The untamed fire crackled underneath the night sky. The forest floor was normally dark, but now that it was night time, the only thing that illuminated this forest was that fire. Keon spun the orc's meat over the fire, impaled by a stick. While doing so, he thought back on the short scuffle with what he was just eating.
When I was moving… it was natural. It was me doing it, but it was just like breathing.
Such impeccable swordsmanship… it belongs to me?
No wonder the name 'Keon' rolls off the tongue so easily. With strength like this, I would yell my name out endlessly. Though, I shouldn't get ahead of myself. My first priority needs to be escaping this forest, and receiving help.
The earth shattering headache returned, and Keon groaned. He dug his teeth into the tough cooked meat. It was surprisingly juicy, but expectedly hard on the jaws.
This is the orc's arm, after all. It's definitely gonna be tuff.
Bushes rustled. This time, Keon's senses were not so sluggish off the wake up. He quickly turned, and his sword was already taken out of it's sheath.
"Who's there?"
Out of the shadows, a dark figure moved slowly. It got closer and closer to the light. Finally, it could be seen. A young woman approached. She was disheveled; upon inspecting her, you could see dirt and branches stuck in her black hair. Her eyes were a big beady blue, almost radiating innocence.
"Agh, goodness. You stink," Keon said. He unsheathed his sword, pinching his nose.
"C-can… may I have some?" the woman spoke, pointing at the meat Keon was holding. There was a bit of hesitation, but Keon tossed the orc meat toward the woman.
"Usually, when seeing someone you've spoken to, you don't just immediately ask. That's bad manners. Aren't you supposed to give out your name?"
Upon grabbing the orc meat, the woman tore through it at scary speeds. She chewed slowly, and finished with an unceremonious belch. The night was silent, besides the crackling of the fire.
"I don't have a name," she finally responded.
"No name, huh? Okay. I'm Keon. And from now on, you are… hm… you're Arlene."
"Who are you to give me a name?"
"Bear with me. This is a win win situation. You get a name, and everyone knows that you need a name to make it in life. Well, at least I think everybody knows this. At the same time, I need something to refer to you by."
"… Okay. Then I'm Arlene. And your Keon. What are you doing in this forest, all alone?"
"I could ask the same for you. Right now, I'm not exactly sure. I'm not really too stuck up on the reason behind why I'm here, either. I just want to get out."
"Could you help me escape too?"
"Sure. Well, first of all, I simply cannot leave my curiosity unsatiated. Where are you coming from, Arlene?"
Arlene paused for a moment. Whether it was to continue chewing, or consider what answer to say, Keon couldn't tell. Now, she finally spoke.
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Why? You a wuss?"
"What is a 'wuss'?"
"Someone who's afraid of everything."
"Then… I'm not a wuss! Even if I was, fear is something that helps humans survive. It's a reasonable reaction to stress."
"Yeah, right. That's the words of a wuss."
"I'm… I'm not a wuss!"
Arlene lunged toward Keon. Keon stepped to the side, appearing to narrowly avoid the incoming attack. Arlene crashed into the ground, letting out a groan.
"Agh… Damn it. This is really frustrating," she slowly got up
"You know what that word means?" Keon teased.
"I'm not dumb! I just don't know a lot of words."
"If you could just tell me where you're from, things would be a lot less complicated."
"I'm not telling you!"
"Well, it was worth a try. I'll be going to sleep then. We'll be setting off to find the nearest town in a day or two, when the both of us are completely recovered. You tried to hide it, which was a pretty smart move, but I can see the damage done to your body. It became especially evident at that flimsy attack you attempted. So, that's good night."
Arlene was left a little shocked. Her eyes then fell to what Keon was making; a makeshift bed out of straw and fur from animals that he had previously slain. Upon viewing the very primitive looking bed, she groaned again.
"Come on! Why do I have to sleep on the worse bed?" she whined.
"Stop complaining. It's spacious enough, and it's the only bed I feel like making."
"Wait. You aren't suggesting that we sleep on the same bed?"
"I am suggesting that we sleep on the same bed."
"Nope. No way."
"Are you a kid?!"
"A regular boy and a girl can't sleep on the same bed. I don't plan on getting pregnant any time soon."
Who thinks like that?! This woman… I'm not sure what your parents have been teaching you, but that's not how reproduction works! Keon let out an incredibly obnoxious sigh. After a bit of nagging, he finally decided to split the bed in half.
With that, the two of them fell asleep. Keon slept with his arms and legs wrapped around his sword, which was encased by his scabbard.