One Waking Spring (Snufkin x reader)

The Market

The market was bustling with people. Workers, thieves, shop owners, merchants, street musicians, travelers, tourists, and the list goes on... You were definitely going to need some alone time in nature after this.

'Right... Now...' You looked at your shopping list that you had made before going out. 'I only need dried meat and I'll be done...'

You looked up, and your head immediately began to spin. There were too many people... But you had to continue.

'Alright, I only need the dried meat and I can get out of here. Let's rip this bandaid off and do it quickly!' You tried to calm your spinning head as you stepped into the busy street.

You shivered and your eyes stung as you felt people's warm bodies and breaths all over and around you. You tried to become as small as possible so people wouldn't touch you, but they only invaded your space more.

You tried to see the shop stalls through your blurry eyes and the many heads of people, but you just had too much trouble concentrating on what you saw.

A butcher's stall caught your eye, and you quickly made your way to it as your breathing quickened. Maybe pushed your way to it would be a better word.

You wiped your eyes before speaking up. "Uhm, hello!" You tried to get the lady's attention, but you were too quiet, so you tried again, louder this time. "Hello!" The lady jumped, startled.

"Oh! Hello, young lad! What could I interest you in?" The lady had a warm grandma's voice. She looked very kind.

"Er, just some dried meat, please. Or jerky or whatever it's called..." you mumbled awkwardly. "What kind?" The lady took out a linen sack and flipped it inside out."Uhm, beef, please." You shivered once again as a warm body shoved past you.

"Uhm, do you maybe know another path out of the city where, uhm, there's not this many people?" You asked as the lady was filling the sack with the jerky. "You bet your sweet bum I do! I've lived here my entire life! I know every nook and cranny of this town!" The lady laughed.

"Right there, past those buildings, there's a small alleyway. It's a dead end, but if you really want to get out of the busy street, you can climb over the wall. You'll end up in a backyard with dogs and people, but just run past really quickly and hop the fence, then you'll be out in the fields!" The lady said it in such a nonchalant and cheery voice, you definitely knew she created this path in her early years.

"There you go! That'll be 15!" The lady put the sack filled with jerky on the counter. You paid and thanked her before turning and quickly making your way to the alleyway.

The wall wasn't that tall or smooth, you've climbed taller and smoother ones. You swiftly climbed onto the wall and peered down at someone's backyard. The lady was right, there were dogs.

Your heart pounded. 'Okay, okay, let's do this! I'm faster than these fatass dogs!' You hyped yourself up before jumping off the wall and dashing for the fence. The dogs immediately came after you, barking and howling.

You hopped over the fence right as a dog tried to bite your coat. Thankfully, you were faster.

To your horror, the dogs also managed to jump over the fence. 'What kind of idiot doesn't chain their dogs and keeps their fences so low?!' you thought anxiously as you sprinted through the wheat field with the dogs on your tail.

Your chest was burning and your legs aching, but you didn't stop. You didn't want to get mauled by dogs! You turned around and were relieved to not see the dogs anymore. Seems that their psycho owner finally noticed they were chasing a person!

You were near a forest now. 'Isn't this the same one I came from?' You took out your map. Yep, you were right, it was the same one.

...

Snufkin sighed as he pulled out an empty hook. Was he tired, were his fishing skills getting worse, or were the fish getting smarter? He hasn't had a catch in hours!

Snufkin threw his line again and set his fishing rod steady between a few stones. The day was hot, so he wasn't going to get a lot of fish, but his hook was quite low, so at least some should bite.

He leaned against a tree and sighed. His mind wandered back to when he tripped in front of that traveler and his eyes immediately shot open. He groaned as he tried to shoo the memory away. He was having such a good day! But it kept wandering back and making Snufkin's cheeks red.

He didn't understand why he was so embarrassed! He just tripped! It's normal! Maybe because the person laughed? Or maybe because the person was another traveler?

A ripple in the water snapped him out of his thoughts. He quickly pulled the rod. It's a catch!

Snufkin threw the fish in his bucket. 'This should be enough for dinner,' he thought as he packed up and headed towards his campsite.

AN: I literally have no idea what the next chapter should be. It'll probably will be a while until I figure it out or have the time to write it, but it will come. Again, please give me constructive criticism, this is my first ever fic and I would like to improve! Edit: I reread and improved my writing instead of actually writing another chapter, but it is coming, I promise! I'm not procrastinating, definitely not! (Pic is from pinterest!)