was, “I don’t want to see. I don’t want to see. He can’t be like this in front of me. He’s too nice, fun. He can’t be angry like this.”

“Not in front of her,” Allison then said in a whisper, “please.”

Jaeden slowly looked down to the bandit, the look of anger on his face slowly fading as he began to lower his sword before sheathing it once again. “Red, back to your animal self or get your clothes on.” Jaeden then said before looked down to the bandit. “You? You’re coming with me.”

Jaeden then reached down, grabbing the bandit by his hair as he began dragging the bandit towards his unconscious friend, both of his hands reaching up to grip Jaeden’s wrist to prevent his hair from being completely ripped out at the roots. Red shifted once again to her animal form, licking her paws for a moment to remove the stench that she felt the bandits had inflicted her with before moving away from the bandit she had knocked out. Jaeden reached down, grabbing the other bandy by the back of his collar as he began dragging both of them away from camp now. A gaze was then cast towards Walter and Allison. “Don’t let her follow me.” Jaeden simply said to them as he passed them by, dragging the men into the deep forest, Red following close behind.

Over a half chime would pass before Jaeden returned to camp. Allison and Walter were still hugging each other with Molly between them as the freight was still lingering. Jaeden gave a slow exhale, his head dropping as his hands came to rest along his waist. A short moment had passed before Molly had noticed their return first. With a subtle movement, she broke Walter and Allison’s embrace running towards Jaeden as she wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head into his stomach and began to cry. Jaeden’s hand rested along Molly’s head then, stroking her hair gently as a soft expression appeared on his face. “Don’t worry kiddo,” Jaeden said, trying to manage a smile, “those guys won’t be bothering us anymore.”

“Did you?” Walter then asked, Allison’s voice asking the same thing with her expression.

Jaeden slowly shook his head. “No, just had a little chat with them.” Jaeden then said, his gaze still fixed on Molly. “They seemed to understand rather quickly that it would be bad for them to come anywhere near us again.”

“I knew you wouldn’t.” Molly then said, her voice cracking slightly in both relief and freight over what she had witnessed, but still not oblivious to what they were talking about.

“Yeah, you were right kiddo.” Jaeden said, looking back up towards Walter and Allison again. “Begin breaking down the tent and getting things cleaned up. We‘ll stay long enough to eat, but then make our way again. Unless the two of you would rather return to Syliras now after what happened?”

Allison slowly began to slow her breathing before looking to Walter. There was a brief moment of silence between the two of them, as if they were communicating with nothing more than their eyes and simple facial expressions before they finally looked back up to Jaeden. “We can’t.” Walter finally said. “Not after just this.”

“If we gave up now,” Allison then said, looking down to her daughter for a moment, “then there was no point in us coming out here at all in the first place.”

Jaeden gave a slow nod to the both of the, reaching down to Molly’s arms as he knelt down, pulling her away. “Alright kiddo, you stay here with your mom, grandfather and Red. Help them pick up the place and get everything together again. I’ll be back before you know it.” Jaeden said as he slowly wiped tears away from Molly’s cheeks. “Okay?”

Molly just gave a nod, looking down to Red for a moment. It seemed she looked at her differently now, having never suspected that Red was a Kelvic to begin with. There was a certain curiosity behind her eyes, but no fear. All the same, Red waited where she sat, making no approach towards the child. Finally, Molly reached out, petting Red’s ears as the Kelvic leaned into it. “Can she turn into the pretty lady again and help us too?” Molly then asked, looking up to Jaeden.

Jaeden simply smirked. “If she wants to.” Jaeden then said, looking down to Red. “How about it Red?”

Red gave a quick bark, leaping up and down in place for a moment as she gave quick licks to Molly. With Jaeden’s Ranuri coming into play, Red found her own ability shifting slightly with the bond. For now, Jaeden’s desires rested along Molly’s, and so to please Jaeden, Red felt she now had to please Molly in turn. It was a weird feeling in the end for the Kelvic, but one she was all to willing to feel, the bond between Jaeden and her strengthening everyday after they had found each other.

