Story of Season: Winter

Chapter 9's

The sky was almost dark when Blaze decided to stop by the river accompanied by Delphy and let his entourage walk first. It's been week two, they're almost at Ash-Shaif Kingdom.

Opening his blindfold, Delphy began to wash his face with river water. Blaze sat on a large rock, barefoot, he put his feet in the water, his body resting on his hands behind his back.

They plan to continue the journey when night falls without thinking their entourage has gone far enough, because the royal entourage walks casually, Blaze and Delphy only need to race their horses faster.

Finished washing his face, Delphy sat down beside Blaze. "Sister asked me to accompany you just to sit back and relax?"

"Yes, at least I want to relax for a while, the royal duties are too piled up, being father's personal assistant makes me not stop doing chores."

"Do I care?" Delphy looked at Blaze with an annoying look on his face.

Blaze pulled Delphy's left ear until the owner grimaced in pain, "This you, understand a little, your brother is tired of knowing."

"But you don't have to pull my ears, do you?" Delphy then pushed Blaze down into the river.

"Hey!!!" Not accepting Delphy's actions, Blaze pulled back Delphy who was busy laughing at him.

Now they are both soaking wet, but instead of getting upset, they laugh at each other and play with water. They haven't been kidding for a long time.

Delphy and Blaze came out of the river, setting up a campfire to warm themselves up and hoping their clothes could get a little drier.

"I wouldn't be responsible if you had the flu."

Blaze sat down, "Look who's in charge of what, your brother is stronger than you think."

"All right, I believe."

The warmth near the campfire was filled with the debates of the two of them, reminding them of the time in training first.

+++

Special training was only one month, Delphy was only ten years old while Blaze was only thirteen.

The first time they started learning to hunt with different starting points kept them apart from each other. Delphy walked in the middle of the forest with only his arrow equipment and a sword to keep watch, he was still bad enough in terms of archery at that time.

Several times Delphy climbed a tall tree trying to find clues to the whereabouts of deer or rabbits passing by. Instead of finding a rabbit or deer, he saw a tiger heading towards him.

A surprised Delphy dropped his bow, running wherever he could. Jumping over the roots of tree roots and rocks, but Delphy's speed is still ten years old is certainly not comparable to a tiger until he saw a river without knowing the depth, without knowing the depth, he jumped into the river.

The tiger immediately left as an arrow shot near him. Before long Blaze also threw himself into the river, he helped Delphy out of the river. Blaze knows Delphy can't swim.

Delphy came out of the river coughing. He's almost out of breath, if there's no Blaze maybe Delphy's dead drowned.

"Are you okay?" Blaze clasped Delphy's shoulders, his face full of worry.

Delphy nodded, "Thank you brother."

Blaze let out a sigh of relief, "Luckily I approached the tiger's voice earlier." Blaze took off her wet clothes.

"Omong by the way, do you know the way back?"

"No." The short answer from Blaze made Delphy sigh, he should not have expected anything from the start.

Delphy said he sat by the bonfire, while Blaze cut a rabbit. Delphy noticed every movement of Blaze ranging from cutting, skinning, to cleaning the inside of the rabbit.

When he finished, Blaze burned the rabbit's flesh, "Satan by handing over the catch, my stomach is really hungry right now."

Starting hunting since morning was quite draining for them, even now the sky was slowly turning dark and they had not eaten anything since they started hunting. The best option today is of course to eat the catch compared to handing over the catch and starving out of nowhere.

While waiting for the perfect rabbit to cook, Blaze and Delphy share stories of how their current hunting experience, how they felt during the one month of training, what they want to do in the future. A light conversation between brother and sister

Until the rabbit meat cooks perfectly they eat in silence, enjoying each other's taste of the forest rabbit meat that is not seasoned at all.

"If the stomach is empty any food will taste good." Blaze said after finishing his meal.

Delphy laughed softly, "Of course, if we indulge in taste we may not have any energy left now."

In one mouthful, Delphy finished the rest of his meal.

Blaze stood up, put his clothes back on, "Now let's find a way home."

Using only torches as lighting tools, they began to walk through the forest. Blaze tightly held Delphy's hand, preventing the little girl from separating from him. Although he seemed to have no doubts at all, Blaze was actually quite scared at the moment, his visibility was very narrow, moonlight was nowhere to be seen at the moment.

Blaze's steps stopped, he didn't know which way to go anymore, "It looks like we can only wait for anyone to come."

"Sister kidding? No one has come since." Delphy was worried, in the middle of the dark forest who could find them, but he also did not know how to find a way in the middle of this darkness.

They stopped, attached a torch to a tree trunk then sat leaning against a tree trunk.

Delphy yawned, his eyes feeling very heavy right now.

"Sleep, I'll take care of you." Blaze put Delphy's head on his shoulder.

It did not take long Delphy fell asleep, in an instant the white-haired girl had entered into the world of his dreams. He had to thank his last brother after he woke up.

***

"Don't you remember when we got lost in the woods on the first hunt?" Delphy opened a conversation in the middle of his activity eating grilled fish caught in the river.

"Of course, and you've been so good to sleep that Colden found us." Blaze bribed the fish.

Delphy laughed, "When I woke up I was already at the training camp in the morning."

"Sister Bach carrying you, Brother Colden scolded me when he wanted to wake you, you spoiled child."

"I can't believe hearing that from you, spoiled child? Looks like someone forgot who whined because the food was not as good as it was in the Palace on the first day of training." Delphy scoffed back.

Skak, Blaze could not reply to anything, Delphy laughed so hard that Blaze had to hit his shoulder for Delphy to stop laughing.

After dinner, they continued their journey. In the moonlight, they drove the horse quickly overtook the other party. Mutually silent, focused on the path they were on, there was only the sound of horse treads accompanying their journey.

Instantly Delphy's feeling became unpleasant, like something was up. Delphy looked at Blaze, at that moment he was sure Blaze felt the same way, his gaze looked full of anxiety. Without a second thought Delphy spurred his horse faster which Blaze immediately followed.

"Maybe nothing happens."