Chapter 4 is here!
Okay. So I've finished chapter four. If you've found it boring up until this point, bear with me. It'll be getting more action-filled. ^_^
The next morning, Rose woke up feeling refreshed from the long dip in the lake and from meeting someone new and having an actual conversation with a person. A smile brightened her face when she thought of Cieus, even happier today than she had been last night, thankful for the prospect of having some company on the journey that had been quite lonely thus far. Her happiness was somewhat diminished by the continuously sweltering heat of the day. The sun was just beginning to rise, and it already felt like she was in an oven. With a bit of a groan, she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes before she stretched, a few vertebrae in her backbone popping and cracking back into place. She enjoyed travelling most of the time, but sleeping on the ground nearly every single night wreaked havoc on one’s back. With a sigh, she got up and stretched again, shifting her weight from one leg to another as she worked the kinks out of those muscles. Once she’d stretched her body out thoroughly, she began to hum to herself as she cleaned up, grabbing her bedroll and shaking the dust and debris off of it before rolling it up into a tight, cylindrical wad. With that done, she placed the bedroll in her travelling bag neatly before straightening up and walking over to her boots. She plopped herself down and brushed the bottoms of her feet off so that there wouldn’t be anything gritty in the bottom of her boots, and then slipped the footwear on. Since she’d slept fully dressed, the only thing left to do to prepare herself for the travelling ahead was to brush the tangle of light-blonde hair that flowed down her back and to plait it so it wouldn’t cause her any grief as she was riding atop of Monty. She grabbed her brush from the pack that she lived out of and hummed, the jovial tune broken by gasped curses when she ran into a particularly stubborn knot of fine hair. Once she had finally gotten her hair thoroughly brushed, so it streamed down her back in a smooth, shining river, she began the job of braiding it, her tongue sticking out a bit as she concentrated on getting the plait perfect. After she finished with this and had it tied up with a plain piece of leather before she grabbed some bread and an apple out of her pack, her usual breakfast when she was on the road and in a hurry. After quickly consuming the light meal, she began to look around for Monty. When she didn’t see him, she let out a sigh and stuck her middle finger and her thumb in her mouth and gave a sharp whistle. After summoning him a few times, he pranced out from behind some trees and went over to her. “It’s time to go, Monty,” she said to him as she began to prepare him for the journey, putting his riding equipment on. He stood there, casually swatting flies off of his back with his tail as Rose loaded up her bulging pack and tied it securely so that it wouldn’t fall off if they were forced into a gallop for some odd reason. She looked around at the campsite once, making sure that she wasn’t forgetting anything, before she took hold of Monty’s reins and began to lead him towards the other side of the lake, where Cieus was hopefully up and waiting for her, or at least getting ready.
Cieus was, indeed, quite ready when Rose finally broke through the line of trees that he’d set his camp behind. Sleep was always something of a problem for him, sadly. In the five years since the tragedy that had changed his life, he had been lucky to obtain three or four hours of good sleep a night. The rest of the time, he slept restlessly, his slumbering plagued by bad dreams brought about by worse memories. He had woken for the day before the sun had made its torturous appearance, so he’d been packed and ready to go for over an hour by this time. His chestnut horse was standing a few feet from the pile of charred wood, the mare looking quite bored. It was a fine-looking horse, one that could easily be the mount of a knight or someone in the aristocracy. He had been frowning slightly as he sat on the trunk of a tree that had fallen, his legs stretched out before him slightly as he gazed down at the ground unseeingly, lost in the thoughts and memories that continuously plagued him. Rose saw him sitting there, arching her brow a bit when he didn’t look up when she said ‘hello’ the first time. She cleared her throat, and said a louder greeting, one that caught his attention. “Oh, Rose,” he exclaimed, standing up quickly. “Hello! Did you have a good night’s sleep?”
When he responded to her, she smiled and curled one arm over her chest, letting her fingers wrap around a narrow arm as she looked at him more closely, able to see him clearly finally by the light of day. He was, indeed, a handsome man who looked as though he would be more suited to more courtly surroundings. His hair was light brown in color, blondish streaks caused by the sun breaking it from being a solid hue. His skin was tanned to a golden light brown, so she could assume that he spent most of his time outdoors. He looked as though he were weary, even though they had parted ways to sleep at their respective campsites at least nine hours ago. Underneath his creamy-chocolate colored eyes there were dark circles, slight bruising from not enough rest. “I did get a good night’s sleep, thank you,” she said to him. “Did you?” She arched her brow a bit when she asked him that, pretty sure she already knew that the answer was ‘no’.
