With the Sunrise (On Hold)

Chapter 4: Caleb

Andre opened his eyes to a spot of sunlight shining on his face. He was lying in the damp grass with trees above him. He sat up, clutching his head when pain exploded in his forehead. He looked around him and noticed that he was surrounded by trees and nobody else was around, even the horses. He got to his feet, holding on to his head and wobbling a little. He could not remember anything besides struggling to travel through the storm. How did he end up in a forest? Where were the horses? Where was Karen? Panic suddenly gripped him, giving him the strength to let go of his head and cup his mouth with both hands.

 "Karen!" he called out her name, his voice hoarse, desperate to know that she was alright. The panic was fueling him, giving him the strength to start walking, though he had no idea which direction his was going. He called out her name again as he wandered through the trees. He did not even know where he was and the only things he had on him were his clothes and his bow and arrows. That would be enough to survive if he could not find the horses by nightfall.

 "Andre?" Andre turned in the direction the voice came from, relief filling him completely. She did not die. She was okay.

 "Karen!" he called out to her, the exhaustion in his aching limbs forgotten, the constant throbbing of his head ignored. "Karen!"

 "Andre!" He crashed through the trees, finally spotting her sitting on the grass leaning against a tree. She smiled at him and he found himself smiling as well.

 "You gave me a heart attack, you know?" he said as he lowered himself down next to her. She smiled sheepishly and crossed her legs.

 "I could say that you did the same to me," she replied, "though I was worrying more about how I would survive the night." Andre took a moment to look her over. Her hair was falling out of her ponytail and hanging around her face. She had a couple scratches on her cheeks, though nothing too major. Her pants were torn at the knee on one leg and he could see a large gash covered with dry blood. She must have gotten it by falling.

 "I guess you're glad I'm here with you then," Andre smiled as his gaze rested on her joyful smile.

 She nodded enthusiastically, her smile never waning. "Of course, though we don't know where we are," her voice trailed off as she looked away from him.

 He sighed heavily and looked up. Through the tree branches, he could see a small patch of blue sky. There was no way he could use the sun or the stars as a compass. "We don't have the horses either," he added, tearing his eyes away from the sky. "They have all our things."

 "So do we sit here until something happens or do we walk in a random direction?" Karen asked as she turned to face him, smirking slightly. Andre opened his mouth to answer, though was cut off by a figure jumping down from the trees. Startled, Andre hopped to his feet, his hand moving to rest on an arrow, his bow already in his hand. The person before him was a boy only a little older than him. He was shirtless and barefoot, wearing only tan shorts that went down to his knees and had a belt with sacks of what looked to be filled with water, sheathed knives, and rope hanging from it. The boy's skin was dark and his black hair was so long that he had it tied back so that it created a small ponytail.

 "Who are you?" Andre demanded, narrowing his eyes at the boy.

 The boy smirked as he crossed his arms. "I think I should be askin' you that, intruder, seein' as you're in my people's territory." He frowned, cocking his head to the side. "How did ya end up here anyway? No stranger ever comes into this forest."

 "We got lost in the storm," Karen said as she stood up. She eyed him warily before opening her mouth again. "Where are we?"

 "Where are you?" the boy repeated. "Haven't ya already figured it out, strangers?" All he got were black looks in response. "Y'all are in the Western Forest."

 "What?" Andre cried. They had gone too far west during the storm. That was at least a whole day wasted.

 The boy ignored him, instead asking him a question. "Why were ya both tryin' to travel in the storm anyways? That's dangerous business, that. Y'all could've been killed in a storm like that."

 "Well," Andre said as he rolled his eyes. "It's not like we were out there by choice." When the boy raised an eyebrow, he continued explaining. "There was no shelter in sight so we had no choice but to try and keep moving."

 The boy shook his head, sighing in the process. "Durin' storms like that, it's best just to stay still, stranger."

 "Who are you anyway?" Andre asked suddenly, coming to the realization that he was talking with a complete stranger.

 The boy smirked slightly, uncrossing his arms and setting one on his hip. "I think you should tell me who you and you're friend are first."  

 Andre sighed in annoyance but was saved from answering when Karen did it for him. "I'm Karen and this stubborn brat is Andre." Andre opened his mouth to protest and complain, but shut it when she caught his eye.

 The boy's smirk faded and was replaced with a smile. "I'm Caleb, next in line to govern the people of this forest." He looked Karen and Andre over, making Andre feel uncomfortable. "And it looks like you two need help. Where ya travelin' to anyway?"

 "Over the mountains," Andre replied shortly.

 "Over the mountains?" Caleb repeated with a raised eyebrow. "Why're ya goin' all the way over there? You do know that to get to the mountains, you need to cross the swamp, and then it's the mountains themselves, and then there's a desert. It's no easy trip."

 "We're going to see family and friends," Karen lied. Andre made a mental note to thank her later.

 Caleb shrugged his shoulders. "Okay then. But follow me, you look like two could use some help." He turned and started walking. Andre turned to Karen and cocked his head to the side, asking a question without using words. Karen shrugged her shoulders and followed Caleb, Andre hurrying along behind her.

 Could this boy be trusted? Will he actually help them or just kill them? How could he not know about a settlement in the Western Forest? What kind of king-to-be was he?

 Hours later, they came to a dirt road that cut through the trees. Caleb stopped and turned around. "Up ahead is the Green Village, the only settlement in the Western Forest. My father will want to speak with ya both, so I'm goin' to bring ya to him. Stick with me, and ya both'll be fine." He turned back around and walked up the path where the village could be seen.