Forest Disturbance Part II! (Job/Calathes)

Job Information:

"What? Again?" Ahote held a white mug full of coffee with cream and sugar, unable to sip from his hot beverage upon hearing what he did. Sitting on a stool against a counter, on the opposite side stood a large, stocky man with a thick, brown beard and small eyes who went by Rufus. The two had talked with each other among themselves in the otherwise empty bar, Rufus cleaning glasses and the raven haired boy drinking from one of those said glasses.

"Yep. That old couple is looking for some more help over in those Spooky Woods. You up for it?" Rufus offered, a crumbled piece of paper on the counter before him. Ahote furrowed his brows, reading the paper's contents. It seemed like a simple job, but he was surprised that he'd get word of such a job in the same location from the same clients as before.

He sighed, finally sipping from his mug with a tired expression. "Yeah, I guess.
I think I'll take my leave before your customers come then, mister Rufus." Ahote felt the blood rush to his cheeks in excitement in knowing he'd be able to go on another job today, chugging down the caffeinated drink, slamming the mug onto the counter along with a handful of jewels, snatching the paper from the wooden counter, rushing out of the tavern, "Bye then, mister Rufus!" Ahote waved, slithering past the table and out of the doors, into the deep afternoon snow.

Even after he rushed out into the snowy mountain range, quickly putting on his usual thick, woolen coat, the boy did not slow down in his running. He looked down at the job request once more, provoking a series of thought. If I can catch the one-hour train over to the Spooky Forest, spend up to two hours looking for this skunk and catch the same train back, I can be home without anyone noticing a thing. Alright! Ahote surmised, rushing to the nearest train station.

With a brief train ride and a dozen or so minutes of walking, the scenery faded from desolate, snow covered mountains to lively woods and tall, green grass and trees. It was always a delightful ride for Ahote, no matter how often had had been on and off Mt. Hakobe. The change in scenery was always refreshing.

Upon arriving at the Spooky Forest, things seemed as they usually did besides the increase in dead leaves scattered about. It looked more like a forest that belonged in an autumn setting. With both hands tucked away in pants pockets, Ahote let his eyes wander. "They weren't kidding about that terrible view. Leaves everywhere, huh. . ." Ahote mumbled to himself, walking about the woods with the crunch of the leaves under his black, leather boots.

"Well, I guess I should actually start looking. . . it won't just come to me." Ahote continued to ramble, looking in bushes, behind trees, even going as far as looking under rocks. Oh boy, this would take a while.

WC: 507/1,250

There was always an issue with these woods, it seemed. A terribly noisy forest despite how spooky it was made out to be. If anything, Ahote felt more comfortable wandering out onto these dirt paths and beholding the groves of trees he'd come to find. The chirps of small birds, the crunch of forest critters scurrying across dead, autumn leaves, the crisp smell of the winds, it was all so very soothing to Ahote. Ever since he was young, so young that he was still with Kanix, he had been surrounded with the beauty of Mother nature. It was more of a home to him than his actual home was.

The raven haired boy held no contempt for the old couple who would invite him to these woods, unknowing of his presence. In fact, he was pleased when he got a request from them. Being able to interact with an ecosystem and environment beyond a snow covered rock was always delightful, even exciting for him. But today's trip had been especially exciting knowing he'd be able to interact with an animal, one on one. In this case, he wasn't particularly afraid of skunks, or had any opinion on them at all, really. They were cute at face value, but he wasn't quite sure what this particular skunk would look like.

I've never heard of a skunk that sprays plant life, killing it. I'm not sure if it'll harm me, so I guess I should be careful. . . He thought to himself, flipping stones and pushing through bushes in hopes in finding the black and white beast. But perhaps such a touchy approach wasn't the wisest if he was not wanting a spray. But at the thought of the smelly creature, a much more beautiful, majestic image popped in his mind.

Pausing for a brief moment, Ahote recalled his past encounter with a mysterious, unidentified creature who came to him in distress with an injured shoulder. It's skin was strange, a mixture of smooth scales and soft feathers, a chilling black coloring its flesh followed by stunning gold eyes. It was a truly beautiful beast, but since their exchange, was never to be seen again.

Ahote resumed his search with those ideas in mind, feeling his abdomen begin to ache with all the bending down. "Not there. . . or here either. . ." Ahote droned, tired of straining his hues in looking through leaves and other vegetation. But before the boy could continue his investigation elsewhere, some rough object quickly whipped against the back of his head, knocking him forward, startled. "Ow!" he squeaked, sitting on the ground with both hands hugging his head.

