In the heart of the woods, the innkeeper teetered, separated from his allies, grown weary from the wounds he got earlier. His motives unknown even to himself, still he pushed on supporting himself with the mossy trees he passed. It was not long until his senses ultimately failed him, he fell at the base of a tree. He pulled himself up, leaning against it and feeling its moist texture on his back. Seeking comfort on his final moments, he takes of his tight vest and tosses it aside.
"Shit..." he thought to himself.
A striking sound of thunder bespeaks an imminent storm. He sighs.
"I'll probably die anyway."
In a distant, an obscured figure approached from the trees.
"There's one here!" the figure stopped and called out to his allies.
"Leave him, he isn't what we came here for." another voice came from somewhere behind the woods.
The figure took one last look at his pathetic state before disappearing into the woods.
Relaxed once again, he let out a breath he was unaware of. Droplets fell onto his face as he looked up into the midnight sky, it finally started to rain.
The sides became blurry, his vision fading.
"End of the line, huh?"
He closed his eyes.
"So be it."
...
"You're an idiot." a voice echoed in his mind bouncing back and forth.
He opened his eyes and was delighted to see a familiar face, it was the lady back at the tavern.
"We could've shook them off if you weren't so stubborn... Here, let me tend to those wounds." She said with reassurance.
Without even needing his permission, she began rummaging through the pouch strapped to her hips.
"Why?" he asked.
"Don't." she replied, still collecting things from her pouch. "Look, don't get the wrong idea, I'm just returning the favor."
Left with no choice, he swallowed his pride and sighed in both defeat and understanding, then closed his eyes once more.
"You can call me Clyde."
She paused and instinctly gave him a quick glance before resuming, slightly impressed by his perception.
"Eve."
After unbuttoning what little had held Clyde's shirt together, Eve moved closer disregarding any kind of thoughts the man might have and proceeds to nurse the wound.
...
"Hey, wake up."
The innkeeper sprung up from his previous state, he didn't notice that he had fallen asleep. It was still raining so he didn't sleep long, he looked down to see his stomach wound bandaged, neatly nursed. In a just blink, the pain is diluted, it's hardly believable.
"That should staunch the flow." Eve reassured.
"Thanks. So what now?"
"Now you owe me... Let's find shelter before the storm."
"Fair enough." still in pain, he tries to stand, but to his misfortune, his attempts were in vain. Eager, he reached and slung his arms around the lady's shoulders helping him support his weight.
"Excuse me?" surprised, she asked.
"I need your help once more."
"hmph."
And so, they pushed on midst the rain, seeking refuge from all dangers that threatened their well being.
…
Dark clouds settled above the restless pair, they walked in the brewing storm. For hours they wandered, each step bringing them closer to exhaustion. Even as they were already perforated with misfortune, the rain along with the cold around them were ruthless, intensifying every second.
Alas, a flash of lightning revealed the outline of a structure just behind a lush of trees. How convenient.
"Hey Eve." Clyde called.
He looked down to the lady supporting him, she didn't reply and her expression unreadable underneath the hood.
"Eve." he shook her.
After regaining focus from the sudden shift of movement she recalled their current priority, "Hmm?" she replied. Her voice was barely heard in the rain and the exhaustion was obvious, she had grown tired supporting a tall man for hours.
Realizing what he had done, Clyde was worried. "We should wait the storm out in that cabin." he suppressed the shame.
No reply.
After passing through the mass, they reached the cabin. It was deserted and was sturdy despite the burn and marks. Must've been the war, the reason to leave such architecture.
"It isn't much but it'll do good in keeping us from the rain." Clyde said as they entered.
It was unexpectedly cozy inside, the house interior was blemished with a few leaks and cracks but most was still intact.
Aware of Eve's fatigue, Clyde searched for a place for her to rest. At the far end of the cabin, there a lone but dormant fireplace was placed.
"I'll get a fire going, wait there." he said.
He watched her as she sat on the rug just before the sleeping fireplace. Though still in pain, he pushed himself to find matches in the kitchen.
The kitchen was deprived of food, but there were a still a few things that can be put to good use. He ransacked through the shelves to find what he was looking for, he got lucky. Although the matchbox he found was low quality, it was still effective to start a fire.
Clyde came back to see the lady already deep asleep, leaning against the couch with her side. With no intention to disrupt her sleep, he tiptoed to the fireplace where the firewood were already stacked.
"Too careless, already placing her life at stake by sleeping with a stranger at her side." He knelt before the fireplace with a groan to light it up.