First Meeting

Vicious snarls tore through the silence of the Bleakleaf Woods, followed by howls of what Akorri could only assume were Wolfbeasts. With a start, he noticed they sounded like they were nearby. His underground home did not have adequate protection from dangerous Wolfbeasts.

“Crap,” he hissed, pressing against the earthy wall of his den. Despite living here for several months now, he had not secured his home as best he could. Covering the entrance with a net of shrubbery was enough to fool the casual passerby, but certainly not a Wolfbeast, whose noses were much sharper than a normal canine’s. Wolfbeasts hardly ever showed themselves in the forest, but that didn’t mean he shouldn’t have been prepared. Akorri swore under his breath. 

He still had time before the creatures found him. They sounded like they were a few minutes away, judging by the volume of their howls. He would have to check if the coast was clear above ground first before packing anything.

Akorri carefully moved the protective net and poked his furry head out of the hole. It took him only a moment to adjust to the darkness of night. His eyes widened with alarm. His hearing was completely off – the Wolfbeasts were within sight. He saw that their hackles were raised, making them look even larger than usual. Their horned heads hung low as they circled something lying on the ground.

Akorri’s breath caught in his throat when he saw that something was a person.

A purple rabbit girl was huddled in the centre of the circling Wolfbeasts, completely silent save for her shuddering breaths. From where he stood he couldn’t see her clearly, but she seemed quite battered. How long had the Wolfbeasts been after her?

What was Akorri supposed to do now? He couldn’t possibly leave this girl alone to be eaten by these creatures. But he couldn’t save her, either. Of course he couldn’t. He was only one small Fillian; there was no way he could go up against three massive Wolfbeasts. He would be torn to shreds in seconds.

The Wolfbeasts hadn’t scented Akorri yet; they were advancing slowly on the rabbit. If he didn’t act quickly, she would be killed. Panic flared in his chest at the thought of facing the creatures alone. They could easily grab him in their jaws before he made a single move.

He couldn’t do it.

Just then he heard the rabbit groan. “Why... Why haven’t you guys eaten me yet?” Her voice was low; taunting, even. Akorri couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Was this girl not afraid to die?

One of the beasts growled in response and took a step forward. It was preparing to deliver the killing bite.

Akorri couldn’t watch anymore. He disappeared back into his hole, heart hammering in his chest. His den illuminated by the faint glow of a candle, he tried to watch its flame flicker in an attempt to calm himself. But knowing that just outside his house a young girl was about to be devoured by Wolfbeasts, he couldn’t slow his pounding heart. “I’m... I’m disgusting,” he muttered. He wouldn’t even try to save the poor girl. “So disgusting...”

He swayed on his legs, which threatened to give way in his panic. He should at least try to leave, but his mind froze him in place. If he tried to get out, he would be killed immediately. Yet if he stayed, the Wolfbeasts would soon find him anyway. He could do nothing.

“Just eat me already!”

Akorri’s head jerked up. The rabbit girl was intentionally goading on her tormentors. Was she insane? She was only going to hasten the inevitable. Was that her aim? Did she want to die that badly?

“No...” Akorri’s ears flattened to his head, guilt pricking at him like thorns. It looked like he was going to run away again. He was going to abandon those who needed him yet again. The thought sent a wave of nausea through him, powerful enough to snap him out of his stupor. He felt like he was about to vomit. 

There was no way he could deal with any more guilt.

Shivering, without thinking, he lifted his head from the hole. The Wolfbeasts were preparing to pounce. Akorri shot out of the hole, his lithe young body weaving through the shrubbery with ease. He hugged his cloak close to him as he ran so it wouldn’t get caught on anything. Biting his lip, he heard the Wolfbeasts growl in confusion. He had halted them.

If he could just lead them away from the girl and hide somewhere out of their reach, he wouldn’t have to face them, he realised. Then that was what he was going to do. He heard the animals tearing through the bushes behind him, the dense undergrowth slowing them down. Both satisfaction and panic hit him as he realised he was being pursued. “That’s right,” he hissed, a smirk playing on his lips. This scenario was beginning to feel familiar. If he could pretend he had stolen something from the Wolfbeasts as he would do in his days of thieving, he could do this. He had done this before and he could do it now. “Follow me!”

The Wolfbeasts seemed only too glad to oblige. Akorri just hoped he had gotten all of them to go after him.

