ᴄʜᴇᴍɪᴄᴀʟ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ - ᴀʟʙᴇᴅᴏ x ᴏᴄ

Chapter 15 - Run!

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Lost Children - Mr.Kitty
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Melanie lost track of time while riding in the cart beside him. Her thoughts had been so overwhelmed with feelings for him that when he ordered the driver to drop them off, she flinched from his voice. It wasn't noticeable, barely even a jolt Albedo would feel, but she needed a moment or two to pull herself together.

Beside her, Albedo gently shrugged her off of his shoulder to hop out of the cart. He approached the man controlling the horse to say, "you can continue on without us. Just drop the cart off, then you're free to leave." With that, he tossed a bag of mora to the man, whose eyes lit up with surprise.

He went back to her, offering his hand out for her to take. Melanie blinked at him for a moment before taking it and carefully jumping out with his help. He caught her mid-leap, a bright smile on his face when he pulled it off. A giggle escaped from her lips when she slid down onto her own two feet.

That was when the confusion knitted her brow. "Albedo, where are we? Weren't we heading back to your campsite?" Melanie looked around at where they were. They were in the middle of a thick patch of evergreens with prickly exteriors at their backs. The majority were a few feet taller than her, but others were taller than she could imagine. She wasn't sure how long it went on like this, but she figured it was impossibly endless.

Albedo smirked, a rather startling sight from the mischief that filled his eyes. "Last time, you were the one to track me, and even then, I wasn't running."

"What does that have to do with anything-"

"Run."

Melanie watched him draw his Cinnabar Spindle from its decorate black-and-blue handle. He swung it around in his hand with one fluid motion, then gestured out to the field of trees. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

She didn't bother to stand for much longer if he was timing her. Her bow was summoned, and she took off at a sprint into the trees. The pine needles tore at her clothes and face, and sap covered the jacket with its bitter scent. A few times, her bow got caught on a few branches, slowing her down.

Running was easy for her, but keeping an eye out for someone who might spot her from above was the issue. Through her desperate sprint, she'd look over her shoulder at the sky in case he appeared over the tops of the trees. Surely, he'd use his alchemy to his advantage.

Melanie suddenly dropped to the ground, pushing herself into the snow and under the branches. The branches of the other trees shook from her movement between them, but she figured the movement would be so slight that it would go unnoticed. A faint gold glow lighted into the sky, meaning he'd practically read her mind.

Thinking quickly, she summoned Sanna, whispering to the fox quickly. "You have to run around shaking as many branches as possible. Don't stop, even if he pursues you." The white head of the fox nodded, and she took off with a mighty kick from her back legs.

Now that the fox was acting as a diversion, she felt like she had a greater advantage. Melanie crawled out from her hiding space to continue running.

One thing she'd learned after traveling the lands of Mond was her priority was controlling her breathing. Frantic panting would not keep her legs and heart pumping strongly; only deep inhales and exhales would project her forward.

"Inhale... two, three, four. Exhale, two, three, four..." she coached herself mentally. The pattern took form in its own time, but not soon enough.

The crashing of branches a couple of meters away distracted her. Melanie slowed her pace, deciding to put an arrow in place. Instantly it was infused with the sparkling Cryo, her hands ready to fire if needed. She came to a halt, listening. The faint crunching of snow only a tree away...