Never Ending Tale

Chapter Two

Shiro tapped his foot impatiently as he anxiously waited for her to return. His dark brown eyes scanned the area. He tried to reach out his magic to search for her aura but the poison he received a few days prior prevented him from doing so.

He bit his lip. Where was she? She should have been back by now, right? He jolted when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw his brother standing behind him.

"Calm down, Shiro. Ari will be back soon. She can't be taken out easily."

"Right. Thanks, Saito." Shiro gave his older brother a small smile.

Saito smiled back and walked away towards the others. "Join us by the fire," he called over his shoulder.

Shiro stood up from the log he had been sitting on and stretched his stiff muscles. How long had he been sitting? He felt like he hadn't moved in ages. He dragged his gaze up to the sky as a breeze blew through his long black hair. The sun was setting. His anxiety lingered as his worry for her came back.

He wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his katana. If she was hurt, he would make sure karma got its sweet vengeance. After a moment, he couldn't stand it. He had a nagging feeling something was wrong. He glanced at the others, making sure they weren't paying attention to him.

They were distracted by Matt boasting about his big haul a few weeks ago. He had brought back enough food from a bakery to last them a while. The food had run out last week and so some of them were scattered about, gathering more food. That was why Ari had left.

A wave of dizziness hit him as he tried to stretch out the range of his magic again. He gave up and took off into the woods, leaving his friends behind in the clearing.

I'm going to regret this, he thought with worry.

If only he hadn't been caught by the poison-using Enforcer. The poison had made him weak and unable to use much of his magic. Exerting himself too much often left him feeling sick and unable to move.

Pushing away his worry for himself, he focused on looking for Ari. Where could she be?

After pushing his body past its current limit, he stopped running and leaned against a thick tree, panting and feeling ready to collapse. His kamishimo felt suffocating as he worked on catching his breath.

He reached out again with his magic as he rested and was relieved to find her walking in his direction. He shakily sat down, his legs feeling wobbly. He didn't have to wait for her for long.

"Ari, you're safe," he greeted when she reached him.

His nerves relaxed more. His eyes landed on the fish she held and he smiled.

"Nice! We're having fish for dinner," he said excitedly.

She smiled and nodded. "Let's hurry back to camp. I'm tired from my adventure."

She held the fish awkwardly with one arm as she helped him to his feet.

"Why are you out here?" she asked. "You're supposed to be resting while the poison is working its way out of your system."

Her gentle scolding was welcomed. He rolled his eyes, still smiling. She punched his shoulder playfully.

"Don't roll your eyes at me!" she laughed. "I'm just worried about you."

"I know. Everyone is worried about me. I was worried about you. I had the feeling something went wrong."

"I was almost caught by the Enforcers," she said with a sigh. "I hate them. They're so creepy."

He silently agreed as they started walking. He gripped the hilt of his katana. He should be feeling completely relaxed but there was still a nagging feeling of dread. Something big was going to happen. He only wished he knew what it was so that he and the others could prepare for it.

By shivastrife