9 Journey to the East

A big fire ball rising slowly from east. It shine coming from back of the woods. So it doesn't touch directly to Roland and friends at that time.

In the back of tree trunk, Aleyn still on her sleep. Using her two hand to hold his head. She sleep quietly, but her head feels heavy and made her out of breath somehow.

"Hey, don't bother her sleep?"

"Don't bother my sleep"

In presence, Roland roasting a meat on fire. For the dragon, she sleep on Aleyn face. Roland tried to forbid here, but her arrogancy didn't allow her to listen to Roland.

Roland quite upset and leave his meat to help Aleyn. He walk closer to the dragon and want to thrown away her with his right hand.

The dragon see his coming and quickly move, let Roland's hand touch the girl cheeks.

"O shi – "

"Um?"

Roland's touch easily wake up Aleyn. He rapidly move his hand from her, although Aleyn already trying to open her eyes to see him.

Roland guessed she will be annoyed by his doing, but what Aleyn give to him was a bright smiled.

Roland smiled too and decided to wake her up.

"Wake up, time to eat"

Aleyn slowly rose from her sleep. Rubbed off her two eyes with two hand, then yawning.

When her consciousness has recovered, she smelled something fragrant. The smell come from Roland's meat on fire.

Aleyn quickly run into him joyfully. She is really excited with what in Roland's hand, even though the meat is not just one, she has a thing on what in Roland's grasped.

Roland holding a meat on stick. A rabbit meat that he catch this morning and the only one on the plate. The other meat is fish and they are ready to eat.

"You want this?"

Roland offering the rabbit meat to Aleyn. Aleyn nodded fascinatedly on that. Her eyes even twinkling when Roland pass the meat to her hand.

"Hooo~"

She is really excited with the meat. Looks like that is her first time seeing grilled rabbit meat.

"What are you waiting for, eat it"

Her excitement made her only seeing the meat unless Roland wake her up.

"Un"

Aleyn nodded seriously and start biting. On next instant, she feels shocked in excitement. She bite and chew quite fast. Because the meat no more hot there is no hitch to eat it quickly.

Roland seeing her adopted daugther eat joyfully. At that time he remember one time he on Aleyn postition. When he was really hungry and seeing a food, he will surely eat the food without care.

Just like Aleyn does now.

Roland let his adopted daughter on her joy and start eat his fish grilled meat. Refuel his energy.

*

Eating time has passed. Every meat on the plate is gone. Stored into their stomach.

"How is it? Already full?"

Aleyn nodded excitedly. Roland smiled and get up from his seat. He absorb fresh air to gain more energy, then looking into the river.

"Let's go wash our body first"

Roland entice Aleyn to get up and go to the river.

Aleyn readily go to the river following Roland on his back.

Before get in to the water, Roland take off his shoes first. He then look into his daughter to finally realize, she doesn't wear any protection for her foot all this time.

Aleyn quite confused because Roland sees her feet. Thats make her sees her feet too.

Roland realized that isn't polite and apologize.

"Ah, I'm sorry, but aren't your feet hurt when you step on something harsh, like on this gravel?"

"I never wear anything on my feet. So it doesn't really bother me to step into anything"

"Eeh?"

Roland quite surprised on his daugter response. Despite the fact what she answered, now she talk to him more smoothly.

He is happy with that, but he need to be get used to his daughter response to him.

A flat expression not like before. That is what Roland see on Aleyn face. The thing is, she looks like will respond directly to any thing you give to her. A face of won't reject or complain to any thing you offer to her.

Roland quite worried on knowing that fact.

"Well, we will get you shoes if we are in a town"

Roland walk closely to Aleyn and pat her head. On Roland perspective, she doesn't react and only receive his praise. While on Aleyn face, she smile brightly and even she surely will cry if she doesn't hold it.

"Okay, let's start wash ourself and let's go to the east"

Roland lifting his right hand into a direction Aleyn doesn't know.

*

They start washing their dirty body with hands to take some water and scrub the dirty part.

Roland did that quickly because he had not much dirt on him. However, Aleyn still work on her own because last night battle makes her really work hard to move, dodge, and running from soldier.

