Trapped in our stories

The newcomer

"Meow meow... "

Milo looks up from his book to view the cat playing across him. Seeing its claws grasp at the wiggling culm before it, attacking the piece of grass mercilessly like a hungry lion storming an antelope, makes him move a few inches away from it. The feline, named Oscar, is actually a very nice cat. He can get quickly attached to people. When he didn't trust someone he'd simply walk away without hissing or attacking.

With Milo however, it was the complete other way. Oscar never got close to him. When they are in the same area, his eyes will follow him in a stern and warning way, making the boy feel anxious. When he gets too close, the cat will attack him uncharacteristically. Well, maybe not uncharacteristically if it is Milo he's attacking.

The source of the sound, however, did not come from the furry fighter. It came from the girl playing with him, meowing as she playfully waved the culm in the air. In fact, Milo is pretty sure his friend, Charity, meows more than the feline himself. She's the one who's been taking care of the cat ever since she arrived at the institution. You never have Charity without Oscar and the same goes the other way.

Neither of them really like to be around many people. That's why they spend most of their time in their little hideout. It's a calm and closed-off space they found while venturing through the forest. When they had first discovered the place, they had a hard time finding their way back and ended up spending the night there. Fortunately, the two managed to get back to the institution and memorized the way.

Not bothering to continue his book, Milo closes his eyes and lets his other senses enjoy his surroundings. The fresh smell of oxygen the plants produces, the soft rush of water from the nearby river, the happy continuation of meows sounding from his friend... the overall calmness of this place makes his body feel more and more relaxed.

Then all too soon that calmness gets disrupted by the alarming ruffles of leaves, increasing in volume. The boy quickly jumps to his feet, alerting his friend who now notices as well. Both ready themselves for the possible threat luring closer. Charity takes out her bow and stretches its bowstring with the nock of an arrow. Milo's hand is aglow with light magic. He prefers to use fire magic since it's easier to control, but figures he doesn't want to start a forest fire. Suddenly the soft ruffles become much more chaotic. It's accompanied by a small cry not a second before the source of all this noise comes flying from the bushes towards them. The two friends break their position to dodge it.

Landing between the two is a small ginger boy with chubby cheeks covered with freckles. He sits up straight, hands clutching the back of his head while grunting a few 'ows' to himself. After noticing he's not alone, his head perks up to meet the two wary faces fixated on him.

"Whoopsies, didn't mean to... uhm... drop in like that." Alright, I guess now it's safe to assume he's nowhere near dangerous, the tanned girl thinks. She quickly tends to the boy after coming to that conclusion.

"Are you alright?" the ginger stands up and shakes his head to shake off any remaining pain and embarrassment he still has.

"Nah, don't worry about me. When you fall like five times a day, you get used to it." He gives a small laugh to confirm that he's absolutely okay. Charity laughs politely with him. The freckled boy has already he's the complete opposite of intimidating. That makes her feel more at ease with him. Milo, however, is still busy inspecting the boy. He seems unarmed, so it's unlikely he's been traveling very far or that he even is a traveler. Besides, he's much too young for that. Then again, there are no villages close-by.

"Where are you from?" The questioned boy turns his head confused about the mage and his direct questioning, but decides it shouldn't be that surprising.

"I guess I should introduce myself first." He says before standing up and turning his attention back to them.

"My name's Aidan and I just arrived in an institution not far from here." Milo and Charity look at each other quizzically.

''Then what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you get settled in first? Maybe get a weapon?" The ginger doesn't hesitate to answer. It seems like he's completely relaxed with the people he met mere minutes ago. 

"Yeah, but I wanted to explore a little bit first. So are you guys also students?" The two nod and introduce themselves to the newcomer. Apparently, Aidan is the same age as Charity, 12.  This makes Milo the oldest by one year.

Now that most questions seem to be answered, the sound of the wind brushing against the leaves and the birds continuing their daily tasks return once again to the forest along with its calmness. The students continue chatting a bit. Just small talk, nothing more. The students don't really like to talk about themselves or their past. The school Leafora is not a normal school after all. It's also an orphanage. After the war a lot of children became homeless and so this institution was created. To both give those children a home and train them to help defend the country. 

After a little while, they decide to return to Leafora before it gets dark. Aidan already lost the way. Luckily he's with the two other students who were once in the same predicament before. The freckled boy is ranting on and on about whatever he can come up with only Charity really listening. Strangely enough, the dark-haired girl found a certain calmness within herself while talking to the energetic boy.  Or rather listening to him with how much she can actually bring into the conversation. She's content nonetheless.

Milo seems to be more interested in his surroundings however. He can feel every year his head has been and still is active. It's just unusual for him to be around someone so... lively for so long. 

Then something else got his attention. Through the treetops, he can faintly make out traces of smoke. It's in the direction of the institution! The rush of adrenaline makes him dash off immediately, leaving the other two confounded behind. After a long second the two start sprinting after him, still wondering what got over him. But he didn't care. He's not going to lose his home.