The Blood Wolves | Vol.3, The Eldenarian Artifacts ✓

12.

Makaela quickly realized walking through the forest wasn't one of her brighter ideas.

Her feet cried out for relief with every step she took. She wasn't nearly as exhausted as she had been the previous night, but she was still tired. Part of her wanted to ask Dorian if she could ride on his back.

She knew he'd say yes, which is why she didn't ask. He wasn't her personal mule. He didn't even have a saddle.

So, she continued to trudge through the shrubbery and undergrowth alongside him.

At least he seemed to be enjoying himself. He had been smiling ever since they left the cave. Every couple of seconds, he would whip his head around and take in the sights around him.

"How long were you in that cell for?" she asked.

"Two years," he replied. "Give or take."

She gasped and stopped mid-stride. "Two years?" He nodded. "How did you survive in there by yourself? You can't be more than twenty-one."

He snorted. "I'm twenty." He shrugged his shoulders and stepped over a gnarled root below his foot. "It wasn't as bad as you might think it was. The solitude became peaceful after I while. I made friends with some of the guards...despite what they thought of me."

"But you were in Hex-A. They didn't let you out your cell."

"Certain inmates are allowed time out their cell if they exhibit good behavior," he clarified. "I was one of those inmates. One of the guards let me visit the library every Tuesday. Another made me to kitchen duty on Thursdays."

Makaela lifted her chin a bit. "I still can't believe they had you locked up in there."

"I deserved it." All the joy that had been within him vanished as if it never existed. He dug his hands into the makeshift pockets of his tattered prison jumpsuit.

She had just noticed how ripped it was. The striped garment barely covered him. Her eyes lingered below his waist and she immediately brought them back up. She felt her cheeks grow hotter than the sun in the sky.

"Are you alright? I hope I didn't upset you again."

She shook her head quickly. "Nope. You definitely didn't do that."

The two of them circled around a massive tree with black bark and headed back in the direction of the cave.

Makaela felt her face dripping with sweat. She panted as the humid, Central African air held her captive. Even after discarding her Eldai gear, she was still ridiculously hot.

I'm gonna need some shorts or something.

She hoped she'd be able to get a clean pair of clothes once she met up with Thorian and the other Shades in Vashara.

Dorian didn't seem to have a problem with the heat, but the scented flowers growing among the trees and bushes around him were messing with his nose. He kept sneezing every few seconds. Makaela couldn't help but laugh each time. He sounded like a clown's nose being squeezed.

As the two of them continued through the forest, he stopped in his tracks.

"What's wrong?"

"Your friends are looking for us," he answered. "We should get back now."

"You can hear them?"

He laughed through his nose. "I'm a werewolf."

"Right."

He then shifted into his large, furry persona. After pawing the black soil beneath him, he dipped his head at Makaela. She arched an eyebrow at him before realizing what he was suggesting.