As he ran, he kept an eye out for a good tree to climb. He was glad he lived in the woods, where climbable trees were in abundance. If there was one thing he knew about Wolfbeasts, it was that they couldn’t climb.

“Try and catch me now!” he taunted, hopping onto the nearest branch and using it to slither up the tree. He yelped when he felt a Wolfbeast’s teeth graze his tail but he pulled it back just in time, propelling himself up the tree with new vigour. He hauled himself up onto the highest branch, daring to look down. All three Wolfbeasts were there, but not as far down as he would have liked. Despite their jumping, they could not reach him.

“I outran Wolfbeasts!” Akorri gasped, watching as the creatures tried to clamber up the tree but only slipped back down. “I actually did it!”

The Wolfbeasts soon stopped trying to lunge at him, standing below his branch with their ears pricked and their tails high. Were they going to wait for him to get down? Or what if they got bored of waiting and went back for the rabbit girl?

“I can’t stay like this,” Akorri murmured. He watched the beasts, his eyes narrowed in thought. He knew Wolfbeasts saw with their noses. Was there a way for him to leave his scent behind on this tree to keep them busy while he slipped out? Would they even fall for that? “Come on, Red Rogue. You’re pretty smart. Surely you can outwit a beast.”

He crouched down as he tried to think. There was one thing he could do to cover his scent: roll in this forest’s namesake plant. If he could find a patch of Bleakleaf, he would be safe. These woods had a natural defence against their own Wolfbeast inhabitants, masking the scent of anyone who brushed against their leaves. Akorri had never used Bleakleaf before, but he’d passed by the plant enough times to know what it looked like. It had to be somewhere nearby.

“I’ll have to keep going,” he realised aloud. He was not looking forward to running away from the Wolfbeasts again, but he didn’t have much choice. If he stayed, the creatures would probably go back for the rabbit. He wouldn’t let that happen. There was nothing for it; he had to keep running until he stumbled upon a patch of Bleakleaf. He didn’t want to think about the possibility of the beasts catching him before he found anything.

With a deep breath, Akorri removed his cloak and left it on the branch, leaping down from the tree. There was no time to give in to fear, not when someone else’s life was at stake. He pelted away deeper into the forest, his eyes scanning the undergrowth for signs of Bleakleaf. He heard the Wolfbeasts running behind him, hot on his trail. “See if you can catch the Red Rogue,” he hissed, easily ducking to avoid a thick, low hanging branch. He grinned when he heard a Wolfbeast yelp as it crashed into it.

He ran on, determined to weave through the forest’s obstacles in an attempt to slow down his pursuers. Wolfbeasts were fast, but they did not have his agility. Not only that, but this way he had a higher chance of finding Bleakleaf. If he stuck close to the plants, eventually he would find what he was looking for.

A flash of indigo caught his eye. “That’s it,” he murmured, veering sharply towards it and almost slamming straight into a Wolfbeast. He ignored it; he was pleasantly surprised by his icy calmness when he was so close to instant death; and launched himself into the patch of deep blue leaves.

The Wolfbeasts, confused by his sudden turn, halted abruptly. Akorri peered through the Bleakleaf to watch the creatures raise their heads and try to recover his scent. He knew they couldn’t see him now, and since they couldn’t smell him through the leaves they wouldn’t know where he went. They growled and paced around in frustration before one of the Wolfbeasts raised its head and barked. It ran off back the way it came, supposedly tracking Akorri’s scent, and its companions swiftly followed. It would lead them back to the tree and his ripped cloak.

With the Bleakleaf’s scent masking him, Akorri was free to leave, but he had to go a different route so as not to run into the Wolfbeasts again. He decided to pluck some leaves to take back with him to hide his home from the beasts. He gingerly stepped out from the safety of the blue leaves and slithered through the forest. He would go back for the rabbit girl and take her to his home.

Akorri saw her lying just as the Wolfbeasts had left her, completely still save for the rise and fall of her chest. Now that he was close to her he could see just how ragged she looked. Her dark purple hair lay messily on the ground, a ripped blue piece of cloth caught in it. Her fur was unkempt and covered in plant litter. “You look like a mess...” Akorri murmured, his heart clenching in sympathy.

