Demus: The Prince And The Milkman

Moving Along

The three ended up back at the camp breathless, gasping for air, but laughing. 

However, they were met with yelling and frustration once they arrived. Logan and Emile were not happy with their disappearance, and they made their worry known as soon as the trio got back to the campsite. 

"You what now?!" Logan asked Janus for what seemed like the millionth time, his eyes exasperated behind his square glasses. "You just left, deciding to sleep underneath the stars? You could have gotten sick!" 

Rolling his eyes, Janus stretched out his arms in the back of the cart, yawning a little. He was sitting on top of a milk carton, still panting slightly from running for so long. "I'm fine though," he mumbled, a little embarrassed. 

Meanwhile, Remy and Remus were being scolded by Emile, who seemed to think they were idiots for not bringing more of the group on their search for Janus. The prince let his attention drift to where Remus was holding up his hands in surrender while Emile, nearly in tears, shouted at them about how worried he and Roman had been. 

Speaking of Roman... Janus glanced over at where the other milkman was. Roman was sitting against the wall of the cart, laughing so hard tears were in the corner of his eyes. Disi was next to him watching the scene with exasperated amusement, his wings folded back and shaking in the way they always were when he was trying not to laugh. Really, Janus doubted Roman had ever been worried. 

"...are you listening to me?!" Logan demanded, tilting his head to the side. He had his hands on his hips, his eyes narrowed threateningly. 

Janus swallowed, straightening up and nodding. "Yes," he squeaked, shivering a little. He had not known that Logan could be so scary, but if he had known, he definitely would not have snuck off. 

Logan sighed. He pushed his glasses up and sat next to Janus, nudging the prince's shoulder with his own. "I'm just saying, it would have been a much better decision if you had at least told one of us where you were going," he said much more gently. 

Janus looked up at Logan, nodding a little again. "I'll think of that next time." 

Soon, they were bumping along in the cart, heading towards the closest town-- luckily, they weren't far from a point of civilization. Janus was glad, as he really did need a new cloak, and it smelled like the entire group needed a new bar of soap. 

He picked at the small rips and tears in his already quite threadbare cloak. The hood was a pale green, and the cape part was a velvety-soft hazel green color, with gold string tying the shoulders together. He liked the cloak, he was sure, but he did need a new one. 

"We should be getting to the village soon," Logan called across his shoulder from where he sat at the front of the cart. He had one hand extended, surrounded by a faint indigo glow around the edges, his magic guiding the animals. During the whole ghost town incident, he had lost his whip and now needed his magic to help the cart animals move along. 

"That's good," Roman shouted back, holding a half-filled bottle of milk in his hands. "I'm getting tired of just having milk to drink anyway. We'll be able to buy some stuff at the local market." 

Janus smiled, though his insides were very queasy at the thought of being in a crowd of people so soon after just getting used to being around this small group. He swallowed his fears and patted Disi's head, letting the tiny dragon nuzzle into his hand. They were leaning against the cart wall, Disi laying on top of a heap of empty milk bottles like it was his hoard. 

Emile grinned tiredly back, nestled up in a corner of the cart with a felt blanket draped over him. He had been up most of the night looking for Remy, Remus, and Janus and expecting the worst, so it made sense that he was tired, but Janus still felt bad. Emile yawned. "When will we get there, then?"