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WILDERNESS - EVENING
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Erika shifts closer to the campfire she and Cavro made for the night, hugging herself slightly as the cold feels like creeping in. Enough mornings woken up cold against the earth made the two desire a solid fire even when it might attract undesirable attention from whatever's creeping in the wilds around them. The campsite is somewhat surrounded by cliffs, so at least it feels possible to see something coming.
Cavro steps back into the firelight, laying an armful of slightly-too-green wood down within arms reach of the fire, pausing to warm his palms, then rub the warmed pads on his chilly arms as he takes a seat across from Erika. He hums as he looks across at her trying to warm up, shaking his head slightly. "This cold is is is getting to be too much... I know I I I don't have the talent for it, and you don't have the stomach for it... But maybe we should try to hunt something tomorrow for food and some some some hide?"
Erika pales a bit at the suggestion and stares into the fire for a long moment. She then nods slowly and hesitantly: "...m-maybe, if we can't locate any familiar landmarks again..." She continues staring at the fire, now a new question in her mind - could she kill for survival if she needed to?
Cavro sighs, staring into the flames for a long, silent moment. "I'd really rather we we we didn't have to..." He's clearly almost as uncomfortable as she is with the idea, despite being omnivorous. The first few hungry days they spent out in the wild, he couldn't help but crave a hot stew, but now he was happy when they found anything at all.
Erika nods slowly, shifting her position to lean onto the ground with one hand as she looks at Cavro: "It's... y-yeah. I hope not. We'll find our way home, and we won't need to." She tries to keep the creeping despair out of her voice and almost sort of succeeds too.
Cavro puts on the best smile he can manage, nodding. "We're almost there. I I I can feel the forge." He pauses, shuddering. "Mh... I I I wish that wasn't as as as true as it is..."
Erika gives a weak smile, sighing: "I wish I could sense my garden. I wonder how all of my plants are doing in my absence?" She stares into the fire for a moment before continuing: "Although I guess it's starting to be monsoon season soon, that helps."
Cavro chuckles quietly. "I I I'm sure they're all waiting patiently for you. Might be a a a little pruning to do?"
Erika chuckles, shaking her head: "Maybe. I guess they haven't really gone anywhere, at least. No one really seems to want to enter there if I don't answer."
Cavro looks toward Erika, humming to himself as he leans back against a rock. "Well I I I guess they just don't appreciate your your your garden enough, but that's their loss. And maybe your snake friend has has has ben checking in on it for you? I mean... Someone must have noticed we're missing... I hope."
Erika frowns, nodding as she considers the implications: "I... I mean, Mom and Dad would, at least. It's been so many days..." She gets a sad, wistful look on her face for a moment: "...t-they'd be worrying about me at least..."
Cavro nods, looking toward the fire again. "Mh... I I I hope they're not worrying too much... I... Try not to think of of of how mother is is is taking it... First father and and and now us." His eyes mist up at the thought, which is why he'd been forcefully not thinking about it.
Erika looks at Cavro sadly and nods, before turning to look away and towards their darkening surroundings: "T-they'll be fine... because we will be fine. We will find our way, or someone will find us, I'm certain."
Cavro rubs his cheek for a moment, turning away from the fire to distract himself with the wood pile. He turns back after he calms down a bit, setting a log on. "Well yes, we we we will be."
Erika glances at Cavro, smiling again: "We can't just not be fine, that's not how anything works." She pauses: "...well, present situation nonwithstanding, not sure if I'd call this stranding 'fine'."
Cavro glances toward her, chuckling after a few moments. "It it it could be worse... If it were spring, we'd be cold AND covered in mud."
Erika sticks her tongue out, slightly disgusted: "You make a very valid point." She shudders: "Never again with the mudslides, I'm still surprised we got out of that mess as kids."
Cavro chuckles, trying to restrain himself before he breaks into a grunting laugh. "Your mother... When we tried to to to go inside..."
Erika shakes her head and turns back to lift her hands towards the fire: "Y-yeah, no. Wasn't fun, and she still gives me the occasional question about tracking mud anywhere."
Cavro grins. "Well, at least there are are are no nice carpets to soil in our little camps, hmm?"
Erika lets out a soft laugh, looking at the moist gravel under her hooves: "Yea, there's that. Can't mess up that, at least."
Cavro is about to speak again when a rustling comes from the bushes some distance out from their camp, too low and long-lived to just be the wind. his eyes snap toward the sound, but he holds still and waits. Of course, with the fire between them, it's nearly impossible for the badger to see anything out from the circle of light.
Erika turns to look as well, but can't see anything either. Her ears flick towards the sound, but she can't make anything more.
