Before You Start A War

Chapter Seven

"Harry," Niall whispers into the dark, wanting to kick at Harry's foot to rouse him. However, he doesn't want to startle the man, nor wake anyone else. "Harry, wake up." Niall lowers himself to one knee so he can see Harry better. He's never looked at the man so closely, and he's never seen any of them in bright lighting. He's sure they all look worn and tired, and as many times as he's asked Jackson if he can provide them with wall lamps and torches, he always tells him that it could be too dangerous for the prisoners to have. So far, Niall just has to suffice with a simple lantern that he ties to his uniform whenever going into the barn.

Harry mutters something and blinks his eyes open. Niall stands to his feet again, and holds a hand out to Harry before anything can be said. Harry watches the hand for a moment before reaching out, allowing Niall to pull him up.

"What are you--"

"Shh," Niall hushes him by putting a finger to Harry's lips. "follow me."

Harry nods; although he is still weary, he feels he can trust Niall. Strangely enough, even after what happened today with Niall's comrades, he feels as if Niall wouldn't ever plan to hurt him like that. He could hear the plead in his voice when he asked the men to come forth about who was tunneling.

Niall leads them to the door and unlocks it, sticking his head out for a brief second, keeping Harry hidden behind him. He looks around for guards and other soldiers that are patrolling, and while they hardly ever come past where he is, he'd rather be safe than stupid.

After a few moments of Harry kicking at the dirt, Niall tugs on his hand and rushes him out, closing the door behind them and barricading it with a block of wood between the handles and the lock that was relocated on the outside.

Harry takes a deep breath, having not been able to get a breath of fresh air in several weeks, possibly a month at this point. He looks around at the area and appreciates the calm serenity of it all. He feels a slight breeze rush past his cheeks, nothing like the still, dull air trapped inside the building behind him. The trees provide a safe home for the crickets and wildlife he can hear chirping and buzzing, and he takes notice to a faint owl's hooing somewhere within the forest.

He's never appreciated nature so much in his life, nor did he ever think he'd miss it so much.

After taking in the scenery, he decided to focus more on the camp around him. Several tents and buildings are pitched up several meters away, and he has a faint memory of the bonfires littered around from when he was first brought here. By now, all of the fires have been put out, and it's probably hours after lights out so the rest of the camp is probably asleep.

Niall leads Harry over to his own little camping area, having not improved much from when he was first relocated here. The cloth of his tent is worn and his fire is dim, and Harry just wants to curl up next to it and enjoy the heat radiating off of the low flames.

"This is where I stay. Here, hide inside." Niall tells, pulling one of the tent flaps open. Harry looks a bit reluctant, but climbs inside either way.

On the inside, it seems much more homely. Niall has a small bedding-type material spread across one end of the tent, with barely a sheet for cover and a thin cotton pillow. His bag is on the other side, along with the infamous water jug and sack lying near the opening.

Niall allows Harry to seat himself on the cold ground, though he would rather offer Harry his poor excuse for a bed, he's afraid that the man might fall asleep and he would feel terrible having to wake him up just go back into the cold, dank barn.

"Wait here, I'll fix the fire so we can feel it from in here." Niall offers, leaving the tent before Harry can respond. Harry sits back in his haunches, feeling a bruise on his tailbone that's been forming for the past month from sitting in a similar position.