Time and Time Again


By Naruto forever and Tachigami

Julian gave a short sigh, his pale feet swinging and hitting the wooden side of his bed. His large, icy eyes followed the servant who was busying himself around Julian’s room. He was trying not to seem antsy and anxious, but he really just wanted to leave. The castle air was getting too…stuffy, he almost felt suffocated. When the servant finally seemed to calm down, Julian perked up instantly, much like how a young puppy would.

“Are you finished?” he asked, trying to hold in his excitement.

The servant, who was quite a bit older than Julian himself, looked down at Julian with the slightest bit of suspicion, but nodded before leaving the room. As soon as the young boy heard the servant’s footsteps retreat down the hallway, he quickly ran to his closet to pick out his long black cloak and his shoes.

After putting the cloak on, and making sure that it covered his soft reddish blonde hair, he scurried over to the windowsill. He double checked everything—making sure that no one was around, and that his hair was in the small ponytail it always was in—he hopped out of the window, and into the tree that was right outside of it. He grasped onto the branch, and quickly shimmied down the trunk of the large oak tree.

As his feet touched the ground, he began to walk quickly towards the gates of the palace, and once he was there, he skillfully avoided the guards by slipping around them.
Being the youngest of the royal family had it’s privileges, but it also meant that he was babied a little bit too much, and protected way too much. He was rarely let outside, which was exactly why he snuck out at least three times a week.

He began to make his way to the forest that was at the edge of the large kingdom. He had wandered into it once before, but hadn’t had much time, thus he wanted to visit at least once more.

His hands swept across the leaves and trees, as if embracing the feel. He didn’t know much about plants or animals, so he really didn’t have much use for a forest, but Julian adored the feeling of the fresh nature against his skin. It was so different from what he was used to.

Letting out a content sigh, the small, pale boy wandered further into the forest, not caring if he got lost or not.

The night fell sweetly, cooling the humid, thick air of the day and making it easier to breathe. The trees did keep in the air rather damp, and it made hunting so difficult. It was harder to see at nightfall, but easier to move, to spy the stick before it snapped underfoot, or the dangerous eyes of the stalking cat or wolf before it had a chance to attack. Tonight he was hunting the rare vail deer, a creature of black hair and pale eyes, though small in antlers, and in stature. They were rare because they were small, quick, and had exceptional hearing, and because of that, could hear a footfall from a great distance, and the way an arrow cut the air. It could avoid that easily. The only way to get it was to sneak up on the creature with great patience and skill, and use an intimate short blade to give it a quick, respectable death.

Timren was skilled in sneaking to such an extent he could catch a vail deer after just a few hours of stalking, and at this point, he had reached a critical moment. It was in a very small clearing full of flat stones, at one time this had been a well-used road until a quicker route was decided a few years ago. He had taken his shoes off and now their laces were in his mouth, and his bare feet were clasping to the stones in an expert manner. His father used to say his almost supernatural sneaking prowess would be perfect for an infiltrator in the army, but Timren had shot him down more than once. He didn't like killing, even if he had to. And as a hunter, he had to. But at least they weren't human.

Carefully, very carefully, Timren grasped his shoes and set them down on a mossy rock next to him, and crawled forward a bit. It was right there... Just a few yards away, busy on a low-hanging tree branch. The rustling of the breeze would cover any slight misstep, but he had to be careful. Too many missteps and the deer would be gone, and he'd be lucky to find another within the next month. Breathing through his mouth, Timren crept forward, and grasped his curved blade in the palm of his right hand. To just grab the deer by its antlers and thrust the knife through its chest... Just one quick, painless motion. He startled when a snapping and rustling met his ears, and he couldn't even look back to the creature before it was gone.

"No...!" The sigh escaped him in a dejected, sad manner, and Timren sat backward. "God, no... Oh, I was so close... Damn it..." Looking around, his sharp, dark blue eyes tried to catch the source of the sound. "Hello...? Anyone there?" It had to be human. Its motions were too sparse to have more than two legs.

