5 V

Samty quietly sat there as the words left his dry mouth. His palms can feel every grain of soil and, hopefully not what he really thinks, small feet of some insect you can see in the forest. Inky-black irises were dilated and heart's beating on his ears as his expectant eyes stared to the two backs of the only soul within his reach. He waited with a batted breath when the woman halts her further steps and the head of the man dangerously lolls to the side. It felt like a barrel of water was thrown at him at how the air had took flight out of his lungs just by only the sudden deathly glare he received when the woman snaps back his head to look down where he sat, her tied hair cutting the air around her from the sudden change of angle. As fast as how the air welcomed itself to his lungs, his heart quickly sunks six feet underground to the wordless answer he got from her. A cold shoulder and the view of their once again retreating back is enough response for him to get that he isn't welcome. However, as if someone had heard his silent pleas, the unconscious man surprisingly awaken from his inhuman state with a ragged breath chasing the air out to his system.

A new hope blossoms inside his chest.

"Ce...c-c-el-lo"

It was a silent whisper but it felt like a scream to Samty's ears against the murmurs of the wild and the pulsing on his ear. His head quickly snaps up from where he was digging holes at his muddy bare feet, not even an ounce caring if he had gotten a whiplash since his main priority at the moment is a place to sleep and, why not, to wash. One night is enough because he can't possibly go back to the town seeing he still is being hunted by the authorities and, of course, he wouldn't test his luck again and sleep here in the open. The chances of being caught as he sleeps is higher than his height. Even the angry look the woman is giving the immobile man can't scar the hope Samty is tightly holding on.

"M-mister Fermon—please! H-help me"

Samty pushed his self up into his full height nond much of difficulty. The exhaustion and tiredness his body had felt minutes earlier magically vanished out his system. With his heart quickly pumping blood across his veins, he took a hesitant step near the two who seems to be nailed on their stand. Now that he sees it, shame and fear travels up his spine at how his head only reaches their chins and he can be easily taken down with only a blow on his gut before the lights on his eyes went out by those he knew are muscled arms. But still, with his mind opting him to step back for the knife might make an appearance again to meet his throat, he conjured his legs to move and runs to their space in front of them. Spreading his arms as wide as he can while his eyes looks at the half-lidded ones the man have. The woman, he guess her name is Celo, throws one of his furious stare at him for the third time from what he can see at the corner of his eyes but his attention weren't trained on her but to the weak man who's leaning all his weight to the other.

"I beg you, I have nowhere to go"

Salt water is by now stinging his pleading eyes as they pooled over it. Despite the vulnerability he is showing, he didn't dare blink to ease out the burn of it nor wipe it off to continually stare on the unfocused eyes trying to see clearly the figure beside him.

"Y-y-ou can't be t-ha-that...cru-e-el c-an...you?"

"But—"

"Shhh.."

The man completely hushed off the other with only his quiet hushing as his eyes slowly closed. Samty, on the other hand, shifts his eyes to the woman who is very much not into the idea of adopting him. Her eyes were reluctant and untrusting and he wished he had the chance of getting that cleaning earlier to make a good impression as he felt being stared at by the other. He saw how she look him from his greasy untidy dirty locks down his beaten feet and it's not his fault if he can't stop the blood rush on his face that by now can be compared to a ripe tomato. Samty didn't bother to look down at his own appearance to see how very an unpleasing view he look like in the eyes of someone who is very well groomed because the hard face the other is making was enough unspoken words to him.

The long sleeved shirt he wore hangs on his narrow shoulders as the battered pants loosely hugs his thin waist. Holes, scratches, dangling threads and dirt adorning its whole. His face is not likely any different considering the fact that he just kind of met the ground not an hour long ago. Samty wonders if what runs on the woman's mind is him in need of place or in need of bath.

"Well?! What are you waiting for? Do you expect me to carry this bear all the way?!"

He needs a moment for himself to process what she had yelled and when his mind did its function, all of his other emotion on his chest disappeared and only joy was what remained. His chapped lips curved up into a smile like there's no tomorrow to face and felt the heavy clouds above his head clears out as the sun shines brightly on its stand. He quickly moved his way out to the other side of the man to help carry him as per the request of her. But when he did found his self beside him to grab his arm, his eyes travels down at the open-cut shirt where he overviews the bloody deep wound on that he was nursing earlier.

Samty blanches.

"I-I'm sorry, but can we please switch—"

"Just pull it over your shoulder—!"

"But I'm dirty, I don't want to worsen his wound by the dirt!"

He almost regretted that he raised his voice when he cut her words, but what can you do if you know you'll just be ignored if you didn't brave yourself out? And besides, he really doesn't want to cause any more trouble for either of the two if ever the grotesque wound got infected because of him.

Samty stared silently with blown eyes at her as she also stared back, probably surprised from his sudden outburst. Their staring contest for dominance wouldn't falter in any second if only a cough didn't decide to cut through it. Both of their eyes darted down to the lolling head of black locks of the man when he continuously torture his now most probably raw throat. At the corner of his eyes, he can see the click of disdain on her jaws.

"Fine!"

She bellowed.

