After an undetermined time of running. I decide to stop and catch my breath. Panting, I bend over and grabs my knees. I look around, noticing the sweat rolling down the sides of my face and sticking my clothes to my body.
Looking around, I don't see anything out of the ordinary. Trees and fog is all I've seen in this direction. So this must be the safest path. I'd assume if I keep walking in a straight line, I'll find a way out of the forest, right?
When I've caught my breath, I stand up straight. My stomach grows at me. I haven't eaten since Mystery-Boy gave me that skinned pear. And I don't even know how long ago that was. I am unsure how long I was out after running into Drew. But, no matter. I'm sure I could find something edible out here.
I continue walking forward a bit longer and finally catch sight of a small pear tree that does have a few pears on it. I take a closer look at them when I approach the tree. All three of them look amazing. No holes, no bugs. To think of it, I haven't seem much wildlife out here, no wolves, no coyotes, no cougars. Nothing. Only the Shadow and my-i don't know what he is-boyfriend.
I take a deep breath, my mouth salivating at the thought of eating the three pears on the tree. I reach out, just barely grabbing one with my hand when it's yanked off course. I can feel the pressure on my wrist. Someone grabbed me. I look up, and for a half second I think it's Mystery-Boy. But this one has more silver looking hair and his eyes are more green than the one I encountered in the cave.
"Don't eat that," he says grimly. No smile on his face. He doesn't look very amused. He looks even more intimidating than the Mystery-Boy. He puts a hand behind his back and slightly leans over, towering over me, enough to make me take a step back but he's got a firm hold on my wrist.
"Let go of my wrist," I say a bit nervously. He drops it immediately at my words, now a grin appears on his face.
"Where did you come from, Little Thing?" He asks, giving me space as he circles me like a predator.
I'm unsure what's going on. I want to hide myself, but I'm out in the open. Vulnerable. I watch him warily, I don't want to end up in a worse situation than I already have. "I-I don't know," I say, unable to control the unwelcome shake in my voice.
"Where were you before you decided to run across my forest?" He asks, one of his dark eyebrows raises at me.
"I-I was in a cave," I stammer out as he gets closer.
My eyes set on one of his arms as he walks directly in front of me.
"Good, I was hoping you were with him."
My eyes move up to meet the stranger's. "W-Why would you be happy a-about that?" I ask, uneasy with the lack of space between us. I take a step back.
"My brother always chooses the best ones." He says, not advancing on me again but watching me closely.
My eyebrows draw together into a confused frown. I feel confused. "Brother? Best ones for what?" I ask.
He smiles, "I'll explain soon. Take me back to him. I seem to have gotten myself lost out here." He says, smiling. His tone seems softer now. Kind of charming, actually. His overall demeanor seemed intimidating but he has quite a bit of charisma. I wonder how close they are, if they're brothers. They look exactly alike aside from the hair and eye color. And I think this one is a bit taller. To figure. Wasn't the other one tall enough?
I begin walking with him, but I pause, "A-Are you... one of those... things?" I lower my voice to ask, as if someone is going to discipline me if I'm heard asking it.
He chuckles and shakes his head, "A Shadow? Nah. They don't mess with me or Kyler." He says.
"Kyler?" I ask.
He nods and smiles, his hands returning behind him. He takes less steps than me as his legs are much taller. "Kyler, my brother who was in the cave."
"And your name is?" I ask.
He smiles. He looks like he's a bit adamant about telling me what his name is. Looking me over for a moment then his smile grows. "Niko."
I nod, "Kyler and Niko," I say under my breath, just to make sure I remember.
"And yours?" I hear him ask.
I look up at him and smile softly, "Dylan."
He hums, looking ahead and walking beside me, "Beautiful. Dylan," he says my name as if just trying to see how it feels rolling off his tongue.
His remark of my name being beautiful makes me laugh internally. I used to be called a boy growing up because my name was more common as a guy's name. I didn't like it when I was younger. I wanted to be called something more simple, and girly. Like Jasmine or Sapphire. But recently I've noticed that people do admire it now. Even though it makes me sound like a tomboy, I don't truly mind as much. My brother and my mother love it, that's all I care about.
"How long have you been in the forest?" I hear Niko ask.
I look up at him to see him watching ahead. I look at my feet, knowing we're heading in the correct direction. "I'm unsure. A few days at least."
I hear him hum again, as if processing what I've said. "And the Shadows haven't bothered you?"
I shake my head, "I've seen two, but I seem to be okay."
"They didn't change you?" He asks, I can tell by his voice he's extremely curious about it.
I shake my head again, "No they didn't. Or at least not that I know of."
"You'd know. There's no room for doubt if you've become a Shadow." He says in a matter-of-fact tone.
"You sound like you know a lot about them." I say observantly.
He smiles and nods, still not looking at me when I glance up at him. "I own the Shadows. This is my forest. Welcome, Dylan. I hope you'll get to go home soon," his tone turns more critical as he talks, as if not truly caring about me or my getting back home.
I don't dare ask anymore, his last comment, about owning the Shadows, gave me goosebumps, and I now realize I might not be in a good position. Maybe he has something to do with them. Are they some kind of gone-wrong lab experiment or something? I don't want to know anymore until I'm in a safer place.
Maybe Kyler will be safer. I mean he did heal my leg and he fed me. So maybe it'll be safer to ask questions when I get back there. This poor guy, he's been trying to get rid of me and this will be the third time I've invaded his home.
The cave comes into sight and I point at the vines and bushes covering the entrance. "There." I say.