My rival. (GXG)

Rescuing.

Early in the morning, Seterra and Ilaria strolled hand in hand along the rocky path, the sound of their footfall resonating through the quiet woodland. A gentle radiance pervaded the surroundings as the dew shimmered on the tree leaves.

Ilaria whispered softly, "It's so peaceful in here," as she leaned closer to Seterra's taller frame, caressed her warm face against her sturdy shoulder, and let out a faint sigh. As they strolled along, Seterra gave Ilaria a little squeeze on the hand and grinned down at her.

Seterra smelled something strange, and her hazel eyes narrowed. She took a whiff and dragged Ilaria with her as she hurriedly made her way towards the fragrance. The younger lady had also detected the scent, recognizing the vintage fragrance with wide eyes.

"Farlan!" She screamed, seeing his lifeless corpse fallen down and resting on a partially torn tree trunk. Seterra raced to his side, feeling a wave of fear wash over her as she saw there was no pulse.

His lips were parted, crusted blood on his chin, his eyes still open, the brightness in them having dimmed along with his normally gentle countenance. A serious incision that was still leaking blood was shown when his chest was sliced open. Seterra attempted to push on the wound, her hands shaking, fervently hoping that there was still time to rescue him. When Ilaria understood how serious the situation was, she remained still in disbelief and tears started to fill up in her eyes.

"He's dead." Ilaria eventually spoke, her voice barely a whisper, and words spilled forth. Seterra felt the weight of loss descend heavily on her shoulders as she lowered her head in grief. Now that their buddy had passed away, she realized there was nothing more she could do for him.

With tearful eyes and a sad heart, Ilaria covered her face in her hands and softly sobbed while Seterra grasped his dead body. "We have to get him back to the camp and bury him." While giving Ilaria the directions, Seterra's voice faltered, attempting to project strength for her.

With her cheeks crimson from sobbing so hard, the blonde girl barely got off the ground and supported herself on Seterra's stronger frame. To prevent the kids from seeing his mutilated corpse, they approached the camp from the rear. Seterra set him down on the newly cut lawn. Make contact with Abitha. He must be buried. Weakly nodding, Ilaria continued to be unable to speak above her tears. She managed to gather herself enough strength to travel to the closest tent and give a call to the camp's oldest resident, apart from the two.

The others were youngsters, the oldest being approximately twelve, while the only people older than fifteen were Farlan, Ilaria, Seterra, Abitha, and Archie. Since Archie was still seen as a youngster, Abitha had always taken a more active role in watching after and assisting them.

Ilaria went inside the cabin, sniffed softly, and knocked on Abitha's door while wiping her face with her sleeve. When Abitha answered the door and saw Ilaria's tear-stained face, her expression quickly became worried. She questioned quietly, "What's wrong?" which made Ilaria sit down on the bed. Taking a deep breath, Ilaria was eventually able to force herself to say, "It's Farlan...he's been murdered."

Abitha's face became pale, her green eyes widening and staring blankly into space for a while before losing their bright shine. The look on Abitha's normally compassionate face changed to one of emptiness and coldness, which alarmed Ilaria.

Abitha blinked slowly as she tried to take in the unexpected information. "Murdered? How? She said, her voice just above a whisper, "When?" Ilaria shook her head and spoke in a tremulous voice, describing what had happened that day. She cried again as she added, "I found him in the forest, covered in blood...it was horrible."

And it seemed as if Abitha's emotions stopped at that instant. Her features seemed to harden into a mask as she appeared to retreat inside herself. She got up and moved in the direction of the door without saying anything; her gait was stiff and emotionless. Farlan had become Abitha's family since she had loved him so deeply.