“Well, I slept better than I do most nights,” he told her truthfully, shrugging in a dismissive manner. “Don’t worry. I won’t collapse while we’re travelling, if that’s what you’re worried about.” He offered her a smile after he said this, followed by a bit of a laugh to affirm the fact that he was okay. Cieus then continued to speak. “If you’re ready to go, then I am.”
Rose nodded a bit and returned the smile that he’d given to her before turning towards Monty so that she could get up onto his back. After they’d both mounted their horses, Rose looked over at Cieus. “We’ll be travelling this way,” she said, pointing northeast. When she saw him nod in understanding, she gave a flick of her reins to urge Monty to move. He began to trot along, heading towards the road, Cieus and his mount following close behind. After a few minutes, he rode with her side by side, remaining silent. “I’m hoping that it’ll take less time than I think to get to the forest,” she said to him.
“Forest,” he enquired, looking over at her curiously. “Is that where the ruins are, in a forest?”
“Yes, it’s supposed to be in the center of the Whispering Woods,” she said to him. “Supposedly, that place is cursed. All who enter it never return.” She looked over at him with a bit of a smirk. “Does that scare you?”
He looked at her for a few moments, before laughing and shaking his head. “Of course not,” he said, his voice sounding brave and sure. “What is an adventure without a little danger in it?” He’d heard of the Whispering Woods before, and the tales of men being devoured by creatures that lurked in the shadowed areas of that place, but he took those stories for being a bunch of hooey. There was no such thing as monsters, unless one counted the evil people of the world.
Rose shrugged her shoulders a bit at his question and laughed as well. She wasn’t someone who believed in old wives’ tales, either, so she would feel perfectly safe in the woods, whispering or not. In all of her travels, she’d never come across anything that was more terrifying than a pack of wild, hungry wolves. “I think that an adventure without a little danger would be a very boring adventure, indeed,” she said with a smirk as they continued on their way, traversing the plains that were spreading out in front of them.
“I agree heartily, fair Rose,” he said to her, growing more cheerful in her presence. She seemed like a person who was full of life, so it was hard to remain grim for too long in her company. Being with her was like a breath of desperately needed air to him. He let out a contented sigh as he looked up at the sky, squinting a bit from the quickly brightening day. Since he wasn’t well-versed in small talk, a comfortable silence fell between them, and neither was Rose, a comfortable silence fell between them as they rode along the countryside.
The hours melded into one another to both of the travelers, making it seem as though no time was passing at all. The only thing that reassured them both that they were moving was the change in the landscape and the steady arcing of the sun in its heavenly home. It seemed to grow a little less hot and humid the further northeast they travelled, and the grass became a brilliant green color, hinting that this area had not suffered from the drought that had plagued a majority of the kingdom, at least not so severely. The ground was positively erupting with flowers of every color of the rainbow, and there were butterflies flitting to and fro, dancing delicately across the silky-soft petals. Birds were soaring in the clear, blue sky, singing their joyful little tunes as they played against the backdrop of Mother Nature’s wondrous beauty.
Rose let out a happy sigh as she drank in her surroundings, feeling like she was catching a glimpse of paradise by being there. She was beginning to grow tired and hungry, though, so she was about to suggest that they stop for a break when she saw something in the distance. She squinted her eyes a bit, leaning forward to see if she was truly seeing what she thought she was seeing. After a few moments of deliberation, she decided that she did, indeed, see a forest beginning to sprawl out across the horizon. “Oh, Cieus look,” she said, looking over at him. “I see the forest.” She pointed towards the immense spread of trees to validate her statement.
Cieus had been totally lost in their immediate surroundings, awestruck by the beauty that could exist naturally, enjoying the fact that it was untouched by man. When Rose broke the long silence, he looked over at her before looking in the direction that they had been heading. He smiled when he saw the beginnings of the wood, and looked over at Rose. “We’re almost there,” he said to her. “How deep in the forest is the ruins supposed to be?”
“They’re supposed to be right in the middle,” she said to him. “The Whispering Woods are supposed to be one of the largest forests in this part of the kingdom, so it will probably take us until tomorrow to actually get to our destination. We’re practically there, though,” she added encouragingly.
