CPRDI - The Creature Protection, Restoration, Defence Initiative

Six

Oliver and Keith seemed to have things down pat. They knew exactly which trail to take, and looked like two backpackers that were off to play sword fight in the rainforest. Although they didn't seem too nervous about the swords that swayed at their waist, I certainly felt up in defences about it. I looked shyly around to see if I could see any park rangers glaring at us, or the guests at the cafe. But they didn't see us or seem bothered.

I had trouble keeping up, I was quite a lot shorter than them and my legs had to do double the effort to even trail behind them both.

"Slow down," I panted. Oliver's speed cut back enough that he was lightly pacing beside me, but Keith kept to the lead, his backpack bouncing with his steps. "How are you guys so fit?" I asked between breathes.

"The real question is how are you not?" Oliver teased. "You do as much as we do, maybe a little less."

"Does that mean I've killed a dragon as well?" I asked. Keith glanced back to us.

"Yeah, well. Keith and I killed a dragon like a week or two before we met you. Then our next dragon encounter was a nest of hatchlings. And we didn't kill them, we spent the whole time putting tracking chips in them."

"Why didn't we?"

"Kill them?" Oliver said, "because they were cute and at the time, and harmless. And who knows, Keith and I aren't dragon experts and we don't know if they are all evil."

"Wrong word, Oliver," Keith corrected in front of us, his pace had slowed so he could still hear the conversation. "Dragons aren't evil, we just don't know if they are all dangerous."

Oliver nodded. We walked along, listening to the cicadas, and the birds making their longing songs. I could feel Oliver's knuckles brush absently against the back of my hand as we walked. I quickly slipped my hand in front of me and held it against my gut where I could sense a stitch forming. I couldn't tell if he had noticed the brush of skin or not. I looked up at him, he was so much taller than me, especially from walking right next to him. I could see his chiselled jaw, and his Adam's apple bobbing slightly with the walk. The idea came back to me: boyfriend. I blushed and looked away, knowing he hadn't noticed me staring up at him, but feeling silly for staring at him. My boyfriend. Such a stupid idea. Such an unbelievable idea. One would have to be really gullible to think that someone as handsome as Oliver would want to go out with someone as odd as myself.

One would also have to be really gullible to trust their abductors from yesterday and get back in their creepy van to scout for something that doesn't exist. These thoughts made me feel more nervous, and with every step I felt like I was walking into a trap. But they both smiled so sweetly, and they walked with confidence and giddiness and even a bit of quirk. I eyed both of their swords; maybe they were planning to dispatch me with them? I cursed myself for jumping to such morbid conclusions.

When Keith stopped walking, I was so wrapped into my thoughts that I walked into the back of him.

"You okay?" Oliver asked, with a slight giggle.

"Yeah," I confirmed, a little breathless from the walk and confused from the collide.

Keith had only turned around and smiled. "Same old Cate."

"Are we here?" Oliver changed the subject. Keith's hand directed toward a nearby tree, and his finger to a small marking engraved in the tree.

"The marking is starting to get weak." Oliver noted. The marking was of a diamond, a dot in the centre and the bottom two lines of the diamond, once meeting each other both curled to opposite sides. Oliver unzipped the backpack on Keith and pulled out a small army knife and flicked it open. He leaned up against the tree and started to trace the old carving with the knife, scratching away the healing bark, until tree bared the diamond mark like a person with a new tattoo.