Golden wings

Chapter 49 - Hide

He peeked out, slowly... His head peered wearily between the leafy drapes, while his hands held a towel tightly. He looked ahead first, to the dense vegetation that surrounded the clearing. Then, he glanced to his left, to the green garden. Lastly, right. The only blue he could see was the water, the soft current that fell from his waterfall.

The angel fidgeted there at the mouth of the cave, like every single day. He doubted to get out... but he eventually took the first step towards the river. He looked nervously around him, while he walked near the rocky wall of the cliff.

He needed to go to the waterfall. He needed to sit under it, on the rocks. There was enough space to do it, because the cliff moved inwards in front of the river. There was a small hidden cavity behind the waterfall. It was the perfect place for him, shadowed and unknown.

Alexis gave a last glance around him, wearily, because he did not want to be seen. He was covering his torso with the towel he carried. He let out a sigh, because there was no sight of the relentless hunter today. At least for now.

Ayako had visited a lot, multiple days. And she always asked for herbs. She always gave him more useless metal in exchange; or maybe food. Sometimes, she came without any intention of a trade, with the excuse that she was looking for plants. She also kept trying to make him go to her village; she wouldn't stop asking, every single time. Luckily, he usually managed to avoid the matter. Last time, Abiel demanded food, just in time to cut short their conversation.

Thank god for the clever and cute rascal...

He coped. But Ayako always returned. It seemed that she could remember something: that she loved to annoy him. And annoy him she did. To make matters worse, he felt watched. And not by her.

He needed peace. The shadows and flow of the waterfall were the perfect place where he could get some. It soothed his anxiousness, more than the loneliness of his cave.

Alexis walked up the small ledge that led to the small cavity, parallel to the cliff. He halted in front of the water that brushed the rocks, and stared at it without emotion. He unfolded the towel and glanced at what he had hidden in it.

He never gave Ayako all the herbs he had.

He decided to get to the point. He left the towel near him on the ground, and sat cross-legged. He gave his back to the water calmly, without minding how the humid rocks damped the pants he wore. He grabbed the herb he had and slowly leaned back. He bowed his head, in order to not soak his head when he brushed the water that fell. He felt how the cold water collided against his shoulders, and how it ran down his back. It brushed his scars, softly. The current was not strong, it was only a soft trail that fell from above.

His grimace turned into a relieved expression, slowly. With the water, his pain faded. He opened his eyes again, and began to rip the leafs of the herb. He broke and pressured them, and brushed his fingers to take their sap. Then, he raised his hand towards his scars.

A long sigh escaped the angel, now calmer. He let the sap mix with the water on his skin. After a while, he let his hand fall down onto his lap. He stayed there, sitting patiently. His mind and body felt better, thanks to the pressure of the water on his back, the relaxing sounds he could hear, the sensation of the medicine against his wounds, the cold, the dim light, and the faint sun rays reflecting through the waterfall.

He closed his eyes and just... rested. He let his head lie onto his hand, elbow against his lap.

While he dreamed awake... Abiel munched on the remains of an acorn. He was pushing it forwards from time to time, to chase it and grab it again between his paws. He ended up pushing it out the cave, and he bounced behind it without hesitation.