Julian hadn't been paying attention to anything. He'd just been letting his hands glide across the rough barks of the trees, no doubt giving himself a few scratches, and breathing the fresh, cool air. It was times like this that Julian wished that he had been born a peasant. After all, he wasn't really even needed in "The Royal Family" anyways because he was the third son. Maybe if he had been born a girl, that way he could marry a soon-to-be-king, and actually help his kingdom. But in the position he was in now, he couldn't even marry a soon-to-be-queen. It wasn't until he heard a voice that he was brought back into reality, and away from all the thoughts that had been going round and round his head.

"Hello...? Anyone there?" the voice asked, surprising Julian in the slightest bit.

"Hm?" he hummed, wandering around a few trees until he stood in front of another man. He couldn't make out the details because it was so dark, but he could tell that the other male was taller than him. He could also see the slight tinge of blonde in the man's hair, but Julian couldn't be sure.

He tilted his head slightly, wondering why the man was also in the forest so late at night. He looked down at the man's hand, and saw that he was holding a knife, then looked down even further and saw the the male was barefooted, but his shoes were right by him. Finally, Julian put the piece together.

"Oh! Did I... did I scare your prey off?" he raised his head quickly, staring the other male in the eyes, "I'm so sorry! I didn't realize that people would be hunting this late."

He bit his lip slightly, hoping that the taller male hadn't been hunting something really important. He would offer to make it up to the man, but in situations like this, Julian had no way to do so. If he knew how to hunt, he would help the man. But other than that, he didn't know how to make it up.

"I uh.. I, uhm," Julian started, scratching the back of his head, "I'm sorry."

He didn't quite expect someone to actually answer---normally the result of someone calling out in the dark of a forest's night was for the accidental intruder to run the other way. Or, relatively normal, since he would have done the same thing the voice's owner did---reply, and then show himself. Well, at least he did seem apologetic... That was all that mattered. Timren shook his head, sheathing the knife and sitting on the rock he'd been standing on when the deer was scared off. "No... It's okay." He sighed. It really wasn't, but it didn't befit someone to feel sorry when they didn't even know what they were doing. It was rare for the untrained eye to even spot a vail deer. Let alone at night, in a dark forest's shadow. "I can get another some other time, anyway." Maybe next week, or next month if he were lucky. Timren tied his shoe's laces tightly, then regarded the newcomer rather curiously.

"It's dangerous in the forest at night." He said simply. "I can smell you from here, who knows what a wolf or big cat would do if they caught onto it." The smell wasn't bad, to be honest. Timren liked it---it was clean. He enjoyed the clean scent that came with washing in the river or lake, the way it lingered for a while. The way certain berries and flowers could be made into soap. And that cloak would only hide him in the shadow, rather than take away his scent or noise. Standing, Timren stretched and put his hands behind his back. He couldn't see much of the man from here, but he sounded rather young, soft-spoken. "Er, if you need to get back to the village, or town... I could lead you back there. Unless you'd rather wait until dawn, my cabin isn't that far away." He jabbed his thumb backward, as if to say his cabin were right behind him. In reality it was off to the left some way, but closer than the village nearest them. But it wasn't unusual for someone to decline, not necessarily trusting Timren despite the kind tone in his voice.

He was kind by nature, really. There wasn't much to worry about with Timren, who hated death and killing, stealing or violating, harming in anyway.

Julian watched the outline of the other male tie his shoes, and sheath his knife before standing up straight again. He lifted his sleeve up to his nose at the man's next sentence. All he smelt was the faint scent of the trees, and the faint scent of the soap he had used earlier in the day. Could animals really smell it? Could the other man really smell it? Then again, Julian was so used to the smell that he hardly smelt it anymore, so it was probably a lot stronger than he thought.

