Follow The Raven

"What is this anyway?" I asked, the edible looking thing in my hand. We started walking through a deeper part of the forest, the trees in a closer proximity creating more obstacles for me to get over without accidentally killing myself.

"It's a fruit, like you," Damian said, making me gasp in mock insult. I'm not a fruit, I'm a meat popsickle! *Cough* Sorry, that's a total Fifth Element reference.

"I'm surprised you even know that insult, it's a little ahead of your time isn't it?" I retorted with a smirk.

"Are you insinuating that I'm old?" He inquired walking backwards.

"I doubt you're from this century," I replied, taking a bite out of the fruit. Yes, it is a fruit, its kind of like a hybrid between an apple and a pear. Hm. They have a habit of combining foods in this world don't they?

"1400 is not old," he stated smugly.

"I wouldn't call it young," I replied.

"Well, just because you are basically a hair on the face of existence doesn't mean you have to call me old," he said, turning back around to walk in the correct way.

"My seventeen years of existence are very significant," I stated, crossing my arms over my chest.

"How could your seventeen years be in any way significant? Other than the several kilograms of oxygen you converted to carbon dioxide," he asked.

"I just had it, but when it comes back to me, I'll make sure to tell you first," I said, after thinking about it for a couple minutes.

"Uh huh, you do that," Damian said sarcastically.

"Yes love, you do that," a voice said from behind me. Before I had a chance to do anything, someone grabbed me roughly and put a blade at my neck. Okay, first of all, why does everyone keep grabbing me, or dropping me, or picking me up, or pulling me as they please?!?! Do I look like a rag doll?!?! I am not a rag doll. Mistreated is what I am though.

"Ow," I hissed as he pressed his blade closer to my neck. Hello?!?! Delicate merchandise here!

"Look, don't do anything rash, pal, don't do anything you're going to regret," Damian warned as he took out a sword. Wait, where did that come from? Ugh, whatever, I'm not even going to bother anymore.

"If either of you move, little missy here won't have much breath left," the guy warned, pushing the blade up. I'm going to name him 'thug,' no capital T, he's not worthy since he's basically trying to kill me.

"Just let her go, we can settle this like civilized men," Damian warned, Remy standing off in the background, doing the smart thing and looking around to see if thug might have any companions.

"No I like her here, now, if you don't want her spilling blood everywhere, I suggest you put your weapons down, give me all you're valuables and I'll consider returning her in one piece, how's that sound?" thug said, a smirk probably on his ugly face. I wouldn't know if he's ugly or not, I haven't seen the guy, but he sounds kind of ugly. Sorry, trying to distract myself as he's busy slicing my neck open.

"Look, we're just some travelers, we're not carrying valuables," Damian replied delicately, an obvious look of annoyance on his face.

"In that case, I'll take her as you're most valuable possession. She is pretty ain't she?" thug asked, making me disgusted. I'm getting hit on by the guy that's slitting my throat. How nice.

"Hey! Don't touch her!" Damian seethed as he threw his sword at the thug, narrowly missing me as thug quickly dodged.

"Watch it!" I said, trying to keep the blade as far away from my throat as possible, noticing the liquid already trickling down my neck. You're supposed to kill him, not me!

"Listen to her, vampire, before I take a drastic step," thug said, pressing his blade even further. I'm amazed that I'm still alive at this point.

"Look, we'll do what you want, just, let her go," Damian said delicately, putting his hands up, Remy doing the same.

"That's better. There's a town up ahead, and I want it slaughtered," he said simply.

"Why?" I asked out loud, kind of perturbed.

"Well love, that town's kind of mean to us forest folk, and I want to teach them a lesson," thug explained.

"Can't you do it yourself?" I asked mockingly, earning a warning glare from Damian. Yeah, I should shut up shouldn't I...

"I could, but it's funner to watch somebody else doing it," thug said proudly. Coward. But I'm not going to say anything, save the bit of blood I've got left.

"In other words, you're just a coward," Damian said, crossing his arms.

"Watch your words vampire," thug warned.

"Corpses don't make very good bargaining chips, so I suggest you keep her alive," Damian said, making thug loosen his blade a bit. Thank you. Now, if only you could let go completely and let me continue on my merry way.

"Look its very simple: you do what I tell you, or you never see this little pet again," thug warned. I'm not a pet.

"She's not a pet," Damian defended, voicing my thought.

"She's whatever you want her to be, but if you don't do what I tell you soon, she won't be anything anymore," thug warned, starting to put even more damage on me.

"Do you trust me?" Damian asked, a look of complete seriousness on his face.

"Don't answer girl," thug warned. Dude, I'm in enough pain as it is, what more can you do? Oh, don't answer that.

"Do I have a choice?" I questioned, only to have thug dig his blade deeper into my neck.

"Do you trust me?" He persisted, urgency in his eyes.

Alright, Freeze. Let me think real quick. The word trust is a noun, defined as 'reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.' Why do I know the exact definition? Beats me, I got bored one time and read the dictionary in sixth grade. Moving on. Do I trust Damian? That's an excellent question. Let's see:

Because of him, I wasn't eaten by a werewolf.

Because of him, I'm still alive and relatively unharmed.

Because of him, I can sort of sleep at night.

Because of him, I've gotten this far without too much interference, up until now of course.

"Yes," I replied. He nodded, and without a second warning, threw a dagger right at thug, scoring a bull's eye between the eyes. I could only stand there as the corpse fell to the ground, before falling on my knees myself. Okay, that was a bit too close for comfort.

"Are you alright, Lara?" Remy asked skidding over to me, as Damian silently kneeled down in front of me and started inspecting the cut on my neck.

"I don't feel too good to be honest," I said, starting to close my eyes, only to be jerked.

"Stay with us now," Damian said, starting to clean up the blood.

"Why did you ask if I trust you?" I inquired as he did the handkerchief trick he did back in London the day we met. Still ew, but still affective.

"Because if I had just thrown the dagger, you probably would have reacted and accidentally gotten into its way, knowing you, you would have dodged in the wrong direction," he said, chuckling at the idea. That's probably true actually, I am capable of doing something like that...

"Alright, let's get moving, he might have some friends," Damian said motioning to thug, as he picked me up and started moving, Remy closely following.

"Where are we going?" Remy piped up, walking next to Damian.

"He said there's a town up ahead, we're gonna get her some medical attention," Damian said.

"You don't have to carry me, you know," I said, as Damian readjusted me to keep from falling.

"I highly doubt you can even stand up, sweetheart," he said with a smirk as I glared at him. Grr. Don't call me sweetheart.