Y/n, better known as "Scout" is someone who just wanted a peaceful life. Someone who ran away from all the noise and the chaos and fled to someplace much sweeter. But they never expected to find a boy in the middle of a snowstorm, injured, and unabl...
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THE WOODEN floorboards creaked under my weight as I shifted around the cabin. It was pretty small--a decent size for just me and Gus. A single bed in the corner, a reclining chair near the fireplace, a wood-burning stove, an icebox, a metal wash basin, and a small desk with a chair. There was also a little table off to the side, two wooden chairs on either side, one of which was pulled next to the recliner chair. Oh, and of course, Gus' bed at the foot of mine.
The leather collar wrapping around his neck sheened in the light as he raised his head, watching as I stepped over him, a pot of water in one hand, a rag in the other. He dropped his head to bite at the splint on his leg, making me lightly swat at him to leave it be. He got up from his bed to follow me, planting himself at my feet, as always.
I leaned back in the chair, kicking my boot-clad foot onto the wall as I did. I tore a piece off the pheasant I'd caught, cleaned, then cooked, tossing it down to Gus, who gobbled it up. I'm pretty sure he didn't even chew it. But I tossed him another piece nonetheless.
To have found someone else, a boy that looked my age even, this deep back in the forest was raising flags in my mind. I wasn't used to people coming this far up; I found this boy just less than a kilometer away from the cabin. And his condition was odd.
He was shivering, which I had expected from the fever which had taken over his body. But he wasn't showing any kind of frostbite; his skin wasn't turning black or flaky. His lips had begun to get their color back, which meant he was starting to warm up some. His wounds weren't infected, so I'm assuming he got them right before I found him laying in the snow.
The deep cut along his hairline was the most concerning to me. It could have very well gone down to his skull, and would definitely need stitches. But it needed to be cleaned properly, so did the rest of his body. And I couldn't just throw him in some hot water in his state. His body temperature needed to return to normal before I put him near any kind of water. And I'd rather him be awake to do it himself. I very much do not plan on seeing this boy without any clothing on.
Standing to my feet, I tossed the bone of the pheasant into the bucket with the other bones. I'd kept some aside for the boy, and it was placed on the stove to keep it warm. For now, I needed to go back out and hunt some more in order to feed Gus, the boy, and myself. And when the mass of golden fur had seen me grab my coat from the back of the chair, he got to his feet, scrambling towards the door. He sat in front of it, holding his splintered arm out in front of him.
"You can't go, Gus," I said, grabbing my mask from the table and pulling it over my face.
Gus whined, laying in front of the door as if it would stop me from leaving. He was pouting. I'd usually take him with me--Gus was great at hunting pheasants and deer and chasing away foxes and cougars that crept around. But after he'd slipped from the top of the hill and fell back into a spot where the ground had caved in and snapped the bone in his leg, I'd been leaving him back more. Once his leg would heal, I would let him back to my side, but for now, he could stay and watch over the boy.
I pulled my hood up as I slung the leather back over my shoulder, fastening my quiver around my waist. I grabbed my bow from beside the door before glancing back at the boy. He was still sound asleep. As much I didn't want to leave him alone in case he woke up, I had no other choice. I needed more supplies, and I couldn't go another day without them.
I knew Gus wouldn't let anyone inside unless I was with them, so intruders weren't a problem. Not like anyone showed up around here anyways. Or at least, that's what I told myself. But with the sudden appearance of this boy, I had a feeling that things were going to change.
"Go on, Gus," I said, jerking my head to the side. The canine huffed out a sigh before dragging himself forward, flopping onto the floor in front of the fireplace. He huffed again, this time making it more evident and exaggerated. I rolled my eyes behind my mask as I pulled my gloves on.
For a dog, he sure was dramatic.
...
When I'd returned later that evening, a pile of wood in my arms, and a rabbit, and two more pheasants strung to my sides, I was met by a pair of bright green eyes.
The boy immediately shot up, making him cry out in pain, his hand shooting to his side. Gus scrambled up to his feet, rushing towards the boy as he placed his head on the arm of the chair, his tail wagging back and forth. The boy peeled his eyes open, and I could see that his guard had immediately risen the moment he saw me.
Though, I don't blame him. If I woke up in a different place and the first thing I saw was a masked figure, I'd be a little startled too. So I slowly began to place everything down, carefully setting my bow and arrow down onto the table before raising my hands up.
"W-Who are you?" He demanded, frowning. "Where am I?"
"I'm Scout," I said, my voice slightly muffled by the mask. "That's Gus. You can relax. I'm not going to hurt you."
"H-How do I know that?" He frowned deeper, his knuckles turning white from how hard he was holding onto his shirt.
"If I was going to hurt you, I would have let you freeze outside in the snow," I said, leaning back against the wall, keeping my distance from him. I whistled, making Gus scramble over to me, his claws clacking against the wooden flooring. "So how did you end up all the way out here? It's not every day I'm picking kids up out of the snow and carrying them a kilometer so they don't die."
"Why does it matter to you?" He said. "Let me go, or else."
I pushed off the wall. "I'm not holding you here. By any means, you're free to leave," I said, pulling open the door. Immediately, he flinched away from the cold air that washed in. The fire went out from the breeze, and Gus snapped at the snow that blew inside. I shut the door, making the wind whistle through the storm.
"If you want to turn into an icicle, that is," I said, gathering the firewood. He shifted back as I walked forward, dropping into a crouch in front of the fireplace. "People don't ever come this far up the mountain. I've lived here for years, so trust me, I know. And you aren't properly dressed to hike or ski, so tell me..."
The boy frowned as I looked over at him. He met my gaze from the mask, the only part of my face he was able to see was my eyes. I could see him studying them. I quirked my eyebrow.
"Why are you here?"
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