Julian considered the man's offer about staying until dawn, but quickly brushed the idea off. It wouldn't exactly be called sneaking out if someone figured out he was gone, thus he needed to get back before dawn came. Plus, he didn't know the man in front of him, so there was no way to tell if he was dangerous or not. Julian may be naive at points, but he knew how to take care of himself to that extent.

He looked around the forest, wondering if he would be able to get back on his own. He hadn't really been paying any attention to where he was going, which was probably a big mistake, but a lot of time he was able to make his way home, even if he were lost. Then again, this was a large forest, that he had never been in before. Was it possible to simply rely on luck, and hope that he'd be able to make it home safely? Like the man had said, the animals could probably smell him. Yet at the same time, Julian found it embarrassing to ask for help. This was the fault of his brothers, most likely, because they would always tease him of being too feminine--and as far as Julian was concerned, asking for help was slightly effeminate too. Well, at least his brother had said that.

But I'd rather get home safely with no one noticing than keep my so-called, non-existent "pride", he mocked himself through his thoughts.

"Thank you for the offer, but I, uh, I really do need to get back to the village," he spoke, his icy eyes still wandering around the forest.

Timren nodded in understanding. Most of the time someone would decline his offer, especially if it was at night, since night bore both mystery and danger at once. Besides, he was glad for that at the same time. He lived away from people because he felt misplaced around them. Looking upon others made an icy ball form in his chest that he could only describe as desperate loneliness, as if he'd lost something a long time ago and the people he spent time with were the epitome of that loss. And he felt it now, that cool sensation seeping into him, that shiver down the spine that would have made the newcomer's acceptance of his offer just a little unbearable. But he would feel terrible about just leaving now. Leaving and letting this young man try to pick his way back to the village. And he was looking in the wrong direction.

"That's all right." He nodded. "But... at least let me show you back to town... It's dark enough that you wouldn't see danger until it was too late. Bandits like to hang around the outer ring of trees around the town, too." He stepped forward, pointing the direction of town. Though one could easily get turned around, follow the wrong path without even knowing it, then get twisted about and wind up exactly where they'd been originally. And one could do it all night, until either morning arrived or a thief or animal took care of the runner. And Timren used the stars to navigate if anything else, only at night, when it was necessary, because he couldn't see the marks he left on the trees.

Though the young man's quiet demeanor had Timren looking for something to do, so he twisted his hair. It was already curly, and it only tightened one of them as it was wrapped around his finger. It loosened when he ran a hand through it, a habit that he had to have something to do with his hands in a quiet or otherwise different situation.

((Just a note; this May be shorter than usual cause I wrote it on my iPod. Not sure how long it is.... ^^;))

Julian thought for a second, all previous thoughts still going around in his head. If the other male had done nothing yet, then there was no harm in letting him help Julian home, right? Especially because he had no idea where he was.

"Ahh, sure. That'd be great, thank you," he said before muttering under his breath, "I really didn't think much before coming in here...."

He watched as the other male fiddled with a strand of his seemingly curly hair. At least, that's what Julian could see; it was truly very hard to see with how dark it was. He heard some rustling in the bushes, and the other male's words ran through his head. If the animals could smell him, they would surely attack, right?

"Let's uhh, let's go...please," he stated, not liking the thought of animals attacking him.

Timren smiled, bringing up a hand to the young man's shoulder and directing him left, to a natural deer path. Over time a natural little walkway had been formed from their habitual walking through the same location from one time to the next, usually multiple times a day, but they may be put off by the strange scent crossing their walkway and look for another until the scent washed away. "I'm sorry if I've scared you with all my talk of bandits and wild animals." Timren said sincerely as he kept a bit to the front, with a hand on the handle of his knife as they moved along. "But the true danger is in what you don't see. It's better to be wary than oblivious, I think..."

He forced himself to be quiet. Usually when someone just didn't speak, he tried to fill that void and at the same time, keep himself silent. It resulted in an inner struggle that made all his later conversation starters awkward and unsteady. So he shut himself up, and didn't ask what he wanted to know: The stranger's name. What was it? Timren couldn't see much from the outside of the newcomer's cloak, and it was rather frustrating. How was he supposed to know what, really, this man was? Maybe he was being led right into a bandit ambush, but Timren's kind disposition just didn't want to admit to considering that. That no one was to be trusted, that he couldn't help someone just to help...

