Thus, my perils gone fer now, the story shall continue!
PERILOUS JOURNEY
The journey to Boontown (cont.)
Umi groaned at the very peak of dawn, grunting irritatedly at the sawing Stranger, snoring under the shade of his broad hat.
She lifted off his chest, carefully placing his arm over his stomach, and wandering away, leaving a passing glance to him.
The sun barely opened over the jagged flat-top mountain border.
She stretched widely over the tall grass, letting out a tired groan that would soon wake her up.
Ezums slowly rose to the early-morning dew-soakened grass they ate upon, raising their heads and trilling contentedly at the coolness of the chirping morning.
She avoided irritating the Ezums in their graze, but one couldn't help to tramp up to the familiar human, lowering its head for the same head rub it got yesterday from the human.
Umi smiled at the Ezum, gently patting it on the flats of its head, indulging its smooth scales on her callous hand.
"Hey," she whispered.
"I remember you,"
The Ezum's eyes closed in sweet indulgance, haunching down on its knees, and curling its arms under its chest.
Umi did the same, sitting on her knees, while rubbing in a circle on its head gently.
She felt the coolness of the crisp air dissolve in to a great unnatural warmth, so quick it came over, she felt suspicion crawl over her skin.
She spun around, putting her back on the Ezum's snout, her eyes wide in shock.
The Knifal stood there, straight, only cranking its neck down to her.
Umi sighed, her fear shrinking in her chest.
"Don't do 'dat!" she scolded quietly, relieving off the Ezum's snout.
The Ezum snorted at the human, lifting off the ground, and slowly treaded off in to the grass.
The Knifal stepped up to her, kneeling on the ground, and lowering its head to her arm, closing its eyes thoughtfully.
Umi's lips scrunched up in a curve, knowing what it wanted.
"Alright..." she nodded, lifting a hesitant arm up to its smooth forehead.
Her hand touched openly, and immediately, a hot sensation shot through her arm, and pierced right in to her mind.
Her eyes fell blank, suddenly falling in to a black cloud once more.
She opened her eyes, gasping from the quick transformation, from light to darkness.
The Knifal suddenly dissolved from the darkness, right in front of her.
She took a step back, looking down from its bright red eyes.
"Sorry. I did not mean to scare you," he spoke gently.
His grandiloquent tone made her feel confident to speak to him, or to anyone, without fearing of her shyness to hold her down.
Her head perked up back to him, and shrugged easily.
"I hope you had a well night's rest?" he questioned.
"Yeh. 'less you like to put up with a chainsaw cutting on steel, then yeah," she nodded.
"Good. There wasn't a problem with the Hunters last night," he reported.
"Whence discovered their triplets, they retreated back to the Swamp,"
Umi gave a rough sigh, nodding at his announcement, then looked back to him.
"We...take off to Boontown today...if the Hunters don't bother us, we'll be there within a day,"
"I bet you will," he nodded.
"Because I shall assist you in your travel,"
Umi shot up to him, then chuckled enlightened.
"Sorry. But, I don't think you'd be wantin' to help us with Stranger awake and alert,"
The Knifal's head cocked a side.
"Why's that?" he questioned.
"Don't take this wrong, but...yer somewhat lookin' of a Hunter. I don't think he'll hesitate to attack you this time," she told.
"'sides. You get caught, he'll rip yeh to shreds,"
"That won't be such a problem, child," he grinned.
"I'm tellin' you. Don't bother helpin' us," she lowered her tone.
"You don't need to tell me. I volunteer to help,"
"Don't make me plead to you. I 'ppreciate you savin' me, but this time, it's best if we do this solo,"
The Knifal frowned in near-defeat.
"I know that you're trying to protect me..." he stepped up.
"...but...it'd be better, if you'd accept my assistance. Just this time. I could keep the Hunters off of you, without being seen,"
Umi kept her head down from him, her eyes falling worried.
The Knifal's tail gently rung around her legs, a comfortingly warmth singing her skin.
"Look," he spoke so gently.
"I have been the guardian of these fields for five hundred years, young and mortal, I am. My gratitude lies with you, and I shall help you in any way, to get you two through this field of peril. So please..."
Umi shook her head doubtfully.
"I...I don't know..."
He knelt on one knee, his head down, but his eyes glued on her, sparkling a brilliant orange.
"Child...please?" he sounded pleadingly.
Her eyes shook in fear, her mouth slightly open to speak.
Only two together against a pack of Hunters would be game over for them, and only the Knifal was wise to know of the field.
His help would be a great jump forward to their destiny.
"If you get caught-"
"I will be fine," he caught attentively, his voice sounding calm and assertful.
She felt herself flourish in doubt again, but her mind was made.
"Very well," she quietly said, keeping her head down.
The Knifal stood straight, overshadowing the human under his great length.
"I will not let you down, child. I promise," he sounded sincere.
But roughness still grinded in her mind, and he could feel it.
His tail wrapped tighter around her ankles, a gentle heat calming her mind.
She slowly looked back up, his eyes locked upon her dampened face.
"Trust me..."
She swallowed her thought, nodding quickly in her decision.
His tail lightened, and unraveled around her ankles.
"Thank you,"
His voice echoed, he dissolving in to the darkness.
Her eyes flooded back outside her conscious, the sky bright of golden sunlight.
Umi held a hand over her head, sighing from the quick pain that pierced her mind from the sudden change again.
She looked back up, the Knifal standing determined in front of her, intentive of an order from her.
She grinned with it, giving it a quick nod.
"Alright then," she said, showing off her teeth.
"It's Boontown, or bust, from 'ere,"
Stranger shuffled tiredly on the tree trunk. stretching his legs out from the soar tired muscles irritating him.
Umi shot through the grass, and bent down to his arm, shaking him gently to wake him from his slight-awake state.
"Stranger!" Umi whispered loudly in his ear.
He growled a sleepy grumble, turning away from her.
She growled sterssfully, jumping over his stomach, and hunched down to his face.
"Stranger!" she told loudly.
He snorted, fluttering his eyes tiredly.
"What is it?" he tried sounding alert, sliding up the trunk on his back.
"C'mon! It's time to leave, 'fore the Hunters come out fer breakfast!" she told urgently.
Stranger grumbled.
"Honey, it's early in the mornin'. Rather not worry 'bout leavin' when I'm tired," he pinched the rim of his hat, and placed it over his eyes, shading from the warming sun.
Umi stood up over him, placing her hands on her hips.
"Fine...But I won't be 'ere when the Ezums stampede from the Hunters," she grinned, knowing what she said would soon bring him to his senses.
He cocked his head up, a grieving scowl looked at her first, then groaned.
"A'ight, kid..." he stretched his arms up over his head.
"You win..."
Her manipulation skills were getting better, sooner, she'd become quick to think by Stranger when he was asleep, or busy from something unimportant.
He brushed off the wet drops of dew on his poncho and arms, straightening his hat and dressing, and stamped out the rest of the living embers crackling within the fire.
"Ok, kid," he slipped his fingers over the brim of his hat.
"Let's git movin' from the hell hole,"
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