Après The Serpent's Wrath
By Abysscess
Date: June 2, 2022
Ch. 10The Man At The RIver


Dark tree trunks, shadows, overhanging limbs across the path seen at the last second, clumps of bushes, barely visible black trails snaking through the undergrowth, the moon shining through a lattice of leaves, patchy sky and stars seen in glimpses through tree breaks.

It was already freezing and the light that the moon emits is the only thing Ambroz could entrust his vision.

It was already midnight when Ambroz came back to his cave. He intentionally planned to head back once he thinks that Theon is already gone.

He entered the cave. Gently, placed his weapons below; the bow and arrow. When Ambroz walked further in, surprisingly, he saw Theon. Theon was sound asleep in a sitting position, resting his back with the cave's wall, all wrapped up with the huge leaf he found nearby.

Ambroz bent his knees and lower his body. He saw how Theon was slightly trembling from the cold air engulfing inside the cave. He stood up and entered further inside the cave. From the narrow side of this cave, he took his other coat. It was made of old grey threads and slightly rough due to the fibre ageing, however, the width is wide enough to cover a man's body such as Theon.

He went back to where Theon was, still sleeping and snoring softly. With the coat, he covered Theon's pale body.

Somehow, he found himself observing and staring at Theon's face for a moment. His face was quite familiar to him; Pitch black coloured hair, smooth pale white skin and...

The face...

He hummed. "I guess I have seen him since he's a man of that village."

However, he can point out who he truly was and where did he certainly saw him.

His eyebrows furrowed. "Young man, have we truly met before?" He asked Theon although he did not intend to receive an answer.

He almost reached out for Theon's face when it suddenly move and groaned while brows furrowed. It was dreaming again, like how it was when they've first met each other. He stayed there for quite a while when he decided to sleep as well. But, before that could happen, the moon illuminated the cave with its light and its flash through Theon's neck. He saw a silver thing almost hiding from the cloth of Theon's neck to chest.

His eyebrows met as he grabbed the necklace to see it thoroughly.

His eyes widened a bit when he noticed what it look like. Pendant with a leaf carved in it and the silver chains encircled in his neck.

"This necklace," He uttered while reminiscing something from his memory. "it's from that man." He whispered through his breathe when he finally recognise it.

Ambroz narrowed his eyes a bit to see if he is not mistaken with his intuition. Indeed, he was not mistaken and it was the ornament he's reckoning.

He let go of it and leaned back to the cave's wall just like how Theon is. He held his forehead and massage it. Thinking deeply about the past, he fell asleep beside Theon.

The next day came. The sun was rising and its light touched Theon's face causing him to wake up. His eyes were fuzzy and were still in a daze. He felt a huge coat wrapped around him and warm his body temperature.

'Who's coat is this?' He thought.

He moved his head from left to right to see where he is at.

"Oh," He uttered when he realized.

Now he remembers, he was patiently and eagerly waiting for Ambroz to come back, yet night came and darkness evade the woods and he proceeded to embark himself inside Ambroz's shelter, the cave.

His stomach grumbled. Afterwards, the man settled to a sit and scratched the back of his neck.

"I haven't eaten last night. I miss mother Zynthia's cooking." He mourned as he said those words. The man sighed in distress.

Theon then roamed his eyes around the cave.

"He still hasn't returned yet," He let out. But then the reality immediately made him understand that Ambroz did come back and left right after a quick doze when its weapons were laying in front of him. "He does not want to see me."

He thought that maybe Ambroz place pity on him and covered his body with this thick clothing. Such a strange man.

He stood up and his necklace let out a tingling sound. Lowering his head and grabbed it. Closed eyes, inhaled a huge amount of air and exhaled it right after.

Theon, no matter what happened, still thank the Gods that he's been alive and breathing. His heart may be shattered in million pieces yet, he seeks a way to mend it.

"Now, what should I do?" He hummed and raised a question to himself.

He held his waist with the use of his hands while thinking of what to do next. Surely, wandering around the woods will not aid him in searching for his people. Theon did it once and he was chased by hungry huge monkeys. The second time will probably get worst.

He stepped outside the cave and welcomed the sunlight.

"I should head to the river and hunt some fish." He said to himself. "If my memory serves me right, the right way should be..." He roamed his eyes and a familiar path strikes him. "Here."

He went back to the cave and grabbed Ambroz old and rusty weapons. The bow was not the kind that he normally used. It was built differently.

"Should be alright." He assured himself.

After all, a bow and an arrow was his first weapon to handle, train, and use.

He went out and continued tracing the path headed to the river. His ears were out and alarmed, so whenever he could hear the river's cascade of water, he can rush right into it.

He could not afford to repeat the same mistake twice, that's why letting his guard down was below the list. Every step he makes assuring everything is safe.



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