"Why are you even here now? Did that grumpy old man ask you to cook despite everything that you've been through because of his negligence?" Jacek spat as he leaned onto a wall, his judgy eyes lingering on Yuki's busy frame.
Yuki stood in her godfather's outmoded kitchen, surrounded by the warm aroma of boiling vegetables and the gentle simmer of chicken broth on a rusty stovetop. She moved with graceful precision about the kitchen as she chopped, stirred and tasted repetitively.
Yuki's eyes shone with a quiet contentment, lost in the simple joy of the dish she was making. She was entirely focused on the soup she was making for her godfather, otherwise, she would not have had any space left of her mind to think of anything else aside her ill fate and the fact that a complete stranger called her 'a despicable monster' without a good reason.
Well, maybe he did have a good reason to call her that, or maybe even without a reason, that was what his beautiful white eyes perceived her...either way, she did not want to dawdle on that memory any further that she already has...
Despite the turbulent states of her mind and emotions, Yuki was outwardly remained as calm as ever.
"That grumpy old man is the man who raised me, Jacek, please do not speak so poorly of him. I understand your resentment, but godfather is not as you perceive, he is kind to me," Yuki muttered after scooping some soup and tasting.
"Kind? I think not! Why would he, if as kind as you say, leave you alone with someone who despises you? He knew that fact too well and I expected him to make a better decision than leaving you with that witch!" Jacek countered with a frown.
There was no response from Yuki. She only concentrated on the carrots she was chopping. "Say, Jacek, I have not seen Sir Athaulfe ever since I returned. Is he still retrieving whatever he came for?"
As soon as her words reached him, a sudden realization dawned on Jacek. His scornful expression was immediately replaced by a look of clarity. His eyes widened, and his brows shot up with bafflement at his own forgetfulness. Jacek detached himself from the wall and neared his sister.
"Treyton entered the woods in your pursuit. How awful of me to have forgotten him after your return! I don't assume he is still in search for you?"
As soon as Jacek mentioned Treyton's location, Yuki's face darkened instantly. "Oh no!" she exclaimed, dropped the ladle in her hand and rushed out of the kitchen.
"What is wrong, Yuki? What happen?" Jacek frantically inquired as he raced after Yuki out of the house.
Yuki's countenance was a discernible mask of panic and anxiety when she made her way out.
'Please be okay!' she repeated time after time in her mind.
Yuki was the kind of person that did not settle on unanticipated experiences, especially those that affected her emotionally or mentally. Whenever something happened that was against her prediction or her will, Yuki somehow pushed it to the back of her mind, and soon forgot it ever happened. That was how she lived with less and less things to think or worry about. That was how she coped with her abnormal reality. That was how she dealt with her despair...
After returning to the cottage, Yuki was yet to think of Master Reigh or the gigantic wolf. She was yet to think of that bizarre and nerve-wracking situation with those two entities. To keep herself from thinking of anything, she got herself busy in the kitchen. It was going to take a few hours or days to completely dissolve that experience and forget them. However, as soon as her brother mentioned that Treyton was in the same place that those beings lingered, she was forced to remember them once more. She was forced to recall the fear those two instilled in her. Yuki hope Treyton had not encountered them. And if he had, she hoped he was safe.
Yuki burst through the door leading outside the house, her face expressed a mixture of urgency, determination and anxiety.
As she rushed outdoor, her mind and eyes were blinded to all but the forest that stood not too far from the cottage. Paying little attention to her surrounding, Yuki collided with the tall, sturdy figure standing just outside the door.
Treyton's eyes widened in surprise and his arms shot out to catch Yuki, as if to prevent their collision. But the girl was too quick, and crashed into him. She rebounded off his chest with clenched fists and her shut eyes. Yuki lost her balance and stumbled, before she would fall, however, Treyton grabbed her hand and pulled her to himself.
The two of them stood at the door, frozen in a tense description as they stared at each other. Treyton's chest heaved with exertion as he looked down at Yuki. "Are you alright?" He queried, his eyes intently studying her face.
Yuki's expression cleared, followed by her tensed body, which eased up as she gazed up at Treyton's face.
'Thank goodness' she thought.
She was grateful that he was back and unhar-
Before she could completely express her gratitude for Treyton's unscathed return, her wandering eyes landed on a bleeding bite-like mark on Treyton's shoulder, several others on his arms and legs and numerous claw-inflicted wounds scattered all over his naked upper body. Yuki slowly backed away from him, her eyes widened when she got a full view of Treyton's state.
"Heavens!" Yuki exclaimed.
Finally catching up to Yuki, Jacek's expression immediately turned sour when he saw Treyton in front of the door. "God! Treyton, whatever happened to you?"
Treyton ignore both Yuki's and Jacek's concerned eyes as they observed him. His sole attention was on the girl who stood before him. Treyton closed the distance between himself and Yuki. Then, slowly he raised his bloody hand and placed it on her petite face, his eyes lost in her innocent blues.
"Are you alright? You aren't hurt, are you?" Treyton questioned in a cool voice while his hand stroked the girl's face gently.
Yuki grasped Treyton's hand on her face, her expression softened under his touch.
"I am fine, Sir Athaulfe. I returned unscathed. But you on the other hand… you need immediate treatment!" Yuki declared, clutched Treyon's hand and turned to enter the house.
...
"What happened? How did you end up in such a state?" Jacek inquired while studying Treyton's wounds with intent.
"Wild beasts. I told you once that these woods are infested with them." Treyton replied without any change in his expression.
Jacek's lips parted slowly from amazement. He was both impressed and shocked that Treyton was able to make it back alive after possibly battling wild beasts.
"I guess your muscular bod is not just for show. I must say, you've impressed me," Jacek commended with apparent thrill.
Treyton spared him a glance before wincing and looking at Yuki, who sat across from him and tending to his injuries. He watched her expertly clean the wounds with cotton dipped in medicine. She stared at his wounds with a casual countenance.
One would assume Yuki's calmness had to do with the fact that she was an apprentice apothecary, and so, seeing wounds like his was not something to fret about. Still, Treyton thought that Yuki was somewhat strange; women, especially her age, tend to be empathetic and fainthearted. Yet, her eyes looked on to his wounds as if they were trivial or in fact, fleeting.
Treyton's eyes shifted from Yuki to look through the opened window and at the sky outside. The sun was gradually setting. He frowned and glanced at Yuki once more.
"We should be leaving soon, the sun is setting," Treyton announced abruptly.
Both Jacek and Yuki looked out the window to confirm Treyton's words; it was truly getting dark.
Treyton rose from the sofa on which he sat and hurried off towards the stairs.
"I am not done cleaning the wounds, where are you going?" Yuki audibly uttered behind Treyton.
He did not stop, instead, he responded while making his way up the stairs, "you can finish when we go back. I want to put something proper on so we leave."