He sighed, and steadied himself. "So... what's your name...? I'm Timren... Most just... call me Tim. Or Ren. Something short." There. Now he didn't feel so pressured. Maybe it would give him a bit more familiarity.

Julian shifted uncomfortably under the man's hand on his shoulder, but soon forgot about it as his eyes wandered around the pathway. He was sure that he was starting to resemble a small child. What, with his naivety, height, everything really. He nodded, showing the other male that he understood what he was saying about the bandits and animals and such. Soon, the silence set in between the two, and Julian found himself fidgeting with the edge of his cloak, accidentally hitting off his hood while he was at it. He had forgotten about the hood. He normally took it down once he was out of the palace guard's view. After all, it was only useful to keep him hidden from them, nothing else.

He would have to apologize once more and give his thanks to the other male once they reached the village. Julian was sure that the man at least felt that he was being a nuisance. After all, Julian did scare off the man's prey, and now the other male was even helping him get out of the forest. He bit his bottom lip slightly, brushing off the thoughts of apologizing--for now--and continued looking around the path. He was trying to pick up any specific marks that would help him remember the path, that way when he wanted to come back into the forest, he wouldn't have to burden someone again...or get lost.

"Hm?" Julian was brought out of his thoughts--and memorizing--when the other man asked a question, "My name? Oh, it's Julian. It's nice to meet you Timren..."

How could he have forgotten to ask for the stranger's name? He hadn't even thought about it, not once! It was times like these though that Julian was happy to have a fairly common name. That way if people asked, he could tell them the truth, and they wouldn't suspect that he was one of the princes--hopefully. It wasn't that he didn't want people to know that he was a prince, quite frankly he didn't even care much about his title, but it was likely that the people would know that he wasn't allowed outside, and he'd have to go straight back to the palace. Then his father, and brothers even, would probably double the guards, just so that Julian wouldn't be able to go exploring.

"Sorry to make you go out of your way like this, and you live on the other side too. I'll be more careful next time..."

((Edited a bit, 'cause..I dunno.))

Julian... Such a conventional name, but Timren didn't know much about the owner of the name---just how conventional was he, in turn? He didn't smell exactly plain, and Timren's nose was well-honed. Those in the village smelled like sweat, rainwater, animals, damp earth and wood, if they had a smell at all. Those of high ranking and privilage had more floral scents. But that was... ridiculous! What would a young man of such high position be doing, wandering the forest, draped in black and stumbling upon a hunter that could easily mistake him for prey? And smelling like he did, it was lucky that he'd found Timren before anyone---or anything---else did. He shook his head. What use was it thinking about what could have been? Doing that just led to wishful or listless thinking. And it would bring negativity. And he had enough of that.

He shook his head though, when Julian spoke. "It's okay." He said, pleasantly enough. "I enjoy some difference in my life every now and then... It's nice to take a break from what I usually do. Nice to... meet people. Even if they don't trust me..." He rolled his eyes. Well, he had dug his own grave there. Why couldn't he just keep his thoughts from breaching his lips? He grimaced, glad for the dark even as Julian's hood fell off. His conditioned eyes could use what little moonlight shone through the trees to deduce a dark tone to his hair, perhaps reddish or rust colored.

He took a bit of the lead when they entered an area well known to be patrolled by thieves, bandit groups. "Stick close..." Timren muttered. "Usually around here an unwary traveler is picked off for whatever they're carrying. Sometimes if they don't have anything, they'll be killed instead." Timren had his hand on his knife. A skilled pickpocket could lift it out of its sheath in just an instant, and without even letting him know. It was his chief weapon now.

