So what now? (Katydid50 x 5Bulletproof-Marshmellows)

[Katydid50]

Nicholas relaxed slightly at the news that their Aunt Rose was, in fact, not sick. That was a relief. Even though he may not have shown it, he did care about his family and he didn't know what he would do if anything ever happened to one of them. When they finally received an answer, he frowned. The future? "What about the future?" It wasn't often that he asked more than one question but he was curious and confused and something just didn't seem right. Of course, it made sense that she would talk with Aunt Rose then since they were going there anyway but it still puzzled him.

Looknig back out the window, he continued to frown as they drove, leaving the city behind. As the concrete and buildings gave way to fields and grass, his frown eased before vanishing entirely. The country always did that to him, easing whatever was on his mind. It calmed him. The air, the water, the greenry, everything about it was so much calmer. Maybe it was the slower pace that the people moved to. Maybe it was the space. Maybe it was a combination of all those things but it just couldn't imagine a better place to be.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

The questions would only pile up once Deserai found out that they were staying there for dinner. She also hoped she wouldn't lose the child.. stress definitely wouldn't help with that. They could technically live with Aunt Rose again but she would hate to do that to her even if she welcomed them in with open arms. She knew Aunt Rose could possibly be starting up a relationship with Micheal and she didn't want to get in the way of that. She deserved happiness.

Keeping a secret from her children for this short amount of time was hard for her. She had no idea how they would react. Deserai would probably be the one to break the ice. Grace.. well she probably would be happy for her but angry at whoever she thought the father was. Nicholas.. maybe he would be happy. Taking in a deep breath of air, she remembered Daniel's face when she had told him the news.

"Where we are going to live.. and maybe the arrival of a new child." she said softly as she brought the car to a stop. She had stayed silent until then. Not looking at either of them, she pushed open the car down after she had pulled out the keys and got out.  

[Katydid50]

Nicholas waited impatiently but silently for his mother's answer. What was it about the future that she needed to speak with Aunt Rose about? Was she having money trouble again? No one had ever said anything about it but Nicholas had caught a glimpse or two of some of their bills. Most of it hadn't made sense to him but he'd managed to understand enough to know that they weren't in a very good position.

Or maybe she was finally going to decide they could move to the country! Maybe they could live with Aunt Rose! He doubted it -something just told him that it wasn't going to happen- but he could still hope. He'd heard somewhere that people should hope for the best but prepare for the worst. It was a good philosophy to live by.

When it became clear that she wasn't going to answer the question, or at least not right away, Nicholas sighed and looked back out the window, watching as the fields flew past and Aunt Rose's house grew in the distance. Finally, they were there. As the car pulled to a stop, his mother spoke. It took him a second to remember what they'd been talking about and another second for him to really register what it was she'd said.

"What!" Nicholas had been reaching for the door handle and, in his shock, opened the door and fell out, landing on the ground with a grunt. A moment later, he was back on his feet. "You're having a baby?"  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Hearing the words, they didn't register until Nicholas spoke up. A chill ran down her spine. The first thought that came to her mind was that Mom was getting back with their father. That would never happen though, he probably wouldn't even be able to find them after they had moved to Aunt Rose's. So.. who was it then? It couldn't be Daniel.. she didn't want to believe it could be him.

Her lips had parted in shock and she was a bit speechless. Getting out of the car slowly, she looked at her mother, closing her mouth. Closing the door as well, she then blinked when she heard Deserai's quick footsteps as she sprinted to her mother's arms.

Picking up Deserai since she had been going at her in full speed, she ran her finger through her red hair and kissed her forehead before nodding her head to answer Nicholas' question. "Come on, let's go inside." it probably wasn't the best way to break the news but she had. Carrying Deserai, she went up to the front door where Aunt Rose was already standing. The smell of homemade biscuits reached her nose. There was probably some milk to go along with them as well. She missed being here, she really did. "Thanks for letting us come over." she said softly as Deserai started asking questions about what she had done today and why she was here so early.

"Don't worry about it, besides, it nice having all of you visit." Aunt Rose them ushered them in, though Grace hung back for a moment.  

[Katydid50]

Nicholas stared at his mother in disbelief. She was pregnant. She was going to have a baby. He was going to have a little brother or another little sister. They could barely afford to live as it was. What was going to happen when the new baby came along? Would they have enough to pay the bills? Enough to eat? Would they have to move? It hadn't seemed like such a bad idea a couple minutes ago but they might have to move to somewhere even deeper in the city, farther from the fresh air and large spaces of the country.

