Mystic

Chapter 12; Matthew

Matthew watched the sun rise over the canopy from the top of a tall evergreen. Matthew enjoyed it up there; The wind, the smell of vegetation, and the red and orange hues of the rising sun all made that little moment memorable. Matthew was just glad for the peace and quiet. Since He and Amira had started their journey, Matthew remembered why he had left the city. It was too crowded, too many questions, too many apologies, too much pretending. Matthew breathed in the fresh air happily as Orion circled the tree, sending powerful gusts of wind downwards into the canopy. While Matthew was enjoying the view, he heard his own name and jumped, which was quite awkward to do in a tree. He fell down several branches and hit his head off of the trunk. When he finally caught himself, all he could say was: "Ow......"
"Matthew? Are you okay? Where are you?" Amira asked from below him.
"Up here!" Matthew called back, still recovering from his fall.
"What are you doing up there!? Come down!" Amira scolded. Matthew sighed and started climbing down the tall tree. "Hurry up!"
"I could take the fast way down if you'd like." Matthew said sarcastically as he made his way down.
"The fast way?" Amira asked. Matthew was far down enough that he could see her, and she could see him. He looked her in the eye and said seriously:
"Free-falling. It's quick, all right. A quick path to the grave."
"So morbid!" Amira exclaimed. Matthew just rolled his eyes and kept climbing. When he reached the base of the tree, he whistled for Orion.

"What did you need?" Matthew asked.

"Breakfast." Amira replied, putting her hands on her hips.

"I don't think..."

"Clearly. Now, what about breakfast?"

"I can't..."

"Can't make breakfast? You seem capable enough to me." 

"Can you just let me--"

"No, I will not let you finish until I have food." Amira folded her arms and gave Matthew a haughty look. 

"Fine." Matthew took out a large piece of meat and handed it to Amira. "That is today's ration. Eat it whenever you like. After you've eaten that, you can't have any more until tomorrow."

"That's not fair! you have an entire bag filled with food, and this is all I get!?" Amira whined. Matthew sighed and pulled out another chunk of meat, about half the size of Amira's. Amira looked at the meat expectantly, but Matthew kept it and passed the bag to Orion, then pulled the strap of his around Orion's neck so he could carry it.

"Neither of us can have any more." 

"That's so little though! You are going to starve!" Amira said, noticing how small Matthew's portion was. Matthew looked at the meat longingly, then put it in his pocket. It was true that he was starving, but he had to make the rations last, and when catering to a princess who stubbornly chooses to walk to the nearest village, that meant sacrifices had to be made on Matthew's part.

"We'll both starve if we can't make the meat last." Matthew said.

"Fine." Amira picked up her blanket, then stormed ahead of Matthew. He sighed, then turned to Orion.

"You better not go through my stuff like last time I trusted you with my bag." Orion gave a snort, then started walking. Matthew knew that Orion was glad to be off of his wings, given all of the flying he had to do to stay out of sight lately. Orion was used to that kind of thing, but he would still be grateful for the break. As long as they were in the woods, Matthew wanted Orion on the ground. The canopy made it hard for the dragon to land, and if they encountered trouble, Orion was their best defense. Matthew realized that the group was now far ahead, and sprinted to catch up. He prepared himself for the long walk ahead of them.

----

Matthew stayed several paces ahead of Amira, trying to spot anything of interest in the undergrowth. He was upset that he couldn't stray off the path and look for mystical creatures, but he knew that the safety of the princess was more important right then. They had been walking for almost four hours, and Amira was already complaining.

"My feet hurt." She whined.

"I know." Matthew said, responding to her for the fiftieth time.

"When will we be there?" 

"Soon."

"Can you give me an answer that is more than two words long?"

"Nope." They continued on and on like this, Amira becoming more and more irritating by the minute. Matthew tried to distract himself by trying to spot mystics.

"Will this path ever end?"

"Yes." Matthew said, but stopped.

"Why'd you stop?" Amira asked. Matthew pretended to scan the surrounding forest for any signs of movement.

"I think I heard something." He said.

"What?" Amira whispered back.

"It sounded like.... a... princes who can't stop complaining." Matthew finished.

"Ugh! So rude!"

"I aim to please." Amira rolled her eyes and quickened her pace. Matthew could hear her feet stomping loudly behind him.

"You are going to attract attention." Matthew said.

"I don't care."

"You will when you are left bleeding in the dust, stripped of all your belongings and any dignity you have left." Matthew said. Amira just stared at him with wide eyes.

"What has gotten into you!?" Amira exclaimed.

"Maybe I'm just tired of listening to your high pitched whining." Matthew muttered to himself, but Amira scoffed behind him. He really needed to get better at whispering.

"You are in a really foul mood today." Amira seemed to think to herself to a moment. "Did you get any sleep?"

"Are you my mother?" Matthew muttered. Thankfully, Amira didn't hear that time.

"That's what I thought. You need sleep, Matthew. Just like you need food!" Amira said, but Matthew knew she wasn't talking about what he needed, she was talking about what she wanted.

"I am trying my best, " Matthew replied, "But I can't give you everything you want. That's not how it works out here. We all need to make sacrifices to stay alive. I wish there were some way to make it easier on you, but there isn't. I'm sorry." 

Amira looked down at her feet with a forlorn expression on her face.

"No, I'm sorry. Here you are, helping me when I can't help myself, and I repay your kindness with complaints and misery." 

Matthew didn't know what to say. He could tell she really meant it, but he wasn't sure how to respond. That's when Matthew heard a twig snap in the canopy.