The smell of cooked food wafted to Nyell's nose, making it twitch. Soon after, his stomach gumbled. Weird. Why could he smell grilled meat? The thought made him frown as his groggy mind slowly started to emerge from his deep slumber. His eyelids felt heavy, but he rubbed them one after another with one hand, trying to chase away the fatigue. Gosh, were his limbs heavy with sleep. Honestly, he'd rather keep sleeping. For some reason, he was at ease and finally could get that much-needed rest. It made it all the more difficult to cut it short.
"Awake?"
A familiar voice asked, and Nyell grunted something akin to an assessment. He was awake now and with a light headache from having slept too much to boot. But when did he fall asleep…? He didn't know. The last thing he remembered was jumping on Allen's back, squeezing his neck and waist with a tight embrace. It was petty, but it made him feel better to hear his bones crack in protest. It wasn't like Allen complained, either. He endured, so Nyell didn't lessen his grip. But afterward, it was a blur. He seemed to remember watching the vegetation pass by as the shaman walked forward, his body gently swaying with each step Allen took. Could it be… Did the rocking movement lull him to sleep?
"Before you get defensive and jump into my face," Allen chuckled, snapping Nyell back to the present, "I'd like to clear my name: you're the one who lashed onto me and refused to let go even as I tried to tuck you in bed. I did not try to take advantage, and I have witnesses who can testify."
"What are you talking about…?"
As soon as Nyell finished grumbling, his whole body stiffened. Oh. That was what Allen meant. It seemed like he went koala mode during his sleep and refused to let go of the man. Although his legs were no longer wrapped around his waist, they still held hostage one of Allen's legs, dragging it between his own legs. Meanwhile, his arms had been clutched around his upper body up until just now, when Nyell rubbed his eyes. In short, he was cupping the man from behind, tightly holding onto him.
"Sorry about that," Nyell winced as he freed Allen at once before sitting and stretching, taking in his surroundings as he did so. The logs and wooden planks took him by surprise, as well as the cozy mattress of fur and leaves they slept on. They should be in a cave, so why wasn't the ground made of mud and the walls of rock? Something didn't add up. "Wait, this isn't the first shelter…? Why are we in the second? What the heck! For how long did I sleep?!"
"For a little less than a day," Myrven smiled, drawing Nyell's attention to him. He was currently sitting before a firepit, grilling some fresh meat. "You slept like a log, and we couldn't wake you up. And yes, I attest to my chief's testimony. You refused to let go, no matter how much we tried to pry open your arms. For an instant there, I thought you'd strangle my chief in your sleep."
"His neck seems fine to me," Nyell grimaced before stopping mid-sentence. "Are my ears playing tricks on me, or did you just tell me you traveled to the second shelter in a day…?"
"I told you carrying you wasn't a problem, didn't I?" Allen's teasing voice echoed in the shelter as he lazily sat next to Nyell, propping his chin on his hand. "Don't worry, we didn't travel at night. We arrived here a bit before nightfall."
Was he kidding him? Nyell resisted the urge to shout that this wasn't the issue. He took a deep breath to muffle the dying scream in his throat. If they arrived before nightfall, that meant Allen and his aides did the road in less than fifteen hours. The distance between the second shelter and the Black Moon tribe usually couldn't be done this quickly. Even Nyell wasn't sure he would be able to cross it in so little time in his best shape. It was called the 'second' shelter for a reason! Travelers usually had to stay at the first shelter for the night, then do the road for the second the next day. Shelters didn't only protect their occupants from the weather's whims; they also protected them from the beasts at night as they were engraved with ward-off arrays. The jungle was particularly unforgiving during nighttime, which was why these shelters were so important and strategically placed throughout the jungle to provide a safe haven for people to sleep.
Anyone with common sense wouldn't gamble with trying to reach the second shelter in a day, much less while carrying someone on their back! There was a strict order to the shelters as the resources to build the array inside were limited. Nyell's ancestors had calculated the distance between each carefully, yet Allen and his aides just went ahead and bypassed the first shelter. It left Nyell speechless.
"Are you crazy?" he heard himself ask.
"Not at all," Allen shrugged. "Just confident in our skills."
"Did you cheat and ask Myrven to carry us both?"
Nyell heard Myrven choke on his saliva, but he didn't pay him any heed. He scrutinized Allen up and down, trying to figure out how that lanky man could possibly carry him all the way up to the second shelter in less than a day. It didn't make sense to him. Honestly, nothing made sense about Allen.
"No, I didn't. Now, wipe up that dumbfounded look, and let's eat. I'm starving."
"Right…"
Although still confused, Nyell followed around and sat next to Myrven. It didn't take long before a serving of juicy meat was dropped in his hands. Nyell then absently munched on it, trying to organize his jumbled thoughts. Allen was layered with too many secrets, and every time he discovered one, another popped up, and he was left with more questions than answers. Sometimes, he wondered if he was even a werewolf and not some monster in human skin. It was hard to say, considering everything he had seen until now.
Before Nyell could snap out of it, he heard rushed footsteps, and Layla suddenly appeared, throwing herself inside the shelter. Soon after, a loud bang resounded, and the shelter shook. Dust fell from the ceiling and hovered in the air.
Oh, right. Nyell hadn't seen her yet. Layla wasn't normal either, now that he thought about it.
"You're quite late," Myrven commented, glancing down at the petite woman. "What happened?"
Layla's short hair was a mess of entangled strands. Mud and scratches covered her skin, and a gaping wound on her hips tainted her robes red. But that wasn't what caught Nyell's attention. It was the hole in the girl's wrist that made his heart skip a beat. It passed through the bone, nerves, and muscles, making it completely see-through. Yet, the three people didn't seem alarmed and nonchalantly discussed instead. In their defense, compared to Layla's previous wounds that had put her on death door, it indeed wasn't as dreadful. But still! Her wrist was a wreck! Shouldn't they be worried?!
"She seems to have run into troubles," Allen said, licking his fingers clean. "And she brought the trouble with her."
To this, Layla offered a bright, innocent smile.
"Alright, my bad. I should have told you not to poke your nose where you shouldn't," Allen sighed before ruffling his aide's hair, gently speaking to the girl like a father would to his daughter, "Remember: curiosity killed the cat. You have to be careful in an environment you know nothing of. Next time, go directly to where you have to go, and don't venture into a beast's nest, alright?"
Tilting her head left, then right, Layla didn't seem to understand her chief's concern. She blinked her big, round eyes, waiting for something only she knew. Nyell observed the exchange with his mouth still half-open, the meat close to his lips. His brain was slowly processing the situation. She was late, and it was dawn. That meant she spent the night outside. No wonder she was in such bad shape, then. It was already good she was still alive and hadn't been shredded to death.
"But still, aren't basilisks inhabiting the southern part of the jungle?" Myrven frowned, his words sending shivers down Nyell's spine. Basilisks, what basilisks?! "Did you get lost?"
Averting her eyes, Layla looked like a kid caught red-handed. So, she did get lost and wandered off to the South before realizing her error. She found her way back but brought something annoying with her.
"We'll have to deal with that thing first if we want to leave," Allen sighed. "These beasts are known to be persistent. They follow their prey to hell if needs be."
"Finish your breakfast," Myrven said, "I'll take care of it."
"Alright, be quick."
Screw this. Nyell decided to pretend he had heard nothing. He shouldn't try to think and use common sense with this group, or he'd end up with a headache. These beings didn't adhere to his understanding of the world, and it was better not to probe further until he was mentally prepared to hear the answer. No matter how curious he was, he didn't want to end like the cat.
'For now, let's just eat my breakfast. I'll think later.'