Jaeden gave a slow nod, standing back up. “Okay then, but with clothes, remember?” Jaeden then said, looking down to Red before moving back towards the forest, intent on bringing the boar back before scavengers set upon it. “Check over Walter and Allison, make sure they don’t have any cuts or bad injuries that need patching.”

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden slowly looked upward as mid day approached, Syna resting strait above their heads, giving a stifling heat across the lands. Jaeden wiped his brow, dragging away a layer of sweat that threatened to flow down into his eyes and ail him with a burning sting. He looked behind him, seeing Walter and Allison walking behind him, their heads lowered and their voices quiet. His gaze then moved to his right, spotting Molly sitting along top of Fortunado as she hummed the tune Jaeden did that morning, still struggling slightly in some parts. Her fingers fumbled with a string of flowers as she laced stems and vines together, their length sporting a daisy or two every couple of inches. At least her spirits weren’t down, and Jaeden could tell as foot brushed up against his arm every few chimes while he walked beside her.

Jaeden looked back to Red, who rode along Fortunado right behind Molly, observing her partly as the child weaved a natural art any child her age would likely be able to do, but what the child did there fascinated the Kelvic all the same. At the same time, Jaeden could see by the way she gripped Fortunado’s saddle, the tension in her arms, the clenched jaw, that Red was still not comfortable onto of the horse. “So, what are the two of you hoping to find in these ruins?” Jaeden then asked, turning his head slightly to look at Walter and Allison. Something to break the mood they were in, the attack they just experience, was certainly needed.

Walter and Allison poked their heads up, looking to Jaeden after he asked the question. Their expressions brightened to slight excitement as they looked to each other for a moment. “Well, anything from pre-valterrian still intact.” Walter replied first, his steps becoming a little quicker. “While there is much we already know through history passed down since before the Valterrian happened, there is still much we don’t know as well.”

“Yes, yes indeed.” Allison then continued, her hands coming together in a firm grip. “Things such as cultural secrets, lost disciplines, not to mention that every written history of the Pre-Valterrian society allows us a different perspective of the era.”

Jaeden then gave a slow nod, rubbing his chin slightly. “So you’re looking for different perspectives. See who told it right or something?” Jaeden asked curiously. “Like your debate about why the Valterrian happened in the first place on the first day of travel?”

“Well, it’s not really about that in the long run.” Walter then said, waving his hand around as if to dismiss the thought. “The debates are just a form of opinionated discussions between scholars most of the time. Almost everyone will have their own view of what happened or who was in the wrong.”

“Yes, and most often it won’t matter who’s wrong or who’s right.” Allison then added. “For every piece of evidence one finds proving their side of the argument right, another can be unearthed by someone of a different opinion countering it. The opinions of everyone differed as much back then as they do today, I suspect. Maybe even more so, considering the Valterrian happened.”

“Correct. In the end, it’s about finding those perspectives, and learning from them.” Walter then said. “The more we know, the more we can begin to see why Suvan and Alahea were at war so much. Studying them allows us to better understand where many cultures of today come from, and there for can begin to understand them better and more quickly. Doing so, we could possibly prevent future wars from happening. Learning from past mistakes, and so such.”

“Hmm, I see.” Jaeden said, looking forward again. “I’m not so certain it would work out as much as you would like. In the end, I’ve been around a lot of the lands. Cultures each have their own personalities. If two clash and wind up hating each other, they’ll weight risk against reward. That I think is what determines whether or not a war will break out, no matter how much one understands the other. In the end, they’d just understand why they hate someone so much. Though I certainly hope your approaches work overall.”

“How much do you know about the history of what happened, Jaeden?” Walter then asked, almost in a challenging tone.

“I don’t tend to look too much into the past, especially before I was born.” Jaeden said, shaking his head slightly as he looked ahead. “You spend so much time looking at what had happened, and chances are you miss what is happening. A war could break out under you nose while you were learning about a way that long ended. Don’t get me wrong, I think the past is important and that it does teach us a lesson, but shouldn’t be obsessed over at the expense of the present.”

