Timeless Hero Without a Goal

31st Tick: The First Town 4

“Why are you a child now?” Rose complained.

The child looked at her with his big, black eyes that shone with innocence. His black hair was straight and long, reaching his shoulders and covering parts of his eyes. He wore a suit slightly too big for him, like his usual attire, just smaller. In his small hands, he held the pocket watch he always carried around, the clock ticking.

Rose scratched her head, looking around. They were still in the forest, danger could be lurking anywhere. Thomas was the only one of the two that could really do anything to escape from the creatures. They had lost their method of escape and defence. The child tugged at her pants, mouthing the words ‘I’m hungry’.

“I thought Myths don’t get hungry?” Rose complained.

She watched as the child started getting wanly on his feet, his eyelids dropping to a close. He slumped, Rose barely able to catch him before he fell. She carried him, surprised by how light he was.

She looked around again, spotting nothing off about the forest. She looked at the small Thomas, he held the pocket watch close to his chest as he curled up, snoring slightly. Rose started to panic slightly. Not only did they have to run from danger, they had to do so with Rose carrying Thomas. She cursed, she needed to find the town quickly before they were put in any more danger. She may have just died, and was brought back, but she still had will.

“Did you do this for me?” Rose asked, walking across the forest.

There was a rustle of leaves to the side. Rose jumped to the side, a snake jumped out. It was large, the body seemingly as thick as Rose’s whole body. It had its fangs bared, dripping with poison, its foul breath almost making Rose puke. She was ready to run, or to attempt to defend herself. However, the moment the snake came closer, it stopped midair, a clock on its face. The clock’s hour hand started spinning wildly, the snake simply shattering. Rose looked at what remained of the snake, surprised.

She took a look at the sleeping Thomas. He had not moved, he was still sleeping peacefully. She continued walking on, unsure of what had actually happened. She needed to get to safety first, and without Thomas, she did not have access to their rations, she did not have food or water to last. Not only did she have to think for herself, Thomas also needed food. The sun was high in the sky when Rose needed to sit down. Carrying Thomas and walking was not easy in the slightest. With him in her arms, she sat down on a log, catching her breath.

There was squawking above her. She took a look, and waiting on the trees above her, black birds watched her with crimson red eyes. Their feathers were pitch black, almost unseeable off not for the bright light. Rose kept Thomas closer to her as she watched the birds watch her. She got up and quickened her pace, ignoring the burning dryness in her throat. The birds squawked loudly, hurting Rose’s ears. She covered Thomas’ ears so that he would not wake up, but it was unnecessary as he did not need any assistance to remain asleep. Rose breathed a sigh of relief until she saw a black streak pass by her. She looked behind her and started to run, the birds diving down at her. They were three to four times larger than the average blackbird, their beaks were longer and sharper, their talons seemed capable of slicing stone. They had their eyes fixed on Rose. She hid behind a tree, the birds flying by before turning back to attack again. Rose ran, hiding from tree to tree, evading the bird attacks.

Eventually, she looked back, the birds right on her trail. She jumped over a log and hid behind it, the birds flying over her, scratching the log. She kept Thomas close and got up, continuing the run. At some point, she had tripped on a root, she used her right foot to try and stop the fall. Despite her efforts, she tumbled forward, rolling on the ground. She tried to keep the child Thomas safe, her elbows getting scraped. Rose rolled up, keeping Thomas under her. Eventually he was going to grow up, he could bring her back even if she died again. Rose waited a few long seconds before peeling out. There were considerably less birds than before, all of the remaining birds stayed some distance away from her, watching her with interest. Rose got up, wondering why they were not attacking.

She shuffled back slightly while still sitting down. She watched the birds warily, not sure what they were planning. When her back hit a tree, she stood up shakily, the birds not moving much. She stepped towards the birds as a test, but they hopped backwards. She ran at them and stopped, the birds not too far away from her. They panicked and made a loud noise before flying away. Rose breathed a sigh of relief before sitting down. She was thirsty for water, and she was tired.

Thomas shifted in her arms, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He looked at Rose and gave her a smile before snuggling back in her arms. Rose’s hair had become loose, her red hair glowing freely and messy. She felt her arms tremble, there was quite a bit of pain coming from her elbows and knees. She sat there, wondering what she should be doing. She looked at Thomas, he always had a plan, he was never seen without one. She wondered, although his body was that of a child’s, was his mind still that of a child? It was plausible for his mind to still be the same, he could only be a child physically. But his actions did not suggest anything like that, he was a child.

Rose rested against the tree. It seemed that the last thing Thomas did for her was provide protection from the creatures of the forest.