"Finally, we are almost out." Oscar couldn't hide the relief in his voice.
After eating the bear they had hunted, they rested for a bit before moving once more.
Myra and the captain of the search party had already ventured into the forest. The knights were divided into groups all being led by an experienced guide.
"My Lady, we can not go too far, the dangers of this forest greater than what the average mage could handle. I think it's best if we..."
"You don't have to worry, I know how dangerous this forest is, which is also why we are using guides to help us. I am not planning to put anyone in danger so we will stop at the boundaries that have been set." Myra cut him off and cleared him of his worries.
She had feelings for Oscar, but she knew that nothing could would come out of sending people to their deaths in this forest.
Walking through the forest she held thoughts of regret, not confessing her feelings of affection when he asked her why she was helping him. The truth was, she was scared. Afraid that he wouldn't feel the same way.
The emotions she felt didn't just happen on a whim, it grew and was cultivated over time.
Myra had known Oscar from the time they were kids, he was the only one she could say that was as intelligent as her maybe even more so. Whenever it came to academics, they would always compete against each other. She had an introverted personality which led to her having a cold demeanor. For her, life was boring, she could have anything she wanted, her personal tutors always praised her excellence. Her brilliance was above average, she was also not lacking in the aspect of combat.
However, the only person that gave her a sense of challenge was Oscar. At first, she saw him as an annoyance, with his dignified look and confidence that stemmed from nowhere, she disliked him.
Later, down the line she realized that he was the reason why she felt the need to improve, the cause of her competitiveness. He wasn't an obstacle, he was pushing her towards progress.
Myra didn't know that the attention she was paying to this young man was unusual. Initially, she convinced herself that she was doing it for the sake of her academics. Needless to say, it was just an excuse as the observation turned to concern, which grew from care to an intense attraction that she hid with a facade of indifference.
He was the reason she didn't want to go the academy. Well, her grandfather had suggested training her in dark magic instead of attending the royal academy, but she had declined, telling him she could still learn from hom once she was done.
When Oscar told her he would not go further, she went back to her grandfather and agreed to his suggestion. When Oscar failed to awaken she had a feeling of benevolent concern, wanting to help him in any way she could.
She didn't tell her parents, but went to her grandfather instead. Though her grandfather was always gentle and kind to her, giving her anything she wanted. Myra still felt anxious about telling him, after all he was also one of the most powerful mages in the continent.
Unexpectedly, he didn't scold her. Laughing it off as a childish infatuation after all she was fourteen. What did she know about love, she was still a kid.
Regardless, Myra didn't back down she begged her grandfather to help, which he did.
Myra never once thought that Oscar was dead, he may be weaker than her but he was smart, resilient and unyielding. Okay, he may be a little stupid because no person in their right minds would go too deep into the forest. At the moment, she was hoping for the best but prepared her mind for the worst.
'I called him a kid when we were actually the same age. When have I ever said anything nice to him. Oscar, I do hope you are alright. When I see you again, I'll tell how I really feel.'
As if a higher existence had been listening to her, one of the members of the search party called out loudly, grabbing their attention.
At first Oscar was wary he had noticed them from afar and cautiously investigated, this was no fault of his. He had been kidnapped twice, almost sold twice and a lot of attempts had been made on his life. So he was extremely vigilant. But when he saw them wearing uniforms with the badges they had on their chest, the order in which they moved as if searching for something or someone, he let himself be found.
He had told the young wolf to wait for him before he stepped forward to meet them. The knights could barely recognize him. His hair was disheveled, his clothes or what was left of it was marred in bloodstains, the aura he exuded made him look more like a wild beast than human.
He scanned their faces with gaze before his eye stopped at one person.
"Myra?" He called out in surprise, the expression on her face was something he wasn't familiar with.
'Is it...joy?' Oscar thought to himself but was quick to speak up.
"Myra I'm sorr..."
He didn't have a chance to complete the sentence before the figure slammed into him, embracing him in a tight hold as if he would vanish into thin air.
This startled him, even more so as he felt some wetness on his shoulders. He placed his hand at the back of her head patting her gently. They stayed in that position for over a minute before she let go, wiping off her tears she switched her expression to a serious one.
"We have found him, alert the other groups and tell them to cease the search. We shall escort him out of the forest." Myra stated.
"Yes, My Lady." They replied.
"Umm...can I bring her too?" Oscar asked.
"Her?" Myra was confused and so we're the others.
"My pet wolf, Zeia." After saying this he called out the wolf.
As he said that realization dawned on them, but as the wolf came out, their faces showed expressions of shock.
The wolf had reddish brown fur, bloodstains on it's body, and it's eyes gave off a feeling of danger. It was almost a metre tall which made it look more fearsome.
"It's a Zin wolf." Myra spoke.
"A zin wolf cub." Oscar corrected.
'That's a child?!!'
None of them spoke up but it was evident in their expressions, most of them had never seen the zin wolf species except in pictures. Gone were the days where mages would go into the forest to tamper and strengthen themselves seeking conquest by defeating wild beasts.
Now if you wanted to train, or gain fame so badly, then you can go to the army. There.has been an ongoing battle against the knolls and rather than dying in the forest alone and unknown if you died in the battlefield you would be given a proper burial and awarded for your meritorious deeds and achievements.
Not saying anything more, they all marched back.
While they were walking, Oscar felt the need to say something but kept silent. He was still trying to understand what Myra did, more like he couldn't understand. He knew now was not the time to ask questions, and considering the disappearing stunt he pulled, there was a lot of explanations he had to give.
When they got out of the forest, Myra addressed the knights. Thanking them for their work and she also rewarded them for their diligence.
It was their job as knights of the territory to answer to the ducal house and carry out any tasks given to them but the unexpected rewards they were given brought smiles to their faces.
Oscar and Zeia left with Myra through the carriage, they arrived at the manor. It was almost noon at the time. Her parents and brothers weren't around so the bombardment of questions Oscar was preparing didn't happen...yet.
He cleaned himself up, and also washed the wolf's body off, leaving it's fur with a brilliant lustre.
After he was done dressing up he went to the dining hall, where he had his lunch, food was also prepared for his pet to eat. Oscar thought Myra would be here after she told him to come to the dining hall but she wasn't present.
After he and Zeia ate he led her outside gesturing for her to behave, he let her roam around the manor.
Not seeing Myra anywhere he went to her room.
"Myra, it's me Oscar." Oscar called out as he knocked on the door. However, there was no response.
'What is she doing?' Oscar thought.
"Come in." Myra said it after a short while.
Oscar came in.
"Take a seat." She offered.
He sat down and they stared at each other in utter silence. Oscar knew that he needed to explain a lot but looking at Myra now, he didn't see it before but facing her he noticed the dark circles under her eyes and expression was one of fatigue, he could even contemplate that she had lost some weight. This shocked him to the core. He was about to speak up when all of a sudden...
"I love you."
"!!.."
"I always have."