Remorse of an Adventurer 2: Tangled Paths

Eternal Warriors and Eternal Companions

I want to be brave again.

Remorse Of An Adventurer II

Tangled Paths

By DaringDanger
VI: Eternal Warriors and Eternal Companions

***Hilda***

Lite rock trilled from David's headphones as the Sparrow Scouts bus passed outside of the Trolberg wall. Twig was also wiggling around inside my bag. Pets weren't allowed on Scout trips, but Raven Leader didn't seem to mind. She had commented on how bulky the bag looked and just said "make sure you keep track of your fellow scouts". I turned and saw Frida staring out of the window in the opposite seat, Alfur resting comfortably in the girl's wavy hair. The bus filled me with a bit of anxiety but I was growing used to scout trips again, and being with Frida and David I feel much stronger.

David began bobbing side to side with his music and his arm brushed across mine.

"David?" I asked, tapping the boy so he'd remove the headphones.

"Yes Hilda?" He asked as he paused the player with a click.

"You're really getting into that music. What is it?"

"Oh you know, uh... hard rock, popular stuff." He blushed a bit.

"You know I know better than that." I smiled. He listened to the music in our room sometimes, though I never listened closely.

"Sorry. I feel like I'm supposed to like hard rock, you know?"

"There's nothing wrong with a little lite rock, silly." A ladybug landed on his head suddenly. "Hang on." I reached up and took the creature onto my finger, before letting it free with a whisk of the hand. "Are you nervous? About the trip?"

"It's our first time camping outside the wall, what if there's trolls?"

"Even if there are, we have a deerfox." I opened my bag and Twig poked his head out.

"You brought a stowaway again?" Frida moaned from across the aisle. "Don't get us in trouble okay? I've been waiting my whole life for the advanced camp out! We get to make our own course, our own camp!" Frida rubbed her hands together excitedly.

"So Twig protects you from the trolls?" David asked as Frida looked back away.

"No, he's terrified." I smiled.

"Alright Sparrows! The advanced camp out has begun, I'll see you all at the meetup the morning after next!" Raven Leader's voice carried between the trees as everyone stood at the mouth of the trail. As she finished I produced our map, adorned with a drawn trail.

"Hilda, that's not the recommended course." David moaned.

"Hilda and I talked about it, and I wanted to go research the Screaming Stones." Frida responded. "Legend has it there's a pile of stones in these woods that, well, scream!"

"What about trolls?" David whined.

"According to the books from the Witches' Tower, the screaming scares the trolls away from this area."

"Oh. Okay." David gulped.

"Don't worry David, I ensured they read every footnote." Alfur smiled.

"It'll be fun!" Frida insisted.

"Yeah, fun." David agreed reluctantly. They set onto the trail and I released Twig.

***David***

"Last one across has to build the campfire!" Frida yelled as she and Hilda skipped across a river on some stones. I looked down over the first jump and gulped as I grew dizzy. Twig looked up at me with a whine.