After realizing that the impact wasn't so painful, he raised his head to face his attacker with angry eyes and furrowed brows, "Hey-. . . !!" He began, only to quickly found himself at a loss for words in seeing the familiar Theo Calathes with a clip pinching his chocolate nose.

Ahote quickly stood to his feet, dusting his shorts and shirt off before regaining eye contact with hs acquaintance, his expression unfaltering, "That hurt, you know! What's the big idea?! What are you even doing?" he scolded him, waving his finger around, rambling on about the dangers of hitting others with sticks, and to look where one's going, other things. "Do you live here or something?!"

WC: 1,069/1,250

Ahote would ramble on to the taller, chocolate skinned man about his qualms. But a certain pause was reached and the boy broke from his scolding, allowing his acquaintance to have a moment to speak, and speak he did.

As usual, he wasn't fond of the idea that the raven haired youth had been in these woods, for reasons that boy did not know. Pinching the end of a clothes clip, Theo proceeded to remove the wooden tool from his nose and onto Ahote's, leaving a line of red, pressured skin where the clip once was. Clearly he had been shielding his nostrils from sort of dangerous or odorous scent, a scent that remained unknown to Ahote. Still, he accepted the gesture of concern and readjusted the clip on his nose for better comfort, and uncomfortably let his mouth hang open to breathe.

However, the exchange happened quickly and reluctantly, as topaz hues raised back to Theo's crisp, golden ones, still worn on his flustered, upset face. "Okay, well, if an old, cranky couple can live here with their hands clean, I'm pretty sure a kid of my caliber could do just fine. It's just critters and bugs around here, anyway. And they pay nicely!" Ahote challenged, lifting himself from the ground and beginning to trail behind his company with crossed arms hugging his chest, scrunched brows, and flushed, red ears.

Two pairs of feet crunched against sheets of dead leaves, all brown and dry. The crisp forest air had now been replaced with the odor of a lurking beast with a spray that killed the greenery, and it seemed as if Ahote hadn't experienced its stench considering he was unaware to any sort of stench beforehand. But with Theo lurking and wandering about the depths of the Spooky Forest for what seemed to be an eternity, it was only natural he would smell something out of the ordinary.

Despite those thoughts, Ahote remained irritated, even more so after Theo's grumbles slipped past his lips and rolled off his tongue as sharp as a knife. But before he could retaliate, Theo began to ramble on about his frustrations. Quickly, Ahote's cheeks flushed as red as his ears in anger as his arms unfolded from his chest and began to move about in multiple gestures of anger, "Oh gee whiz, mister Calathes! My dearest sympathies for what troubles and pain you must endure. You know, interacting with other people and maybe not isolating yourself here until your grave greets you. I know, it's just terrible!" he argued, continuing on and on about how he was doing him a favor in coming to get rid of the beast that troubled them so. In fact, he continued to argue the entire trip over to wherever the beast was.

Fuming, Ahote's curses were abruptly halted when he strolled into the man's back, not knowing that he had stopped from his usual pace. "Hey, why'd you stop all of a sudden--...?!" he blurted before he was quickly hushed, and hush he did when brown, strong arms coiled around his shoulder and pulling him into a clearer view of whatever drove Theo to pause. Ahote's topaz hues followed Theo's crimson ones down to a fuzzy figure of black and white, instantly realizing what had been lurking there. "That's the skunk? What do we do now? Do we kill it? I didn't want to kill it, but I'm not going to peacefully relocate it with my bare hands, either. . . it'd bite my hand off. . ." Whispering, the raven threaded boy commented.

As if a light bulb flickered to brightness above his head, Ahote's head slowly rotated to look at Theo, "If only there was someone brave and strong enough to do such a thing.
. . with their bare hands. . . or a stick. . ." he grinned, rubbing his shoulder up against Theo's. Clearly he had hoped peer pressure would do the trick.

WC: 1,731/1,250 (completed)

Ahote would snicker upon Theo's comment, knowing it was his jeering words of encouragement that did the trick. In any case, the boy knew that he would have to be forced to do such a thing, too hesitant to confront such a physical issue as this was. Many things this boy has seen and done, but it would never make him retreat from his defensive instincts.

