ONE OF TWO. - razor

Chapter Seven

Adjusting to life in the rainforest walked the fine line between being bearable and near detrimental for the boy, proving his first week in the care of Forest Watchers and Rangers to be a somewhat stressful one. There were similarities to his life in the woods of Wolvendom, of course: the soothing embrace of nature and the sense of freedom that came with wide open spaces of green and sunlight everywhere one's eyes flickered to, the sound of small animals scittering about in bushes, birds singing their conversations to each other, soil beneath his feet and cool wind tenderly stroking at his cheeks.

Yet the high humidity, at times, felt to be having his lungs swimming in water, the continuous roar of the waterfall tired him rapidly, the plants were all massive and vibrant and strange in comparison to what he knew, and the scents that surrounded him were unfamiliar. Despite the tranquillity of the rainforest, it seemed that the people around him always had plenty to do, from the early hours of the morning to late in the night, creating a steady bustle and chatter everywhere he went. It all felt to be intrinsically different and he had nearly nothing comforting to grapple onto.

Fortunately, Tighnari and Collei were quick to pick up on his preferred food being meat and not overly spicy or seasoned dishes, so the pita pockets were repeatedly filled with boar and his meals grew simpler – though always accompanied by diverse fruit and veg, Tighnari insisting that he would find something he'd like. Razor was grateful that merely taking a bite was enough to appease the man and was overjoyed to discover that some of the foods he was asked to try were, indeed, delicious.

For the fruits he liked the taste of but couldn't handle their texture, Tighnari even went as far as mashing into different drinks for him, explaining that their health benefits remained unchanged. Truthfully, Razor wasn't even sure what those benefits were, but they tasted good so he would nod his head in faux understanding as he'd eagerly peer around the man whilst he prepared the colourful drinks for him.

Overall Razor never complained and, truly, he had no right to. These strangers were treating him with care and understood when he was growing too overwhelmed with the forest to allow him some moments of peace.

Perhaps the hardest times of all were the nights. He longed to snuggle into the thick fur of his wolf Lupical, help them groom one other and bask in the moonlight together as they slept soundly, safe in their land.

The first night he spent it sitting just outside the door to the quaint hut he was given, adjacent to that of Collei; legs pulled to his chest, arms wrapped around his torso in a futile attempt of shielding himself from the brisk air, and howling up at the moon. A part of him hoped his Lupical could hear his calls – a foolish notion, he was aware, but loneliness was quick to consume him and push him to such senseless sentimental actions.

When he awoke on the second day, he found himself curled up outside and with Collei hovering awkwardly around him, a shade of concern in her eyes though she did not voice it.

"Good morning, Razor," She greeted cheerfully, stepping back to allow him to unfurl and get into a seated position, shoulders leaning against his hut's door, "I'm about to head out to forage for some herbs and plants. Are you feeling alright enough to join me?"

A hefty yawn rippled through the boy and he stretched his arms upward, cracking his spine that had grown incredibly stiff from his choice of sleeping location. The sun was already high in the sky, he realised, its warmth kissing his skin and dancing between the eyelashes he held low over his eyes, squinting.

"Hunt, for plants?" He asked, as he roughly rubbed at his face and subsequently recoiled at the coarse gauze he felt against his skin.

Noting his grimace Collei hummed, crouching down and taking a closer look at his bandaged palms.