He smiled at her optimistic words, nodding in agreement. “Yes, we are. We’ll be at the ruins in no time, I’m sure.” A thought suddenly occurred to him as he watched her riding the powerful steed that she’d dubbed Monty. He wondered if the stallion was really as powerful and swift as it seemed. “Say, I’ve got an idea. Why don’t we have a race? Our destination will be the entrance of the forest, and whoever gets there last has to make lunch?” He flashed her a charming, boyish grin. “How’s that sound?”
Rose looked at him for a few moments as she rode beside of him, a grin forming on her face. “How about we sweeten the prize a bit,” she asked him. “The loser makes breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the entire time that we’re in the woods?”
Cieus laughed when she heightened the harmless wager, and shrugged a bit. “Why not,” he asked, thinking his mount had no chance of losing. Rose’s horse was a fine animal, to be sure, but he doubted Monty had received the extensive training that his Cherie had gotten.
Rose nodded a bit. “It’s a bet, then,” she said, reaching over to shake his hand so that they could seal the deal. Once they had clasped hands and shook on it, Rose grinned a bit wider. “I think to be fair, I should give you a ten second handicap,” she said.
Cieus smirked a bit when she suggested the ten second handicap on her horse, but shrugged and nodded a bit. “If you insist,” he said, thinking the worst that would happen was he wouldn’t have to cook for a few days. There was nothing wrong with taking advantage of her arrogance about her horse’s abilities, right?
She saw his smirk, and she had to bite the inside of her mouth to stop the laughter from flowing from her. Her eyes twinkled a bit from amusement, though, even as she extended her arm towards the forest. “Let us begin,” she said to him calmly. With a nod, Cieus flicked his reins and uttered a ‘yah!’ before his chestnut mare broke into a gallop. Rose watched him, counting down in her head as she nodded in approval at the horse’s speed. After about eight seconds, she leaned forward to whisper to Monty. “Let’s show them what you’re really made of,” she said to him before straightening up and gripping the reins. She snapped them, and let out a sound of encouragement for Monty to let loose. The ebony stallion neighed and reared up on its hind legs, kicking out a bit in excitement before he broke out into a gallop. The ground thundered underneath its massive hooves, the wind whipping through horse’s mane and rider’s hair. She gripped the reins tightly as she leaned forward a bit, grinning in the excitement of the challenge to catch up with the respectively-swift mare and the man who was riding her. “Come on, Monty. Come on,” she urged him as she leaned a bit further forward, decreasing the wind sheer that had been causing her eyes to sting and water. Monty was swiftly devouring the breadth between them and Cieus and his mount, making Rose more and more excited with every foot that they gained. Sooner than Rose had thought they would, they overtook Cieus and his mount, streaking past them like a bolt of black lightning.
Cieus’ jaw dropped when he heard the thundering of Rose and Monty passing them, glancing over to see her look over at him with a supreme grin on her face, their eyes meeting for the mere instant that they were moving side by side. Once he was past her, his head leaned up a bit so he could watch her go on ahead, marveling at her exemplary riding skills, and at the sheer speed of such a large stallion. After Rose had won the race by at least fifteen feet, he realized that he’d been had, and been had good. Once he reached the entrance of the woods, he pulled at the reins so that Cherie would stop. Once stopped, he hopped off of her and patted her hindquarter before reaching up to run his hand down her neck gently, something she had always loved. “That was a good race, girl,” he said to her encouragingly before looking over at Rose. He laughed and shook his head before speaking. “You swindled me,” he accused jokingly. “Now I’ve got to make all of the meals while we’re looking for these ruins of yours.”
Rose laughed and smiled up at him, the expression on her face and the twinkle in her eye. “Let this be a lesson to you, my friend,” she said to him with a chuckle. “Never underestimate your opponent.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, waving a hand dismissively. His grin belied the perturbed tone in which he spoke, though, as well as the chuckle that had followed. “Well, shall we go into the forest and hunt us up a bit to eat before we travel any further?”
Rose nodded enthusiastically, a rumbling from the general direction of her stomach accentuating the fact that she was more than ready for lunch. She blushed a bit and put a hand over her stomach when it made the noise, which caused Cieus to throw his head back and laugh. “Let’s get that monster something to eat,” he said to her playfully before going with her to hunt out their next meal. A meal that, he, of course, would be cooking.
