GATEWAY 🝔 LEE JENO

🝔 1.6

"He left!" That was the first thing that her mother said as soon as the girl stepped back into the house. Knitting her brows she placed her satchel aside grabbing a glass of water. "What do you mean he left?"

"I told him to eat and when I got back there was an empty plate. But he wasn't there. He left a note though" the younger girl walked over, taking the piece of paper from her mother before reading it mentally to herself.

Thank you for treating my wound and giving me food :)

"Seriously?" she monotoned a bit disappointed. "He could've at least said a goodbye if he was really that grateful"

"I have a bad feeling" her mother rubbed her temple which just made the girl think she was overreacting. "What do you mean?" she folded her arms by the sullen look on her mothers features. "He's injured" making a thin line with her lips the girl shrugged her shoulders before replying back.

"Mum, we don't even know him. We helped a stranger out, which is a good deed. I don't think we should even be worrying about him. He literally said before I went outside that he should be going. He's probably going back home or something" however, she noticed an uncomforting look on her mothers face. It was strange. She had never seen her mother like this before which confused her immensely. "Mum, are you ok?" she took a step forward concerned. Immediately she availed eye contact with her daughter.

"You seem to really like the boy?" the daughter raised a brow placing her palms on either side of her waist. Humming lightly, the mother nodded. "Yeah a little" she smiled but the younger girl just brushed it off and twisted on her heels. "Can't you go search for him!" she heard her mother yell out from behind. 

Creasing her forehead she shook her head. "The city is big. I can't search the whole place" she walked to the staircase to head into her bedroom but the girl couldn't help but think about what her mother just said. 

Humming lightly she felt a bit worried herself. He shouldn't be walking around with his injury. On top of that, her being a herbalist made her feel even more at uneasy. She hates seeing injured people not take rest.

He should be relaxing and not putting too much strain on the wound so that it heals quicker.

He's probably limping around like a fallen fawn

🝔

Limping down the street he groaned in irritation that he still couldn't find his way back.

A part of him dreaded by the fact that he just left without a word even after everything that they have done for him. But he was exhausted and tired. All he wanted was to go back home.

To his home

Sadly he wasn't able to, especially with unrecognisable buildings surrounding him. Also he couldn't wholly concentrate due to his right leg that was lagging in movement compared to the left.

Maybe I should've stayed there - he thought regretting stepping out of their house. But then suddenly his mind went into a frenzy when he heard some distant howling of wolves. Freezing in place he scanned around the dark alleyway that he was in.

Inky night sky, eerie silence, whistling cold breeze and along with that, howling wolves was not the type of night stroll he would ever have wanted to experience. An unknown sensation spooked inside of him due to the uncomfortable sereneness. His blood running cold and heart pounding erratically.

At the corner of his eyes a strange sighting automatically made his muscles tense up and shake in terror. A pair of dark ruby red eyes glinted dangerously. Flinching back he noticed how they progressively got bigger and bigger and that's when it clicked in his mind that it was approaching him.

🝔

Morning rose to a new day. Unlocking her front door she took a step outside carrying the bundle of hay in a large bucket.

However, before she could even reach the stable a loud squeal left her lips when her eyes fell on a living-dead sitting on the bench right in front of her house.

Bags underneath his eyes, he slowly averted around to face the traumatised looking girl. His limbs were shaking vigorously. "I-I knocked on your d-door but I think you were a-a-asleep" he stammered out, teeth chattering and bottom lip quivering due to the night cold that companied him for hours. His voice was weak and feeble. Cheeks tinted red and the tips of his fingers numb nipped by the freezing weather.

Letting her hand drop from holding onto the material right over her heart she breathed out lightly before sighing at his vulnerable looking state. Gulping hard she coughed out in hopes to hide the small uplift of the corner of her lips.

But failing to hold it in any longer she burst out into a fit of giggles finding it hilarious that he returned back to her house after running away.