A Darkness in the Leaves

Saf

ATTENTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes the capitals, bold, and exclamation marks were necessary.

Because I just updated, I will not be updating this on Saturday. This counts as my Saturday update for this book. Please do not freak out, explode, or both. Thanks :) ~Derpy
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Red followed me to a house. We climbed up a ladder just as the sun began to set. We sat on the edge of the roof, the sun slowly setting behind the bridge that connected the kingdom to the smaller islands around it. The sky was painted a spectacular mix of pink and orange. Red and I sat shoulder to shoulder. I owed her for saving my life. "How can I repay you? I mean, you saved me back there." Red pulled out some sort of stone and started tossing it in the air. "You don't really owe me anything. I just stopped two guys from bullying someone they shouldn't." The last bits of pink were fading away from the starry night sky. Red pocketed the stone. "I feel like I owe you." She looked me in the eyes with a dead serious look. "I am loyal to a fault. If I owe someone something. I will make sure that favor is carried out. I hate having people owe me things. We're cool Saf." I shrugged. "If that's what you want." I didn't know much about her. I was really curious about her story. Everyone had one. Even me. But what was her's? Red had crawled to the edge of the roof, and was precariously dangling over the edge. "Red! What are you doing?" I hissed at her. She shushed me in return. She silently dropped from the roof, to a lower ledge, then to the ground and took off. I followed suit, in a clumsier fashion. I chased after her. She was following two royal guards down the road to the castle. She was stealthy, and I didn't even hear her footsteps on the stone road. She finally stopped close to the castle. She hid behind a corner of a building. I was panting, and she shushed me. "Are you insane? What are you doing?" She stayed absolutely still. I barely even heard her breath in the still night air. "I'm just watching." I caught my breath. "Watching?!?!?!? I ran after you so you could watch the guards change shift?!?!" She put her finger to my lips. "It would be easier to not be seen if you were quieter." I huffed, and blew a strand of hair out of my face. "Fine. But if we get caught, this wasn't my idea." Red playfully punched me. It kinda hurt. She was stronger than she looked. "Relax, Saf. We're fine. Just watch." The guards talked to each other for a little while, then entered the castle. "There's nothing to watch." Red watched until the gates closed. "Really? It took approximately one minute and thirty seconds for the entire thing. The gates take about ten seconds to close. The guards took one minute and twenty seconds. The studs on the door are about two feet across. The ledges on the wall are two feet wide and three feet long. The gargoyles on the wall are spaced evenly about ten feet across." She crossed her arms. "Wow. How do you know all of that?" She shrugged. "I watched." Red began to walk down the street. "Wait. Where are you going?" She slowed down so I could catch up. "I'm going to find somewhere to sleep." I grabbed her elbow. "I know somewhere, if you want." She sighed, then turned. "Lead the way." We walked the empty streets, and made our way to a small inn. We wound around the back, and found an empty stable. The inn was quiet. We laid down on the hay in the stall. "Tell me about yourself Saf." I froze, then put together a story. "I'm a baker in the castle kitchens," I lied, "there isn't much to tell." Red seemed curious. "What's it like? Living in the castle?" She seemed to drift away into her thoughts. "The castle is very... Crowded. At least, where I live." She didn't press me. "So what about you Red?" She kinda shrugged. "Stick with me, you'll find out. I need a friend." The way she said it was way less awkward than I could have possibly put it. I yawned, and she yawned in response. We drifted off into sleep.

I stretched. The sun had just risen. Red was gone. I walked out of the stable and saw her at the edge of the woods. "Red!" She didn't move. She was looking at something in front of her. I ran over to where she was. She was aiming her bow at something in the distance. I stopped running, and quietly walked up behind her. She released the arrow, and I heard a small thump. A squirrel fell over out of a tree. She had hit it straight in the heart. She picked up the squirrel by its tail and tucked in a small basket. "We might be able to trade this for something." I was repulsed a little by the dead squirrel, but I nodded. Then I truly noticed the craftsmanship of the bow she held. It was a silver color, with engravings all over it. The bow string was woven with two different materials. It's design was obviously elvish. But how did she get it? She was human, right?