Julian gave a short nod, and had to wonder why people wouldn't trust Timren. Though, Julian himself didn't have complete trust in him, he did at least have a little. After all, Timren was helping him. He seemed nice enough, not overly nice like the old lady who sold apples and pears in the village though. That was just weird. Julian didn't like people like that, people who just pretended to be nice, just so that they could get money. But Julian had a feeling that Timren was being kind by nature, and had no double thoughts in it. Maybe he simply had a bit of a scary face. That would make sense, since Julian noticed that people seemed not to like people with harsher faces for some reason. Julian himself didn't really mind, though he admittedly did get scared.

"K-killed?" Julian squeaked, feeling himself tense up and unconsciously moved a couple inches closer to Timren.

He decided to remember this path exactly, at that moment. Not so that he could go on it next time he wanted to go into the forest though, he wanted to remember it so that he wouldn't use it. He tended to daydream when he went for walks, not caring about what was going on around him and whatnot. If there were thieves, or bandits, or whatever they were called in the area, he would surely be attacked by them. They'd probably steal what little he had on him--considering that Julian was indeed smart enough to not bring anything when he went "exploring"--and then kill him.

"D-do they always, uhmm...attack?" he questioned, trying to get the thoughts out of his head.

Timren kept an arm around the young man as if protecting a great treasure. Really, he had no idea who this was, who Julian was, whose son he was, where he came from. But he was obvivously not of the village. No doubt he could find his way once he was there, though, ask someone for direction. "They don't always attack. Thieves and bandits are cowards---they've dealt with me plenty of times and they're afraid of me because I'm better equipped for the environment. They live in inns, cabins they comandeered, tents. They wander close to town because animals don't get too close. Cowards as they are." He chuckled, but kept his eyes open and staring around carefully. Nothing moved in the trees. No bumbling, no creaking, no whispering voices.

He could already see the farthest lights of the town. "Come this way, the main road is over here." Timren led Julian to the right, urging him along a little faster, a slight jog. It was better to get onto the road while they still could. A few scraggly brush grabbed at Julian's cloak, and Timren grabbed it free when that happened. Brush meant they were just yards away, and indeed, they emerged onto the road. Cobblestone, well-traveled. Timren sighed. "Well... Here we are." He brushed his hair back. Braziers burned nearby, giving the road a bit of light. Red hair. He had red hair. Timren smiled. "I'm glad we got here safely. No need to show you the real danger of the nighttime forest, eh?" He laughed a bit. "Well, ah... I guess you're free to go. Bandits never hit the main road, neither do lone thieves or pickpockets. They're afraid of the light and activity even at night. Just... head on to town, you can ask just about anyone for some help."

He grinned awkwardly. How did he disentangle himself from these situations? Usually all he'd have to do is point someone to the town, but he didn't know whether Julian knew the town well. "Do you, er, need anymore help...?" He added hesitantly, shifting slightly.

Julian nodded, happy that the bandits didn't always attack. It was good to hear that they were wimps--much like Julian himself. Being nudged into a slight jog, Julian let out a breath of air, happy to see the brushes, the cobblestone and the light. So maybe the forest wasn't the best place to go...but at least it made an interesting adventure. He smiled, looking down at the cobblestone at his feet, then looked back up, his eyes wandering around the area, looking for any sign of guards. Sometimes his father would make random decisions of sending guards out into town, and onto the roads, which was obviously a problem for Julian, the young prince who liked to escape into town. Fortunately, he saw none.

Turning, he smiled up at Timren, finally able to see the taller male's sunny, long hair, and dark, yet kind blue eyes. It was quite rare, Julian noted, to see such a shade of blonde. Most people had some sort of mixture of blonde and brown, or were simply brunette. It was nice to see a change. Plus, Julian could tell the colour matched Timren's personality.

Giving a short bow, Julian smiled "Thank you for getting me here. I really don't think I can say thank you enough...I didn't really know what I was getting myself into I guess." He scratched the back back of his head with a chuckle. "Uhm...I should be fine from here. I know my way to town, and my home's, uh...not too hard to miss, I guess you could say."