With great care he lifted her from the ground and carried her on his back, trudging home as quietly as possible. He did not run into any more trouble and sighed with relief when he caught sight of his hole, looking just as he had left it. He carried the rabbit girl down and placed her on his makeshift bed (a sleeping bag); her small frame fit easily with enough space left over for her to move around, if she could manage it. Akorri briefly moved up to cover his net with Bleakleaf before pulling it back over the entrance to tend to the girl. Moonlight barely filtered through the netting, so Akorri was grateful for the one candle still burning in his den.

“Those Wolfbeasts got you good,” he murmured, his eyes widening as he caught sight of blood dripping onto his bed. Anxiously he searched his home for medicine and bandages and set to work trying to heal the poor girl’s injuries.

He didn’t know how long he stayed up to disinfect and bandage her wounds, watching her for signs of consciousness. She seemed to be deep in the world of sleep, her ears twitching every so often. Thankfully her breathing was slow, as if she was relaxed. That seemed like a good sign.

“Not like you’d die from a couple of Wolfbeast scratches,” Akorri said quietly, sitting by the bed. Of course the girl had suffered far more than a ‘couple of scratches’, but he didn’t want to think too hard about how her numerous injuries had gotten there. “What were you doing here, anyway?” His voice was barely above a whisper. “Nobody ever comes here...”

Silence fell over the two in Akorri’s lonely little den, save for the rabbit girl’s breathing. The candle flickered once; its light was weak. It would go out soon. 

The night was a miserable time to be awake.

“At least I have you for company.” Akorri broke the silence with quiet murmurs. “I haven’t talked to anyone else in a long time...” He bit his lip. Living a hermit’s existence was no life, but it was one he had placed on himself, and he couldn’t change that now. But that didn’t stop him from hating every single second of it. He looked over at one of the walls of the den, where a desk sat holding many shiny items and artefacts. He smiled faintly at them, but the expression disappeared in a second.

He had no right to possess any of those objects.

“You know, if you’d had something cool on you, I wouldn’t have hesitated to rescue you,” Akorri went on. “I risk life and limb to collect stuff like that...” ‘Collect’ was certainly one word for it.

“That’s pretty stupid,” a voice croaked.

Akorri gasped, almost jumping out of his skin. He whipped his head back to the rabbit, his eyes widened when he saw hers were opened. Her pink eyes blinked slowly as they focused on him.

“Um...” She furrowed her brow, then winced. “Where am I? Who are you?”

“You’re in the Bleakleaf Woods,” Akorri explained. He hesitated to tell her more.

“I know that much!” she replied with a frown. “But where in the woods am I?” She carefully sat up, groaning in pain, but Akorri let her move. It looked like she wouldn’t listen to him if he told her to stay still anyway.

“Well, actually, you’re underground.” Akorri almost smirked at her wide eyes. “You’re in my home.”

“You live underground?” She blinked. “But you’re not a mole. You’re a Fillian. Fillians don’t live underground.”

“But I do.” 

“But you’re a Fillian!”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I can’t live underground.” Akorri wondered if this conversation would continue in a loop if he let the rabbit speak again. He changed the subject. “Why were you being chased by Wolfbeasts?”

“I guess they found me tasty-looking?” The rabbit shrugged. “Why else does a predator chase their prey, if not to eat it?”

“Well, yes...” Akorri sighed. Perhaps he should try a different approach. “What were you doing in the woods in the first place?”

The girl beamed. “Exploring!”

Akorri stared at her. This girl really was nuts. “What do you mean, ‘exploring?’ This place is dangerous! You could’ve been killed!”

“Well, I wasn’t.” The girl nodded slowly. “’Cos of you. Thanks for that, by the way...” She looked away briefly and twitched her ears. Akorri wondered what she was thinking, but before he could say anything she spoke again. “So who are you?”

This girl sure changed subjects fast. “I’m... I’m Akorri.” He figured he could tell her that much. “And you?”

“Laerya Lightningdancer, at your service!” The rabbit dipped her head, her ears flopping over her face. “But everyone calls me Lae for short.” She felt around her head for something, then sighed. “Aw, my ponytail’s messed up... But at least my scarf’s still okay!”

Akorri raised his eyebrows, looking briefly at Lae’s yellow scarf. Compared to the rest of her, that item of clothing didn’t seem damaged at all. She must have been protecting it. 

“But anyway.” Lae waved her hand. “Why do you live underground, Akorri?”

