Born Enemies

Chapter Nine: Cel

Cel rolled onto his side as he slowly came awake. He blinked, his eyes unfocused. It took him a minute to remember where he was, and as he remembered, he didn't move immediately. Instead, he rolled onto his back, shoving the blankets down a bit as he stared unblinkingly up at the cave wall, lost in deep thoughts he would rather have avoided. Finally, after some time ticked by where he knew he'd have to face the inevitable, he slowly sat up, shoving back loose strands of hair that had escaped from the single braid down his back. He first noticed the dying amber of the fire. That explained why he was freezing. "None of you could have added more wood to the fire?" He asked in disbelief at their sheer carelessness. "Where did Neil go?" He added immediately upon noticing that Amara was alone and Neil was nowhere to be seen. "I sent him to get help," Amara informed him.

Cel waited for him to elaborate, and when he didn't, he rolled his eyes and sighed. Grabbing one of the light blankets from his bedding and wrapping it around his body for warmth, he rose from his bedding and walked over to the dying fire. Crouching before it, he began the task of rejuvenating it back to life. "Amara," he began, his eyes focused on the task at hand. Once he'd gotten a nice blaze going, he took out a tea kettle and a gallon-sized barrel from his storage pendant. His hands worked briskly as he poured water into the kettle, then set the kettle, then crafted a hook and rod to hang the kettle over the flames to warm it up. "These short, undetailed responses of yours are not going to do." Once he had the water warming to a nice boil for his tea, he turned to face him at last, only to find him already watching him. "If you expect me to trust you, then I expect the same courtesy to be returned. So once again, where did your friend go? " He held his gaze.

"I sent him back to our realm." His response shocked him. Before he could ask him to further clarify what he meant, Amara went on, giving him the detailed exploration he'd asked for.

Cel sat there stunned as Amara's voice finally trailed off into silence. The sound of the kettle going off forced him back into focus and he turned his back to him to remove the kettle from the fire. Picking up the pouch that contained one of his favorite teas, he tossed a generous amount of the loose tea leaves into the kettle to steam for a bit in the boiling hot water. While he waited, he took out half a loaf of bread, a small container of honey, a chunk of cheese wrapped in leaves, and some apples from his storage pendent. When he smelled the soft aroma of his tea, it signaled that it was ready to be poured. He used the hem of his robes to grab the handle of the kettle and power the hot liquid into the two cups he'd set out earlier, then rested the kettle on the ground beside the fire. He picked up one of the cups after stirring a spoonful of honey and rose to his feet while holding the blanket closed around his body with his free hand. Amara watched him walk over to him. Cel silently held the cup out for him to take. He smiled softly at the slight surprise that caused his dark pupils to dilate slightly. When he hesitated, he raised his eyebrows. "You don't trust me?" The question was purposely daring.

A slight smirk curved the left corner of his mouth when he slowly reached for the offered cup. His long fingers briefly covered him as they curled completely around him.

"Only a little," he responded as he took the offering from his grasp.

"Fair enough." He let his hand drop to his side. The warmth of his hand still lingered on his skin. "By the way," Cel added as he began to walk back to where he'd laid out his breakfast. He had no intention of inviting him to share his food. He didn't trust him that much. "Thank you for staying back with me." He lowered himself onto the ground, his blanket gathered around his form. "I know the rift control ring can sustain two life forms through the mock shift rift. I won't ask you why or what's making you stay. But I do appreciate that you didn't leave me behind. " Done with the sentimental words of gratitude, he turned his attention to his breakfast, but he couldn't ignore the sliver of warmth that unexpectedly awoke deep inside him from his choice to stay. He killed it fast before he could form into something more... something deeper. He promised himself never to fall for another person after the horrors of his first romance. Even after all these years, the scares are still very fresh.

Cel ate in silence, so lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice the tender look in Amara's eyes, which had never moved away from him as he caressed his untouched cup of tea, savoring the lingering warmth of his touch.

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After finishing his breakfast and cleaning up after himself, Cel sat down across from Amara so that they could begin to plan their next course of action.

There were four main concerns they had.

1. What creatures inhabited the realm and which ones needed to be avoided?

2. How were they to explore their unfamiliar surroundings safely and cautiously?

3. How long were they expecting to be stuck here?

4. They needed to find a new shelter that had a water source and a means to hunt and gather food for the worst-case scenario of their entrapment.

"I think for now we should start slowly. We still have no idea what chased us last night or if it's still lurking outside this cave. "

Cel committed as he added another log to the flickering flames.

"I think it's best if I do the exploring," Amara added as he rose onto his feet, preparing to do just that. Cel, who'd grown used to his low, deep voice and straight-to-the-point way of speaking during their conversation, nodded in agreement.

If he'd suggested such a thing yesterday, he would have said no and been extremely suspicious that he was using the guise to abandon him. But now, since he'd chosen to stay with him when he could have left with his friend, it made him feel that he wasn't that untrustworthy anymore. He was even relieved by his suggestion. Cel was different from his clan members. After his disastrous first romance, and Master Leo helped him pick up the shattered pieces of his fragile heart, he'd turned his attention to learning how to fight, both to make himself stronger and as a coping mechanism. It helped him a lot.

Healers, since their jobs were to care and protect, a lot of them didn't know how to fight, since they believed that their knowledge could protect them, and it did. They knew a lot of defensive potions and non-lethal poisons to get themselves out of sticky situations.

Cel, however, loved the fact that he was both knowledgeable and strong and could fight and protect himself without depending on anyone else ever again. It was freedom he would never trade for anything. This also meant he knew his limits. He could fight to defend but never kill, and right now, Amara who did not have such restrictions, was the best choice they had.

"I'll stay here. I have enough food and water to last us for a few months, so we're not in dire need of a food and water source. "

"There's also my and Neil's supplies," Amara added.

"There's also that," he smiled. His fingers plunked unconsciously at a loose thread that had become loose from its weave in his blanket as he stared sightlessly down at his lap. "Amara," he rolled his name around his tongue, testing its weight and familiarity, and unconsciously liking it a bit too much how it easily rolled off his tongue.

The gentle calling of his name made Amara, who was already halfway across the cave, come to an immediate halt. His voice was so low and soft that even with his trained hearing, he almost missed it.

"Be careful, with all these supplies between us, there is no need for any of us to be reckless." When he didn't receive an immediate reply from him, he thought he'd left. A wave of loneliness and worry suddenly weighed heavily on his shoulders. "Don't worry," his deep, low voice startled him. Cel jerked up straight, his eyes wide as they flew towards where he stood, but he was already gone. Several long heartbeats later, Cel continued to stare at the space where he had stood, then he laughed softly at himself, feeling ridiculous. Why the hell was he worried about him? He could defend himself just fine and this lonely feeling, it was all in his head. He just missed and was worried about his friends, not about the barbarian whose name was Amara. Because once they got out of this place, they were going back to being enemies. This was just a temporary truce, one they needed for survival's sake. Nothing more, nothing less. As he turned to make this cave more livable and cleaned up their camp, he couldn't shake off the faint feeling that an appending doom was fast approaching.