The pig has its legs bound by a vine that Apa found and, I follow behind her as I drag the heavy piece of crap.
"No help?"
"I found the vine and bound its legs to make it easier."
"And I killed the dang thing."
"You're also stronger than me."
Apa says that it makes me stop my train of thought.
"That's not the point, if we both pull we'd be there faster."
"And if we end up having to fight away some danger?"
She clicks again, taking in her surroundings.
A twig snaps, under the weight of the pig, as I continue to pull the vine over my shoulder and drag it.
"Then I could always just pull out my bow and shoot it."
"You can see in the dark now?"
"I can see living things in the dark…"
I huff as I take a deep breath of air and then pull again.
"Like you for example, how do you think I'm able to even know where to go?"
"So I need to be up front for you to know where to go?"
I huff, knowing that I can't convince her and I've just given her another reason to stay up front.
"Yeah."
She lets out another clicking sound.
With the bickering ended, we walk in some silence, broken by when one of us, or the pig snaps a twig or two or when Apa has to click to understand our surroundings.
Besides that the walk is somewhat uneventful as we end up at a clearing in the darkness of it all.
Coming up at a place that is very faintly familiar in the back of my head, with a tree stump, fire wood in its corner and a house that is built in the middle of the trees, but with them cut down it gives a good clearing for them to stay at.
"I'm guessing that you still remember enough things here?"
I shake my head softly.
"Not really."
Apa sighs and continues to walk around the house, me right behind her, just for me to see a shed, that I forgot was there, faint memories of Steel and Prag skinning the Soul Bear come back, before they fade away.
"The pig can go in there."
She says as she points to the shed.
With more strength after seeing my end zone, I pull and pull and pull.
As Apa goes to sit on the stump.
I finally make it to the shed and place the pig beside the small side building.
"Yeah…"
A deep breath of air, as I don't have to drag it anymore.
"…thank you for the help."
"Yeah… I maybe could have helped you at the end, but you did it anyway…"
Apa smiles at me, but it just grinds my gears.
"Thank you Lazi. I'm thankful you helped me. I've never been able to have an easier time with hunting than today."
She says that and it just makes the angry gears turning disappear.
"Your welcome."
Someone breaks through the door of the house and a coughing sound comes along with the creaking sound.
"Apa?"
A deep voice comes through to call her.
She blasts up and runs to the door.
"Yes!?"
She answers them.
"That you?"
"Yes."
I turn to see the one at the door is Prag, but not looking too good, he has a beard, that looks like he hasn't shaved in forever, and his hair looks like it hasn't been cut in a while. His orange aura wavering a lot round his body.
Along with Yelena who's body looks pale, different from when I came here years ago. Along with her hair now gone and her body now too skinny to even think she's not a skeleton. Her aura, sliver colored, and wavering with every single breath she me makes.
Prag catches me in the corner of his eye.
"Lazi?"
"Yes?"
As I answer Yelena comes out even more and looks at me, she almost falls down, Prag is fast. Her aura dims then grows brighter.
He catches her and brings her closer as I breaking into a brisk speed walk to meet them more than halfway.
She reaches out her hand and touches my face.
"What's it been like, on the outside of this forest?"
She asks me that and laughs, not before getting interrupted with every cough.
Apa looks away as she coughs, not embarrassed, I know that, because I can see the tears in her eyes, she's letting them out, and she's doesn't want to be seen.
"It's been nice. And I've also learned a lot for Apa."
"Really?"
She coughs again.
Now Prag looks away from me, but doesn't move his face completely, as I can see small amounts of tears falling.
"Yeah. She's taugh me how to better use my Soul Energy. Even taught me how to empower my bow with it."
I point at my bow for her to see it.
"She has been a wonderful teacher."
"Yeah."
"To bad we can't stay longer."
"Sorry…"
Those words stop me for finishing my sentence.
"What do you mean?"
"I never told him yet, mom."
Apa breaks into the conversation.
"Oh, I'm sorry."
She says and bring her hand to my face, she grips my cheek and pinches it.
Her smiling at me. Her aura blinks in then out.
"I'll let Apa explain it to you, better than me."
She lets go of my cheek.
"Let's let them have a moment Prag."
He nods.
"Yeah."
He says.
"Lazuli."
I look at him now.
"I thank you."
He says as he turns both himself and Yelena and begins toward the house.
Apa runs to my side and grabs my arm, not giving me a moment to catch the train that my mind is on.
She runs to the treeline and darkness takes us over, in the darkness its way more noticeable that her aura is wavering, shaking. And slowly, I notice the shaking in her arms as well.
It doesn't take us long to break through the treeline to the clearing we are used to.
She lets go of my hand and breaks down in tears.
Her arms coming to her face.
I look at her back and wonder what to do, my body slowly kneels down beside her and I run her back as she is there, and unexpectedly she jumps to hug me.
I let her, but I stay in my weird posture of not knowing what to do.
'If only I had better way to communicate in my past life, I'd probably be able to communicate well in times like these.'
I put my arm around her and hug her back.
Letting her cry her tears, while trying to comfort her.
"It'll be fine."
I tell her as I rub her back.
She sniffles once more and wipes her nose on my shirt. Then pulling back from my shirt to have a snot trail from her nose to my shirt that breaks and slaps her face.
She wipes her face with her forearm.
"Lazuli. We need to talk… or better yet I have to tell you something."
She pulls away from me.
And I sit back with my arms holding me up this time as I listen to what she's saying.
She stands up now.
"I'm leaving…"
I squint my eyes at her.
"Is that what Your mom meant wel she said to bad you can't stay?"
Apa nods.
She then sits beside me. And lets out a little sigh.
Her eyes teary and orange aura wavering.
"My father left deeper into Warren Forest to try and find a cure for mom when she got worse."
"Did he?"
Apa nods:
"But he didn't take the trade that was offered to him."
"What… What was the trade?"
"If he wanted back into the village of the elves he had and a cure to the disease plaguing my mother, I had to give my hand in marriage…"
"What?"
"He didn't want that. He couldn't take that trade, so he left the village of the elves and came back home. It was only yesterday that I heard him talk about it with mother."
She paused to let out a tear.
"I couldn't let my mother suffer the way she was currently suffering. Her body was deteriorating. I told my father I'll do it, but that they'd have to wait for two years… Afterall I'm not an adult until I'm fifteen."
She smiles at me, but her aura wavers, she doesn't want this marriage, but to save her mother she'd do it.
"Lazuli… I don't have anything more to teach you about Soul Energy."
Her same smile plastered to her face.
"Thank you Apa."
"You're welcome Lazi… I'm also thankful to you Lazuli."
"Why? I never did anything good to get your appreciation?"
"No, but you did the most. You were my only friend and the best person to come to for when I felt down."
I smile grows on my face, thankful to hear her say that about me.
"Thank you and you're welcome too."
Apa looks up at the sky as I follow her vision.
"When do you leave?"
I ask her.
"In three days."
"That's gonna be pretty fast."
"Yeah."
I look at Apa and her face grows red as she turn to me too.
"I guess you could say I'm also leaving, not as fast as you, but still. I'll be leaving too. That's if Marcilene doesn't object to it."
"She shouldn't."
Her long elvish ears twitch, something I've never seen her do before.
"You believe that?"
"I know that."
"You don't even know her though?"
"Call it intuition then."
"That's stupid."
We both share a laugh.
And as we finish laughing Apa moves closer to me and plants a kiss on my cheek.
"Thank you Lazuli."
She stands up and walks away, her face red from her neck to her ears.
And I'm left sitting here on my ass, unclear of what to do next.