Ahote took a step back as Theo would move forward, moving far enough to have a clear view of his acquaintance and only a glimpse of the creature in waiting. "Don't hurt yourself. Don't let that thing bite you, too! Make sure you don't--. . .!!" Ahote fretted, hugging his chest with tense arms as Theo lunged at the beast. Although he panicked, no words could leave his lips as struggle continued.

Anxiously, he kept his distance in wait for the deed to be done. But when lunges came quicker and stronger and the rustling deep within the leaves of the bush increased in volume and frequency, the boy felt himself no longer able to keep quiet within his own thoughts, "Don't kill it, don't kill it, don't kill it. . . Theo, don't kill it. . .!" Ahote cupped his jaw within his right, fleshed hand, his metal arm hugging his right's as a squeak rang in his ears, and the rustling had stopped along with Theo's jerks.

Quietly, the youth stalked over to the taller, seemingly older man with great hesitation, but the overwhelming curiosity of what happened driving him forward. He stepped beside Theo, peering over his shoulder to view the pierced and dead animal before them. Instantly, his panicked expression morphed into a weary frown, topaz eyes fixed on the carcass, "Annnd you killed it. Great job, dingus. It's almost as if you did exactly what I told you do. Yeah, really, props." Ahote grumbled, briefly turning to Theo and nudging his shoulder with his own before returning his attention back to the skunk carcass, taking note of the abnormal state of its neck, "Oh, wait. Is there something on its neck?" he queried, leaning into the depths of the bush with his left, metal arm extended.

His two digits grazed upon the lifeless animal's neck, hearing the clinking of metal against metal, submerged in its fluffy coat. It was clear that it had been wearing a collar, judging by the fur that was pressed down around its neck and the circular object that he felt wrapped around it. Naturally, with his inquisitive spirit, all qualms were brushed aside as he extended his other arm to search for some sort of lock, "Here, hold on," he would comment, groping about the collar in search for some sort of mechanism for it to unlock. After several moments of his investigation and groping about, digits pressed down on a small, metal button, and following that came a clicking noise. Immediately, the raven haired boy felt the grip of the collar loosen, and slipped it off the skunk, retrieving it from darkness and into the view of both he and Theo.

"So it was a collar, huh?" he confirmed, holding it between metal digits, rotating it before topaz hues rolled to Theo, who remained still and tense. Puzzled, Ahote placed his fleshed hand on his shoulder, "You alright? You didn't get bit, did you?
Here, let me see." Ahote questioned him with his usual soft voice, leaning to grab his hand and inspect it. Clearly, the collar wasn't the greatest of his worries at the very moment.

The boy's quickly widened and with a twinkle shock in their glossy centers as his hand was violently whipped back in rejection, topaz rimmed hues narrowing into a glare of concern during Theo's hushed, reassuring words. Was he just fine, or was that some sort of lie? The ominous, daunting gloom possessing the stronger, more adult man spread like a contagious virus, leaving Ahote sweaty with worry, but the gut wrenching burden of not knowing what had overcame the two. But despite his doubts, the raven haired youth had no time to question Theo as he began to hastily pull him by his right arm, muttering with a grave, deep voice.

Ahote had let himself be dragged for all but a few seconds before yanking back in resistance, brows furrowed and a mouth hanging open, looking for the words to say, but saying them anyway, "Hey! Theo! What's gotten into you?! Hey!" he argued, continuing on of his complaints and questions, lips unable to reach a pause, breaths quick and heavy. That was, until he had been thrown just ahead of the somber Theo, silenced by his threats. His voice became harsher, louder, eyes radiating with a certain vexation mixed with an even more peculiar uneasiness. He looked that of an animal who sensed danger, but what danger? What among skunks and squirrels could frighten him so terribly?

The boy had flinched in the mere utterance of the world "kill." It rung in his ears and echoed in his mind. Noise became like static and felt himself drift into an uncomfortable numbness. But something
assured him that those words were not have been truthful. They couldn't have been. The hope of the potential lie restored the boy, Ahote's indignant expression softening into that of a worried on, lips scrunched in the middle and eyes glistening with a friendly amount of concern. Breaths slowed and lips began to move, "Theo, if something's about to happen, isn't it better if you and I both just. . ." he began, only to be interrupted by the very harbinger Theo seemed to have fretted about.

Flames had burst between the two men, and while the orangish-red flames had cackled and twisted formlessly in its space, only the lips of deadly heat kissed their skin, leaving Ahote stumbling to the ground and Theo apparently unfazed. Even if only tumbling a few feet away from the flames, the boy had panted like a dog in desert heat, chest inflating and deflating rapidly his left hand grabbing his chest through his thin shirt.

