Guardians Of The Zodiac

Chapter 2

Ryder was quick on his toes, keeping up with anything and everything the Sprites threw at him while also answering them thoughtfully and thoroughly. They were so excited just to be around another source of magic energy that wasn't mine. Even though we had just met him the Sprites seemed to drop their guard for the time being so I allowed myself to do the same, trusting their instincts.

"Are we almost there?" Iris complained.

"Yeah, I'm starving," Ryder groaned.

"I thought you said you would be able to show us the way through the forest," I sighed at him.

"I also said that it's really easy to get lost in this forest," he reminded me.

"Aren't you a local? Shouldn't you know your way around?"

"Do you think all locals just go scavenging through the trees for shortcuts?" he threw his arms out for exaggeration.

I narrowed my eyes at him, finding this conversation to be pointless and irritating.

He found it amusing.

"Maybe if Serena would just follow the stupid map instead of taking us on side roads then we would've been there by now," Iris muttered under her breath.

"You didn't map out your path from-and-to home beforehand?" Trinkette asked Ryder.

"No, I kind of just chose a path to take and started walking," he shrugged.

Impulsive...confident...quick-tempered...has the affinity for fire...

He originally said that catching the bandits was a job for him so if the Aries Guild wasn't in the complete opposite direction I would have assumed that's where he came from.

"How did you know when you would get to the village to fight the bandits? And how would you know if you'd make it in time? At that rate, the town would've been completely taken over by the time you got there..." Trinkette rambled fast, trying to calculate the reasoning behind his own methods.

"Well I would have made it in time if I didn't run into those jerks back there that almost crushed you guys in case you forgot. Are you all this uptight?" he wondered.

"I'm not the one with a constant stick up my butt," Iris glared at Serena.

"Can everyone just calm down? I'm doing the best I can," Serena snapped as her frantic eyes scanned the map over and over again.

"She has a terrible sense of direction," Iris whispered to Ryder.

"Yeah, I got that much. I'm pretty sure we already passed that same shrub about six times," he whispered back, playfully.

"Yeah? Well I'd like to see you guys do any better!" Serena shouted back at us.

"I think Trinkette can do better. You're the one who got upset and stole the map from her, telling her not to interfere," Iris pointed out.

"Do you guys ever stop to take a break? Stop to smell the flowers maybe?" Ryder complained.

"Tara doesn't like the smell of flowers because they..."

"Trinkette, how about we skip the little fun facts about Tara," I gave her a pointed look and then huffed at Ryder. "Look, you said we owed you and that you wanted dinner money. So the faster we get to Lucerne, the faster we get you food. So no. We will not stop to smell the flowers."

"Do you have a problem with me or something?" he suddenly stepped out in front of me to stop me in my tracks.

"Her sugar levels are decreasing. She's just as hungry as the rest of us," Trinkette informed him.