Adriana POV
As we continue our journey, I admire the circular piece of metal - the chakram. It's surprisingly light for a weapon. It is gilded intricately along it's centre with patterns resembling something ancient pressed into the surface; they might have been writing at some point, but age and repeated use has worn them down. The blade itself however is still sharp enough to cut someone from simply looking at it, which worries me since I have to awkwardly carry it. Luckily, the curved handle running through the centre means that I don't have to butcher my hand in order to hold it. It may cut my side if I'm not careful though.
It can't be nearly as bad as the other ones. It turns out, the main weapon I'm holding is part of a sort of set. I have a total of 6 other chakrams, all of which being much less complex aesthetically than the main one. They are a simple band of thin steel, with no gilded decoration or handle but are just as sharp, if not more due to how much thinner they are. Each varies in size, with two of them being large enough to fit a head through and the other four being the size of a bangle. They are also considerably lighter than the main. Since they are so sharp and seemingly impossible to carry, the smaller ones are in my backpack, the larger ones strapped tightly to the outside, although I have to admit I have been checking every so often to see if they are still strapped tight enough. Just the thought of them falling on my ankle makes me nervous. The siblings think that I'm overthinking it, but I take no chances.
I still haven't the foggiest how to use them, since Becca and Alec don't know either and I don't want the smartass thinking he has leverage. Why did I have to pick these? If I can manage to cut myself on a sheet of flimsy paper then I can sure as hell do that with a bunch of pointy frisbees. If he was to come at me with his warhammer, I am almost certain that I'd skewer myself before he got in a hit. Then again, what he doesn't know won't hurt anyone, and besides, I look insanely badass. Win.
Speaking of hammers, he seems pretty acquainted with his choice. As we have been walking, he has been swinging it about as if it is just another appendage, all the while remaining uninjured, which baffles me. The thing looks like it weighs a tone and a half, yet he barely breaks a sweat carrying it, despite the fact that the action accentuates his muscular frame greatly. The bulge of his biceps flex, his shoulders squared from the strain of the extra weight.
God. Here I am, ogling a potentially lethal mental case who could probably kill me easily enough without the damn hammer. I blame hormones.
I have got to think about something else.
Fortunately for me, my stomach starts to grumble, causing my thoughts to shift to my impending hunger. Unfortunately, I think everyone can hear it, since as always, it sounds like a beached whale.
Pursing my lips, I mentally scold my stomach.
Behind me, Alec lightly chuckles. Scrunching my nose, I groan as he comes up beside me, wearing a shit eating grin, confirming that he did indeed hear my stomach. Swinging his backpack off of his shoulder, he opens it up, fishing around for a few seconds before revealing a granola bar and handing it to me.
"I do have my own food you know," I open the wrapper.
"Yes, but I know you. You wouldn't have eaten anything," he takes out another bar for himself.
"What makes you think that?"
Grinning, he swallows a large bite. "Because you're constantly panicking about how far we have to go."
So he noticed then.
"We'll why else would you have gotten a weapon? You don't expect me to believe you'd have it if you thought we weren't going that far."
"How far are we going?" I finish off the food, stashing the wrapper in my jacket pocket.
Before Alec could respond, smartass replied from in front of us. "We are almost there. It's just past those trees," without looking at us, he gestures to an unusual arrangement of trees. There are two sturdy oaks standing not far away, their trunks thick and rough. Their branches wind together just below where the canopy of leaves begins, forming a natural archway coated in vibrant ivy snaking between branches. From where we are, I can't see anything behind them but grass.
As we approach, the brightness of the leaves on these trees becomes apparent - they contrast with those of the canopy, making everything about them look dull and almost lifeless. The closer we get, the more I realise that the forest is not all as ominous as it outwardly seems.
All air leaves my lungs as I step through between the two oaks. A clearing, void of imperfection, the complete opposite of the tangled mass of occasionally thorny branches I've seen until now. The ground is covered with freshly cut grass the colour of jade; with no weeds in sight, the only break in the colour is the minute amount of petals fallen prematurely from a single blossom tree at the edge of the clearing. While the splash of pink is quite pleasing to look at in a solely green area, the sight of the blossoms causes my brows to furrow. It's usually a little late around this time of year for sights like this.
Disregarding the tree, I look around the clearing. There is no sort of shelter in sight, the wildlife remaining untarnished. However, dispite the sheer emptiness of our surroundings, the place has a more warming, homely feel than the rest of the forest, and finally the pressure on my lungs has decreased - I feel like I can breathe again, even though technically I never stopped. Warm sunlight touches my skin as it shines through the gap in the canopy. From the darkness before I had previously begun to think that the sun had disappeared.
After inspecting our surroundings, I turn to the others, who are also standing near the edge of the clearing. The siblings seem to be in as much awe as I was, their eyes trained on each feature of the clearing. Smartass however seems to care a little less for the crisp colours. His eyes also scope out the area, however the way his head turns is more frantic than that of the siblings as if he is looking for something. Considering this place is virtually empty with the exception of grass, my heart speeds up, not sure what to anticipate.
