A Skeleton-born, an Enderborn, and a Desert Thief

Owl Prowl

The night air felt cold.

It was all I could think of in my excitement. The night air was cold.

I was wearing my old cloak again, like I used to during my thieving days. We stood away from the light, not even letting our shadows be seen. Tull and I were breathing lightly, and I slid open a window. A chest lay quietly next to our sleeping victim, and while I kept watch, Tull opened the lid carefully.

"Jackpot." He whispered, swiping up some stuff before we both jumped out the window, running off into the darkness. To the next house we go, running like the wind, our cloaks flapping in the wind, faces masked, not even a footprint left behind. Like ghosts we went prowling about, stealing valuables and non-valuables. I felt exhilaration, joy.

Nostalgia.

It was like the old times again, where we stole to live, before I quit and Tull left. I became the weapons master, and Tull went on to take this thief thing seriously. We were the shadows of the night, never caught, never found. Always on the run, but forever having fun. I admitted that it was exciting, it got my adrenaline running into overdrive. We always found goods like Iron or Copper, but rarely found rubies or diamonds. Until tonight. Sick bay, being full of doctors, was a rich town. Diamonds and gold, sapphires and emeralds. We raided house after house, until we could carry no more. We dumped the stuff into our own chests.

"You know, I never thought I'd ever go prowling with you again." Tull said, as we sat by the lighthouse. I smiled, sighing blissfully.

"We should do this more often, but I have a shop to attend to and a reputation." I reminded him, and Tull laughed humourlessly. I should have noticed then, but I was blind to it. We just sat there in silence, listening to the soft melody of the river running by. The starry night sky felt wonderful, and I wondered how long it had been since we last did this. Tull was gazing at the sky, his eyes shining with a sort of glow. He turned to me abruptly.

"You know I was really scared when Duncan attacked you. I thought I lost you." He said, and I shrugged.

"He wanted more nukes." I said simply, and Tull's eyes widened.

"Again?" I nodded.

"I refused, naturally... I'm not letting the old world's incident happen again. It was my fault the old world blew up... Not exactly Duncan's." I whispered, and I knew our old argument would happen again. Tull would tell me that it was not my fault, I would disagree, and it would result in a debate where neither of us are happy. But we didn't. Tull just wrapped an arm around me.

"Yeah well, Duncan had to force you to. Not exactly a good reason why you're the cause so..." He commented, rubbing my shoulders gently. I sighed.

"I just want everything to be okay again, you know what I mean?" I mumbled, starting to feel tired. All I remembered before falling asleep was Tull nodding, and picking me up, carrying me back to camp...

●○●○●○

Rythian was lying on the bed, uncertainty and fear overwhelming him. He nearly lost Zoey, then he nearly lost a new friend Amelia. Zoey, whom he loved. Amelia, who offered him friendship. And that thief, Tull, who gave him reassurance. He was still wondering about what happened to the two of them, where they went after leaving the hospital. And then Tull returned, Amelia in his arms, sleeping peacefully. He wondered if that was how he looked like when he carried Zoey into Sick Bay. Sick Bay... What a stupid name... Rythian glanced at the thief.

"What were you two doing, so late at night?" He asked, snickering a little. Tull laughed.

"Nothing much. Sitting by the lighthouse, talking."

"Stealing?"

"A little."

"I expected as much, Ninja."

"Just call me Tull seriously."

"Nah."

"Then I'd call you Enderborn."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Then call me by my name goddamn it!"

"Fine..." Rythian sighed as Tull laid Amelia on the bed. Tull himself sat down next to her, running a hand through her hair. She looked peaceful, despite the bandage around her mouth. Rythian wondered what would Zoey think about her, or the Thief named Tull. He glanced at Tull, who grinned.

"At least her hair doesn't change at night." Tull said, trying to make it less awkward. Rythian chuckled.

"Why does it even do that?" He asked, even though he knew the answer. There are perks to being a mob human, and then there were downfalls. Her's? The sunlight burns, and her hair starts to dry rapidly due to Skeleton properties that strengthens anything and everything. But Tull didn't know that. He shrugged. Rythian then lay down on his bed, thinking about Zoey, about the crater their home once was, and about Duncan, who "visited" Amelia. What did Duncan want, why did he want it specifically from Amelia, how did he even know Amelia had it? More importantly, how did he know where Amelia was? He realised he had come to care for the skeleton girl, but as he thought about it he fell asleep, the very last thought being Zoey's smile.