The Far Away Bear (mxm)

Chapter 14: The Lodge

Jaden POV:

I couldn't sleep, a nap was impossible.
This place was a hum of activity that resonated off the walls of the cavern, bouncing and echoing about.

The sounds were interesting, but some were downright unexplainable. It was like there were wild animals caged up somewhere.

By the time 6pm came around, Arlow came back in to deliver me some food on a wooden tray. I smiled at him, trying to gauge his reactions as he set the tray on my lap and stepped back. He was timid, a little quieter than I would've liked or felt comfortable with.

It wasn't like Arlow to avoid my obvious look.

"Thanks" I muttered, looking down at the bowl of soup and a roll of bread. It didn't look like store bought bread either. My hand on the crust confirmed how fresh it was from the oven. The smell radiating up  "Wow, this looks really great." I smiled, his own lips curved and arms crossed over his broad chest.

"My mother made it, I'll be sure to pass on the compliments."

"Your mother?!" I gawk at the delicious smelling soup before me,"so she's here too huh..."

"This is where I come from, yes. All of my family lives here. "

Arlow worried his lower lip, chewing on the chapped surface. He kicked at his shoe heel with the other, suddenly intrigued with whatever dusty rock had managed to lodge in the leather and rubber.

"This is really good!"

Arlow grinned proudly. He was always shy about compliments, but his smile made giving them so much better.

I took some spoonfuls of the soup and thought about everything I'd heard up until now, there were some burning questions still in my mind that I needed to understand, things that were poking at me.

"Hey Arlow, what's a Sleuth?"

His eyes sprung up to meet mine, and a serious expression replaced the happy one. "Where did you hear that?"

"The Elder guy Warren said it, or you did, one of you had. Something about me joining the Sleuth"

See, I pay attention... mostly.

Eh..

"Oh."

That was it? Just 'oh' ? That couldn't be all I got from him on this.

"Yeah, so...what is it? A Sleuth. I've never heard of it before. Is it like some weird kind of congregation or something?"

Arlow laughed and shook his head, leaning back on a small wooden dresser at the end of the room. "Why are you so dead set on us being a cult?" He chuckled.

"Well, it's all I have to go on since nobody's telling me anything!" I stuffed a chunk of bread in my mouth, pouting through the chewing.

Arlow sighed and looked down, feeling defeated. "I know, it's hard, that's all. I'm not actually allowed to talk about it, but...I really want to. I tried to once before." Blinking, I set my spoon down from the soup.

He had tried to tell me?

"When?" I asked. Curiosity was killing me.

"Before we decided to go to the river to fish."

My heart sank down, a stone in my chest. Oh yeah, I'd ruined that too...

"I'm sorry about the fishing trip. I'm not even sure what happened..."

Arlow shook his head. "Don't be, plenty of time to go again before winter sets in."

"Is this place bad?" I whispered out suddenly."Will I get hurt here?" I sincerely had nothing to go on right now. How the hell did this place function? What would be expected from me?