Tanen awoke to the sound of early birds chirping and a heavyweight over his chest. Opening his eyes he's met with Cals' chest as the larger man snores away sleeping as heavy as a mountain. Slowly moving away from Cal out of his arms and bedroll, he grabbed stick and branches off the ground to make another fire. Not for breakfast but a good morning coffee, one of the only ways to properly wake up and start the day.
It was actually a warm morning for once which is great for Cal and his colder blood. For Tanen, it was fine whether it be warm or cold he just needs a good cup of coffee and he was set. For breakfast Tanen went to his bag to grab the small pot and the oats, grabbing the two bowls and spoons so when Cal woke up he could be served immediately, as oatmeal is best hot, and it was Cals favourite breakfast food as boring as that is. But oats being cheap and easy to find and cook it worked well with his busy days. Tanen, on the other hand, grew up with his parents and siblings who would all eat lavishly at the table at least twice a day, big plates of meats, vegetables and pieces of bread. The two grew up so different from each other but maybe that's why they're so inseparable now in their early 20s.
With oats made Tanen was left to his own thoughts, the good and the scary. What if they find this rebellion but won't accept him and separate him from Cal for not being a hybrid, or if they accept them both what if he gets harassed for being around him. No these thoughts need to stop he'll be fine, he's just being dramatic...well maybe. The sun had well risen by the time Cal decided to wake, grumbling a little holding his hand out for a mug of coffee to which Tanen happily obliged and handed the mug over careful to not spill any of the scalding liquid.
" You always do make the best camping coffee," Cal grumbled into the mug taking a concerningly large gulp.
" Well of course I do, it's about time someone recognizes my brilliance as a barista," Tanen replied, his nose pointed up as he radiated arrogance. Cal let out a chuckle that he tried to quickly cover with a cough. " Did you just laugh?"
" What? No," He quickly replied looking over to his left scanning over the large field that the two would soon have to cross to get to the closest village or town." Just some coffee went down wrong."
" Sure man, whatever makes you happy. Also, did you bring a comb?"
"Huh? No, I was just gonna use my fingers if it gets tangled...why?" Cal responded giving his friend an odd look, blond eyebrows raised and his amber eyes a little squinted. Tanen stumbled a bit to find a way to explain, opening and closing his mouth constantly.
" Well, you... have a bit of a rats nest." He finally said pointing at Cal's head while stifling a laugh. Cal's free hand flew to his hair as he felt around and tugged at the knots. Eventually, he gave up and placed his half-empty mug on the ground and gave his best attempt of puppy eyes he could make with his natural angry-looking eyes. Tanen easily gave in, a huge smile across his face as he walked around the fire to sit on a rock. His hands ran through his friend's hair as he slowly tugged at the knots that showed up during the night as he tossed and turned, this is precisely why Tanen kept his hair more on the short end, even though it had been a while since he got a haircut so his curls fell in front of his eyes. He would never be able to deal with long hair, unlike Cal who kept it long and always refused a cut. Something about how his mom loved his soft hair and would play with it and brush it for him before she and his dad left the village looking for an old friend.
" Can I braid your hair, Cal?" Tanen asked as he kept slowly running his hands through his friends now smooth hair. The larger man just grunted in response but allowed him to do whatever he pleased. So Tanen did exactly that. Adding small and large braids all thru-out his long blond hair before eventually shoving his hand in front of Cals face silently asking for a tie. Cal removed his cloth tie from his large wrists and gave it to Tan so he could grab all his hair and place it in a ponytail. It wasn't low but definitely was not high on his head and kept all his hair out of his face which he greatly appreciated.
" Thanks," Cal said a small smile tugging on his lips as he turned around to face Tanen, his cup of coffee back in hands but now you could barely consider is lukewarm. It only took a sip of the bitter liquid before he stuck is beside the fire to heat it up so it was bearable, might burn in the process but that was okay with him, drink it fast enough and you won't even taste it.
" We should pack so we can get going soon, who knows how long we need to walk right," Tanen said as he had already begun packing what little he brought. Chugging down his coffee Cal rolled the bedroll back up and picked up the dishes using the leftover water from the oatmeal to rinse out the bowls and pots so it wouldn't harden in their bags.
" The map still good?" Cal asked as he stood so he could fix his belt so his axe hung beside his leg, easy to access if needed but generally out of the way. Tanen simply nodded in reply, patting his bag.
" We are gonna west from here, the town shouldn't be too far, I hope," He explained as they began their march across the never-ending grassy field.