The next morning, Rose woke up feeling refreshed from the long dip in the lake and from meeting someone new and having an actual conversation with a person. A smile brightened her face when she thought of Cieus, even happier today than she had been last night, thankful for the prospect of having some company on the journey that had been quite lonely thus far. Her happiness was somewhat diminished by the continuously sweltering heat of the day. The sun was just beginning to rise, and it already felt like she was in an oven. With a bit of a groan, she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes before she stretched, a few vertebrae in her backbone popping and cracking back into place. She enjoyed travelling most of the time, but sleeping on the ground nearly every single night wreaked havoc on one’s back. With a sigh, she got up and stretched again, shifting her weight from one leg to another as she worked the kinks out of those muscles. Once she’d stretched her body out thoroughly, she began to hum to herself as she cleaned up, grabbing her bedroll and shaking the dust and debris off of it before rolling it up into a tight, cylindrical wad. With that done, she placed the bedroll in her travelling bag neatly before straightening up and walking over to her boots. She plopped herself down and brushed the bottoms of her feet off so that there wouldn’t be anything gritty in the bottom of her boots, and then slipped the footwear on. Since she’d slept fully dressed, the only thing left to do to prepare herself for the travelling ahead was to brush the tangle of light-blonde hair that flowed down her back and to plait it so it wouldn’t cause her any grief as she was riding atop of Monty. She grabbed her brush from the pack that she lived out of and hummed, the jovial tune broken by gasped curses when she ran into a particularly stubborn knot of fine hair. Once she had finally gotten her hair thoroughly brushed, so it streamed down her back in a smooth, shining river, she began the job of braiding it, her tongue sticking out a bit as she concentrated on getting the plait perfect. After she finished with this and had it tied up with a plain piece of leather before she grabbed some bread and an apple out of her pack, her usual breakfast when she was on the road and in a hurry. After quickly consuming the light meal, she began to look around for Monty. When she didn’t see him, she let out a sigh and stuck her middle finger and her thumb in her mouth and gave a sharp whistle. After summoning him a few times, he pranced out from behind some trees and went over to her. “It’s time to go, Monty,” she said to him as she began to prepare him for the journey, putting his riding equipment on. He stood there, casually swatting flies off of his back with his tail as Rose loaded up her bulging pack and tied it securely so that it wouldn’t fall off if they were forced into a gallop for some odd reason. She looked around at the campsite once, making sure that she wasn’t forgetting anything, before she took hold of Monty’s reins and began to lead him towards the other side of the lake, where Cieus was hopefully up and waiting for her, or at least getting ready.
Cieus was, indeed, quite ready when Rose finally broke through the line of trees that he’d set his camp behind. Sleep was always something of a problem for him, sadly. In the five years since the tragedy that had changed his life, he had been lucky to obtain three or four hours of good sleep a night. The rest of the time, he slept restlessly, his slumbering plagued by bad dreams brought about by worse memories. He had woken for the day before the sun had made its torturous appearance, so he’d been packed and ready to go for over an hour by this time. His chestnut horse was standing a few feet from the pile of charred wood, the mare looking quite bored. It was a fine-looking horse, one that could easily be the mount of a knight or someone in the aristocracy. He had been frowning slightly as he sat on the trunk of a tree that had fallen, his legs stretched out before him slightly as he gazed down at the ground unseeingly, lost in the thoughts and memories that continuously plagued him. Rose saw him sitting there, arching her brow a bit when he didn’t look up when she said ‘hello’ the first time. She cleared her throat, and said a louder greeting, one that caught his attention. “Oh, Rose,” he exclaimed, standing up quickly. “Hello! Did you have a good night’s sleep?”
When he responded to her, she smiled and curled one arm over her chest, letting her fingers wrap around a narrow arm as she looked at him more closely, able to see him clearly finally by the light of day. He was, indeed, a handsome man who looked as though he would be more suited to more courtly surroundings. His hair was light brown in color, blondish streaks caused by the sun breaking it from being a solid hue. His skin was tanned to a golden light brown, so she could assume that he spent most of his time outdoors. He looked as though he were weary, even though they had parted ways to sleep at their respective campsites at least nine hours ago. Underneath his creamy-chocolate colored eyes there were dark circles, slight bruising from not enough rest. “I did get a good night’s sleep, thank you,” she said to him. “Did you?” She arched her brow a bit when she asked him that, pretty sure she already knew that the answer was ‘no’.