The Fillian was careful not to flinch at her words, though he almost did. He kept a casual expression though his mind was racing. He wouldn’t tell Laerya the reason for his isolation. He could have been living somewhere much better, with other people even, if not for his shameful mistake. “Because I want to,” he said carefully. That was a terrible answer, but he couldn’t think of anything better.

“Were you born underground?” Lae asked, tilting her head. She seemed completely oblivious to his bad response. “Oh! Do you have a whole underground city around here? That’d be awesome to see!”

“No.” Akorri couldn’t help grinning at her enthusiasm. “Nothing like that. It’s just me and this one hole.”

“Oh.” Lae’s ears drooped in disappointment, but she brightened up immediately. “Then are you an Earth user?”

Akorri shook his head. He did have to wonder if someone with magical ability fashioned the hole before his arrival, though. He had found it strangely hospitable given it was literally a hole in the ground. It even had bumps in the wall which could serve as steps to the entrance. “I’m no magic user.”

“It’s okay, I’m not either.” Lae grinned. “I mean, I might be. I’ve just never tried to use any before.”

“Usually magic users figure out what they can do when they’re very young.” Akorri furrowed his brow slightly. He was grateful that Laerya was able to keep a conversation with him. “Maybe you’re a late bloomer? Are your parents magic wielders?”

“Nope!” Lae shook her head vigorously. “That’s skipped my parents too. But my great grandpa was an Air user, apparently! He could make lightning storms.” She smiled proudly. “Hence my last name.”

Akorri nodded slowly. This bubbly young rabbit certainly had the personality quirks of an Air user, at least.

Lae glanced around the room, her gaze settling on the desk of artefacts before turning back to Akorri. “Are your parents magic users?”

“They... They weren’t, no.” Akorri’s ears flattened against his head. He hoped the rabbit wouldn’t inquire further, but from her curious expression he knew he would have no luck there.

“They ‘weren’t’?” she echoed.

Akorri’s eyes widened. He thought that the past tense should have been clear enough. Or did this girl know what she was doing, and was asking out of rudeness? Or maybe she didn’t realise she was being impolite. He decided to settle for the last option. She didn’t look like the type to be needlessly rude, anyway. “My parents are dead,” he said simply.

From the shocked look on Lae’s face Akorri figured the rabbit hadn’t even realised what he’d meant earlier. “I-I’m sorry!” she stammered, waving her hands around frantically. “I didn’t mean to, um, I—“

“It’s fine.” Akorri shrugged. “It was a long time ago, and I’ve accepted it, don’t worry.” That didn’t stop him from hurting at the memory, though.

Lae’s eyes softened as she looked at Akorri. Her gaze made him rather uncomfortable. “It was kinda insensitive of me to go on about it, though...”

“You didn’t know what you were doing,” Akorri said, “apparently.” He sighed, though now he was wondering if Laerya pitied him. His parents were dead and he lived alone in a small hole located in a dangerous forest with no visitors. What a life. 

“So...” Lae shifted uncomfortably on the bed. “Where did you live before coming here, then...?”

“You’re a curious one, aren’t you?” Akorri raised his eyebrow, but when he saw her crestfallen expression he regretted his words. The faux pas regarding the question about his parents must have subdued her. “I guess I’m just surprised you want to know anything about me at all.”

“Why wouldn’t I want to?” Lae’s ear twitched. “You seem nice, plus you saved me from Wolfbeasts. Naturally I’d be curious about my saviour.” She giggled.

Akorri snorted. This rabbit was annoyingly endearing. “I guess I can tell you where I grew up, at least. Do you know Treetop village?”

“Um...” Lae frowned in thought. “Treetop village, Treetop village...” Her eyes lit up with recognition and she clapped her hands but quickly winced in pain afterwards. “Yeah! The tree house place in eastern Tananshia! But wait.” She blinked. “When I went there, the entire village was burned down.”

Akorri’s chest tightened. “Yeah.”

Lae was silent for a moment as her brain mulled over his words. “You lived in a burned city?” She paused, then her mouth slowly opened as realisation dawned on her. “...Oh...”

“When I was ten, a forest fire swept through the entire village, burning everything to the ground.” Akorri swallowed. He knew he didn’t have to tell Lae any of this, but her earnest curiosity encouraged him. “I managed to escape, but my parents didn’t.”

“I’m sorry!” Lae blurted out. “I keep asking you all this awkward stuff! Just ignore me, please.” She groaned and pulled on her ears. “I’m sorry...”