He pulled his hood back up, happy that it was long enough to conceal his face. At least it had some use to it, considering it didn't keep him warm whatsoever, like how cloaks and coats were supposed to. He began to turn around, before stopping. A bit of guilt rumbled inside of him still. His brothers had always told him that if someone helped him out a lot, or gave him something, that he had to give something in return. They said it was the basics of life.

"Uhmm...I'll be sure to find you...again. Hopefully. Just to thank you again...when I'm not in a, uh...a rush," He gave another short smile, this time somewhat awkward, as he walked down the street.

How had the situation... no why had the situation started feeling so awkward? Was it because Julian was acting so naive, asking someone to help him out of a simple forest? Or maybe it was just the fact that the small red-head wasn't all too sure how to interact with people outside of the palace.

Timren smiled at Julian's awkward farewell and raised a hand to wave, even if he couldn't see it. Maybe he could feel it. Then he sighed, turning and leaving the road for the deer path again. True, it would be a long time until he found another vail deer, but this little misadventure had been a great amount of fun. It was different, new, it led him to someone he'd never met before and that was what had made it fun for him. Maybe it was terrifying for Julian, but he had listened well and made it through without panicking, which was more than a lot of lost adults could do most of the time. Some were often on the verge of tears by the time Timren would stumble upon them, and they'd cling to him as if he were about to dart away. Like a lifeline they'd lose if they released him for an instant.

Maybe when it was daylight he'd return. Timren shook his head. How stupid a thought! Why would Julian come back, day or night? He was probably just passing through with his family or overseers. It was a one-time thing, like many of his encounters. That was rather sad, really. Maybe he could go to town more often and actually make friends. Despite the way he felt around people over time, the way he felt like an alien among them, maybe it would be better than talking to the animals and trees. Like a crazy person. He laughed at himself, finding his way back home quickly, following the moon. The way it rested in the night sky, a little to the left, to the left of his cabin. And it was there, in a small clearing where the trees crowded in, a glowing lantern flickering in the window. A few other buildings stood to its right, always locked. One, the largest aside from his home, was the preservation hut. He hung meat inside the hot, dry environment and salted it to make sure it would dry without spoiling. He stepped up onto the porch and looked back behind him as if he felt someone had followed him. He almost expected to see Julian, but shook the concept from his mind. No, how stupid... Why was he focusing on this one?

Sighing, Timren opened his door and shut it behind him. A little living room, just enough for two people despite only one living there. A stairwell was directly to the right, and in front of him a door led into his kitchen. Upstairs two rooms reigned, a bedroom, an one that had a bed in it but was mostly used for storing things. The bed in the second room was for any traveler or anyone that had gotten lost and had found their way to his home. He sighed, taking his belt off and hanging it on the wall, blowing out the flame in the lantern. The fireplace was still burning lightly, offering a bit of a glow so that Timren could go upstairs without feeling about. He made it, despite the darkness here being more complete. The small hallway only led right and straight ahead, and he went to the right, bumping into his door and opening it. There were a few sconces burning on the desk in his room, which he blew out as his eyes adjusted to the darker area. He'd had enough excitement for the evening, and his body told him so as he sat on his bed. Tomorrow he'd have to go to town anyway... Maybe he'd see Julian again, just to make sure things were okay... But then, why wouldn't they be?

He huffed, shaking the concept out of his mind. Stupid... Timren laid back, staring at the ceiling's form until he finally felt his eyelids fall.

Julian had gotten back to palace as quickly as possible. He had a bit of a hard time slipping past the guards, and then climbing up the tree that was outside of his room, but he was finally back. He was tired, to say the least. The forest had taken a lot of energy out of him, despite the fact that he had done nothing. He hung his cloak up, and stripped of his clothes, before going back into his regular sleeping clothes. Looking out the window, he wondered if he'd ever be able to see Timren again. He hoped so, he at least wanted to give him something else, to thank him once more, and he also admittedly really wanted to spend a little bit more time with Timren. He had never really met anyone before, despite going out all the time. Sure, he knew a few people here and there, but they were all vendors who simply wanted to sell things. The only people Julian ever interacted with were his family and the servants around the castle.

