𝙻𝙴𝙵𝚃 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥

Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

"We are, undeniably, and without a doubt, lost." Astrid mumbles in a teasing tone, rolling her eyes in annoyance at the situation she finds herself in. She lets out a frustrated huff, her body language suggesting that she isn't pleased about being stuck in the middle of nowhere, with someone whose intelligence seems to be sorely lacking.

"N-no. No, we're not. We're not lost, I'm just... we just have to go... umm..." Willow stammers, stumbling over his words, unsure of what to say next. His body language suggests that he has no idea what he's talking about, which only adds to the confusion and frustration.

"Uh, we're not lost," Willow says weakly, with very little confidence in his own words. "It's just that we have to go over to... over to... that way," he points in a random direction, failing horribly to give any actual directions.

"Sssshhhuuuut uuuuuppp!" Astrid says, mocking Willow's stuttering with a derisory tone, as she mimic's his speech pattern, with a smirk on her face and her expression filled with a mixture of amusement and playful mockery.

"Admit it, you've got us lost," she says, letting out a dismissive snort, as she rolls her eyes, her tone coated in derision , as if the answer is obvious, and Willow is being deliberately difficult just so he doesn't have to admit that he's an idiot.

"I'm not admitting anything," Willow insists, his voice filled with a renewed sense of purpose and confidence, as he once again tries to convince Astrid that he knows what he's doing.

"We just need to go this way," he says, pointing in the general direction he wants to head in. "I know exactly where we're going, and i don't need to admit anything." There is an air of defiance and determination in his tone, as if he is trying to convince himself that he knows what he is doing as much as he is trying to convince Astrid.

Astrid's disappointed giggles fill the air behind him, as he begins to walk in a random direction. Her finger slowly sliding across the bark of a tree, as she refuses to move, leaning her shoulder against it. Willow continues to stumble forward, his feet cracking branches below him. Finally, he turns around, with a huff, realizing that Astrid is no longer by his side. A moment passes, as Willow stares dumbly at his surroundings, wondering where on Earth Astrid could've gone. He pivots on his heels, and begins walking in a straight line. Willow marches back to the same place he had been before, his shoulders slouched, and head facing forward, not bothering to look around himself. A palpable sense of anger fills Willow's body as he turns around to see Astrid leaning casually against the majestic oak tree beside her the long slender limbs floating above her, a smug smirk spread across her face. She makes no attempt to hide the fact that she doesn't care about his anger, as her body is relaxed and comfortable, exuding a casual attitude and air of superiority.

"Seriously? C'mon." Willow huffs with obvious annoyance, throwing his hands down by his sides in a childish manner. He lets out an exasperated sigh, as if his patience was being tested to its limit.

"You don't have to throw a tantrum," Astrid says, her voice dripping with sarcasm and the slightest hint of condescension. Her lips curl into a smug grin, as if she were trying to hold back a laugh.

"I'm not!" Willow snaps, his voice raising, as he stares at Astrid, anger bubbling inside him.

"God, you're so annoying. Can you just follow me already?" He hisses, gritting his teeth, as his eyes shoot daggers at her. The frustration, and the need to prove that he is right and he knows what he's doing, is palpable. His body language is aggressive, as if he's ready to burst at the slightest provocation.

"Whatever, Mr. I'm always right," Astrid responds, in a smartass tone, mocking Willow's stubborn and defensive attitude.

"Also, if I follow you, we'll just do another loop," Astrid announces, as if proving a point.

"I carved my initials into this tree like an hour ago," she adds, with a scoff, as she runs her fingers across the initials carved into the bark of the tree beside her. The smug tone in her voice suggests that she's more than satisfied with herself for proving Willow wrong.

"Alright, smartass. If you're such a genius, then tell us where we should go," Willow huffs frustratedly, clearly annoyed at having been proven wrong and having had his pride damaged. His tone is sharp, and sarcastic, displaying a childish, and rather immature way of handling the situation, where he'd rather pout and throw a fit, rather than accept that he was wrong and work on finding a solution together with Astrid.

"Well, based on the fact that we've been that way, and it feels like we've been there already, I think we should head in a direction we don't recognize," Astrid says nonchalantly, as she uses her head to gesture to each direction she speaks of. Her tone and manner suggests that she actually has an idea of where to go, as opposed to Willow, who seemed to be struggling with even the most basic directions.

"Okay, fine, we'll try your idea," Willow chuckles, as he follows the directions that Astrid is heading in. "Then I can tease you when you're wrong, too," he adds with a laugh, clearly looking forward to finding out that Astrid's plan had failed, and that he was right all along. It seems that the two of them are more interested in teasing and annoying each other than actually resolving the situation.