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Part Eleven- When It Rains

"Vivet, look!"

The two had been walking through the remainder of the day into the early stages of the night. The sun had just set a little while before, and Vivet was still on her feet. She had been so focused on working through the pain in her leg that she barely realized Lux had stopped in front of her. 

She ran up behind him and followed his gaze, brushing aside a thick mass of vines when her eyes met what Lux had been so excited over. "Now that's a nice spot to live."

Through the vines sat a small clearing, shaded by massive maple trees looming over the entire area. In the center of it all sat a decent sized lake, surrounded by towering riverbank grass and plants. A small distance from the lake, hidden in the side of a large hill and covered by vines, Vivet noted a small entrance to a cave. It was the perfect place to set up camp, but once again the pestering worries ate at her.

Lux's eyes lit up. "So you'll let us rest for a few days here?" 

Vivet backed away and dropped the vines in her hands. She hadn't realized how hard she had been gripping them, but as they fell from her hands, she noticed how flattened and bruised they had become in her grasp. "No, it's not far enough from the house, from Celena, and Philip. It's fine, we can keep going-"

Her excuses were cut off by the sharp pain in her leg returning, her weight buckling under her and sending her into the ground.

"Vivet."

She didn't need to look up to hear the smugness in his voice. She sighed, and let him help her to her feet. "Fine! We can stop for a few days, but don't wander too far from the clearing without me, okay?"

Lux practically bounced through the trees and across the clearing. "Okay!"

-

The inside of the cave was much more beautiful and vast than she had expected. 

The walls were covered in hanging moss as far as the eye could see, with small tunnels, protected by moss and rock jutting off in several directions. In the main room however, a large platform of solid rock sat. A pool of water surrounded by lush greenery took up the remainder of the room.

Lux bounded over to the rock platform, clamoring onto it. "This area is just begging to be the kitchen." He ran his fingers over the large cracks in the walls. "We could press our herbs in here, dry them, and lay some shelves out along the walls, maybe shape some rock into a large enough table... This could be so fun!"

"This isn't about fun," Vivet interjected shortly. She lowered her voice as she turned her back to Lux, to admire the rest of the cave. "This is just a temporary space until we can get moving again."

Lux groaned and followed her as she wandered into a nearby tunnel. In it, a small room revealed itself smooth and cleared of harsh rock. "Come on, Vivet, you aren't even going to try to enjoy it? It's like a free vacation, and this place is like paradise!"

Vivet ran her fingers over the walls, rubbing them together. "It doesn't seem to be very damp in here either. This could do for a nice temporary bedroom for one of us..."

As she explored the rest of the few tunnels, assigning each one a specific purpose to fit her old home's rooms in her head, she grew more and more worried. Finally, she entered the last tunnel, and found a similar space to the first tunnel, with a smooth, dry opening fit for a room. 

Lux bounced past her and stood admiring the room. "Vivet, this is a perfect room for you. You could put your bed here," he started, summoning a huge mass of cotton and leaves, fluffing it up like a large mattress, "and dresser here, and-"