Lost (Part 9 of the Ignaius-Saga)

Lost

Tanier held the young man tight. He wanted him to feel strength and warmth and if possible the serene happiness he could feel now. Most of all he wanted Variel to physically feel how much he believed in him.

It didn't take long at all before Tanier's shoulder was wet. Variel clung to him and shook, tears bringing light sobs. He was trying to cry out his fear, to empty himself of this weakness. he didn't know if it would work, but keeping it bottled up was now impossible while he was being held like this. The memory - as fuzzy as it was - of what had happened in the city still brought immense pain, and he needed to be rid of that as well. He felt like he was on the verge of a true mental breakdown, so this had to work. He had to empty the weakness and try to draw strength. He only hoped he had more time than just this one moment... or maybe it was best if he didn't. He really had no idea what would serve him better, or if this would do anything more than just leave him feeling hollow and tired again.

Tanier didn't say anything. He just held Variel, trying to make him comfortable. When he had calmed, had rested and seemed to slowly recovered, he asked: "Do you think you are able to walk?"

Variel sat back and rubbed at his eyes and nose, trying to force himself ot breathe normally again. He swallowed audibly before answering, "...Y-yes... I think so..."

The three of them picked themselves up and Vis distributed what they had to carry more evenly. He took the heaviest burden, as Tanier had spent all night carrying Variel's weight, though Variel was given the lightest, as he was the least physically strong. Vis gave Variel his caution about how to walk without hurting himself and to stay very close. Variel insisted he didn't plan on getting outside of arm's reach of either of them.

So, they were off again. The canopy of tree protected them from the searing sun above, but though they were in shade, the air was thick and muggy, making their sweat cling to them and breathing a little more laborious. To say it was an uncomfortable journey was an putting it lightly, and even Vis was starting to look a bit miserable a few hours in. Variel's hair was plated around his head, and when they finally stopped for a brief lunch, Vis found a bit of chord and tied it back in a short ponytail to try and get it off of his face and neck. It helped a little, but all three of them were still soaked.

Late in the afternoon, Vis stopped them, though he told them to wait there instead of sit and rest. He vanished into the trees, and Variel instinctively clutched Tanier's arm. He thought he could hear voices somewhere ahead of them, a din as if there were several people having several different conversations, but it was too far to make out anything distinct. He tried peering through the trees, but he was afraid to catch sight of anyone lest they also see him.

Ten minutes passed before the foliage rustled and Vis reappeared. He told them that there was a village ahead where they could take shelter for the night, but warned them that these were not Auroran people. They were one of the small tribes that lived in the jungles, keeping just far away from the cities and towns - usually - to avoid confrontation. He gave them a few quick instructions on how to behave, and that mostly involved keeping to themselves unless directly interacted with, at which point he would instruct them further.

When they stepped into the cleared land, they came upon a collection of tents and fire pits. These were a primitive people by comparison, but things did look organized, Variel observed. He also noted, with an instant blush, that everyone was shirtless, including the women. It was mainly their clothes and hairstyles that differed them from the Auroran people, as their skin tone and facial structure were basically the same. As he stared around, he noticed many people stopping in their activities to stare back. Vis didn't attract much notice, but he realized how exotic he and Tanier looked. These people traded with Aurorans, but it was likely most of them - if not all - had never seen anyone with light skin before, and certainly no one with Variel's hair color.