Halfling (editing in process)

Chapter Twenty-Five

"How can it be hungry? It ate a bear Aria, it dropped you on the ground and it ate a bear!"

It had been two weeks since they had set out from that camp, two weeks since Payne had left. Javen had been so careful with her, and had taken to sitting with her until she was asleep. Marcus only turned back to a small pup when she wanted to hold him or when she walked on her own. He stayed curled up at her back when she slept, staying in his gigantic dog-pony form. She felt safe, but the nights were still terrible, as were the days. She would have fits of nothing but pure panic, feeling like she couldn't breathe... Javen tried to help, but the moment he put his hands on her she would only panic even more, one episode had him trapped in a tree for two hours while Marcus snarled at him, she had been too far gone to call him off. Not only that, but even in her sleep, where she was supposed to have some kind of reprieve, she was haunted. Every night she dreamed of Lucien, of his hands, of his voice... For the past two nights she had given up sleep all together, pretending until Javen went to sleep, only to pace into the forests, Marcus at her side. She felt at home in the forest, it reminded her of her home. Her mother's bracelet constantly pulsed energy into her, the reminder that her mother was there for her was comforting, but she didn't think she would feel truly comfortable again for a long... long while.

"I don't know what hellhounds typically eat Javen, and he ate that bear this morning, the sun is starting to go down, he's a growing boy." She commented, a light yawn leaving her lips as she patted his head.

She was lying down on Marcus once more, feeling too tired to walk. She had started out fine in the early morning, but after stumbling on every root that crossed her path Marcus had put her on his back with a huff.

"I think we should make camp for the night Aria. We should be at the crypt by tomorrow, right?" Javen questioned.

"Yeah, we'll be there by tomorrow." She wanted to continue, but she understood that Javen needed a break. He had been walking all day, not being carted around by a hellhound.

Within an hour they had camp set up, a rabbit cooked, and one oversized dog chewing on the remnants of a family of squirrels. Javen offered her a canteen, which she took graciously and sipped at as she ate.

"I'm going to assume that since it's a crypt we are going to run into all kinds of grotesque things, especially undead or something like that. I've never encountered the undead, and I do not know how to deal with them." She yawned.

"We'll worry about that tomorrow, for now; you are going to get some sleep."

"Javen, I'm f-fine..."

"No you aren't. You haven't slept in two nights. You've been wandering around the woods and that isn't safe for you right now... I know that you need your space, but if you disappeared one night and I could have done something to prevent it I would have never forgiven myself. So I put a little bit of that root into your water, and you are going to sleep."

"You-You drugged me?!" She questioned.

"You need some sleep Aria. You need rest. If you go down into that crypt and aren't focus, you could get hurt. I need you alert tomorrow, and this was the only way I knew how to help you."

He rose to his feet and helped her to lie down, despite her protests and the panic in her eyes. He jumped back as Marcus growled and snapped at his leg. The dog then curled up at her back and put his head on her shoulder, growling low in his throat as he looked at Javen.

"I hate you." She said miserably.

"You'll have plenty of time to yell at me when you are fully rested in the morning, and then we are going to go find that third relic, got it?"