A Kindling Flame

Chapter 9

Scarlet kept her word, and the next morning, she set off to make travel arrangements. Espen stayed behind, tasked with the chore of packing. 

There was only a few things Scarlet had told him to gather, so he was done within a half hour. She had instructed to bring only necessities-basic foods, like crackers, bread, nuts and dried fruits. A first aid kit, three blankets, and a few bottles of water. 

"I'll take care of the rest." She said when he had questioned the short list. 

He thought it was best not to argue, but when he spotted the box of unopened instant coffee tucked away in the back of the pantry, he slipped it into the supplies. It would be needed, if they were planning long rides through the wild during early hours of the morning.

"Sorry, Astral. I don't think you can come with us." Espen apologized, rubbing the feline under her chin as he brought another armful of supplies to the foot of the staircase. 

"She'll be coming with us. I am not leaving my cat here alone." Scarlet answered, stepping inside. She pulled the door shut with a thunk, before stooping down and rubbing Astral's ears. 

"Everything arranged?" Espen asked, glancing at the bundles in her arms with narrowed eyes.

"Mhm. We're leaving tomorrow morning." Scarlet confirmed, standing back up and handing him one of the many bundles gathered in her arms. 

"What's this?" He asked, peering down at the brown paper package skeptically.

"Traveling clothes. I took a guess at your size; I hope they fit." Scarlet answered, setting the other packages down next to Espen's stack. "Well, don't just stand there. Open them, try them on. Make sure it all fits." She glanced over at him with narrowed eyes. 

Espen nodded hastily, and unwrapped the crinkly brown paper.

In his hands now sat a bundle of neatly folded clothing, a mix of brown and dark green. He pulled out a shirt, which was a simple, brown cloth, and it looked rather itchy. Next was an over-tunic, made out of dark green fabric. Then there was a simple pair of soft brown trousers, and finally, a pair of leather riding boots folded up neatly at the bottom. 

"Wow...thank you, Scarlet." Espen stammered, looking up from the package with round eyes. 

"Don't mention it." Scarlet replied, waving the gratitude off like a pesky insect. "I got some for myself, too. We can't take our masks with us. And, I thought we'd need some better traveling gear." She gestured down to her worn trench coat, stopping the process of unbuttoning it from the top. "Believe me, this is not comfortable riding gear." 

He sniffled back a chuckle, a small smile creeping onto his face.

Espen returned his attention to the clothes, his small smile widening. He couldn't recall the last time he had such nice clothing. Probably not since his parents had died. His smile started to curl down into a frown, as memories tried to unfold into his mind. He pushed them away, folding the paper back over the clothes. He set them down with the rest of the packages, all of which remained unopened. Scarlet walked past him, up the staircase, heading for what Espen would assume was her bedroom.

He looked up at the sound of her boots striking the wood floors grew quieter, before the sound disappeared all together. Astral fled up the stairs, trailing her owner on silent paws. Espen watched as Astral left his line of sight, and he sighed, very softly. 

He straightened, brushing cat hair off the cuffs of his pants. "Darn stuff clings to everything." He grumbled, a scowl crossing his face. He tried at a few more, determined swipes, with the occasional growls, before finally giving up. He let his hand fall, and drew himself back to his full height, and arched his back in a stretch.