Warmth ~<GreenWind>~

❄️{Thirteen

Lloyd followed his gut for awhile. He still had the map but he deemed it useless. It wasn't bringing him anywhere helpful anymore.

He was completely lost. He didn't know if he was going forwards or backwards. Left, or right. Which way did he originally come from? The map couldn't tell him that.

It wasn't in detail. It showed a straight path as if obstacles didn't exist. Lloyd should have expected that more than he did. As far as he knew it was outdated and the landscape had changed.

Lloyd's doubts got interrupted by something pushing up against his legs. He verbally shuddered and pulled away. Looking down, he saw a little black cat rubbing against his legs.

He hesitantly smiled and knelt down. "Hey there little one."

The cat looked up at him and meowed, putting its front paws up to nudge him in the head with its own.

"Are you lost, too?" He asked.

The cat walked away from him a little, then looking back. It meowed.

"What is it?"

The cat walked forward again.

"Do you want me to follow you?" Lloyd asked. Another meow. He started to follow the cat who happily started walking again.

"I take that as a yes." So with that, Lloyd spent the next few hours following this cat around.

Normally, he would have thought it ridiculous and wouldn't have followed a cat around. But he was doing the same thing, wandering. So why not do it with some sort of company.

The cat finally came to a stop. Lloyd, drowsy and bored, didn't even notice where they were until the cat tripped him by doing its head butting trick like it had been.

"Woah, woah." He held his arms out.

He looked up and his eyes got wide. Right in front of them was a whole orchard full of an assortment of red, yellow, and green colored apples. The cat knew.

Lloyd almost cried. He pet the cat thankfully. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

He received the signature meow in return. He took that as his cue to go and eat. He didn't dare be picky. He picked one off the tree and bit into it. He instantly felt better.

The crunchy, juicy, green apple. Perfect amount of sour and sweet. The right amount of crunch, of juice. It was heaven.

He bit off little pieces for the cat too, who happily ate what it could. Lloyd thought it was kind of odd. This random section of fruit. He wasn't complaining. It was just strange.

He took a look around and saw something familiar. It was a large rock. The shape was familiar. But from where?

The map.

He pulled out the map. He was right. It was one of the defining landmarks on the map. That only meant he could keep going straight! He could go forward.