Seven Souls |Updates Fridays|

46 N & V

_N & V_

Nyka splashed the water into his face, trying to further wake himself up from that odd dream. The boy had never had any dreams quite like that... it was a scary thing. Was he getting stronger then? He didn't know. He didn't want to know. Nyka was not even sure that this dream was even real. He was delusional from hunger out here, right? That had to be it, the dream hadn't made any sense.

The sounds of the stream were a refreshing sound after weeks of hearing his footsteps and his own breath. The forest was too quiet sometimes... now that he thought about it, had it been too quiet lately? Sure there were still birds around but their songs weren't as loud as they normally were. Perhaps it was just the area he was in now. He decided not to pay it any more mind.

With a sigh, Nyka slipped off his shirt and tossed it to the bank where his bag was. He began unwrapping the bandages he had wrapped around his waist and arm. Though he didn't need it, if someone were to see the large scar that spanned from his elbow up to his neck and across part of his chest, it would only be easier to recognize him. Though his ethnicity already exposed him quite a bit for who he was. Perhaps Nyka could try to go east then? Would they take him in because his mother originated from there?

It seemed unlikely... he did not know much about his own mother and there was no one he was able to ask. He was on his own... and he would not know how to try to ask the easterners. All he knew of them was that they rarely interacted with the midland. Getting ahold of any of them would be nearly impossible. He sighed, splashing his chest with water. He supposed the east was out of the question.

He couldn't go south as Ingrid had said... his grandmother had been going south for years. He had been all around the midland, though he couldn't remember most of his travels. He could not go west either... Why the west did not restrict anyone from entering, they were constantly at war. It was likely he would be forced into the military there or just die in the crossfire.

The stream he was in now hardly went up past his ankles and spanned at least five meters across to the other side. It wasn't loud enough to drown out the sounds of the birds completely so when the already quiet birds ceased their songs completely it was noticeable. It took a moment, but eventually Nyka took notice of the absence of birds. Even the cicadas had stopped their buzzing. It was all too quiet, save for the soft sounds of the stream below him.

He lifted his head and wiped the water from his face, looking around. There was something off, he could feel it. It felt as though there were eyes on him now, and it was starting to freak him out. His heart was picking up as he surveyed the scene but nothing unordinary seemed to be out here. Nyka slowed his breathing and focused on if he could hear anything unusual.

Suddenly he whipped around to face the other bank and met eyes with a robed stranger. His hood was down revealing bloody red hair and striking violet eyes like nothing he'd ever seen. There was only a split second before Nyka reacted on what he could only call instinct throwing his hands out, the water in the stream all collecting together to rush in the strangers direction. It came together like a wave, allowing Nyka the time to spin on his heels and run back to the bank and narrowly snatch up his shirt shoes and bag.

Having no time to put any of this on, he shoved the shirt and shoes into his bag as he ran, nearly stumbling in the process. His feet would likely get cut up from the forest brush and roots but he had more to worry about than a few cuts at the moment. Nyka ran as fast he could, not bothering to check which direction he was going. Staying alive was more important to him than getting lost in the forest. He would make due somehow.

The boy ran as fast as he could, ignoring the scratches that started to litter his legs and feet. He stumbled into trees occasionally, cutting up his exposed chest and arms but he didn't let these minor wounds slow him down as he ran on. His feet thumped into the twigs and leaves as he took hard steps to propel himself forward as fast as he could. He risked looking behind himself to see the robed stranger with the red hair not far behind him. Panicked, Nyka tripped but managed to stumble back onto his feet only to find himself falling once more. The terrain had dropped suddenly, his body rolling face-first down a slope through shrubbery and trees.