The Fox, Red

111 -Return To The Mountain III

Red takes charge like I expect him to. He leads me through the snow and the dirt as we slowly begin to make our way back down the mountain. If he only knew... I can tell that he's worried about which direction to go and which way will lead us to where we need to go. There's a main road that goes around the entire string of mountains here. He could pick one direction and run into a road where we could be picked up.

His determination to try and find a way home has found us an old hunting trail. Even better, Red ran across one of the small inlets of the mountain. It's a great place to take a breather for the evening. With only one way in our out, it's easy to defend from wild animals. Red takes advantage of this to have us stop for the night.

He brings back kindling to get the cave warm and provide light. He heads back out again to look for something to eat. I take the time to look deeply into the situation. I still think there is a way to prevent what I've seen. I just worry that if worse comes to worst that I may have to do something drastic. I look at the knife I have in my pocket.

I could take care of this here. With just the two of us out here, I could say anything happened. I could change the future by killing him here and guarantee that what I saw happen never comes true. I grip the knife tightly as I see a teardrop fall onto my paw. I'm considering this. I'm honestly thinking about killing him. My student, my protege, and occasionally my lover. Do I even have the ability to do that?

I put the knife away and clean up my face. I don't know how long he'll be gone but I can't let him see me in such a state. But it's just so hard. Do I let my personal feelings make the decision or do I do what's best for everyone? Maybe releasing magic into the world was a good idea. It was just how he went about it that was wrong.

My train of thought is disturbed by the sound of footsteps. I look up to see that red face of his walking into the light. He comes in taking a seat across from me. He looks exhausted. I give him a few minutes to recover before I bother him, "Red, how did hunting go?" he pulls one small rabbit from behind him. "This little guy must have run me for two miles before I caught him."

He looks exhausted. I'll give him a little bit of a break, "This is a good one. Since you hunt, I'll clean it. How does that sound?" I can tell by the smile on his face that he would appreciate that. I grab the knife from my pocket and begin to clean the rabbit. I fashion a skewer from one of the sticks he brought to burn that hadn't been used just yet. It may taste bland with no seasonings but food is food. I keep an eye on it. When it's finally done, We split it.

It came out pretty well if I do say so myself. It's different to have a proper meal. But something warm that is protein-heavy is nice to have out here. We get settled into the small cave. As I begin to adapt to the silence, Red asks me a question. A question that rattles me is, "Madam Odette, is there something on your mind? You've been... rather absent since we landed."

He knows me well enough that I can't lie to him. I also can't tell him what's going on. I want to change his path but I wonder if telling him will only make it worse. "Red, there have been a few things on my mind. Nothing too much to worry about." he snaps back, "Well, I'm going to."

I lean back at this outburst. It's very uncharacteristic of him. "You've been absent-minded, lost in thought, whatever you want to call it for the last four days. That is uncharacteristic of you. You are calm, collected, straightforward, and progressive in any action or idea. What is going on? What is wrong? Are you worried we aren't going to make it back? Are you uncertain of my survival skills? Something is gnawing at you and it's affecting us."

That's what's been on his mind. I remember this now. Parts of this adventure have been a blur for me as though I was there for most of it but absent for parts of it. I have to remember that the future has not happened yet. He doesn't understand what's on my mind or what's going on.