Survivors of the Wild - Larry Stylinson

Chapter 28

They're woken up in the morning by Niall knocking repeatedly on their door, yelling at them to get up. Louis groans, throwing a pillow at the door. It doesn't even make it all the way there, falling short a few feet before it.

They'd stumbled back to their room only when the music had stopped last night, and Harry's eyes are screaming at him to fall back asleep, even though Harry is sure it's much later than they'd usually wake. They do get up, though, dressing in new clothes and adding an extra layer of padding to the eggs in their bags.

The hollow is almost completely empty when they make it down, table cleared and no sign of festivities to be seen. There's a few elves million around, having chats outside their homes or stepping out to greet the morning with a grin. Aryelle meets them, taking back to her home, where Niall, Cara, and Donovan are tucking into leftovers.

"Nice of you to join us," Cara snorts, shooting them a playful wink.

Louis shrugs, stealing a honeycake off her plate. "Good morning."

Aryelle laughs softly, almost sounding like chimes. There's still flowers tucked into her hair, and she hands them both a plate. "Did you enjoy the celebration, then?"

Harry nods enthusiastically. There's still flowers tucked into both his and Louis' hair, too, he notices, but he doesn't bother to take them out. "It was lovely. Really. Thank you for letting us go."

"Of course," she says immediately, sitting across from him to eat her own breakfast. "We welcome guests to our celebrations with open arms, as long as they are respectful of our ways."

When they're finished eating, Louis pats his bag absently. "We should leave soon."

Aryelle nods, standing up to lead them back to their rooms. It doesn't take too long to pack up, but it's starting to get into the afternoon by the time they leave.

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