“Sorry about my village? About my parents?” Akorri ran a hand through his unkempt red hair. Lae’s actions were amusing. “Treetop was a lovely place. It’s a shame you had to see it in that condition.” He sighed deeply. “I take it no one’s tried to rebuild it?”

“Not that I’m aware.” Lae trailed a hand over the sleeping bag. “Everything was grey and stuff... Nobody was there.”

Akorri’s ears twitched. He hadn’t had much hope that Treetop would be rebuilt, but hearing this was true was a bit painful. “That’s a shame.”

Lae’s voice lowered. “For what it’s worth, even in that state I could tell it had once been an amazing place.”

“Thanks.” Akorri smiled faintly at her. For someone with no tact she was surprisingly empathetic. “It’s a shame we couldn’t save it from the fire. If we’d had Water users in the village...”

“That might have helped, yeah.” Lae’s ears lowered. “But you can’t think like that. What’s done is done... Thinking about what ifs and stuff won’t bring any of it back.”

“I’m aware.” Akorri thought that comment sounded just a bit insensitive. “I’m done grieving. I’ve been done with that for ages. I don’t need to be told any of that.”

“Sorry.” Lae tugged at her ears again. “Just ignore me, seriously.”

Akorri looked carefully at the rabbit. The dim candlelight illuminated her bandaged body and tired eyes too well. “Nah. Don’t worry about it. As... oblivious as you are, you’re good company.”

“Oh!” Lae perked up. “Thanks! I think.”

I’m sad you’ll have to go... Akorri almost spoke, but bit back his words just in time. The two of them continued talking well into the night, though it was mostly Laerya leading the conversation. Akorri listened intently and chimed in whenever Lae would let him. Above, there were no more sounds of the Wolfbeasts. They must have given up on finding either of them. The rest of the night looked as though it would play out smoothly, much to Akorri’s relief.

After a while he noticed Laerya’s head was swaying slightly. She must be wearier than she let on. “We should get some sleep. It’s the middle of the night.”

“It’s okay, I can stay up!” The rabbit folded her arms. “You don’t look tired, it’d be rude of me to just fall asleep by myself when I have company.”

Akorri shook his head and smiled earnestly. “You can barely keep your head up. Sleep will heal those Wolfbeast wounds faster, too.”

“But...”

“Don’t argue. You know I’m right.” Akorri raised his eyebrow. “You should sleep so you can be fit to travel again tomorrow.”

Lae stared at him. “You know I’m a traveller?”

Akorri chuckled. “Come on. Only reckless travellers would risk their lives coming to the Bleakleaf Woods.”

“Then how come you live here?”

Akorri blinked. He should really have expected that question. “I...” He might have told Laerya lot tonight, but there were some things he just couldn’t share with her. “I’m not a traveller.” Not anymore. “I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

“Not true!” Lae shook her head. “I have a couple of friends who live in a nice house together, you can live with them. Oh, oh! Or better yet, you can come with me! We can travel together! Two non-magic users against the world! How about it?”

Akorri smiled. He figured Laerya’s friends wouldn’t take in a lodger for free, and her other option just wasn’t right for him anymore. “I’m in no condition to do any of that these days. But thanks for the offer. You’re awfully friendly to someone you’ve only just met... I could be really dangerous, you know.”

Lae grinned. “You saved my life. That proves you’re a good person.”

Akorri’s heart stopped.

“And someone as nice as you shouldn’t be living alone like this when it’s clearly upsetting you.”

Akorri looked away.

“I’m right about that at least, aren’t I?” Lae tilted her head. “You don’t like it here, not really.”

“Just...” Akorri barely stopped himself from groaning. “Don’t pry anymore, Lae. Just shut up.”

The den was almost in complete darkness by this point; a sign that they should both be going to sleep. Lae did not speak for several moments, but Akorri could hear her rustling the sleeping bag. She was going to sleep after all. “Sorry. Goodnight, Akorri.”

Akorri stood up heavily and blew out the candle, engulfing the den in blackness. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the gloom and he found his way to the bed, curling up into a ball on the edge of it, just out of Laerya’s way.

He knew the rabbit would leave come morning. That was how adventurers and travellers were; always on the move, following the wind to wherever it led them. He was glad the wind had taken Lae to him, if only for this one night.

For the first time in a while, despite being in such an uncomfortable position, Akorri slept peacefully.