The lioness just continued to wear that knowing look of hers, as you stared out over the valley. Pine trees spread up the canyon walls while only the grey rocks were visible at the very top. Grass in multiple shades of green highlighted the ground and caused the trunks of the trees to stand out, though one could only see a few trunks due to the vast amount of trees in the area. Clouds rolled by overhead, as a gentle breeze swept through the space. Sunbeams broke through various sections of the clouds, casting certain points in a marvelous light and giving the valley an otherworldly appearance. A twisting river winded itself through the pines, its source originating from the cave you just exited as well as the rocks above you. In fact next to you, the rocks went higher while water rushed down them in an elegant waterfall. Petite trees grew on top of these water covered stones.
Glancing once more over at the lioness, you noticed that she was no longer there. Worried and confused, you called out for the guardian only to receive a quiet meow from the rocks below you. Looking downward, you saw the large cat staring up at you. She licked her front paw before signaling for you to jump down as well. Just a few moments ago you had mentioned that you wouldn't jump. Combing your fingers through your (h/c), you decided that it wouldn't be too far down.
Making sure that you wouldn't slip, you carefully descended down to the lower rock where the lioness was. This process of descending proceeded until the two of you were only a few feet from the ground level. Now essentially at the bottom all you could really see was the tall trees in front of you while the river roared next to you.
"I'll wait a little up ahead if you wish to wash that ink off of you," the lioness communicated while bathing her head with her paw.
"I think I'll take you up on that offer," you replied before you saw her go off a little ways from you.
You could finally take the ink off of your skin, though you would have to endure the stains on your clothing. Then again it really wasn't even your clothing. Thus you stripped the clothes off of you and set them down on the bank of the river. Luckily for you, there was a pool of water at the base of the waterfall that would work perfectly.
First you put your foot into the water, but pulled it back at feeling the temperature. You didn't expect it to be that cold, since up in the cave the water was just perfect. Annoyed at this slight temperature change, you once again dipped your foot into the water and then advanced further into the pool. A chill ran through your form, but after a few minutes you adapted to the cold.
Putting your head under the water, you soaked your hair and rubbed your fingers through it, however it wasn't until you scrubbed your hair that the ink began to shed itself from your (h/c) strands. Only being able to hold your breath for so long, you swam over to the waterfall and finished your hair there. Moreover, you had to really scrub at your skin to get the ink off of it. It was a little too much work for your liking, but seeing your skin return to normal was a welcome change.
Having completed your cleansing, you went to get out of the water, but something sounded in the tree branches. Tensing up at this, you scanned the nearby trees for anything, but some strands of sunlight hitting the water slightly hindered your vision. Trying to block the excessive light from your eyes, you peered harder, hoping to catch whatever made that noise. When you discovered nothing, you slowly inched over to your pile of clothes.
Before you exited the pool of water, you look around the area one more time. Seeing nothing once more, you quickly got out of the water and pulled your clothes on, which wasn't the easiest of tasks, since you were still wet. Pulling your wet hair out of your face, you made your way over to where you saw the lioness head off. Wiping the water away that ran down your face, you saw the familiar white tail just a few feet in front of you. It was making its usual swishing pattern.
Rounding a tree, you saw the guardian consuming a bird. Feathers decorated the ground around the large cat and you figured that the lioness was the cause of the past sound. She turned her head to look at you after licking her mouth in a satisfied manner. Despite the fact that the half-eaten bird didn't look the least bit appetizing, your stomach still growled at its emptiness. Just knowing that someone had eaten and you hadn't was enough to cause another growl to emit from the organ. If the lioness could smirk there would no doubt be a smile on her face. Eating the rest of her kill in one swift bite, she turned completely to you.
"Hmm, I suppose I owe you, since I ruined your meal previously. Tell me ____, what do you want to eat?"
Obviously, you couldn't answer shrimp scampi or some other pasta dish due to the location, but you really want a fine dining meal. Truly, you had been spoiled back at the castle and now your stomach was greatly missing such delicacies. Trying to stop yourself from drooling at the thought of such food, you swallowed the forming saliva.
"I guess fish sounds appetizing enough," you replied, casting your gaze over at the stream.
Nodding her head slightly, she padded her way over to the running water and sat herself down next to it. Going over to her, you kneeled on the grass covered ground and watched the water. At first you didn't see any fish within the river, but soon a body of scales swam past. The guardian just missed it, when she swiped her paw through the water. In fact she had hit the water so hard that the said clear substance splashed up against your face.
Closing your eyes on instinct, you then proceeded to wipe the water from your face, opening your eyes once more. You crossed your arms over your chest, slightly glaring at the large cat. Her purple eyes flashed with amusement before she tried for another one of the quick creatures. On the fourth attempt, she finally swiped one out of the river, sending it onto the grass next to her. It flopped up and down until she struck it with one final blow. Personally, you had never liked seeing your food killed or killing it yourself, but in your current condition you really had little choice in the matter.
"Aren't you going to get some firewood?" the cat questioned, now lying down.
"Yeah, I guess, though I thought you were going to help me."
"Only with getting the food, I'm not going to help you collect firewood, or skin the fish, my dear. The rest is up to you."
Of course it was. Figuring you might as well get this over with, so you could eat, you went back into the tree cover and scouted for some stray pieces of wood. Much to your displeasure, it took you about ten minutes before you could even locate one stray branch on the ground. Your stomach made another low grumble, indicating its growing impatience. Thus you were determined to find more wood quickly, so you could actually eat something.
Another ten minutes passed and you had at last collected a sufficient amount of wood. As you were walking back, you heard a sound behind you. Swiftly, you turned around, hoping that you wouldn't see anything there. Once again nothing greeted you, except the tall trees and the breeze that blew the pine needles. It was an eerie silence, and so you thought it best to get back out of the tree cover and return to the river side.
When you had made it back, you found the guardian fast asleep next to your awaiting meal. She truly was a cat despite the fact that she denied the title. Setting the wood on one of the nearby rocks by the river, you brought the fish over to you before you proceeded with the task of skinning and gutting it. Once finished with the slightly disgusting job, you grabbed a spare stick and put the fish on it before holding it over the fire.
As you sat cooking your food, you hoped that you would reach the end of this canyon soon. This wasn't only due to the slight feeling of longing, but also because you needed to find out more information on your parents and the aces. What happened to the other two aces? Moreover, the lioness mentioned that there were more members to the deck of cards previously. Hearing such knowledge only made you realize how little you knew about this world.
This past year you had done little to understand it, since Diamond made it clear that trying to understand would only lead to more confusion. Maybe that was the case for him because he in fact hadn't troubled with the history. Bringing your knees to your chest, you wished you could have some answers to all of this. When you were kidnapped by Tipora, you were amazed at the vast size of this world and yet you had the feeling that you had still only seen a tiny portion of it. Furthermore, you were learning information that sounded bewildering at first, but actually made sense. The confusion was in fact enlightening you. Could that be the answer to discovering the secrets of this world, could one only find answers in the things that madden the mind? It wouldn't surprise you.
Seeing that the fish was done, you moved it closer to you and took a hesitant bite, testing to see if it was too hot. When you discovered that it wasn't too hot, you took another bite, beginning to quell your hunger. Unbeknownst to you however were the watchful eyes in the top branches of the trees. Finally, you had come, just as predicted.
YOU ARE READING
A Melodious Song (Yandere Twins x reader)
General Fiction-This is a sequel to the story A Dimensional Tune (Yandere Twins x reader) - You have been with the brothers for over a year now, yet they still torment you, however a visitor arrives at the mansion. Who is this strange individual and what will hap...
