projectroxas | (no subject)

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[ it had been five days full of nothing but silently following robert along, knowing their path yet allowing the younger boy to take the lead due to his mood. who could blame him, though? he was already well aware of robert and annabelle having a close-knit relationship, one that nobody (not even himself) could wiggle their way into. despite being quite inept to the full extent of the bond the two siblings had, he was perceptive enough to realize that their parting had been quite different than their usual. this is why he ceased the typical banter he always initiated, whether it be with good intent or not.

when robert had finally spoken and begun to say more than a discussion of their plans, he knew that his neighboring prince had begun to settle back into place. dare he say it was a comfort of sorts, despite being the one that needed to be extra strong and encouraging. and with that hurtle behind them, the elder of the two moved to his rightful position once more: on robert's left side, striding next to him as if they're simply taking a walk and nothing more. he subtly kept his pace slower than usual as to not pass the boy, using the map robert had previously pilfered from the archives as a silent excuse to keep their position leveled and even, as they had finally reached territory that both of them weren't completely familiar with.

keeps to their comfortable silent for a while longer. stops in his tracks when a thought hits him and pauses. face is rather straight as he says: ]

I'm hungry.

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Well, think! Remember, you fool!

[ pauses for a long time, thinking. thinks some more. is about to belatedly retort when another (more important) thought strikes him. ]

Wait, have you no wildlife training?

[ his expression turns bland for a moment. ]

Of course I have. My suggestions were not pulled from nonsense.

... oh yes, of course, please do forgive me. I am sure you had just temporarily forgotten that you do not need my assistance in matters such as these, and thus can think for yourself.

[ is about to respond when the bear lets off a small rumble as well as taking a disgruntled step forward. to which he responds with a step backward & a vice grip on one of riku's wrists. ]

Shh! You are aggravating it!

[ also takes a step back when he hears the noise, hissing his response. ]

I am? What about--

[ when the bear roars out angrily he promptly shuts up, murmuring a quick okay, so i am before taking another step backwards. ]

[ freezes at the roar, only unfreezing a few seconds later. his expression remains unchanging from its shaken state when he gives riku's wrist a tug. ]

On three, drop all the food on your person. Then we will run.

[ can't argue with that, merely nodding in silence. at a painstakingly slow pace he gently dislodges from robert's hold, slipping off the bag that contains their food and placing it on the ground. takes a few steps back... and then runs. ]

[ blinks, half-way through saying one when riku moves. stands there dumbly for a moment, taken off-guard by the sudden movement before he darts right after the other prince, both adrenaline & rage at riku's actions giving him a small boost in speed. doesn't even bother looking back at whether the bear is chasing them or not. ]

Are you deaf! Idiot! It was on three!!

[ keep on running as well, not even giving robert a passing glance as he speaks. ]

On three, before three-- IT DOESN'T MATTER.

[ snarls, just barely stopping himself from launching one of the bags that he's carrying at riku's back. ]

YES IT DOES!!

[ manages to trip over something, though thankfully he stays upright and regains his footing quickly to yell back: ]

NO, IT DOES NOT!

[ that trip allows him to gain a few steps closer to riku, a snarl underlining his ~~very mature~~ response: ]

YES IT DOES!

NO IT--

[ stops when he hears a rather furious-sounding roar behind them, finally looking over his shoulder to see the bear coming after them at full-speed. lets out a small AH! at that, thankful that he didn't scream. instead he grabs robert's wrist when he decides that it's best to dart in another direction, fending off the bear for a few seconds before gesturing wordlessly to one of the larger, more sturdier-looking trees up ahead. ]

[ bites down a yelp of his own when he hears the roar, too panicked to snap at the sudden grip on his wrist. glances at the tree-in-question afterward, wanting to protest. but that dies in his throat after another quick glance at the bear. gives his wrist a sharp tug to gain riku's attention, pulling them along toward the solution presented by the other prince -- of which he is feverishly hoping would grant them safety & not further pain & misery. ]

[ follows their supposed path with no complaints, and when they get there he--without giving it a second thought--hoists robert up to give him the lead in climbing up the tree. follows suit just in time for the bear to approach them finally, not being able to claim any victory for the time being as he begins his slow climb upward as the animal tries its best to claw at them without any avail. ]

[ does yelp this time when he's shoved upward, latching around the tree like a little monkey until it crosses his mind to start climbing. the motivation to do so comes in the form of a growl from the bear, making him wiggle upward with record speed despite the lack of experience in tree-climbing prior to this incident. heaves out a few deep breaths when he's high enough that the bear can't swat at him even when on its hind legs, pressing his forehead against the bark for a moment. then he slowly inches closer & closer toward a sturdy-looking branch. upon reaching it, he shuffles around (with some near-slips that has him yelping again) until he's properly seated on it, though his arms never leave the main bark of the tree, glued to it with grip tight enough to turn his knuckles white.

only then does he look around for signs of riku, trying to blink around the adrenaline haze. breath in. breath out. breath in -- ]

. . . Answer. If all of your limbs are intact.

[ at this point he's already on his own limb of choice, opposite the side of robert's current resting spot, thus he can't take a glance at him even if he wanted to. heaves a few breaths to calm himself, the side of his face planted firmly on the bark despite feeling the rough texture scratch against sensitive skin. it is only when he's able to breathe without struggling does he speak, groaning out his reply weakly: ]

Answering.

[ relaxes a bit at the voice, emitting a groan of his own. ]

How long is your list of misdeeds such that Karma is seeing to punish us both?

[ promptly ignores the bear's angry calls at the bottom of the tree, returning to his haughty and amused tone when he realizes that he's not in any "immediate" danger. ]

Ah, 'tis a secret.

[ sags against the tree the best he can without endangering himself to a fall. ]

We will never reach that town by nightfall.

[ takes a thoughtful glance down at the bear. ]

Perhaps it will grow tired of us before then.

Should it not, its face will meet the bad end of my dagger.

And then its claw will meet the good side of your face.

It cannot reach me from this height.