Owen

A Walk in the Woods

He was panting.

Knees shaking, he managed to stand up after a few tries. He smiled to himself but kept on silently walking away from the cage that housed him almost all of his life.

Hugging his frail body, his bare feet slowly made their way to the open woods. The darkness and mystery surrounding the area compels him, entices something wild inside of him to venture.

His hand grasp the bark of the tree, feeling the wood in his palm, his nose lift in the air, getting it use to the foreign smell of... Air? Forest?

"Freedom."

He breathe out.

His heart pounded with happiness. For as long as he can remember, he'd been hurt and trapped inside a box and now, he can run.

And so he did.

The boy ran and ran, not caring if he missed the trail or that he is not aware of where he lives or the danger of being caught by the old woman.

He didn't care.

Just one night

He argued.

One night to run

One night to feel

One night is all it takes for him to know what real happiness is...

And its through meeting her.

The girl in her night gown, basking under the moonlight. Her curly mane fixed in two braids. Her hand grasping a white stuffed bunny carelessly, making the end dirty.

She gasped in surprise.

She'd never seen someone so...

Strange.

His eyes shine so bright she swore the moonlight can't even compete.

She tilted her head to the side, her eyes raking up and down.

"Who are you?"

She asked.

Stupid as it was, she never learned. Never will.

Young Thalia has always been a cheerful, young little girl who wants every single person in the world to be her friend and even with her parents' constant reminder to ' Not talk to strangers', here she is.

"Can you not speak? It's rude to not answer when you are asked."

She said. Swaying slowly to the sound that only she can hear.

"Its more rude to stick your nose in someone elses business."

Not having enough, she stopped dancing, putting her hands on her waist.

"You're grumpy. Didn't you know you'll gain wrinkles if you keep furrowing your eyebrows like that? Try smiling! Mommy gained two when she scolded me the other day."

His mind automatically wandered to the old hag whom he hope is still slumbering inside her warm abode.

No wonder why her face looks like a crumpled paper.

"Are you lost? Are you on camping too? Daddy and mommy got into fight so daddy brought me to camp and count stars... It's something about mommy sucking her boss, I don't know what that means but I'm pretty sure my mommy can't do that."

He wanted to laugh at her innocence. He's pretty sure that whatever she said are not something a person should convey to a total stranger like him.

"So... Are you lost?"

"No. Are you?"

A couple of minutes wouldn't hurt, right?