Ahote slowly raised his head, vision narrowed to that of a cornered beast, flickering between the figures ahead of him and his silent partner. Who were these people, and why had Theo been so quiet? Was he hurt? The youth rotated his head to face him, but flinched at the utterance of an unfamiliar title. "Subject. . . twelve?" Ahote tiredly whispered to himself, becoming even stiffer at the mention of his upcoming death. At the frightening words, the boy felt himself weighed by the many anxieties and possibilities of what could happen. What would happen. Was he to die? Die alone? Out here? The more he thought of it, the more raw and disturbing he felt the stress posses him. What was he to do? What could he do? What would Theo do? Even if surrounded by the presences of so many people, never did the boy feel so alone. His mind became black and shut his eyes to the light of day, doing his best to ignore the sinister voices of the unknown. That was, until the deep, silvery voice he had become so acquainted with had become a part of that presence.

Ahote raised his head to Theo's loud and stubborn rejection, as if a glimmer of hope had possessed him once more and filled him with the courage to keep his eyes open. He remained idle on the ground, listening to the strangers and Theo bark at one another. "Theo. . ." Ahote spoke softly with a trembling voice, struggling to keep himself from shouting. His words, although cold and harsh as usual, never filled him with such awe before now. In the moment, if it were only brief, Ahote had felt that of a kinship with him.

Flames lunged out to the pair, like ravenous wolves to a trembling and cornered hare, a well known heat rushing closer to them, and a new layer of sweat enveloping the boy's face as he greeted death with an expression of terror, only to be further surprised by a blinding light that flashed continuously as the formless fire smashed against some sort of surface. Whatever it was, Ahote had not seen it, as he had glanced elsewhere in the midst of all the excitement.

His gaze returned to a still standing Theo, and never had his expression been so full of relief and a newfound amazement. It had further instilled the boy with an even deeper, irrefutable resistance he could only feel when on the brink of death. A feeling that possessed him just moments before the deaths of Angus and others, and a feeling he so greatly feared. But never before did he cling to it so tightly, for before him was reason enough for him to let it consume him. The hairs on his pale flesh stood erect, goosebumps covering his body from head to toe, and heart racing too fast for him to count the beats. Blood rushed through his veins as it so eagerly pumped through his body, flushing his cheeks red and submerging him in adrenaline. He felt as if he could strike through steel, but had not moved a muscle.

"What. . . the. . ." he begun, wide eyes blinking, fixing between the distant figures and his tawny friend. Ahote rose to his feet, knees bent and body trembling, but his expression gross with disdain and a subtle anxiousness, "I. . . I don't know what the hell's going on, but you can explain to me after we get out of this, Theo!" he cursed under his breath, raising curled fists to the air, ready to fight on his part. Although pathetic in comparison to the powerful man just ahead of him, the trembling teenager stood anyway.

With fists raised and prepared to be swung, Ahote could feel his fingers lay in the sweat of his palm, breaths so shallow and hushed that he himself had to remind himself to take deeper ones. His body settled into a stillness as opposed from its previous state of trembling, but muscles wrapped so tightly to his bones that he struggled to inch away from this spot on the dirt and only moved to blink and swallow his spit, eyes anxiously darting from the dying fires to the defiant Theo. His face burned and head throbbed, but skin remained icy cold, a layer of sweat coating it.

Time had come and passed the group in what only seemed to be the blink of an eye. The sudden roars of flames now died down to weak crackling, an exchange of words from tongues like knives and looks that felt like the other end of guns when fixed by their gaze now settled into silence. Color drained from the world surrounding them, from all except Theo and the intruders, and nothing seemed more terribly vibrant. Still, Ahote hid in the shadow of the men and women, struggling to keep himself afloat in the sea of hostility. Like a rushing wave at sea, it came, it went, and there were still waters.

As if someone had clenched his heart with a tight, burdening grip had suddenly released, the tension filling his just like air had lifted and settled into a rush of relief. A pause came, before Ahote had finally slumped down and rested his hands on weak knees, releasing one large breath, “Fucking hell. . .” he cursed, a weak smile cracking his parted lips. His metal hand reached for his chest, gripping it through wrinkled clothes and feeling his heart race through the bone and flesh. His smile extended to ear to ear, raising his head to check on his hardy friend. “Are you okay, Theo?” he stood erect again, beginning to walk over to him with the same relieved smile stretched across his face, though now beginning to morph into a frown, “Hey, are you listening? Are you- . . .!” he began, only to be interrupted by Theo’s stammering reply and tight grip on his wrist.