“Well, I slept better than I do most nights,” he told her truthfully, shrugging in a dismissive manner. “Don’t worry. I won’t collapse while we’re travelling, if that’s what you’re worried about.” He offered her a smile after he said this, followed by a bit of a laugh to affirm the fact that he was okay. Cieus then continued to speak. “If you’re ready to go, then I am.”
Rose nodded a bit and returned the smile that he’d given to her before turning towards Monty so that she could get up onto his back. After they’d both mounted their horses, Rose looked over at Cieus. “We’ll be travelling this way,” she said, pointing northeast. When she saw him nod in understanding, she gave a flick of her reins to urge Monty to move. He began to trot along, heading towards the road, Cieus and his mount following close behind. After a few minutes, he rode with her side by side, remaining silent. “I’m hoping that it’ll take less time than I think to get to the forest,” she said to him.
“Forest,” he enquired, looking over at her curiously. “Is that where the ruins are, in a forest?”
“Yes, it’s supposed to be in the center of the Whispering Woods,” she said to him. “Supposedly, that place is cursed. All who enter it never return.” She looked over at him with a bit of a smirk. “Does that scare you?”
He looked at her for a few moments, before laughing and shaking his head. “Of course not,” he said, his voice sounding brave and sure. “What is an adventure without a little danger in it?” He’d heard of the Whispering Woods before, and the tales of men being devoured by creatures that lurked in the shadowed areas of that place, but he took those stories for being a bunch of hooey. There was no such thing as monsters, unless one counted the evil people of the world.
Rose shrugged her shoulders a bit at his question and laughed as well. She wasn’t someone who believed in old wives’ tales, either, so she would feel perfectly safe in the woods, whispering or not. In all of her travels, she’d never come across anything that was more terrifying than a pack of wild, hungry wolves. “I think that an adventure without a little danger would be a very boring adventure, indeed,” she said with a smirk as they continued on their way, traversing the plains that were spreading out in front of them.
“I agree heartily, fair Rose,” he said to her, growing more cheerful in her presence. She seemed like a person who was full of life, so it was hard to remain grim for too long in her company. Being with her was like a breath of desperately needed air to him. He let out a contented sigh as he looked up at the sky, squinting a bit from the quickly brightening day. Since he wasn’t well-versed in small talk, a comfortable silence fell between them, and neither was Rose, a comfortable silence fell between them as they rode along the countryside.
The hours melded into one another to both of the travelers, making it seem as though no time was passing at all. The only thing that reassured them both that they were moving was the change in the landscape and the steady arcing of the sun in its heavenly home. It seemed to grow a little less hot and humid the further northeast they travelled, and the grass became a brilliant green color, hinting that this area had not suffered from the drought that had plagued a majority of the kingdom, at least not so severely. The ground was positively erupting with flowers of every color of the rainbow, and there were butterflies flitting to and fro, dancing delicately across the silky-soft petals. Birds were soaring in the clear, blue sky, singing their joyful little tunes as they played against the backdrop of Mother Nature’s wondrous beauty.
Rose let out a happy sigh as she drank in her surroundings, feeling like she was catching a glimpse of paradise by being there. She was beginning to grow tired and hungry, though, so she was about to suggest that they stop for a break when she saw something in the distance. She squinted her eyes a bit, leaning forward to see if she was truly seeing what she thought she was seeing. After a few moments of deliberation, she decided that she did, indeed, see a forest beginning to sprawl out across the horizon. “Oh, Cieus look,” she said, looking over at him. “I see the forest.” She pointed towards the immense spread of trees to validate her statement.
Cieus had been totally lost in their immediate surroundings, awestruck by the beauty that could exist naturally, enjoying the fact that it was untouched by man. When Rose broke the long silence, he looked over at her before looking in the direction that they had been heading. He smiled when he saw the beginnings of the wood, and looked over at Rose. “We’re almost there,” he said to her. “How deep in the forest is the ruins supposed to be?”
“They’re supposed to be right in the middle,” she said to him. “The Whispering Woods are supposed to be one of the largest forests in this part of the kingdom, so it will probably take us until tomorrow to actually get to our destination. We’re practically there, though,” she added encouragingly.