Cavro shrinks a little his eyes tracking where he thinks the sounds are coming from. They seem to be travelling in a wide circle to avoid their fire, the badger eventually glancing toward Erika.
Erika lowers her position in the ground, tensing as she readies for getting up. She looks at Cavro, nodding to him.
Cavro watches Erika, not sure what she's planning. He glances toward the noise again, leaning forward and picking up the unburnt end of a stick, slowly lifting it. "D-do we... Run or...?" He whispers, barely audible over the fire crackling"
Erika shakes her head, whispering: "...if whatever that is don't come closer, we stay."
Cavro nods, still clinging to his barely-burning torch-club. His eyes try to find the source of the noise again, but it seems to be fading slightly. The badger does not relax in the slightest, the sudden reminder of their situation gripping his nerves.
Erika is tense as well, although starts to lose it as the sounds of company begin to fade. She listens for another long moment, before letting out a breath: "...whew. I think."
Cavro looks toward Erika, starting to calm as he lets his breath go. "Y-y-yes... Home soon, please." He chuckles nervously, setting the stick back into the fire.
Erika smiles nervously: "W-we'll get there. I know we will." She also knows she's been repeating those or similar words a lot last few days, but giving up was never really in her book of potential actions.
Cavro smiles weakly, nodding. "I I I believe you..." He glances nervously towards the woods again, sighing. "I I I hope you don't mind if I don't take a a a nap in the garden for a little while, though..."
Erika looks at Cavro and almost starts frowning, but then forces a smile: "...y-yeah, I think I understand." She looks about the foliage, trying to see it all as dangerous (as opposed to the creatures possibly lurking about), but can't really 'get' it. In short, she in fact does not understand, not from her own perspective.
Cavro sees Erika's expression, but hears it more in her voice. "Oh... No I I I don't mean like that... Sorry. Just that I I I will be happy to have walls around me as as as I sleep..."
Erika nods again, but turns to look at the fire: "Y-yeah, it's fair. I will enjoy having walls around the town... if that makes sense."
Cavro sighs, leaning forward and wrapping his arms over the tops of his knees. "I I I think it does... I'll take first first first watch tonight."
Erika smiles at her friend: "Thank you. Just wake me up when you need the sleep." She stares at the flames for a quiet moment, before continuing in a more subdued tone. "...friends now. I wonder what folks in Respite will think, since so many kind of did the... star-crossed lovers sort of hinting at us."
Cavro stares at the flames as well, letting out a quiet breath as he shakes his head slightly. "I... I don't think it it it matters. They can can can think what they want, I I I'm just glad we figured it it it out before too long."
Erika nods, sighing slightly: "Yeah... rocky road, but we just... different. Like kind of in good ways, but I can't really share who I am out here." She pauses, thinking: "...w-well, beyond right now, but you know what I mean I guess."
Cavro smiles a little bit sadly, nodding. "And I I I wouldn't ask you to to to give it up... But if we had... The worry every time, I I I might have have have made that mistake eventually."
Erika stares into the fire, warming her hands as she thinks: "...and me thinking about you at a wrong time... that's why the bear surprised me." She frowns, feeling awful about saying that but feeling it needed to be said.
Cavro blinks, looking down, then slowly starting to chuckle. "And I... I I I stayed up for for for over a day making parts for for for the generator, wanting to give you a a a reason to be proud of me... Maybe we we we were worse for each other than anyone thought?"
Erika gives a soft chuckle as well: "...maybe..."
Cavro smiles at her despite the low mood topic, shrugging. "It it it was worth trying, Erika. Now we know."
Erika turns to give Cavro a soft smile: "Yeah... it was. Didn't really work, but... well. It is what it is." She shrugs, not really feeling disappointed about it all anymore.
Cavro nods, leaning back against the rock, plenty warmed by the fire. "Yes... So so so it is. Get some rest, a lot of oof of walking tomorrow. You know, a a a nice change of pace."
Erika giggles softly, but starts arranging what little she can about the handful of foliage she gathered for their makeshift beds, to a position that's at least slightly amenable to sleeping. "Just get me up if something happens or you need sleep." She lies down, staring into the fire and trying to not think about what's out there.
Cavro nods solemnly, stretching his neck slightly as he prepares to keep alert. "Understood. Sleep sleep sleep well, Erika."
Erika shifts her neck enough to look at Cavro: "Goodnight, lov- well, dangit, still gonna say you're dear to me. Goodnight, Cavro." She then lies her head back down in an attempt to sleep.
Cavro blushes brightly, turning to look at the trees. "Y-you too..." He smiles to himself through most of his wakefulness, keeping his word and waking Erika to trade sitting up for sleeping sometime after midnight. That night, his dreams are full of the furnace at the forge, and little else.'