Before he could say anything else, Deserai came sprinting from the house, launching herself at their mother. When she had greeted her eldest daughter, she nodded and said for them to go inside. But Nicholas didn't want to go inside. Scowling, he grabbed his bag from the car and slammed the door shut. He hated to admit, even to himself, that he was sulking but that's exactly what it was he was doing as he stiffly followed his mother towards the front door where Aunt Rose waited.

The smell of fresh biscuits eased his anxiety slightly, but only slightly. Not even Aunt Rose's famous biscuits could soothe his worries. When he heard Deserai start pestering their mother with questions, he looked away, in anger, in jealousy. He missed the days when he was as care-free as his younger sister, when he didn't have to worry about anything more than whether or not it would be warm enough to play outside or whether their father would be home early enough to play with him. The thought of his father pushed him over the edge. He couldn't take it, all the uncertainty.

Dropping his bag, he took off. He didn't care where he went, so long as he was away from there. He ran around the edge of the house and out into the field, the forest growing closer and closer. He knew it was dangerous for him to be going into the forest by himself but he just couldn't handle being with other people just then.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Aunt Rose watched as Nicholas came in. Grace didn't even go in the house though, she instead had leaned against the car, deep in thought from what she could see. Frowning a little bit, she could tell that Elenore had told them the news and they weren't exactly happy about the idea. Deserai seemed to be completely oblivious to the situation though as she jumped from her mother's arms and ran into the kitchen.

Her eyes fell on Elenore, who looked down at the ground, her shoulders shaking slightly. Placing a hand on her shoulder to calm her, she smiled at her softly. "Everything will be alright.. you had to tell them sometime and it was better to do it sooner than later." she told her and lead her into the kitchen. She knew Nicholas would be back soon enough and so would Grace. It would be light outside for a few more hours so she wasn't too worried about them.

Elenore felt like breaking down and crying. She knew that they were short on money as it was and she didn't want to lose her children as it was. Taking in a deep breath, and then looked at Aunt Rose, hopefully she was right. Managing a smile, she then walked into the kitchen where Deserai had already set up a few plates and put biscuits on them. Sitting down in one of the chairs after they had moved to the dining room, Deserai climbed up into her lap, and she held her, resting her head on top of hers as she ate the biscuit. "How was your day?" she asked her, wanting to take the top off what was to come.

Grace looked down the gravel road before slowly walking along it. She had already seen Nicholas run off and she didn't plan on going after him. Closing her eyes briefly, she didn't know how things were going to continue. It was great that they were going to have another sibling but how were they going to live? Had her mother even thought any of this through? They would probably have to move to a different apartment.. hopefully not a smaller one.  

[Katydid50]

Nicholas ran, and ran, and ran some more until his lungs burned and his legs threatened to collapse beneath him. Only when he could no longer breathe at all did he stop, bending over with one hand on one of his bent knees and the other against the tree beside him. He stayed there for several minutes, fighting to regain his breath. The only good thing that came out of the run, besides putting some distance between him and other people, was that he was too focused on breathing to think about the current and future status of his family.

Even after he had caught his breath, his legs continued to tremble and he was forced to sit down lest he end up face-first in a pile of leaves and dirt. Leaning his back against the tree, he pulled his legs up to him and wrapped his arms around them. His knees hurt, his legs were throbbing. He could feel his pulse in them, and every other part of his body. But that alone couldn't distract him from the changing situation he had run away from.

Everything was going to be different now, even though the baby wasn't going to arrive for a while. He didn't know much about pregnancy but he knew that women got fat in the months before they gave birth. His mother wasn't fat yet so they still had at least a few months before the baby arrived. That did little to reassure him, though. So they had a few extra months before any drastic change hit them, if even that. They would probably have to move. It would probably be to somewhere even smaller. He'd probably end up having to share a room with either Deserai or the baby. He couldn't see Deserai sharing a room with a baby. It wouldn't end well.

Nick stayed out for several hours, walking around once his legs stopped aching, thinking but trying not to think. After all, what good was all his worrying doing? But he couldn't help it. All he could think about was how their lives were going to change. Finally, when it was too dark for him to see properly and the temperature started to noticeably drop, he slowly made his way back to the house. When it came into view, he saw that the lights were still on so it couldn't have been too late.