I swear that if this fucker got us lost in the middle of nowhere, I don't care how proficient he is using a fancy hammer. He'll be wearing his balls for earrings.
Loosing my patience, I open my mouth with the intention of dishing out a bollocking. But before I can voice my thoughts, a howl sounds from the other side of the clearing as a shaggy brown creature stalks out from the trees.
Before I get chance to utterly shit myself, the wolf starts barrelling towards us. My feet are glued to the ground. It reaches us within seconds, leaping up in the air. My mouth falls open on its own accord.
Pinned to the floor lies the smartass, his face smothered repeatedly in wolf tongue.
Alec is at his side almost instantly, grunting as he attempts to shove the creature off of smartass' chest. The wolf appears stubborn, growling at Alec - although said growl was more of a fair pitched puppy rumble rather than anything threat-like. Alec pushes again, this time successful. Now free, smartass stands, wheezing and holding his chest. "Goddamn... Fucker... Bad... Dog..."
Upon hearing him refering to it, the wolf bows its head playfully, moving its tail almost violently. It looks up to Alec, bounding up to him and rubbing its side against his leg. To my surprise, Alec chuckles, patting its head tentatively.

It spots me next. Still rooted to the spot, I remain ramrod straight as it tilts its head at me before walking slowly towards me. It sniffs my leg, circling me, its eyes glued to my face as if judging me. For a second it steps back, sizing me up. I might as well be having a heart attack at this point.
Suddenly, the wolf goes from judge to puppy again, its body lowering and practically vibrating from the force of its tail wagging. Before it tries to pounce on me, Alec puts his hand on its head, drawing its attention. "Go get Kellen."
Weirdly, the animal appears to understand Alec's words, bounding off into the forest beyond our view.
My gaze stays fixed to the trees where the wolf left, waiting for... I'm not entirely sure what. I've seen films with wolves in and in the vast majority of them the wolf ends up attacking someone. But this one... Even though I was practically soiling myself I have to admit the creature was kind of cute. It's playfulness also makes me think that if it lives with this "Kellen" then maybe he won't be as murderous as I had imagined. My stomach is still slightly unsettled, but my my mind eased.
As I watch the gap in the trees, a shadow becomes visible before transforming into a solid form. The person, who I assume to be Kellen, appears about my age with a lanky, mostly limbs with a little muscle. He smiles brightly as he nears. He would have looked a perfect vision if not for one curious feature - his eyes. They remind me of a cat's eyes, the pupil being thin and elongated surrounded by emerald green. Perhaps he likes contacts?
"Do you always tilt your head like that?"
Startled, I snap out of my thoughts. He said something. I really should pay more attention. "Huh?"
He appears almost giddy at hearing my voice. Strange.
"You were tilting your head. I do that," his words run together rapidly as he looks me over. His eyes land on the chakram in my hand. "Is that a frisbee? I like frisbees. They're easy to catch. I'm good at catching. Can I..."
"Kellen," Smartass walks forward, his
expression hard.
Kellen grins. "You're back! You took long enough. Have you seen that frisbee?"
Groaning, smartass rolls his eyes. "It's not a frisbee, Kellen. And tone it down, would you?"
"It's not a frisbee?" His brows furrow, mouth turning down as a sullen expression finds his face.
"No."
"So how am I supposed to show the new girl my catch?" He looks down, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.
Raising a brow, smartass crosses his arms, glaring at him. "Oh I don't know. Go get a tennis ball."
His head snaps up abruptly, eyes wide. "Ball?"
"Kellen stop being ridiculous."
"But I want it."
"Kellen."
"Who's the new one anyway? Is she here to help us? Can she throw the ball? Where is the ball?"
Laughing quietly, I watch as smartass' resolve slowly deteriorates. He rubs his temples, mumbling under his breath.
"Am I making you angry?" Once again, his expression saddens, his eyes tearing up. "I made you angry didn't I? I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I'll be a good boy I promise."
Smartass sighs, replying with forced emotion; "I forgive you, Kellen."
Kellen's face brightens, removing all trace of his previous sadness. Christ this guy is dramatic.
Before he can speak, Alec touches his shoulder, drawing his attention. "Kellen, this is our friend, Adriana. She's helping us find Emily."
"Hi," he waves frantically. "I like your frisbee."
I chuckle. "Thanks. I like your contacts."
He tilts his head, opening his mouth, only to be interrupted by Becca. "Guys, I think we should go get started before nightfall."
As if just recognising Becca's presence, Kellen's eyes widen and he backs up, hiding timidly behind Alec's back. However, Becca appears to brush it off as nothing, turning to me instead. "It would be a good idea to practice a bit with the chakram. I could help if you want while those three go over some stuff."
As much as practice would probably be useful, I'm not sure how I feel about them going over "stuff" without me. Becca must have sensed this, as she clarified that by "stuff" she meant informing Kellen of what had happened so that we can start planning tomorrow.
I watch as the guys walk in the direction Kellen came from. I guess it's time to apply my frisbee-throwing expertise.