He smiled at her optimistic words, nodding in agreement. “Yes, we are. We’ll be at the ruins in no time, I’m sure.” A thought suddenly occurred to him as he watched her riding the powerful steed that she’d dubbed Monty. He wondered if the stallion was really as powerful and swift as it seemed. “Say, I’ve got an idea. Why don’t we have a race? Our destination will be the entrance of the forest, and whoever gets there last has to make lunch?” He flashed her a charming, boyish grin. “How’s that sound?”
Rose looked at him for a few moments as she rode beside of him, a grin forming on her face. “How about we sweeten the prize a bit,” she asked him. “The loser makes breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the entire time that we’re in the woods?”
Cieus laughed when she heightened the harmless wager, and shrugged a bit. “Why not,” he asked, thinking his mount had no chance of losing. Rose’s horse was a fine animal, to be sure, but he doubted Monty had received the extensive training that his Cherie had gotten.
Rose nodded a bit. “It’s a bet, then,” she said, reaching over to shake his hand so that they could seal the deal. Once they had clasped hands and shook on it, Rose grinned a bit wider. “I think to be fair, I should give you a ten second handicap,” she said.
Cieus smirked a bit when she suggested the ten second handicap on her horse, but shrugged and nodded a bit. “If you insist,” he said, thinking the worst that would happen was he wouldn’t have to cook for a few days. There was nothing wrong with taking advantage of her arrogance about her horse’s abilities, right?
She saw his smirk, and she had to bite the inside of her mouth to stop the laughter from flowing from her. Her eyes twinkled a bit from amusement, though, even as she extended her arm towards the forest. “Let us begin,” she said to him calmly. With a nod, Cieus flicked his reins and uttered a ‘yah!’ before his chestnut mare broke into a gallop. Rose watched him, counting down in her head as she nodded in approval at the horse’s speed. After about eight seconds, she leaned forward to whisper to Monty. “Let’s show them what you’re really made of,” she said to him before straightening up and gripping the reins. She snapped them, and let out a sound of encouragement for Monty to let loose. The ebony stallion neighed and reared up on its hind legs, kicking out a bit in excitement before he broke out into a gallop. The ground thundered underneath its massive hooves, the wind whipping through horse’s mane and rider’s hair. She gripped the reins tightly as she leaned forward a bit, grinning in the excitement of the challenge to catch up with the respectively-swift mare and the man who was riding her. “Come on, Monty. Come on,” she urged him as she leaned a bit further forward, decreasing the wind sheer that had been causing her eyes to sting and water. Monty was swiftly devouring the breadth between them and Cieus and his mount, making Rose more and more excited with every foot that they gained. Sooner than Rose had thought they would, they overtook Cieus and his mount, streaking past them like a bolt of black lightning.
Cieus’ jaw dropped when he heard the thundering of Rose and Monty passing them, glancing over to see her look over at him with a supreme grin on her face, their eyes meeting for the mere instant that they were moving side by side. Once he was past her, his head leaned up a bit so he could watch her go on ahead, marveling at her exemplary riding skills, and at the sheer speed of such a large stallion. After Rose had won the race by at least fifteen feet, he realized that he’d been had, and been had good. Once he reached the entrance of the woods, he pulled at the reins so that Cherie would stop. Once stopped, he hopped off of her and patted her hindquarter before reaching up to run his hand down her neck gently, something she had always loved. “That was a good race, girl,” he said to her encouragingly before looking over at Rose. He laughed and shook his head before speaking. “You swindled me,” he accused jokingly. “Now I’ve got to make all of the meals while we’re looking for these ruins of yours.”
Rose laughed and smiled up at him, the expression on her face and the twinkle in her eye. “Let this be a lesson to you, my friend,” she said to him with a chuckle. “Never underestimate your opponent.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, waving a hand dismissively. His grin belied the perturbed tone in which he spoke, though, as well as the chuckle that had followed. “Well, shall we go into the forest and hunt us up a bit to eat before we travel any further?”
Rose nodded enthusiastically, a rumbling from the general direction of her stomach accentuating the fact that she was more than ready for lunch. She blushed a bit and put a hand over her stomach when it made the noise, which caused Cieus to throw his head back and laugh. “Let’s get that monster something to eat,” he said to her playfully before going with her to hunt out their next meal. A meal that, he, of course, would be cooking.