Stepping in through the backdoor, Nicholas kicked off his shoes before making his way to where he'd dropped his bag all those hours ago. He didn't go in search of his family. Despite coming back, he still wanted to be left alone.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Rose sighed softly. Half of them were gone. Usually they all had grins on their faces when they came into her kitchen. Of course Deserai still did but she hadn't received the news yet. Taking a seat once they entered the dining room, she already knew who the father was. She wouldn't ask how it had happened but it didn't seem like things were all that good now between them. Poor girl.. she had gone through so much and it didn't seem like things were going to get easier any time soon.

"It was good. I catched a frog today." Deserai's eyes lit up as she deserved what it looked like and how she had carried it all around the house before aunt Rose had told her to let it go and wash her hands for lunch.

Elenore smiled, "Caught, dear." she corrected her gently before listening to the rest of her story, wrapping her arms around her youngest child. They talked for a while, all three of them. Elenore broke the news to Deserai and she had plenty of questions to ask, like when she would get to see her sibling.

Hearing Nicholas come back, she lowered her head when she heard the door. Deserai was already asleep upstairs since she had carried her up there. Aunt Rose placed a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her. She knew they would come around. Swallowing, she held back tears. Placing her hands over her face, her elbows rested on her knees, she then took in another breath of air, her shoulders shaking slightly.

Grace jumped when she heard a neigh from a nearby horse. Blinking, she slowly walked up to the fence where the grey mare was standing. She smiled slightly. "You're lucky, you know.." she said softly. The horse tilted her head, as if responding to her. "Don't have to worry about money or where you're going to live next month." Grace leaned against the post that was holding the wire fence up. Feeling the muzzle of the horse nudging her shoulder, she looked back up at it before gently petting the animal's cheek. It was definitely friendly but Grace couldn't stay there and the horse moved away to continue grazing.

Her eyes looked back at the forest that wasn't too far away. She could spend the night there, up in one of the larger trees. Shivering slightly since the sun was setting, she picked up her pace. If only she could roam the city streets, it would be so much better.. but they were several miles from the familiar cement paths.  

[Katydid50]

Nicholas could hear people in the kitchen. Judging from the time, he assumed that it was his mother and Aunt Rose. Grace, he figured, wouldn't want to spend anymore time around them than he did and Deserai would probably be asleep. So, skirting the kitchen, he made his way upstairs to the room he used whenever he slept over.

The room was exactly as he had left it, albeit with the bed made. His bag was laying on the floor beside his nightstand. He glanced at it for a moment before ignoring it. He had no intention of doing his homework. In fact, that was the last thing he was thinking of doing. Closing the door behind him, he walked over to his bed and collapsed onto it face-first. He stayed that way until his lungs demanded the air they weren't getting and he rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. Finally, with a sigh, he laid an arm over his eyes and waited for sleep to come.

Wolf paused, his ears straining to pick up even the tiniest sound. It was full dark now and he knew he should head back but he had been tracking this doe for hours, damn it, and he wasn't going to return home with nothing to show for it.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps. Just in front of him, just a few yards away. With his bow in one hand, he pulled an arrow from the case slung across his back and set it against the string. He waited. The moon overhead was covered by clouds but it wasn't a minute ago and it wouldn't be a minute from now. Remaining completely still, he watched as the world started to come into focus. The doe was there, head up and ears pricked but looking in the opposite direction. Pulling back the string, he took aim and fired.

(( Crap post but uni has been draining both my time and my creativity, ironic considering that one of my courses is Creative Arts. ))  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Biting her lip, she reached the tree line and slowly walked into it. It was dark by now and she knew that there really was no point in going back. Her mother was probably still talking to Aunt Rose and she didn't want any part of it. She had no idea where Nicholas was though but she was sure he would stay out of trouble after what had happened.

Raising her head she stopped when she saw a deer up ahead, looking in her direction. Swallowing, she held her breath not wanting to scare it away. She wasn't sure if it had seen her or not so she slowly moved, trying to find a more comfortable position to stay in. The forest floor was filled with various objects though and a gentle crack could barely be heard that was caused by a leaf. A second later the doe was running. A swoosh of air could be heard.

The arrow had nicked the deer's neck and now was lodged in Grace's arm. Grace exhaled, her hand going straight to her arm as she fell to her knees. She was completely shocked. It took her a second to realize what had hit her. Trying to find her breath, she refused to scream. Warm blood poured into her fair colored hand. She shivered, knowing that she had to stop the bleeding and yet she was still trying to comprehend what had happened.