Hopping into his soft bed, Julian gave a content sigh. Despite being terribly frightened by the whole experience, it had been fun. With that last thought, Julian let himself be swept off into the land of dreams.

--

"Julian, Julian. Julian, you have to get up," a low voice said from above him.

Despite the fact that the voice was telling him to get up, and two hands were shaking him, Julian gave a soft groan, before nuzzling back into his bed, pulling the blankets up to his face. He was tired, and he didn't want to get up. The simple thought of leaving the warmth of the blankets to enter the cool morning air made Julian snuggle into his blankets even more.

"I swear to God if you don't get up now I'll get a maid to dump a bucket of ice water all over you. And I'll tell her to keep doing it until you're fully awake," the voice warned.

With that, Julian shot up, his bleary eyes opening quickly to look up at his eldest brother; Tobias, or Tobi, as Julian liked to call him. He didn't doubt Tobi, he'd done it before, and it was not a fun experience to have five buckets of ice cold water be dumped on you. He looked at Tobi curiously though, wondering why it was him waking him up. Usually his father sent a servant in, not one of his brothers. As if reading his mind, Tobi answered, "The servant tried, but you didn't even budge. So he came and got me. I swear, you're like a child when it come to waking you up."

"I am still a child though...I'm younger than you at least," Julian grumbled, making his way out of his bed, "Now shoo, I'm getting dressed."

When he heard the door to his room shut close, Julian began to dress himself. Unlike many nobles, he refused to let someone help him. He hated it when people even tried to help him get dressed; it made him feel very exposed, too exposed. A plain red shirt and simple black trousers. He tied his hair back up, not liking it when it swept against his neck and back, and walked out of his room with a sigh.

Another long day inside the palace was ahead, and Julian was not looking forward to it whatsoever.

He didn't dream much. It was all dark forests and a moon hanging low, dark orange in the sky, shining through the trees. Fear. He was never at home in this particular half-dream. Never comfortable. He was afraid, worried... What was that? A form. Between a few especially dark trees. It didn't look like a human, though it had two arms, two legs, and a long torso. Too long. Everything was too long. The trees stretched too high up. The grass flowed like dark wind. Howling wolves in the distance, they sounded ravenous. Something else was there, though. It took away from the uniformity of the dream, the predictability. A black form, cloth, a hood. A small body, flitting through the trees. Afraid. What the figure was saying was incoherent, but he knew it was afraid. He was urged to follow, draw the figure into the clearing. But he couldn't. His feet were... stuck? Looking down, Timren's eyes widened. Something was around his ankles and feet. It had eaten his shoes... It was enveloping his feet and digging in.

A gasp led him out of the dream, pushing to sit up and stare around as if everything had conspired to exist outside his sleeping mind. But he only saw his room. His small bedroom. Wooden walls. The window to his right, streaming in sunlight. It was right after dawn, and the birds were singing, breeze rustling the trees. He loved it here. Loved it in the forest. Timren never understood how people could live in town, among so many people, where wooden and stone wheels rattled carriages and caravans, dogs barked and cats fought, people yelled to one another during all hours. Birds couldn't be heard, the rustling of trees. Here, it left one to wake on their own, naturally. Usually he woke up before dawn, but could understand that, because of the extra excitement from before, he'd have taken a couple extra hours. Stretching, Timren shook off the lingering darkness of the dream and stood, shaking himself out and going about a morning routine. He topped it all off by rinsing his mouth with a mint concoction---during the night a bad taste formed and lingered, and he couldn't stand it, or the grimy feeling on his teeth, which he scrubbed away with a little brush he made using cleaned boar bristles.

