~ Soul Bound ~ { A Scarian/Double Life Fanfic}

Chapter 3

      Grian tensed, alarmed, as another ear-splitting crack split the air. It had been a few hours since his conversation with Scar, and since then the cracks had gotten more frequent and louder. The source was still unknown, and everyone in town was on edge.
       Another boom shook him from his thoughts. Grian winced, such loud and stressful distractions were putting him on high alert. The blonde was obviously high-strung, on edge as he glanced about with a keen eye. Nevertheless, he sped up, trying to get to his location before any more damage was caused. Being caught outside during this storm of sorts wouldn't be a good, that's for sure.

      He glanced up, trying to navigate his way through the chaos-stricken rain forest. Other than the noises, the jungle looked pretty normal. Grian wondered what was going on past the forests' border that could cause such a racket. He made a mental note to check it out later.

      The blonde landed swiftly a few steps away from the tree shack that Scar and his crew had been staying in, since it was unsafe to travel in the current conditions. A selfish part of him was a grateful he got to spend more time with the elf, but he reprimanded himself for such foolish thoughts. Stretching his wings and shaking his head, he opened the door.

      The house was cozy, and Grian knew the place well. It was one of the many buildings he had designed, and he had been there often since the elven troupe had taken refuge. The blonde had made various half-hearted excuses like bringing supplies and checking in on the group, and thankfully no one questioned him. He didn't want to admit how much Scar had grown on him in such short time.

       The male turned the corner and saw his lifelong best friend, a mid-sized girl with orange tinted wings. She was talking to the one of elves, seemingly relaxed. Grian was glad that everyone was getting along. The last thing they needed was more tension.

       "Hi Gem!" Grian greeted cheerfully as the ginger female turned. She nodded politely to the elf she had been speaking to and walked over to Grian. "What's up, Grian? Any new updates on the earthquakes?" She questioned, tilting her head as if she were listening to something. Avians had surprisingly good hearing, so he wouldn't be surprised if she was listening in on a conversation in another part of the house. "Not much, no developments either," he answered distractedly. "Glad that everyone is playing nice, though. Don't know what we'd do if fighting broke out in these already high tensions." Gem nodded seriously. "That would be disastrous. And I'm glad too. Some of these elves are really nice."  Someone appeared in the corner of his eye, and he quickly said goodbye to his friend before walking over.
      The blonde saw Scar reading a book in a little red chair in front of the fireplace. He stood over Scar's shoulder, peering down at the book. "Whatcha readin?" He asked nonchalantly. Scar looked up and grinned, closing the book so that the title was facedown. "Oh, nothing," the elf answered, grinning mischievously. Grian squinted at him, shooting a faux glare at the brunette. "You better not cause trouble," he warned jokingly, eyeing the other in suspicion. Scar rolled his eyes, grinning. "I can't promise anything," he teased. The blonde scoffed, hiding a smile with the roll of his eyes.
      The blonde went quiet, trying to think of a conversation starter. He was fine with sitting in comfortable silence, but he didn't want to bore the elf, because that wouldn't make him a very good host. Scar watched, amused, almost visibly seeing the gears turn in Grian's head. He enjoyed the Avian's company, and found it funny that he was struggling with a simple icebreaker. The elf finally took pity on the blonde and asked, "What was it like growing up here?"
      Grian instantly brightened. This was a subject he could talk about for ages. "Well," he started excitedly. "It's always been- or, I guess, used to be so quiet. It was so peaceful. Everyone got along, and there was so much room to play and so many kids to make friends with. Most of us have known each other all our lives. It was really an awesome childhood. I guess I was mostly a loner, though, other than Gem... but, it's great here," The blonde sighed wistfully before turning to Scar. "What was it like where you grew up?"
       Scar hesitated a moment before speaking. "Well, in my country there are big cities everywhere. They're easy to get lost in. Even people who have lived there all their lives have trouble finding their way around. But there were always little nooks and crannies to play in. It was nice." Grian nodded attentively. The brunette chuckled. "Taking this seriously, are we?" The Avian huffed, slightly embarrassed. "Well- I mean- it's nice to hear about your life. I could listen to you for ages," he added. Scar flashed a genuine smile. "That's very sweet, Grian." The blonde turned pink and looked away. "That's not what I meant," he protested feebly. He didn't want to make a fool of himself, especially in such an important time. Scar just grinned amusedly. 
       The two stood still for a second, unsure of what to do. Then Grian smiled, a sneaky glint in his eye. "Wanna see something cool?" He suggested to the elf, motioning for him to follow after he got a nod from the aforementioned.
      The blonde navigated the shack easily, leading Scar through a hallway and then to a little reading room. The elf looked around in confusion, raising an eyebrow in the Avian's direction. It seemed like a dead end, until the blonde pulled out a book that made the bookshelf open up. Scar blinked in brief surprise, before Grian shot him a smile and led him up a short staircase.
       At the top of the incline was a trapdoor. The short blonde opened it and revealed that the duo were at the top of the tree house. The sun was setting, and the wind blew lightly through the trees. If it hadn't been for the tremors in the ground, it would've been a peaceful little hideaway.
      Scar looked around, visibly astonished. "How did you know about this?" he asked, breathless. The other smiled proudly. "I designed most of these houses, I couldn't miss the opportunity to install my own secret passages," he said matter-of-factly. "Wait- you made these?! That's awesome! No wonder these look so wonderful!" Scar answered, still gawking at the beauty of the rain forest town. Grian smiled so wide that he was sure his face would fall apart. He stretched his wings before sitting down, patting the spot next to him to motion for the elf to take a seat. The two stayed like that for a moment, watching the sunset, sitting in comfortable silence as they enjoyed each other's company. It would've been a perfect moment, too, if the ground hadn't exploded in front of their very eyes. A flash of white was all Grian saw before his vision went dark

If you're an old reader rereading, you may have notised that I took out the oc avian I had put as Grian's best friend before and replaced her with Gem. This is because Gem is queen. :3

~nyx