The Breaking

Besties

"Adumla?" I questioned, still not venturing to look of the comfort of Greers shoulder.

"No, no. A-du-lu-ma. Say it with me."

"Aduluma."

"Aduluma." We both said slowly.

"Ha! It sounds funny when you say it slowly." I chuckled into his shoulder. I noticed his he hadn't let go of me. He was letting me sulk into him. He wasn't pushing me or anything, how nice of him.

"That's why you have to say it one coherent word." His head rolled back with laughter.

I finally decided to peer out of his shoulder, which I had soiled from the lingering tears.

"Sorry." I mumbled as I was blinded by how bright it was.

It was beautiful. There were mountains in the distance, some were so tall they surpassed the clouds. We were on a hill that looked over the valley. The trees were different shades of green and there was some spots of purple, red, and even yellow. It was spring here. Or summer, it was certainly hot enough.

To the left, in the distance, there was, what looked to be, a castle. It was almost like a shadow, I'd have to get closer to see any great detail, but it certainly large.

There was so much to take in. The strange flowers and the fresh smell of the air. Then the...wait.

"Are those flowers...silver?" I said stepping back from Greer and looking at the odd shining plant.

"Oh yeah. The Obsandoian flower. It sure is pretty, and sharp." I walked over to it, mesmerized by its metallic look. "Don't touch it! It's poisonous!" Greer said pulling me away from the enchanting flower.

"Man, but it's so...pretty. I just want to-"

"Yeah, but it is very sharp, like anywhere you touch will react and basically become a knife, and it ejects poison into the body. Like, deadly. Within an hour you're dead or paralyzed kind of poison. Not. Fun. It's only hypnotizing so that it can lure in prey. It's a predictor." He said scholarly.

"Ok, that is cool. Have anymore weird things about your world?" I was just soaking all of the beauty in. It was so much, I wanted to see it all.

"Oh yeah. Where to even begin? We'd just have to wander around." I could feel a large smile displaying on my face.

"Wow. Calm down there buttercup. I don't think your lips can take a smile like that." Greer said raising his eyebrows at me.

"Oh shut it and let me enjoy this moment will you? Wow, your world is beautiful!" I exclaimed. I was looking around in wonder at all of the strange plants I had never seen. There was a flower with green leaves and a pink stem. Some of the flowers bloomed upside down, the stem had flopped over and the flower part was just dropping, but yet it was so pretty. I took a closer look at it to find a strange insect hanging down from it. It had a stream of weird goo hanging behind it, with little purple specks poking out from the stream. Eggs maybe?

The insect flared up its wings and hissed at me. I backed away slowly with a strained frown on my face. Greer just laughed at the sheer hilarity of the the face I was making.

"That bug hissed at me. I down know about you, but that scares the shit out of me." I shivered thinking about it. Then I thought of it biting me then I thought about spiders and I did a little gig to get rid of the thought.

"That bug, is a flower beetle, they can't really hurt you, they're all bark and no bite." Greer said wiping a tear from his eye.

"Right. Because I know absolutely everything about your strange world." I rolled my eyes at him. I hoped that my sarcasm wouldn't be brushed off. But, naturally, it was. I gave him a pouting look.

"Come on. I want you to meet someone." He said in all seriousness.

"Alright." He took my hand and led me down the hill.

After leaving the grassy hill we entered the forest. The forest was full of life, although I couldn't see it, I could hear it. The sounds of the crickets, the rustle of the dead leaves on the ground. There was a mildew smell to the air that mixed with the fresh air. It brought a memory I couldn't quite place. A happy memory.

"Where are we even going?" I stepped over a root, but I misjudged it and stumbled over it. Greer caught me in his arms and placed me up right. I mumbled a thanks as I dusted myself off.

"We're going to meet my grandfather." He said cooly, a mischievous grim played around on his lips.

"Your grandfather?" I practically squealed. I was going to meet Greers family!

"Don't be so shocked, but I have to warn you...he's a dragon." I noticed that he wasn't floating like he normally did. "I just wanted you to feel more...comfortable. If you'd like I can float." He turned around and gave me a nice white grin.

"Hey! Don't enter my mind without my permission!" I gave his back a smack.

"I can't help it. You're just so...loud." He laughed.

"We'll try harder." I commanded. He just giggled and danced out of my reach as I tried to seat at him again. That little.

I grabbed at him but he simply wiggled out of my reach, twisting around trees and jumping and the last second to brush me off.

We had enters a clearing with trees making a circle around us. Their roots forming arches as they came out of the ground and then back into it. They were dark wooded and had moss covering the tips of them. Pretty, if I weren't trying to catch an elf.

He hopped into one of the arches and watched with intent as I tried climbing the darn thing. I wiggled a bit as I stood up on the tree root, but found my footing.

I almost grabbed him, but he floated away, leaving me to fall. I hit the ground. Hard. My breath escaped me and I moaned in pain as a rock dug into my ribs. My elbow scrapped the ground and my head was spinning in pain. Dang. How far had I fallen.

"Ever!" Greer jumped to my side. Or floated I should say. "Ever? Are you ok?"

"No." I mumbled trying to sit up. He was reaching down to help me up when I thought of a plan. I was pretending to nurse my arm when he tried helping me to my feet.

Right as I was up, I tackled him. He hit the ground with a satisfying thud and an "oof".

"Gotcha." I whispered in his ear. He looked at me, eye brows knitted together. But the his eyebrows unknitted and he dropped his head to the dead leafed floor, smiling.

"I have to admit. You're good."

"Thank you." I said happily.

"Now would you kindly get. Off. Me?" I leaned a bit more into him, making him groan in pain.

"Alright. Alright. I've tortured you enough." I slowly, but surly, got off of him.

I may have forgotten my one story fall, but my body certainly had not. I fell to the side of Greer. And there we were. Both moaning, both in different degrees of pain. And both, hysterically laughing, and wincing in pain.

"We're a....mess." I breathed through the painful laughing.

"I believe.... best friends ....are ...normally a mess." He gasped out.

"Oh my god Greer." He looked at me with a cocked eyebrow. "You're my best friend." We both laughed a bit more as we there there, covered in dead leaves and moss.

I never felt so happy.

"Alright. So my Grandpas place, is just over here." Greer was the first one to get up. He offered a hand and I took it. After giving ourselves a brush down we headed off deeper into the forest.

After stumbling a while, mainly on my part, Greer just sort of floated the entire time. We happened upon a cave. It was a rather large cave with a wide mouth. The stone itself was a dark, almost black, color. It reeked of danger as we approached. It smelled like a fish tank, but not as wet, if that made any sense. Like a dry mold smell.

From deep within the cave, came a deep rumbling sound. As sound that shook the ground a little.

"Of course his is!" Greer wined. I gave him a confused look. "He's fucking sleeping!"