Together Again

Chapter 15: The Pit (Birch PoV)

I squeezed my eyes shut. Marble grabbed my wrist and gently pulled me backwards. I hug him, terrified. I try not to cry. He puts an arm around my back and rubs it. I can't help but burst into tears. "Marble," I say into his side. "Yeah," he whispers. "I just want you to know, your like a brother to me. Thank you."
He picks my head up. He's smiling. "Good. Your like a sister to me. Come on. We gotta keep moving. It's going to be dark soon." I nod and start to walk. He stops me. "No. You've walked enough today, besides, it's been a long day. I'm carrying you. Get on," he says, crouching down.
I roll my eyes. "I can walk. I'm not helpless Marble. I have legs I can walk." He looks at me. "Get on Birch." He sounds a little annoyed, so I nod and climb on. I wrap my legs around his waist and put my arms around his neck. "You ready?" I nod and say, "Yep! Thanks."
He nods and starts walking around the pit. We walk and talk. "So, if I'm like your brother, then tell me how you feel about Cato." I blush, now glad I'm on his back. "Can I just tell you about the guy I like instead?" He groans, "Sure. Go ahead." "Thanks! It's not like they're different people," I mutter. He stops.
"What? I mean it!" I say. He smiles. "I knew it. I knew it!" I laugh. "Calm down cowboy. Well, he's tall. Strong. Funny. Smart. Caring. Tough. Protective. Great friend. Cool. Skilled. Amazing. Cute. Has great eyes. Has a smirk that makes you mad, annoyed, and gives you butterflies all at the same time."
"He's a great friend. Fun to hang out with. So strong. Great teacher. Has some problems dealing with emotions, but don't we all. And," I sigh. "I could go on and on, but I'm gonna stop so I don't annoy you." Marble laughs. "Thank you. You two are lovesick puppies. So cute. Totally in love. Definitely made for each other."
I blush. "Hey, I'm gonna walk. We're almost past the Pit. Let me down here," I say. Marble nods and crouches down. I jump down and land on my feet. "Thanks. Come on! We gotta find a good place to camp!" He nods.
We walk past the Pit. I slip on a leaf. Marble catches me by my wrist. He barely caught me. I grab his arm and he pulls me up. I fling myself onto him. I sob and he rubs my back. "Sh. Shhhh. Shhhhhhh. It's ok. It's ok. Your safe now. Well, at least, as safe as you can be. Your with me. We'll be fine. Come on, let's find a place to camp."
I nod and stop crying. He wipes the tears off my face.
     I look around. I see a cliff face. I point. "What about we try there?" I ask. He nods. "Good idea. It's high off the ground, hard to see people, and probably has places to hide. Great choice Birch!" I smile a little. I walk with him.
     We make it to the cliff. I realize that it isn't that big or tall, but it works. I glance at Marble. He glances at me. I nod and find a hand hold. I find another one for my other hand. I reach up and grab another one. I bring my feet up and start climbing.
     I hear Marble struggling. I wait for him. I drop my hand down, hoping he'll see it and try to use it to help him. I feel him grab it and I start to help him up. Once he's at me level, I start climbing again. I stop at about the middle of the cliff, there's an indent, I look at Marble. He looks at me.
      I shrug and climb onto it. I look and see a cave. I scrunch my face up in confusion. I turn and help Marble up. I pull him up and we look at each other. "Worth a shot right?" I ask him. He shrugs. "You don't know if you don't try."
      We walk towards the cave. I stop, hearing a crackling fire. I look at Marble, feeling scared. He looks at me and quickly pushes me behind him. I feel him reach for my hand. I quickly let him grab it. I squeeze it and he walks towards the cave.
     I follow behind cautiously. We stop once Marble decides to. He motions for me to go back closer to the edge of the ledge. I look at him, concerned. "What if you need any help?" I mouth. He shrugs. "I'll be fine. Besides, I gotta keep you safe. It'll be worth it."
     I nod slowly, not liking the way he was sticking to this promise. I slowly get closer to edge of the ledge. I look around quickly. I see a bush, I dive into it, after checking quickly for animals and snakes and all that fun stuff.
      I look at the cave from the bush, watching Marble with great interest. I don't notice the rustling behind me. Nor do I notice the giant black panther making that rustling.