Walter and Allison fell silent for a moment, thinking on Jaeden’s words. They could throw several other things at him to rekindle a debate, but in the end they found his words logical enough, plus at the same time, they knew he wasn’t looking to become a scholar. Eventually, Walter turned to his daughter, introducing a new topic as the two of them began to debate on something else. Jaeden smirked slightly as he moved forward once again. In the end, he knew all they needed was a distraction from previous thoughts. Getting to bicker of something spirited allowed that. A moment then had passed before Jaeden felt something being rested along his head, something light. His gaze went upward and his head tilted back slightly to see the edge of petals poking out just barely into his field of vision. He looked towards Molly who was just drawing back her hand after placing the flower halo, which she had been working on for the past bell, atop of his head. “You’re so pretty.” Molly then said to Jaeden, causing a slight giggle to escape Red’s lips.

Jaeden may have felt a need to defend his masculinity at that point under normal circumstances, but with Ranuri dictating his actions, fueled by Molly’s desires, he couldn’t help but feel pretty at that point. It was fortunate, for him, that Molly had no means of decorating hair or painting nails. In the end though, Jaeden just continued to march on like a proud, pretty little friend of an eight year old girl, leading the family to their destination

About two more bells would pass before they arrived. Jaeden slowly looked down to the map, his hand rubbing over his chin for a moment as he tried to narrow down the area. He knew there area well, but only in a general way, nothing specific like a certain formation of tiny stones or a tree that had a bark formation that looked like Rhysol was playing leap frog with Sika. Red, Walter and Allison spread out a little, searching the area, all of them staying within sight, save for Red who Jaeden trusted to protect herself in the event she stumbled across something dangerous. Molly herself wanted to search as well, but was content with staying atop Fortunado’s back, working on a necklace to match Jaeden’s halo as she discovered a growing of jasmine flowers along their travels. Jaeden was almost ready to let her search as the halo still resting along his head. Adding more accessories would inevitably, knowing his luck, lead to him running into Sama’el or one of the Sylirian Knights he knew. Eventually Jaeden’s head jerked upwards, his gaze snapping towards Walter’s voice as he cried out, “I’ve found it!”

Jaeden slowly stepped forward, leading Fortunado towards Walter at a casual pace. Red stepped out from behind some large growing foliage, stepping more towards Jaeden and Molly to meet them in their walk while Allison seemed to full out sprint towards her father, an excited look on her face. She looked towards what her father had discovered, taking a moment to catch her breath as a smile grew on her face that mimicked her father’s own. They quickly embraced each other in a hug, before jumping up and down like excited school children. “They’re really into this, aren’t they?” Jaeden then said to Molly, stuffing the map into a pouch at his waist.

“It’s not so bad.” Molly said as she looked forward.

Jaeden gave a little shrug, tilting his head for a moment. “No, I suppose not. At least they enjoy what they do.” Jaeden said.

Jaeden then spotted something dropping in front of his sight before he felt the tickle of leaves along his neck and scent of jasmine petals filling his nose. His gaze dropped, seeing the flower necklace Molly had just finished for him dangling in front of him as the child began tying stems together at the back of his neck. “Jaeden, guess what?” Molly then said.

Jaeden’s let out a slow exhale as he remained silent for a moment. “I look pretty.” Jaeden then replied.

“Yah!” Molly cried out, clapping her hands together. She then leaned off to the side, sliding from Fortunado’s saddle as her arms wrapped around Jaeden’s neck as she pressed her cheek along his in a friendly hug.

Jaeden’s arm quickly slid under the child’s legs, supporting her weight before she would be forced to hang from Jaeden’s neck by her arms. “Easy there Kiddo.” Jaeden said with a chuckle, feeling Molly’s playful nature. “Don’t want you to fall and hurt yourself.”

“You big baby.” Molly then said with a giggle, as she sat along Jaeden’s forearm.

“Right, because you’re so elder.” Jaeden said with a smirk before setting her down next to her mother.

Jaeden stepped forward past Walter and Allison, examining the entrance to the ruins. A slow frown crossed his features as he didn’t see structure surrounding it, rather the entrance itself lead into the ground. “These ruins are underground?” Jaeden then said, a hint of caution entering his voice.

“Yes, they are indeed.” Walter then said. “It’s no wonder that no one’s discovered it yet. Did I not mention that?”