He only dressed in a thin, elongated shirt and carried a change with him outside, to the river that led away and to town, and cut it in half. A small pond was fed by the river, warmed in the sun and by natural gasses underneath. Timren made soap himself, using natural things, as he tended to do. It wouldn't poison the water when it melted, and left a plainly forest-like scent on his skin. It got rid of the sweat, the humanity, the blood that might have come from cuts when he went from one bush to another that might contain thorns or rough bark on trees. The cool tone of the water woke him up quickly, though, and the world was so much clearer rather quickly. Smelling like grass, oak, damp earth, and a bit of honey and sap, Timren clothed himself in a belted tunic and pants that smelled like fresh water and leaves. Wringing out his hair, he let it hang around his head to dry naturally, and gathered his discarded clothing to take back to the cabin to be put in a pile that needed to be washed. Others needed to be sewn. Some needed to be thrown out entirely so he could make more.

He wasn't inside but a few minutes when something clawed at the door. He'd been on his way to the basement, which was cool and kept most of his fresher food from perishing for a couple weeks. Sighing, he went back up the stairs he'd descended halfway on and hurried to the door, opening it to a dog, which bounded in. The dog was domestic, but looked like a wolf and because of that, was shunned by the townspeople. It was a good dog, though, and sometimes came to Timren's cabin for a free meal. He didn't have any qualms about that, though. It was the least he could do for a constant friend that didn't make him feel odd and sad, the way humans did. The dog followed him to the basement and accepted a large piece of bear meat Timren offered, running back up and out of the house after a whine and tail-wag that seemed to be its way of thanking him. Timren sighed, grabbing some fruits and vegetables, and eggs from a large compartment in the floor of the cellar. It held especially essential foods that needed cold areas, and there, they stayed cold.

Today he'd be selling some of his jarred vegetables and jams. It was a favorite hobby of his, and people loved what he made. Perhaps because he took so much time to get it done right. He had a long day ahead of him, but no doubt it would bring him a good amount of money.

Julian swung his feet slightly under the table, looking at his near empty plate with distaste. His eyes wandered around the long table, going from his father, who was seat at the head, to his mother, who was to his father's left, to his eldest brother, who was at his father's right, to his other brother, who was right across from Julian, to the three guards that were also seated at the table. For some reason, Julian's father seemed to have "favourites" in the guards, thus three of them ate with the family. It helped that Tobi was great friends with those three though. Julian didn't really see them as guards, though, seeing as they were always with Tobi, simply fooling around and having fun. He rarely saw the doing their job.

Everyone else was enjoying small conversations while Julian simply sat, staring at everyone. It wasn't as if he didn't like talking to his family--normally he'd be happy to strike up a conversation with Tobi or Will--but he just wasn't in the mood today. He felt bored, and tired, and...bored. Especially after the adventure from the night before. He just wanted to go out and walk around the town, he didn't like being cooped up in the palace all day long; it was too boring.

After another few minutes--though it seemed like hours to Julian--everyone at the table had finished. Servants came, picked up the plates, and went back to the kitchen.

"Will," Julian heard his father address his brother, "I want you to go help Julian with some of his studies today."

"Yes, Father," Will sighed.

Julian could tell that Will definitely didn't want to help whatsoever. Julian himself didn't even want to go "study". All it was was him sitting and reading books, and then writing. It wasn't as if he actually needed them. After all, most of everything he was being forced to "study" was about politics, and Julian had a very low chance of even being involved in any political decisions. He gave a short sigh, following William to the library. Though he was writing everything he was told to--which was just about how to keep the kingdom "economy" up-- Julian's mind was elsewhere. He'd have to go back...he had said he would after all. Maybe that night he'd go back, earlier this time, and say thanks again. He'd have to give something to him. But...Julian didn't exactly know how to find Timren.

Ughh...I'll figure it out....Somehow.


((Please excuse the terribly crappy post. I don't really...I dunno. A bit of writer's block for this one I gues.... Sorry))