Ahote stumbled along, Theo dragging him restlessly through once lush groves of trees, now burnt and with bark like ash, looking far into the near distance, but seeing nothing but the same images. The raven haired youth began to pull back against his tawny friend’s force, “Hey, let go! Theo!”the boy would grumble, though his pleas seemingly unheard, “Theo!” he shouted again. But once more, Theo would continue to drag him through the forest, quickly and anxiously. With a red nose and neck, scrunched brows and trembling eyes, Ahote jerked his arm away, “Could you cut it out?!” he barked, his cheeks becoming like peaches and breaths quicker.

He fell silent, rapid breaths slowing to shallow ones. Ahote would then run his fleshed digits through his messied, long locks, turning to face Theo once more, “Where exactly do you plan on taking us? Deeper into the forest? You must be insane if you think that either of us would be safe in some shack or cave in this place!” he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, “You’re right about us not getting another chance, so I’m going home!” Ahote began to turn away, making small steps in the way they came. He dusted himself off, continued, and then came to an abrupt stop.

His neck and face remained red and hot, though his chest now calm and relaxed. He would pause, eyes heavenward before darting back to Theo and grabbing his wrist, “You should come, too. If they find you again, you’re really going to die this time. So. . . come on!” he began to pull him along. In seeing the once sharp tongued and defiant man reduced to a state of eerie silence and nervousness, Ahote felt almost the need to pull him into an embrace. Pats on the back and whispering "Everything will be alright." Never did the boy ever feel so terribly longing for the train station they headed for, but also a deep compassion for his protector, who was, even if only briefly, unmistakably, unimaginably, cool.  

For the majority of their trip to the train station, Theo had remained silent, as did Ahote, both immersed in their own thoughts. Ahote more irritable than the usually sharp tongued and aggressive Theo, and choosing to say nothing beyond what he needed to until the pairs of feet were greeted by the pavement only familiar to stations.

For what seemed to be several minutes, the two stood there among the clueless travelers who patiently waited for the train to arrive, though all bustling with some sort of activity, whether it be picking up a phone call or gossiping with friends. Ahote let the threads of his raven hair fall into his wet eyes and cloud the train tracks and groups of girls in front of him, his nose and cheeks red with the chilling winds and his own frustration. Lips seemed nearly immovable before Theo had opened his, his usually jeering tone replaced with a sincere one, teasing more laughs than fuss. Those words, although few, felt as if they were honey, Ahote's cheeks flushing an even deeper red than before but the sudden praise. His chest unscrewed like bolts, as if a great weight as been lifted from his chest from the unusual and perturbing silence between the two. Still, although they had briefly softened, he insisted on keeping his expression that of an angry boy's. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Mock me all you want, but I followed my gut, dumbass. . ." he grumbled indignantly.

Another pause came and Theo spoke again, but with a newfound solemnity, greater than before. Ahote raised his head with a frown equivalent to a pouting child's, "What is it?" he would speak with the same harshness, but an inquisitiveness in the reason behind this atmosphere. Next, with a certain amount of bravery and humbleness, Theo declined his offer in returning home with him. The boy's eyes flashed with surprise, still with confusion before settling back in his slumped posture with and almost weary countenance. He sighed, ruffled the back of his head awkwardly and stumbled next to Theo, nudging his shoulder with droopy eyes, "You're so stubborn." he huffed, brows furrowing, "I try not to involve myself with unnecessary hardships or troubles, especially if it doesn't involve me. But. . ." he frowned, the redness returning to his cheeks, "you did
save my life. So, I have to repay you. So even if you don't stay a while, let me feed you some good food from my home. Alright? Quit being stubborn and accept someone's kindness for once." Ahote would nudge him again, perhaps harder than the last time, but he wasn't paying attention to the strength he put into it.

His topaz eyes drifted off into the scenic distance, past the train tracks and into the surrounding nature. His lips parted once more, releasing a soft, quiet voice, "Besides. .
." he began, "you're not so boring to hang out with. Something interesting always happens. So, I'd really hate to leave things like this. . ." Ahote simpered and turned away, immersed in thought again. Ah, yes, no day spent with Theo was a boring one. There was always something to look forward to, whether it be a deathly clash with strangers or simply hunting a skunk. It was like no feeling he's ever experience. Yes, he enjoyed this.