She had dealt with cuts from knifes and one bullet nicking her but never an arrow. It wasn't that deep since it had gone quite the distance before hitting her but it still hurt. Raising her head, she looked out in the direction it had come, not sure if the person was there or if it had just been a trap for the deer. She wasn't sure she wanted to find out either. Grace tried to silently move behind a tree but it wasn't working so well.

((It's okay >< Hope my post is okay))  

[Katydid50]

Wolf heard the leaf crack at the same moment the doe did. He cursed under his breath as the arrow grazed the animal's neck. Nothing more than a nick that the creature would surely live from. However, while the arrow had not found its intended target, it found another. Lowering his bow, he watched the doe race off through the forest, knowing there was no way he would catch it now. Scowling, Wolf turned his head from where the doe had disappeared to where his arrow had vanished.

Listening carefully, he followed the sounds of movement. Whatever it was, it wasn't an animal. An animal would have either cried out or ran off, both of which would have made considerable noise. No. This was a person, a person with a great deal of self-control. He himself had once been shot with an arrow, back in the tribe when he and some other boys had been practicing. He had no idea how but an arrow from one of the others had ricquoched off a tree and become lodged in his thigh. It had taken everything he had not to make a sound.

It took him only seconds to find where the person was crouched beside a tree, trying vainly to move silently behind it. Stopping in front of the person, the faint light allowed him to see that the person was female, about his age or younger. With a frown, he squnited before his eyes relaxed when he recognized her as Grace, the one he had saved from the coyote. Her and her brother. Looking down, he saw the arrow stuck in her arm and it was all he could do not to curse again.

Even as he knelt down in front of her, placing down his bow, his mind raced over what to do. He could either take her back to her people and be all but harassed with questions. She would no doubt be dragged to a hospital and he didn't want that kind of attention. Or, he could bring her back to his home and have his father find out that he had been hunting beyond the boundaries, again. As much as he disliked the idea of being lectured, again, he didn't want outsiders brought into this.

"You are either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid to enter these woods at night, but I think you've already realized that," he said flatly, none too gently taking hold of her arm below the wound and lifting it so he could get a better look. There was no way he'd be able to get it out himself without help, and certainly not in that light.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Hearing footsteps, she felt her heart beat faster. Well, she knew they hadn't meant to hit her, but that didn't meant they wouldn't want to finish her off. Pulling out her knife, she placed it on her leg, letting it balance there as she made some attempt to examine her wound. The pressure she had applied with her hand helped but it was enough to stop it altogether. Swallowing, she tilted her head back against the tree, taking in some air and doing her best to keep any cries of pain inside.

She had to break off the end but it would be hard to do with one hand without doing more damage to her arm. The fact that she had a jacket on didn't really help either. Letting out a strained sigh, she then looked in the direction of the footsteps. The figure was taller than her but not overly muscular. She could probably get away if she absolutely had to. There was no use in trying to hide, he knew where she was and to her surprise, she recognized the boy.

Her eyes narrowed. He despised her and she knew she needed to get back home now where she could figure out to fix her wound without anyone noticing her. Deserai and Nicholas would be asleep by now. She could get past her mother and Aunt Rose. "Keep your distance." she snapped at him before he spoke up. His tone wasn't necessarily inviting. Pulling out one of her shoelaces, she tied it above the wound, which was near her shoulder and then looked at him again.

Getting up with the help of the sturdy tree, she leaned against it feeling a bit light headed, knife in her hand after she had secured the shoelace. "I don't expect you to help, so how about you just go back from where you came from and I'll do the same." her words were low and she had trouble speaking due to the pain. Swallowing, she closed her eyes for a brief moment, trying to focus on something other than the arrow in her arm.  

[Katydid50]

Wolf could feel the girl's glare on him as he attempted to examine her injury. The light was bad, thin clouds starting to re-cover the moon. Despite that, he could clearly see where the arrow had gone in. Without being told, he knew it wouldn't come out without a lot of fuss. He designed his arrowheads so that, once they went in, they didn't come out easily, with the ends pointing backwards like a fish hook. Ignoring her warning to keep back, he leaned in closer, frowning. He hated the idea of bringing her home but that arrow had to come out.

Suddenly, she pulled away from him. A frown still tugging down at the corners of his mouth, he watched as she pulled the lacing out from one of her shoes and tied it just above the wound. He was honestly surprised she wasn't making more noise but he was also grateful for that. He wasn't the only hunter out at that time of the night.

