A Twist Of Ashes

[1.5]

An addictive, deep chuckle filled her ears as the mysterious stranger carried her effortlessly. ''Who..'' Tala barely managed to whisper out. He smiled down to her ''Just a friend, nothing more, princess. Don't worry,'' he responded delicately and in a calming tone. It immediately left her at ease that he wasn't there to harm her. He was holding her like he was holding something priceless or expensive. To her shock, the bird from earlier was perched on his shoulder, staring down at her, tilting its head as she managed to make eye contact with it, enjoying the free escort back to the village. ''Your brother will not be very impressed by this performance of yours, will he?'' He was smirking so much she could hear it and the sarcasm that came alongside it. ''You know my brother,'' She wheezed out. ''Jay..'' Tala had hardly any energy to speak, but curiosity would not let her not know. ''I'm surprised you even remember him at this point, considering you don't seem to remember me.'' he mocked.

If she could move, she would indeed have pushed him. But alas, she was stuck cradled like a baby in this stranger's arms. Who knew her? Right now, she couldn't remember anyone with that voice. But the scent of lavender and jasmine was incredibly familiar. It gave her a sense of deja vu. Calming, familiar, almost like home, it reminded her of Pa. But she couldn't understand why. She hadn't seen him in ages. 

The dim lights of the village illuminated the path, and finally, she felt a sense of safety for the first time in ages. Chatter from the few villagers attending the night markets could be heard. Their night market seemed pitiful compared to the other villages and cities, but that's what Tala grew up knowing. It was also where she would earn some of their money by selling things from the deep forest. With vision slowly returning and some muscle within her arms, she focused on the stranger, trying harder to remember. However, his uniform belonged to the scouts, meaning he worked under the elders, and yet he didn't punish, threaten or take her straight to them. She would be severely punished if they found out what she was doing. The thought sent a shiver up her spine. His silvery eyes finally descended to meet hers; they were terrifyingly beautiful. She almost didn't have the words for them; wolfish, a look that said he could destroy your very being in a matter of seconds if needed. Tala didn't want to get on his wrong side and find out if that was true. 

''Need something,'' he raised a brow at her. ''Did no one teach you staring was rude? I know it might be hard considering my looks, so I'll forgive you this time'' He grinned wide, almost proud of his jokes. Tala's face heated in embarrassment. ''When I get my strength back, you will regret saying that,'' Tala said but struggled to hold back a weak smile. ''Im sure princess'' he chuckled again. ''Stop calling me that, you goon,'' she scoffed back at him.

''Im hurt'' he pulled a false wounded expression, which made her crack and laugh. His necklace caught her attention for a brief moment. An upside-down, wooden crescent moon with a silver band in the middle holds the necklace's hook. But the band had engravings that made no sense; there was also a small circular crystal almost too dark to see anything, but tiny gold flakes became visible for a second when the torch light caught on it.

Eventually, they returned to her shabby house and patiently knocked on the door. She was surprised he hadn't shown any signs of getting tired from carrying her. Tala wasn't very tall and somewhat malnourished, but she was still surprised. A few awkward moments passed, and no one was answering. The door flew open. Layla stood in shock, eyeing the scene in front of her. ''Oh my goodness, Tala! We thought you had died or something'' She ran over teary-eyed and tried to inspect my hands and face. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the strange markings all up Tala's arms, with thorns and blood stains everywhere. ''Mother is not pleased, Tal,'' she whispered shakily. ''I tried my best to calm her down, but she's outraged,'' Tala noticed her trying not to cry.

After processing, she looked up at the stranger and inspected him. ''You better not have hurt her or else..'' She crossed her arms and huffed. ''Or else what? I see the anger running in the family.'' He smiled mockingly. Layla's brows furrowed. ''I found her out cold on the path just near the village; I was sure that thanks would have at least been heard for this, and for not going to the chief, I am bending the rules here for you,'' Layla calmed her expression and dropped her arms in a sigh. ''Sorry, and thank you. We have been running around like crazy, please this way'' we were led into our shabby house. Tala hoped he wouldn't notice it too much.