Strays: A Romantic Fantasy Adventure

The group made it to the base of the mountains around the time they had predicted. The village was a disappointment, to say the least. There were only a few scattered homes, and the one shop it did possess hardly had anything of use within its meager walls. Most everything had been wiped out by a previous party the week before that was considerably larger than their own, and the merchant wagon from Lannistown had yet to make its monthly stop in order to restock. Without any other option, they chose to push forward into the range with what was already on their backs.

The mountain air was crisp and clear and nearly glistened under the bright sunlight. A maze of rushing creeks ventured off from the main river that roared violently and without mercy through the valley, swollen with the runoff of melting snow from the high mountain peaks above. Pine trees grew tall and thick, creating a protective canopy for the brush and creatures that scattered along the ground underneath their shade. A road had been carved into the mountains, winding high and low, barely wide enough for a wagon to maneuver around. Every so often, caves had been dug into the rock for unfortunate travelers to take shelter from the elements if need be.

“It’s so pretty!” Ivy gasped, enthralled by the raw beauty around her as she frolicked past the others, picking wildflowers along the way without a care in the world. “I want to live here!”

“Until the snow hits,” Ren laughed, having had plenty of experience with living along the mountains. “Then you’ll be begging for the South Shores.”

“Do you think it’ll snow?” she asked, excited at the idea. It had been some time since she had had the opportunity to crunch her feet into freshly fallen snow. What a delight it would be to be able to play in it once again. And if she could get Ren and Zero on her side, she could probably convince Sakura to build a snowman with her. A giant one that was even taller than the angel.

She was a girl of modest dreams. Easily pleased.

“You never know,” the man shrugged. “But the shop keep in the village said that it’s been abnormally warm, so now is the best time to travel through. If it does, it probably won’t be much or it’ll just be rain.”

It wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear and Ivy sighed with a pucker to her lips. “I want snow.”

“I don’t,” Sakura countered, just the thought a nuisance. “I’ve had enough snow to last four lifetimes.”

“She doesn’t like it because it clumps up in her tail,” Ren told Ivy with an exaggerated roll of his eyes.

“I hate trying to get rid of those awful little balls of ice,” she complained.

“You’re being dramatic,” the man accused flippantly.

“How would you know? You have no idea what it’s like.”

He scoffed at the vixen’s complaints. “I helped get rid of them.” As if it was some grand accomplishment.

The woman scooped up a pine cone and tossed it at the angel in disgust. “You half-assed getting them out before throwing them at me! And you laughed at my misery the whole time! You were no help at all!”

Ren nodded with a chuckle. “It’s true. It was funny.”

“No it wasn’t!” Her irritation rising with the memory. “And I only got them because you’d toss me in the snow drifts.”

The man’s grin grew wider. “Yeah, that sure was fun.” He peered at the girl flitting around. “I’m with you on this one, Little One. I hope it snows, too. We’ll have a great time.”

Ivy spun to face the man, ignoring the demon’s snarl towards him. “Do the Northern Mountains get a lot of snow? I’ve only ever been up there when there wasn’t any.”

“Some years you get a lot, and others not so much. The peaks always get snow though, so even during drier years the creek still runs.”

The girl nodded while glancing at Sakura, gauging her reaction, and deciding that she seemed neutral to the conversation. She wanted to pry more but didn’t want to create a repeat of their last night in Lannistown. It was difficult to predict just where the woman drew the line for what was acceptable and what wasn’t in regards to her past, as it was ever changing on her mood. What was fine now may not be later.

Sometimes, the girl would ask and it would be a toss up between receiving vague or jesting answers, or just uncomfortable silence with a look of despair that Sakura would try to quickly conceal as she changed the subject. There were even times that whatever it was that Ivy had asked had made something in the demon snap, and at the first opportunity she would let loose. It may be excessive force on a pest or the first man who made an unsavory comment. Other times, she’d argue insistently over the most ludicrous reasons with each and every merchant until she got her way. And although the fox had never taken her abrupt hysteria out on Ivy, and the girl wasn’t concerned that the woman ever would in the least bit, she didn’t enjoy being an audience to it either.

It would be best just to leave well enough alone.

For now, at least.

They made good time, making it halfway through the range before evening. The road had descended back down into the valley where the four decided to settle for the night in a small clearing surrounded by giant pines.

Sakura looked at the clear, tranquil sky. Even if weather was coming, they still had time to prepare. “I’m going to see what I can hunt down. Could you get wood and start a fire, Ivy?”

“Sure can!” The girl set the massive bouquet she had gathered on the ground, and began meandering off towards the dense accumulation of trees with an upbeat melody spilling from her lips to guide the pep in her step.

Zero didn’t wait to receive instructions from the fox before turning and following after the girl who slowed her pace for him to catch up. Together, they dipped into the trees and out of sight with the girl beaming and asking the boy about his thoughts and feelings about building snowmen.

“Hey! You two don’t wander off too far.” Sakura called after them and received a tug to her ear in response.

“Leave them be,” Ren told her. “They’re big kids, they can figure it out. They don’t need you following after them playing mother hen all the time. The worst that’s going to happen is we have too much kindling.”

The woman rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. He was right, and at least the boy was making an attempt to be useful. It was more than what could be said about the angel.

She pulled the glaive from her back and set it against the trunk of a tree, deciding that carrying it was more effort than she wanted to deal with when hunting small game. “Fine. I’m off then.” She turned and walked in the opposite direction. “Go find something productive to do.”

“I was going to go hunting with you,” Ren claimed, starting to follow after the fox.

Sakura groaned and shook her head, not even bothering to glance the angel’s way. “What happened to you not liking to kill things?”

The man dismissed her accusation cheerfully. “That was then. This is now. Besides, I’m not killing anything. I’m gonna watch you do it. Make sure you’re doing it right. We wouldn’t want another worm situation, now would we?”

The reminder of the woman’s botched extermination got her blood boiling quick. “No, you’re not!” she warned as her head whipped around, lips curled and fangs bared, stopping him in his tracks. “You can just stay right here where you’re not going to be a bother to anyone.”

“But what about the bears!” he whined after her. “It’s better to stick together. Safety in numbers and all that.”

“If we’re lucky one will eat you!” she barked before disappearing into the trees.

Ren smirked at her back, having absolutely no intention to obey her commands. Sakura was all warmed up now. There was no way he was going to give her the space and time she required in order to cool down. One must strike when the iron is hot for any chance at success, after all.

He looked up into the bright, serene sky with fluffy clouds moseying by. It was perfect, but the man knew very well how feeble and fleeting perfection could be. He gave it a moments longer glace before sauntering off in the same direction as the demon, ready to put his newest plan into action.

Time passed with ease. Squirrels and chipmunks ran along the trees as the birds chirped and soared in the skies. Not so much as a gentle breeze blew through the grasses and brush, the air settled and calm. There was absolutely no warning before an earth shattering bolt of lightning cracked across the sky, and all hell broke loose.