Samty's ears rings from it and his eyes went comically wide as he launched forward to catch the body who lost its support when the woman throws off his left arm. The body felt like a sack of heavy rocks against his feather like one. The air on his lungs had seemingly been knocked out when the wide back of the other had punched his fragile chest. He can feel the dangerous trembling of his legs as he stood on his full height with the heavy weight on his arms.  And the latter is close on breaking into pieces as he hooked them under the man's armpits and circles them in front of his wall of a chest. Samty is raised as a good son but his father wouldn't really mind if he will curse this woman into oblivion.

Soon, the additional weight his legs carry had been lifted in a manner of quick seconds as the other took the left arm and draped it across her shoulder.

"I knew this isn't a good day to hunt but you didn't listen! Now you're injured and those bastards saw my face and now we go taking this guy. Great! Just.Great."

He can clearly hear her angry low mutterings, sure enough the other intends for him to hear it. But he didn't looked, earning him a scoff that he badly wanted to answer with a curse, or why not a fist, because he can feel that his body is still shaken from the sudden use of strength, instead he silently positioned his self beside the other the same way of her supporting him.

Silence had then filled the space within the three as they continued to walk and walk under the looming shadows of the trees. The stray lights that had managed to went pass through the thick spread of leaves that indicates the sun is still out burning above their shadowed heads slowly dims and soon enough no more rays of the sun can be seen. They started walking in the late afternoon and they are still working their legs after the sun had its rest. Samty already felt exhausted half the way on their journey but he didn't dare vocing this out to may be granted a quick stop to breathe since every time he glances to his awake companion he sees no trace of such tiredness on her body. Only a couple of dribbling sweat on her temple and nothing more.  A very contrasting situation for him as his body felt stiff and the tension on his shoulders increases under the weight that by now felt heavier and heavier. His legs are no different as they almost buckle a couple of times from too much work. His bare feet close on being numb though he still can tell if he had stepped on a rock, a twig, or some stupid insect that decided to sleep on the ground. The cold air swooshing around them made his situation even more worse as he gritted his teeth to try and fight the cold that's freezing his blood inside his veins. He's sure he'll collapse anytime now if they continue to work in this kind of temperature—

"We're close"

Samty yelp a little loudly than he intended when his body got pulled down by the gravity without a warning together with the, once again, unconscious man. It being definitely the sole reason of his fall at how he was now laying face first on the ground with the thick man on top of him. But, thankfully, the woman isn't heartless at all and moved the body away from him to  lean it against a sturdy tree. Samty rises on his ugly position and massage his hurt wrist, though not sprained, and only did realize that he can hear distant chatters and whirring of engines. His blinks his eyes as familiarity crosses his mind and he looked up from where he's inspecting his wrist to the woman for confirmation who is now towering over his heap of a body on the ground while taking off the tiger-skin around her shoulder.

"We're at the neighboring town of yours— here"

Samty attentively caught the wild thing on the dark between his unsurprisingly trembling fingers from the cold. The immediate contact warms his hands that he unconsciously hug the thing near his chest. His eyes still trained up to see the other preparing her knife and Samty's slitted eyes never left the sharp object held by the long fingers of her.

"I'll call for someone who can help us with this bear, stay here"

He stared more at the knife that is now presented before his eyes. His hands tightened around the skin and waited with a batted breath on where the weapon will land itself. Would it be on his throat for a quick end? Or would it be at his thighs to torture first? He can't believe she still doesn't trust him after all the hardships he endured throughout the long walk.

Samty flinched back when the thing was thrust towards him and his hands felt the small smoothen handle of it. His wide eyes flicks away to stare at the woman who's crouching in front of him with her furrowed brows.

"You need something to defend yourselves and this...goes here"

The tiger-skin between his fingers is now hugging his narrow back just as how it warmly hugs her when she was wearing it. After helping him out the cold, she stood up and brandishes a smaller knife on the thing that looked like belt circling one of her legs. She first look both sideways on the pit of darkness that travels around them and grip the weapon tighter around her hand.

"I'll be quick, don't go anywhere kid"

Before Samty can even retort a reply that he isn't a kid but a very well disciplined adult despite his small appearance, the other had already been leaving a trail as she dashed off. And by dashed off Samty means 'runs like a car on the road. His eyes followed the way she had long since taken and he was left blinking on the cold night. The distant noise coming from the town was louder on his ears this time as the still night envelopes him. The sounds of crickets are present and the crash between leaves as the wind howls gave another reason for him not to like the forest at night at how it eerily sounds. Firstly, of course, that it was freezing cold in here. Though his body doesn't feel the cold because of the thing the woman gave him, his mind remembered that he isn't actually alone and sure enough the other man is not as lucky as he is. But the moment his eyes landed on the sleeping man, a meter away from him, he sees no sign of cold or a slight shiver when the air howls again.

That is very disturbing.

How can a man not tremble in this kind of temperature? It's like the opposite number of boiling point.

Samty tentatively crawls his way closer to him and slowly places his palm to feel his bare arms. His lips turned into a frown when the frozen cold body bit his slowly warming hand and he almost gave out another yelp of surprise when a hand gripped his wrist in a bone crushing way.

"Amtari, no!"