The Blade of Kenai

Part 2: Chapter 3

Kenai awoke on the pile of leaves he'd pulled together the night before, his hip and shoulder ached from the lack of cushioning, but his mind finally felt rested. A jolt of fear burst through him when he realized Kazdyn wasn't by his side and he sat up quickly with his heart pounding. After twisting his head to the left he found Kazdyn skinning a medium-sized animal, it had long ears and whiskers, and its strong hind legs suggested that it was swift.
    "What is that?" Kenai said groggily, rubbing his left eye.
    "It's breakfast," Kazdyn responded as he finished taking the last bit of fur from its body. The small fire from last night had grown into a powerful flame that had a makeshift rotator for roasting above it that held another body similar in shape and size to the one Kazdyn had just finished skinning.
    "How long have you been awake?" Kenai felt guilty for how long he had slept in, especially if Kazdyn already had time to make the makeshift oven.
    "I dunno. Not long." Kenai knew it was a lie to make him feel better, but he let himself believe it. Kenai stretched his arms and moved himself closer to Kazdyn, gratefully accepting the stick of the cooked meat Kazdyn offered to him.
    As Kenai tore into it he tried to ignore the strong taste of smoke, which became easy when he realized just how hungry he was. Suddenly, Kenai looked down at the stick and found only bones, it seemed to disappear without filling him and his stomach growled in protest. He stared hungrily at the next stick Kazdyn placed over the flames but didn't let Kazdyn see how much he wanted it.
Instead, Kenai stood and picked up his bow, which was already strung from when Kazdyn surely used it that morning. Kenai tried not to be upset about it, but as he walked deeper into the forest where Kazdyn wouldn't be able to see or hear him he let out a loud groan of frustration.
      He KNOWS I don't want him using it. Although the bow was hardy and not likely to break anytime soon it felt wrong for anyone but himself to be using it. He shook his head and switched his focus to hunting.
    He crouched down beside a large tree, making himself as quiet as possible, slowing his breathing so that not even it could be heard. He listened for soft paws on the forest floor and knocked an arrow in his bow, holding it loosely by the cresting.
    His eyes scanned back and forth waiting for something to move, his eyes widened when a small fluffy creature appeared in his eyesight. It resembled what Kazdyn had caught and Kenai slowly pulled his elbow farther and farther back, trying to keep the creaking of the string quiet as it tightened.
    One, two, thr- But before Kenai could release his arrow the animal had fallen over, already penetrated by another. Kenai darted his eyes quickly around the trees, trying to find the source, half terrified half intrigued.
    His eyes widened when he landed on a small girl across from him, he guessed she was a little younger than him, also using a large tree as coverage. She had long blonde hair that nearly touched the forest floor as she crouched, and her bright blue eyes filled with fear when they locked with his. She was frozen, except for her mouth which was trembling, and Kenai was unsure how to react or if he should approach her.
He offered her a smile, hoping it would make him appear less menacing and more friendly. Kenai also dropped his bow to the ground, holding his hands in the air, grinning wider when the young girl did the same. Kenai stood slowly and made his way closer to her, crouching again when he was a few feet away.
"Hello, I'm Kenai." He said it softly, not wanting to risk spooking her off. Wait. Kenai held his breath. What if I'm speaking nonsense to her? Their languages could be different and he didn't release his breath until she responded.
"Hello." She still appeared a bit scared, but Kenai was making progress. She shook her head, embarrassed that she hadn't offered her name as well. "I'm Wren." Excitement bubbled inside of Kenai's chest, causing him to smile wider.
"I've never seen you before..." Wren trailed and suspicion filled her voice.
"I haven't been around here long, me and my cousin are travelers. Could you help us?" Wren glanced nervously over her shoulder and bit her lip before turning back to him.
"Okay." Kenai stood and offered his hand to help her up. She grabbed it gingerly and looked down at her feet as she pulled her hand back.
Kenai began walking in the direction he had come from, picking up her catch by the arrow before handing it back to her. She followed him as they followed the trail Kenai had made in the dirt with his heavy boots and she stayed silent, only nodding yes or no to the questions Kenai was asking.
"So do you live out here?" He gestured to the forest, and she nodded. Yes.
"Are you on your own?" No. Kenai rubbed his hands together, feeling awkward with the lack of conversion she was offering to him.
"I..." Wren began. "I live with my father. Me and him, we have a camp not far from here." She paused before continuing. "We are elves." Kenai was filled with intrigue at the information she had given him. He forced himself not to pry, not wanting her to become scared or think he was nosy.
"You said you're here with your cousin, what is their name?" Wren continued the conversion.
"His name is Kazdyn. He's my best friend." Kenai smiled, happy to have someone to introduce himself to. Life on the island was sometimes dull, because you knew everyone, and everyone knew you. It was rare to meet someone new.
"Where do you come from?" Kenai's breath hitched in his throat, remembering Soren's plea.
"All I can say is that we come from very far. I'm sorry I cannot say more." He was nervous about how she would respond, but she seemed unusually content with his lacking answer.
They stumbled back to Kenai and Kazdyn's pitiful camp, and Kenai watched as Wren raised her brows, definitely not impressed.
"I know it's not much." Kenai sighed as he walked closer to the fire where Kazdyn was crouched. He lifted his head at hearing Kenai's voice and his attention immediately turned to Wren.
"Who's this?" Kazdyn asked while tilting his head with curiosity.
"This is Wren." Kenai introduced the elf, glancing back and forth between them and waiting for one of them to say more.
"I'm Kazdyn." He finally said, and Wren nodded.
"It's lovely to meet you." Her voice held a sort of sophistication that made Kenai suspect she was raised with formality, making him wonder what she was doing living deep in the forest.
"Wren said that she'd be willing to guide us out of the forest," Kenai looked at Wren who stared shyly up at the trees.
"Yes, you'll have to follow me though. My camp isn't far away." Pae appeared suddenly next to Kazdyn, and Wren tensed next to Kenai, making him fear she would run.
"What is that." Her voice shook as she raised her finger to point at Pae.
"Don't worry, this is just Pae." Pae made her way up to Kenai's shoulder, and he raised his elbow so that she could stand on it as he pet her head. He leaned down to Wren and encouraged her to do the same.
"She's nice, I promise." Wren reached out to Pae with her small hand and slowly stroked her fingers between her ears. Wren giggled and quickly overcame her fear. Kenai held Pae out to Wren and watched as she hopped onto Wren's elbow.
"You watch her while we clean up. Alright?" Wren kept her eyes on Pae as she responded.
"Okay sounds good."
Kenai and Kazdyn hurriedly picked up their belongings, shoved them in each other's pouches where they belonged, and put out the fire. Kenai spread the pile of leaves back around the ground, even though Kazdyn rolled his eyes at it.
"They're just leaves." Kenai shrugged. It's best to leave no trace. The two boys stood back and unknowingly mirrored each other by resting their hands on their hips.
"That seems good, if a Demon were hunting you they'd already have succeeded." Wren said it casually, but Kenai shuddered.