"Hey, let me see your wound"

Roland walk closely to his daughter to find she's trying to wash blood trace on her left arm.

Aleyn let Roland take a look into her wound. Roland bent over and anylizing the wound for a moment.

"The wound is not too deep. Looking at your body endurance, I think it will recover in a few moment"

Roland finished his words and look at his daughter to find she nodded confidently.

"Are you done?"

Roland stood up and ask his daughter. Aleyn nodded once to answer Roland's question. Then they walk out of the water.

After wearing his shoes Roland see his daughter. He walk to her and kneel down. They look at each other without a word for a moment.

To light up the atmosphere before they go, Roland first gonna check his unnoficial adopted daughter condition.

"Are you good to go? I mean, did you have any problem before we set off to where we want to go?"

Aleyn shook her head few times to answer any other thing her father may want to ask. Roland smiled at Aleyn response and give her a head pat before he stood.

"Okay, let's go then"

They start walking beside the river. Roland in front while Aleyn following on the back.

While seeing her father's back, Aleyn feels something appear in her heart. It's really warm and comfortable. That makes her always want to see that back and won't diverted to something else.

"It's really addicted, right"

She even heard a voice that revealed her feeling. By the way, that is not her voice. Because the voice somehow sounds bigger and more abductive.

"It's really enjoyable to see his big back that will protect you no matter what"

Aleyn stopped her feet to see a little dragon thing perched on her two soulder. It back's part on her left and it head's part on her right. Half circlying her neck.

"A – "

"Sshh, be quite and don't stop walking, okay"

Aleyn nodded and begin to walk again. Her interest now pointing at the little adutl woman like dragon on her shoulder.

"Um, what are you?"

Even she think it is a dragon, she doesn't quite sure if it is a dragon.

"Well, you see me as I am, so why ask in the first place?"

Aleyn give the dragon flurry cute expression when the dragon talking hardly enough to make her confused of what she means.

"How cute"

The dragon looking at her gently. Aleyn quite tempted at the dragon presence.

"Say, girl, what is your name?"

The dragon made Aleyn thinking hard because she doesn't really know how to spell her name. She knows, but her mouth doesn't know how to express it.

"Doesn't it, Al-eyn, if I'm not wrong?"

Aleyn nod impressed when the dragon spell her name well.

"Why impressed, spell it yourself. You must introduce yourself to someone if they ask what is your name"

Aleyn shocked when the dragon looks like mad at her, or it can say the dragon nag her and Aleyn not used to it.

"Hey"

In front, Roland spin around to look at them. He then focused at the dragon who see him arrogantly.

"I'm happy if you getting close to her. But don't push her at any thing you want to teach"

"I'm not push her at any thing. It's just natural for a mother being nag at her daughter"

"Wai – what? A mother? You?"

"Yeah, you have a problem with that?"

Those two seems trying to fight each other. They even sees the other like their enemy.

"P – please – don't... fight"

Aleyn confused, scared, but she tried her best to stop the fight between her unnoficial adoptive father and mother.

"We are not trying to fight, dear. It is just your father being annoying suddenly.

"Oh, great, now it's all my fault"

Roland mad and then began to walk again to a direction.

Aleyn seems really worried and follows Roland on his back.

"You don't need to rush, dear. He's not mad at any body"

"B – but ..."

Aleyn on Roland's back, but she doesn't know what to do anymore except following Roland.

"Take it easy, dear"

The dragon gave a kiss at Aleyn's cheeks. That feels really good when she does it. After kissed her adoptive daughter, the dragon continue to talk.

"For now we are in a state on must accept each other as a family. But that's not as easy as it's heard, so you need to calm down in every situation we face, like now for example"

The dragon talk hardly again, but this time Aleyn knows an important part of what she means atleast.

"What, dear? You look like have a question for me?"

The dragon read Aleyn's face and guessed correctly of what she want to ask.

"Well, as I am a dragon, and that's a fact. Thy musn't confused just because my size. I am who I am you see now and that's doesn't changed any thing"

Aleyn feels dizzy hearing evey sentence the dragon said. Her head somehow spinning at it own.

"Hu hu, you are so cute, you know. I think I will do the same for you because I want to see if the faith is real or not"