Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Red's promise

Bella paused hearing her name and pricked her ears up at Arien; when Red's yell distracted her. She looked away and then sprinted after her, tail straight out behind her; kitten in her jaws.

Arien didn't hesitate--he ran after Bella. "Bella! Where are you going?" he hollered, then felt the air shift. Where was Red? "Red? Red!?"

No luck. Was it her he'd even seen? Or maybe some other villager. He'd nearly lost track of Bella when she barked. "Red?" he yelled again.

Red came to a halt when she saw an open field in front of her. There was a single rose laid at the end of the path, she could tell it had been painted black. It was withering and had the faint smell of Ash.
Red clenched her hands into fists then punched a near-by tree. A small crack formed in the tree and her hand was unharmed. Ash.. Red thought and was suddenly thrust back into her fondest memories of her and Ash playing.

Arien sighed and returned back to the children. There wasn't anything he could do at the moment, for Red or the kids, but be present and try to ensure that everyone got a mouthful of something to eat.

Bella, meanwhile, watched Red from where she stood in the shadows. However, the unfamiliar scent lingering in the air made her fur rise. Stiff-legged, she approached the rose, sniffing carefully. The kitten she'd left safely back under the tree--unless it had decided to follow.

Patch followed Bella, chasing after her tail and jumping in the air trieing to get a hold of it.

Red bent down and picked up the rose when Bella was done sniffing it. Snapping the stalk in half, she threw it into the bushes and turned. Walking away, Red thought about where she would find Ash next. What would she destroy next? Red had to get far away from everything and everyone she cared for. Otherwise Ash would take Arien from her... Red halted.Why am i thinking about him again?..
Pondering, Red walked back to the group of children and people who needed them.

Bella wagged her tail, keeping it just out of Patch's claws and watched Red. For a moment she regarded the rose snapped in half and then picked up Patch once again by the scruff and trotted behind Red.

Arien had left briefly again to check his snares, and he was pleasantly surprised to find that he'd nabbed not only a rabbit, but also a deer. He looked at it in dismay. Right--how was he possibly going to move such a huge animal? He didn't particularly feel like killing himself over teleporting with an animal carcass.

"Nex? Neo?" he called, hoping they were in the vicinity. "You guys around? er, alive?"

Red reassured everyone there that they would be fine then she took off towards her house. A few minutes later she arrived. She suited up in her tall, knee high, black boots and found the arm guards that Arien had bought. She then threw on her black cloak that trailed stars down the hood and to the ground touching trim. Red grabbed her steampunk goggles and put them in her hair then slid her fathers gold sword into its sheath, attaching the chain to her arm. She also grabbed an ivory bow with a whole quiver of arrows.
Red quickly cooked dinner for Arien, Bella, Neo and Nex then left them out on the kitchen counter. Walking out the door, she took one last look back at her house then walked off into the deep woods.

Nex and Neo left several minutes before Red arrived. Hearing Arien's calls they came running to him.

Arien flinched when the tigers barreled his way, though he knew they would stop before eating him. What could he say? It was reflex.

"Would you mind dragging the deer carcass that way?" Arien asked them, pointing in the direction of the pond. "You can leave it at the treeline so you don't scare the rest of the villagers." The last thing he wanted was panic from the survivors.

He reset his snares before checking to make sure that the tigers would be alright with hauling the deer.

Neo grabbed the deer and easily hauled it to the edge of the trees. Nex walked behind him just incase he needed help.

Red bit her lip and kept walking. She had made it a good couple of miles already, then she thought about her note she had left Arien.
Dear Arien,
Im sorry i had to go. Made sure thatsupplies would last for a while though. I had to keep you safe. As well as Bella, Neo and Nex. Make sure Neo and Nex get fed.
Red

Bella hadn't stopped trailing Red from the time she returned to the house to heading back out. Now she broke out in a run to surpass Red, before cutting across the intended trail and stopping. She pricked her ears up at Red and then swiveled to look in the direction of the house and thus Arien. She cocked her head to the side, even as she dropped Patch to the ground.

