"Aren't you acting extremely pompous?" I frown at the prince as I walked towards our discarded bag.
"Pompous? How so?"
"That's what you are. You are awfully pompous for my liking." I narrow my eyes at him as I wore the bag.
"We don't need him, Dyn. He's a stranger. Neither of us knows where he came from."
"But he saved us. Isn't it enough to make us trust him?"
"You will trust just anyone who helped you?" He shook his head, "you are outrageous, Dyn."
"Stop calling me that." I narrow my eyes at him.
"Last I checked, it annoyed you when I didn't call you 'Dyn' And now, you are angry I called you by the nickname?
You are the impossible one."
"Then, let it be." I only took the smaller bag and left the bigger one for him.
*******
Throughout the day, we journeyed until we got halfway across the forest. Yet, there was no sight of a town to be seen.
"I thought you said we will arrive in the next town before the sunset?" I yawned as I glanced around.
"We are close to the place. Let's keep traveling. It won't be long—"
"This was precisely what I heard three hours ago, and yet we are far from the place. I'm not fatigued and hungry, yet we are nowhere near the next town."
"We are. I don't think it's too far—"
"You don't think? Does that mean you don't know where we are going to? I thought you said you know the forest like the back of your hand. Why are you now thinking about it?"
"We travelled with horses. There's no way I would have known travelling on foot will take much time. It only took us half a day to arrive in the town."
"How can you compare horses to feet?" I arched a brow at him.
"It's not my fault, I—"
"Then whose fault is it if it's not yours?"
"You said you were fatigued. Where did you get the strength to talk?" He furrowed his brows at me.
"Ask your ancestors." I quickened my steps, hoping we might be nearer to the village like he thought.
"We can rest here for the night. Tomorrow, we will continue."
"And what about food?" I didn't turn to glance at him as I hastened my steps.
"Have you forgotten how I fed you on the first night we spent in the forest? I will—"
"I don't want bush meat."
"Okay, I will look for fruits for you. There might be vege—"
"Where did that smoke come from?" I pointed at the smoke which seemed to come from up ahead.
"Which smoke?" The prince peered up.
"Are you blind? Can't you see the smoke going up?"
"Oh, I see it now. Is the forest on fire?"
"There is only one way to find out about it," I said as I quickened towards the place I saw the smoke coming up from.
"Dyn, be careful!" The prince yelled as I ran.
"I'm always careful!" I yelled back as I hastened towards the scene.
As I ran, the forest started thinning until I got to the place where the smoke was coming from.
"You again?" I frown at the man who was sitting on a fallen branch.
"Come and sit." Mart grinned at me as he patted the space next to him.
He was roasting a rabbit on a medium fire.
"How did you catch it?" I asked in awe as I sat on the tree next to him.
"With my skills, of course," he smirked.
"Can you be less smart-mouthed?" I furrow my brows at him.
"Why should I?" He beamed.
"You—"
"Dyn!" The prince shouted from somewhere in the forest.
"I'm here!" I called back.
"Stay where you are. I'm almost there."
"I don't intend to leave."
"Better."
"Is it your partner?" The man asked as he turned the juicy-looking rabbit on fire.
"Yes."
It didn't take long before the prince made an appearance.
"Dyn, you—"
He frowned when he saw who was sitting beside me.
"What are you doing with him?" He narrowed his eyes at me.
"What do you mean?" I furrow my brows at him. "Come and sit," I pat the space next to me.
However, the prince only spared a glance at me before he turned to face Mart.
"What are you doing here?" He asked in a clenched tone.
"Why—"
"I didn't ask you questions." He frowned at me before he turned to face Mart, who wasn't bothered by the glares he was getting from Zoban. "Why are you here?"
"Isn't this the route to the mountains of the witches?" Mart pursed his lips.
"It is."
"Then, that explains my presence."
"Let's go." Zoban walked over to where I was sitting and took my hand in his. "We are almost near the village. Let's—"
"I'm not going anywhere. Can't you see it's late already?"
"Late? I thought you would rather not sleep outside?"
"I've changed my mind."
"But—"
"Let's rest here for today. We can continue tomorrow. There's no rush."
"What food you will eat? Didn't you say you were hungry?"
"Can't you see he's roasting a rabbit? We will eat dinner with him."
"I thought you said you would rather not eat the same thing you—"
"Don't worry, I changed my mind. Besides, the rabbit he's roasting looks delicious." I removed his hand from mine and turned to face Mart, whose attention was on the meat he was roasting, and not us. "When will the meat be ready?"
"It won't be long."
"Be fast. I'm famished. We have been walking all day with no time to rest." I yawned to emphasize my words.
"Don't worry, it won't be long until it's ready. I just need to turn it some more."
"Then, be fast."
The way I commanded him made it seem as if I'm the owner of the said Rabbit.