Nox ZaiWin shivered. It was freaking cold! Then the soft sound of dripping water reached his ears. The air smelled fresh and wet, of rain and mud. And only then he recalled the previous day’s events.
Urgently opening his eyes, he had to blink in order to bring his sight into focus. He immediately scanned the whole area around him, and nothing! Snow was nowhere to be found!
His heart jumped into a maddening beat as he searched again. Until he realized what he was doing, stupidly panicking like that!
Managing to calm down a bit, he finally noticed the crystalline dome of ice built around him, allowing him to clearly see the green world outside.
He was in a forest, he noticed, and, just like he remembered, it had probably stopped raining not so long ago, droplets of water still softly falling from tree branches and leaves all around him.
ZenTar’s sword was lying on the ground, right beside him, as was the small traveling bag that Snow had brought with him. Also, there was a kind of doorway opened in the dome, he noticed. Which meant Snow had probably made it so he could leave.
Once he had gathered all the information that he could, ZaiWin pushed himself up, trying to get back on his feet, but his legs were quick to betray him, dropping him heavily on his bottom again.
Blinking in shock, he gazed at his own trembling hands and frowned.
Shit! He had completely forgotten! The day before he had completely exhausted his energy reserves, jumping from place to place as fast as he could. And, although he felt much better than he should have given the circumstances, he was still too weak to move around as he pleased.
The sound of ruffling leaves left him immediately alert, his hand instinctively flying towards the hilt of the sword, until he saw a silver head pop from behind a tree.
ZaiWin instantly relaxed. More than relaxed. He could finally breathe again. And then he noticed the huge leaf Snow was carrying in his hands.
Blushing slightly, Snow stepped into the ice dome and knelt down beside him, carefully placing the leaf on the muddy ground. And ZaiWin couldn’t help smile at the sight of the small, wild red berries he had gathered. His hands were smudged with dirt and something red, probably berry juice, and his wet hair was plastered to his head.
“Are those any good?” ZaiWin asked in a weak voice and Snow jumped inwardly at the sound of that question. Hadn’t someone asked him that same exact question before …?
Still feeling confused, Snow watched as that big hand picked up a small berry, sniffed it, and took it to his mouth, chewing it with an inquisitive, appreciative expression on his face.
Snow’s throat felt suddenly dry. Flashes of someone else, doing that same exact thing, filled his mind. But that someone else had been … smaller … younger … even though he had still been a lot bigger than Snow.
“You really like this stuff, don’t you?”
Snow blinked, unable to know what to say.
“They help quench your thirst … and they fill your belly, when there’s nothing else to eat …” he mumbled, not sure if he was making any sense, and ZaiWin smiled, a gentle smile that made Snow hold his breath and blush all the way to his ears.
“Thank you for taking care of me.”
Snow lowered his gaze. He really didn’t know how to deal with that suddenly, strangely nice and gentle ZaiWin. It made his chest feel strange and it left him very confused at the same time. Of course, he much rather have him being nice than having him angry all the time, or staring coldly at him. And he really, really liked to see him smile like that. It even made his heart beat faster. But, at the same time, he couldn’t help feeling stupidly embarrassed, even though he couldn’t really say about what. And so, although he did like it when ZaiWin smiled like that, and even though he was aware that actually being able to see it was nothing short of a rare privilege, he still could hardly look at him and truly enjoy that rare moment.
“Hmm, if I’m not mistaken, there should be a small town, north from here,” ZaiWin was saying. And when Snow finally managed to glance his way, he saw him looking around as if he were trying to situate their current position, while distractingly popping berries into his mouth.
Just like him, ZaiWin was completely wet. His hair and clothes sticking to his body. And he still looked a bit too pale. Also, he hadn’t moved from the same position he’d been in, when Snow had left to find them something to eat. And so Snow immediately knew that, even though he looked perfectly fine, behaving as if nothing had happened, that was far from being the truth.
“Can we walk there?”
ZaiWin’s blue gaze turned his way, silently watching him as if he were trying to guess what he was thinking, and Snow felt his cheeks warm up again.
“I guess …” he finally conceded and stretched out his hand.
Snow stared at it, unable to understand what he wanted.
“Can you help me stand?”
Snow’s eyes widened in disbelief. Was he actually asking for his help?
“I’m still too weak. And my muscles feel stiff from being cold and wet.”
Unable to look him in the face again, Snow simply nodded and held ZaiWin’s hand, pulling him up.
Even though ZaiWin had said all that, helping him to his feet was a hundred times easier than it had been, the night before. And, even though Snow hesitated in letting go of his arm, apparently ZaiWin had no difficulty standing on his own.
“I could try make you feel better …” Snow suggested, uncertain of how his offer would be received. But, to his surprise, ZaiWin chuckled, ruffling his wet hair.
“I bet you could.”
Something about his answer told Snow that they were talking about two completely different things. And, true enough, when he peered up at him, that mischievous smile was back on ZaiWin’s lips, making him feel embarrassed again. Had he said something wrong?
Sighing, ZaiWin stretched his arms and grimaced.
“Save your energy for when it’s really needed,” he told him as if he’d finally decided to take him seriously. “I’m not hurt or injured. And it’s not like you can fully replenish my energy with your markings.”
Snow lowered his head again. He knew that. He had tried to do so on other occasions, but it had never worked. It had been a silly suggestion, he knew. ZaiWin’s energy was too different from his, his energy reservoir too big. Snow would probably die from exhaustion and still be unable to replenish it. It’s just that … he really wished he could help him feel better. And he hated knowing that he was weak and vulnerable.
“But thank you,” ZaiWin added, ruffling his hair again, and Snow took a step back, quickly picking up his bag and ZaiWin’s sword, so ZaiWin couldn’t see his cheeks turn red. His heart was beating like crazy, again. There was something definitely wrong with him. And yet, what could he do? ZaiWin had never thanked him like that, for anything, before, the words flowing naturally from his mouth even though Snow hadn’t done much of anything. Still, hearing him say those things made him so happy that he could barely contain it.
Language:
Nox: Literally nox (night). Where Nox is the name of the Clan, also the name of a Province.
ZaiWin: Literally zai (blade) + win (chaos).