Arien grinned as he caught up to the tigers. "Good job, guys. Much faster than I could have done it."

He began to gut the deer when he realized he hadn't seen Red in a while. "You two haven't seen Red recently, have you?"

Neo and Nex looked at each other then shook their heads.

Red looked at Bella then sighed.
"Take Patch and go home Bella. I will be back soon, but those people need supplies and there isnt a town to far from here. Go home," Red said then walked around Bella and Patch.

Bella flattened her ears and then trotted after Red again.

Arien sighed and hesitated. "Alright, fine, I'll finish this up and see if she returned home." He made quick work of the deer, getting two of the villagers to start cooking it up, before heading back to the house.

"Red? Anyone home?" He checked the rooms before seeing the note on the table.

Red growled then turned around.
"Go home Bella!" she snapped, but her eyes were full of worry more than anything.

Patch stumbled after Bella then leaped up, climbed up her leg using his claws. When he made it to her back he held on like a burr.

Bella flinched as the kitten climbed up, but didn't prevent it. Instead, she sat and wagged her tail, stirring up dust as he pricked her ears forward at Red.

Arien read the note twice before he realized what was missing. There was no, I'll be back later. His curses filled the house as he grabbed his items, sword, pack and the food she'd cooked up.

"Damn it, Red, I can take care of myself just fine! I don't need you protecting me. Nex, Neo--find Red! She's gone somewhere."

The two tigers looked at each other then ran out of the house, following her faint trail.

Red sighed then thought about it.
"Fine you can come. Just take care of Patch. Thats your assigned job," she said before turning back around and walking away.
Grumbling under her breath she picked up the pace a little. She needed to put as much distance between Arien and herself as possible.

Arien sprinted after the tigers, more concerned than angry. What was she thinking? Abandoning everything? Even her tigers? Was it him? Had he done something to make her mad at him? Had he overstepped his bounds? "If you didn't want me to stay, you could just say so." And here he thought they'd been on their way to becoming something akin to friends...

Bella surged ahead again, before pausing in front of Red. A soft whine escaped her as she looked pointedly behind them. She didn't want to leave Arien behind, but neither did she want Red to wander off.

Red gave Bella a pained look then sighed.
"Bella please. Im trying to protect Arien. Ash will take everything i care about then turn it to dust. I have to get away from Arien. And you as well as Neo and Nex. I.. I care about Arien, you, and my two tiger troublemakers. I would be mortified if anything happened to all of you," she confided in Bella.

The two tigers ran ahead at a fast pace. Barely giving Arien time to keep up.

Arien groaned as the tigers showed no signs of slowing. In spite of his fitness, he was still getting a hitch in his side. He was a swordsman; not a marathon runner.

"Damn it, Red, if you leave me like this, I won't forgive you either." Was that a person up ahead? He prayed it was Red.

Bella pawed at the ground and then flicked her ears back. A small whine emerged from her, a questioning, forlorn sound in response to Red's confession. And then she half turned to listen to something approaching.

Red instantly knew it was Arien and took off running.
"Damn it, Bella!" she hissed.
Arien please.. she thought to herself, dread dripping from the thought. Red kept running and barely managed to not fall when she tripped over something.

Neo and Nex knew it was Red and quickly picked up the pace.

Seeing Bella and the figure speed up only made Arien more desperate. "Red! Red! Wait up!" He would have growled were he not already out of breath. "Screw it," he yelled, and focused on the immediate point where Red was.

He'd never teleported in mid-sprint--and honestly, he'd never do it again. He rocketed forward the moment his foot touched the ground, his stomach lurching and his vision going dark.

"Red!" His shout was a warning this time as he collided into her and fell.

Red yelped in surprise as she was rammed into from behind and tumbled to the ground. Staying on the ground because she ached everywhere after that fall, she groaned.
"Ow..." Red groaned.

Neo and Nex came to a halt and winced when they saw Arien and Red fall and slide a few feet. They looked at each other and purred in amusement because Arien was on top of Red.