The Keeper

Chapter 4

AN: I decided to post a chapter to see if you guys likes the change in writing. If I don't get any comments or feed back I might delete this story. ~S.B.

Chapter 4: Seth

He walked to the counter where I was standing and asked me for the war hammer that he had ordered.

 “Just a second,” I said going to the back room and retrieving the hammer. I came back out carrying the majestic warhammer in my arms. “Here you go,” I said handing it over to him sad that it was gone.

 "Thanks,” he said quickly and quietly.

“Your welcome … um … I’m sorry I never got your name,”I said shyly.

“Seth Morielli,” he said slowly, ”I never caught your name either.”

“Ashley Hale,” I replied. It was about closing time so I went to the back and told my dad I was going to go hunting. I soon left and went home gathering my bow, quiver, and a few days provisions. I soon had a pack that I slung around my back and went out the door with.

There he was lurking near the edge of town in plain sight of my house, I ducked back inside as soon as I saw him. What is he doing here? I thought. I was going to go into the forest and he just happened to be there. I then popped my head out in time to see an evening guard patrol walking where he was.

“I’ll just go tomorrow,” I heard him say to himself. I then watched him enter the small inn. I went to the edge of the forest and watched the inn to see if he would come out.  When he did not come out by the time  I saw my dad coming home I exited the forest making the short trip home appearing to have had a bad hunting day.

“ Hey Ash, bad hunting day?,” He asked me seeing my empty hands.

“Yah,” I replied as if it actually was a bad day, when I had actually seen three deer when I was in the forest.

“Oh well, better luck next time,” He said tiredly.

“ Yah, We should get to bed soon,” I said noting the almost set sun. No wonder he waited until tomorrow. I thought to myself. We went inside and went along our evening routine and went to bed.

The sun had not risen yet when I woke up. I woke up earlier because today was a full hunting day, I always got full days out when I couldn’t catch anything the day before. I got up and prepared my bag and supplies. I wrote a note to my dad just in case:

Dad,

I am going out hunting, I don't know how long I will be gone. I will try to be home by the end of the day though, if I am not home by sundown, I will be back tomorrow. I hope that you will be able to handle the shop without me, but I’m sure you’ll do fine.

Good Luck,

Ash.

I left this note on the table hoping he would find it there. I’m sure he will. I told myself silently. I walked out of my house and as I did I saw him walking, sneaking, lurking towards the forest. Seth.

The sun was rising by this time, and I wanted to get a move on but I decided to wait. I watched from the cracked open front door until he got to the edge of the forest, I decided then and there that I was going to follow my dream and follow him to wherever he was going.

I walked to the forest without trouble telling the patrol  that I was going hunting. As soon as I was in the forest I was in my ME zone, the place I feel the safest. This is where I would go when I felt there was too much going on, too much pressure,  too much commotion, too much confusion. I could escape here, It was like a different world. I heard a twig snap in front of me and a voice muttering under their breath.

It was so much more realistic here in the forest than it had been in my dream but everything was so similar. I continued to follow him for an hour without any incidents. But then he stopped at a big rock and I almost ran into him. I came so close but I stopped myself. I immediately ran back a bit so he wouldn’t see me, but in the process snapped a thick twig. I saw him pull out the same piece of paper that he had in the dream, I could just make out the features of the map. I watched him find the big rock on the map, watched as he pointed out another place, as he traced a trail in between with a few other landmarks on the way.

He turned to his right and started going again. I had seen what the next landmark looked like so when I saw it ahead I slowed down a bit just in case he stopped. He did, this was not another check the map stop though, this was a full on break. A little snack some water. I decided that this might be the only rest he would take so I took advantage of it. I did just as he did, rest, drink, and eat. Soon I could hear and see him start to pack up and did the same.

We continued on running for the next two hours until we came to a cliff and a waterfall. Good thing were on the bottom and don’t have to go up. I thought. I watched as he sat under the shade of a nice lush shade tree and pull out his map.

“Just follow the river now,” I heard him say to himself. This gave me a hint of where to go if I got separated and couldn’t find him again.  But I could not rely on just this fact I had to keep up with him. As soon as he got up and we started moving again I realized he was going slightly slower than usual, but this made sense it was past high sun and we had only stopped three times.

It took another three hours of traveling but we finally came to a massive water fall cliff thingy and as he went ahead and started to climb the rock face I stayed in the trees. That was until he reached the cave.

As soon as he disappeared inside and I was sure he wasn’t coming out soon I walked around the edge of the clearing until I reached the cliff. I went over to where he had climbed from and started climbing. It was a difficult task but I finally made it up. This is where my dream had ended. This will decide what will happen next. As I neared I saw that what seemed like a small cave mouth from the ground was actually a huge opening in the cliff.

As I walked In I saw a stone bed in the corner and some packs - his packs but nothing else. He was asleep on the bed. I just wanted to get a closer look at his face because I was getting a feeling he would play a big part in my life. I walked over to the bed and looked at him. I moved some of his golden hair off of his face and looked.

I yelped as a hand shot out from under the blanket grabbed my wrist and pulled me down into a headlock. I felt cold steel against my neck and looked to see  him holding a dagger there with the hand that was not holding me down. “Why have you been following me?,” He asked me.

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