Fourteen Moons

Chapter 9 - Pace, Past, and Parents

The vibrant forest is filled with flowers that bloom in a myriad of colors. The sweet aroma and beautiful sights of flora dotting the land make for picturesque scenery. The woody territory is noisy with the chatter of bugs and birds, while both large and small creatures roam the region. Overhead, an intense sun burns bright beyond the green canopy.

The hot summer air bakes my lungs each time I take a breath. My restricted clothing, paired with the heat, makes me sweat, causing my clothes to stick to me. As I soar through the unbearably hot weather, I shout, "I can't take it anymore!" and begin to descend down toward a nearby shaded tree branch.

Revus flies down alongside me and grumbles, "This is why I told you to change earlier."

"This is why I told you to change earlier," I mock under my breath as I roll my eyes. I land on the branch, pull my bag from my back, and place it on the ground.

Revus lands beside me and complains, "We wouldn't be this far behind if you'd just listened to me."

"Would you shut up!" I bark as I pull a flowy, light, dress from my bag, "Now go somewhere else so I can change."

"Aeth, you're unbelievable," Revus sighs, shaking his head, before he flies around to the opposite side of the tree.

I glance at both sides of the tree to confirm he is not looking at me, then begin to change my clothes. Geez, just because I didn't want to wear a dress and you get so mad. Besides, whether we stop for a bit isn't going to change anything. Once I finish swapping clothes, I sigh, "Ah, much better." I look down and check out my appearance. As much as I prefer pants, I have to admit, this... isn't so bad.

"Are you done yet?" Revus inquires from behind the tree.

"Yeah," I holler.

Revus flies around the wooden structure and stops nearby, hovering in place. "Are you ready, we need to go or-"

"Or what? We're going to be late?" I retort as I glare at the black-haired fairy, "Look, you already said we're not going to make it through the mountains before winter, so can't we slow down." I state as I put my previous clothes into my bag. "My back is killing me and the heat isn't helping either."

Revus places a hand over his forehead, lands on the branch, and replies, "And I already told you that I want to get as far away from the enōōfen as possible."

"Please, we've been flying for hours already and-"

"Hours?" Revus bellows, "We barely left an hour ago at most."

"Right," I grumble as I look up toward the sky. This guy's going to drive me insane. "Then what about yesterday? Or the day before that? Huh."

"I've already explained-"

"We haven't seen any enōōfen or besāād since we left."

Revus closes his eyes, inhales, then exhales. He opens his eyes and sternly says, "It's been three days. We haven't even left the forest yet, and you want to stop when we don't know where the enōōfen could be."

"Exactly!" I roar, tightening my fists, "Wouldn't it be better to let me rest just in case we do run into any enōōfen?"

Revus clasps his left hand over his face, gripping it tightly. "Fine," he answers roughly as he runs his hand through his hair, "We'll rest for a bit."

I sigh frustratedly, "If it's that big of a deal you could just carry me."

"No," Revus declines.

"Oh? Not fond of the idea?" I grin at him, "Even though we'd-"