Jaeden released a sigh, turning back towards Fortunado as he began taking his camp supplies from the Nightwalker’s back. He wondered just how many torches he had brought with him at that moment. Hopefully it wasn’t too large. “Alright, let’s set up camp then.” Jaeden said, pulling another pack off of Fortunado’s back.

“Okay, you get started with Molly,” Allison then said as she began to tug on Walter’s sleeve, “father and I are going to take a peek inside.”

Jaeden then quickly turned, his hands snatching out as he grabbed Walter and Allison by the back of their cloaks, abruptly stopping them in their suddenly forward motion. Their legs kicked up into the air about a foot before the fell crashing to the ground in a forced exhale before looking up to Jaeden with a puzzled expression. “No, we’re going to make camp, first.” Jaeden then said, looking down to the two of them. “Or did it not occur to the two of you that no one has reported discovering this place yet because those who went it, never came back out.”

Walter and Allison then looked to each other, the realization of Jaeden’s words hitting them. “Do you think some sort of monster is down there then?” Molly asked curiously, as she crouched down, poking Walter with a stick as a giggle escaped her lips.

“More than likely that they underestimated the size of the place, got lost, and never found their way back out before dying of starvation or dehydration.” Jaeden then replied, as he began unpacking the parts to his tent. “Or there was a cave in as they were buried under lots of stone and dirt, too much for them to get out from and they suffocated. Or ground broke out from under their feet and they fell into a chasm left over from the destruction that the Valterrian left behind and fell to their death. A monster is certainly plausible, though. In the end, it’s underground, thus you can’t see the dangers it might present as readily as a ruined structure sitting above ground. So no one, and I mean no one, goes in their alone. We go in together.” Jaeden explained, looking back down to Walter and Allison. “Agreed?”

Allison and Walter then slowly nodded, almost simultaneously. Jaeden then gave a nod handing Walter the spade and Allison his woodman’s axe. “Alright then, Walter, you dig out the fire pit.” Jaeden said looking to him. “Allison, go with Red and collect some firewood.”

“What about me?” Molly then asked, looking up at Jaeden curiously.

“You,” Jaeden said, his eyes gazing at Molly, already feeling what she desired to do, “how about you make me up a couple of flower bracelets to go with the necklace and halo?”

________________

About another bell had passed before they had finally finished setting up camp. The four of them stood at the entrance to the ruins as Jaeden made a last minute check of his supplies. He soon saw Red step up next to him, dusting a little dirt from her clothing. “You’re staying with Camp, Red.” Jaeden then said, closing a pouch along his belt, a couple of bracelet made of from together dandelions hanging from his wrists.

“What?” Red said, a slight expression of confusion crossing her face. “Why?”

“Because I need you up here for two reasons.” Jaeden explained, “One: To make sure that there aren’t any petching bandits, looters or slavers waiting to spring something on us when we come out. And B: In the event something goes wrong and we get trapped inside. I need someone who can get back to Syliras in a hurry for help.”

“But…” Red then said, wanting to raise an argument over it before she felt Jaeden rest a hand along her shoulder.

“Please Red,” Jaeden said, looking into the Kelvic’s eyes, “this is important to me.”

“Okay, fine.” Red replied, reaching up and resting her hand along Jaeden’s. “You just better come out of there.”

Jaeden smiled, pulling Red’s hand up to kiss the back of it lightly. “Don’t plan on getting stuck.” Jaeden then said as he then gave a nod to Walter and Allison. “Alright then, let’s go.”

The four of them then stepped forward, entering the open entrance of the ruins. The moment Walter, who was the last in the line, stepped through, a rough sound of stone sliding against stone began to echo out. Jaeden slowly looked back to Walter with a confused expression. “What’d you touch?” Walter said.

Before Jaeden could answer, a stone door suddenly slid down, it’s lower edge slamming into the ground with a thunderous boom which echoed through the front room, leaving only a single hole through it’s center to allow light and air to get in. Dead silence then fell over the four of them as they found themselves trapped inside.

“Shyke.”

“Molly!” Allison suddenly said in a disciplinary tone.