When Grace rose to her feet, he did the same, picking his bow back up and slinging it across his back with his quiver. He watched as she leaned against the tree, her pitiful excuse of a knife in her good hand. When she spoke, he raised an eyebrow. She was in more pain than she let on. If she hadn't been so damn annoying and troublesome, he could have found himself grudgingly respecting her."If you really think I'm going to do that, you're an even bigger idiot than I thought. Listen to me, stae twes. You are a fool if you think I am going to leave you, an injured city-dweller, alone, at night, in the middle of a predator-infested forest. The smell of your blood will attract every hunter here and it won't be a sick coyote who tears you apart."

Looking around, he scanned the undergrowth but could see nothing. He didn't hear anything either but that didn't mean a thing. "At the very least, I want my arrow back. So," He looked back to Grace. "You can either come with me and get patched up by someone who actually knows what they're doing, or you can leave and risk being eaten. If you someone manage to survive the journey back, you will have to try to put yourself back together, fail, then explain how it was you got shot with an arrow and what it was your were doing out in the middle of the woods at night." If his arguement didn't work, he would just pick her up and carry her back. He may not have been strong compared to others but he could manage her.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Biting her lower lip when he spoke, she knew that he was right but there was no way she was going to admit that. Again he called her something that she didn't understand but it still was an insult. "Even if I am a city girl it doesn't meant that I can't take care of myself." in her environment she could.. just here it was proving to be difficult. Taking in a bit of air once again, she put away her knife. There was no point in having it out at the moment. They were talking and she had to save her energy for walking back home.

She had almost forgotten about the animals. The only dangerous things she could find in the city was lose guard dogs. Here there were actual predators. Fighting against a mountain lion was not something she could handle. "I hope you don't think you're getting that arrow back in one piece if you're getting it back at all." she told him, after all she kind of wanted to keep it to figure out how it worked. All this arguing was also keep her mind off the pain, that is until now when she tried to shift her arm and ended up shutting her eyes tightly and clenching her jaw.

Looking at him once again with her dark-colored eyes, she knew he would know how to take this arrow out. "I'm guessing that you don't live alone." she had silently agreed to go with him. Putting her hand over her wound again to keep the arrow from moving in case the end hit something, she then looked around as well but her eyes shortly returned to him. She had no reason to trust him but she didn't have much of a choice. Grace did not want to confront her mother in this state.

Hopefully it wouldn't be that long of a walk, she did not want to faint in front of him. She had pride and there was no way she was letting go of it. Moving away from the tree, she waited for him to point her in the right direction and maintaining her distance from him as well. Grace still was going to be the first one to examine her wound. She never let anyone else stitch her up either.  

[Katydid50]

Wolf raised an eyebrow at her statement. Really? She could take care of herself? Obviously not. Her second trip to the woods and she gets shot. It was probably her own fault too. No doubt she was the one who startled the deer. "Perhaps, but this is not the city. If something goes wrong, there is no one to help you out here." Granted, that was probably true in the city too. There were plenty of people but how many were willing to help someone else? In all honesty, he didn't know. He always assumed the worst of cities since he had never actually been to one. He avoided places where the population was mostly white.

He watched as she put away her knife, unsure whether that was a smart thing to do or not. Chances were that two of them were not likely to be attacked but a person could never be sure, especially with the smell of fresh blood hanging in the air. That notion made him aware, and all the more grateful, of that sheathed knife that hung at his own waist.

At the comment regarding his arrows, his eyes narrowed into a glare. "I am getting the arrow back and it will be in one piece. It took me nearly a week to make it." Technically, most of that week was spent on the specialized arrowhead but there was no need to tell her that.The boiling anger that had started slowed to simmer when he saw her tense in pain. They had to get moving, before she became any weaker or the predators became any hungrier.

When she questioned -without actually asking- if he lived alone, he hummed in his throat, glancing around warily. They were spending too much time talking and not enough time moving. She was still bleeding profusely, even with her shoelace staunching some of the flow. "Follow me," he said quietly before moving off. No doubt something had already scented Grace. He didn't want to stick around to find out what that something was.

Wolf kept his pace slow enough for her to keep up even when everything in him said to go faster. Even without her it would have been a bad idea. The light was limited and he didn't want to run into a tree. Only once they had put some distance between themselves and their previous spot did he answer her question. "Through autumn and winter I live with my father and grandfather in a cabin nearby." He spoke quietly, not wanting to draw attention to them. All the while, he kept scanning the brush in the way of someone raised in the forest.