"Soren," Cyrus called, putting away the necessary survival items inside the bag, "get the water bottles."
"Done." Soren slung his bag on his shoulder. "Well did we miss—"
A small knock on the door stopped Soren mid-sentence.
"The door's open" Soren called out to the voice.
The knob slowly turned and in came Maelis. Her big brown hazel eyes were wide and glossy with tears. "Big bro, Soren… Big bro, Cyrus?" Her usual pig tails were messy.
Soren and Cyrus's eyes widened at the sight of Maelis.
"What's wrong, little Oracle Jelly?" Sore dropped his bag and came over to Maelis to pull her into his arms.
"Why are you crying?" Cyrus asked as Soren stood up with Maelis in his arms.
She sniffed.
She looked at Cyrus through those big glossy eyes. As tears still flowed down her cheeks.
"Are…" she sniffed again. "Are you both leaving?"
Soren and Cyrus's eyes widened.
"No," Soren put a comforting palm on Maelis's back. "We are not leaving."
"Then—" her small voice cracked along with Soren and Cyrus's hearts, "why are you packing?"
"We are only going away for a little while." Cyrus said, crossing his arms over his chest, "it's not that big of a deal to bawl your eyes over."
Soren sighed, "we will be back soon."
Maelis took a big sniff in; relaxing a little bit, "promised?"
"Promise."
After settling the once weeping six year old down. Both of them went out to the front door and then the gate and got swarmed by more kids.
"Big bro Soren, where are you going?"
"Big bro Cyrus is coming with you too?"
"Are you two leaving the orphanage?"
"Would you two be back?"
Soren tried to calm the horde of children down. He smiled gently, black fluff of hair fell on his eyes. "We are not leaving for good."
Cyrus sighed, "we are just gonna go look for some plants." He said as a smaller child got stuck onto his legs.
"Don't go…" the child said, sticking to Cyrus's leg.
Cyrus sighed and picked the tiny crotch goblin up, "Shut up, will you?" He said to Levi.
That boy is not more than four years old, the newest addition to the orphanage.
"Little Levi." Soren cooed. A smile beamed on his face.
"No… go…" Levi's eyes got glossy.
"Come on comfort him, sunshine" Soren said gently poking the child's chubby cheek.
"Don't call me that." Cyrus sighed looking at Soren and then the horde of children in front of them watching them with wide eyes, then at the small boy in his arms, "and you." He said, voice softer than before, "I'm not leaving anytime soon."
"Nwot weaving?" Levi tilted his tiny head.
"No." Cyrus deadpanned.
"Yeah, just some herbs." Soren said, "and we will be back before you know it."
The kids looked at each other; then back at the two older boys.
"How do we know that you aren't telling us that to make us feel better?" One kid narrowed his eyes and looked at them.
"Because we—" Soren got cut off by the horde screaming again.
"That's a lie!"
"Big lie!"
"Don't leave us, big bro!"
"What is going on here?!" the horde got cut off by a stern, scolding voice. But it was neither Sore's or Cyrus's. All of them turned towards the voice.
Matron Nell walked out of the orphanage and towards the horde, trailing behind her was Marryanne.
"Matron," one kid steps closer to her, "Soren and Cyrus are leaving."
The Matron sighs, "they are only venturing out to find something medicinal herbs that a certain page of electric twins ruined." Her eyes glanced at the twins, Ray and Jay.
Ray and Jay starts acting dumb.
The Matron sighed, taking the young Levi from Cyrus's arms. And nods at them. "Have you two taken everything?"
"Yes." Soren says.
"Did you two miss anything?" She asked again.
Soren and Cyrus began thinking as they started looking in their bags and sure enough. Panic is evident on their faces.
"What did you miss?" She asked knowing that look on both of their faces.
"The first aid kit." Cyrus replied.
"Dummies." The Matron grumbled and Levi chewed on the cross shaped necklace.
Somewhere in the horde of children, the twins chuckled.
Marryanne giggled a bit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh God…" Cyrus huffed, breathless, "where is that damn plant."
"Just keep walking, sunshine." Soren huffed beside him.
They were walking for hours and hours and it slowly started to turn night time. Some stars in the sky are already getting visible while the sun is setting.
"Maybe we need to set out camp here." Soren said as they finally reached an open space. A beautiful open place as a lake was near that space.
"I guess so…" Cyrus huffed, his legs feel like jelly as they have walked quite far away from the orphanage.
"Rest for some time." Soren said as Cyrus dropped onto the grassy ground.
"Don't tell me what to do." Cyrus stretched his legs and Soren began setting up the tent.
"You brought a sleeping bag right?" Soren said as he attached a pole to the ground.
Cyrus got quite.
"Did you?" Soren said as he looked at Cyrus.
"You forgot, didn't you?" Soren sighed.
"Yes I did…" Cyrus admitted, shamefully.
"So…" Soren drawled out, "wanna share a sleeping bag?"
Cyrus's eyes widened and his cheeks and tip of the ear turned red. "W-what?"
"Look Buddy," Soren sighed, "it's either that or one of us dies from the cold."
Cyrus reluctantly agreed to the arrangement.
As the moonlight glowed. In beneath the ray of the moon. Cyrus using the tip of his finger lighted the fire up. The ignited fire swarms up like the portals of hell have opened itself. The fire danced in its own forbidden rhythm.
The two boys each sat on a smooth rock. The fire illuminated their features. Cyrus and Soren's youthful appearance. Soft jawline, Adams apple. Their eyes, that dimmed in the lighting.
"You hungry?" Cyrus asks, grabbing out the food that the Matron has given them.
"Yeah." Soren answered as Cyrus handed him a cream bun.
Soren took a bite, feeling the softness of the bun and the creaminess of the cream filling his mouth with delight. "And I thought we were gonna have to hunt wild rabbits and deers for food."
Cyrus hated agreeing with Soren. But he was right. They would have had to hunt wild critters for food.
"Want to hear a scary story?" Soren asked as Cyrus's gaze snapped towards Sore who had finished his cream bun washing his hands with his own water magic.
"No." Cyrus deadpanned.
"Why?" a teasing grin appeared on Soren's face, "scared?"
"N-No, I just think that i- it's not necessary."
Translation: I'm a scaredy cat.
"Oh is that so," Soren smirked, "you really are a scaredy cat."
"N-No I'm not!" Cyrus's face turned red.
"Fine," Soren sighed, "I won't say it since I don't want you to piss in my sleeping bag or in the tent."
Cyrus's face turned more red, "SHUT UP, YOU DAMN CROW!!!!!"
Cyrus's voice echoed through the forest. Some birds flew away from the trees. The stars gleamed brighter. And somewhere back in the orphanage, Matron Nell could swear the orphanage shook a bit.
And back in the forest , Cyrus heavily breathes in and out.
Soren was shocked at first but his shocked expression turned into smug, "finally got under your skin."
Cyrus huffed, "Shut up…" his voice came out hoarse.
"Fine, I will shut up." Soren said.
That night Cyrus stared at the tent ceiling and huffed, his throat still hurts from the scream and Soren was still kicking him.
He was sleeping as if he was knocked out cold. But Cyrus also slowly started to drift off to sleep.
Tomorrow another meaningless search will pursue, the thought of that made Cyrus tired.