Kelya (part15)

"… Kaleb's face went blank. He was probably not aware that his mouth was hanging open."

It had been a good two minutes since Kaleb had last moved. He had never met anyone quite like this new arrival. Nothing he did made sense.

"You..." Kaleb wasn't really sure what to say actually. "You think we need... you. To take care of us? You think I can't take care of them?" His voice came out as a low growl. His hands curled into fists.

"Well... Not to say that you're incompetent or anything but you have to admit these aren't the best traveling conditions for a small child..."

"I'm not small..." Said Kelya under her breath

"… and a wild animal" He finished his sentence with a sigh. Children never wanted to be considered small. Why was that? Oh well, to the maters at hand... "Then again, I might be wrong. I'm sure they love sleeping in the cold and mud. Oh well, I should go then I guess. I had a way of making your travels more enjoyable but since you like this better..." Looking at the face of the young man in front of him, Charles knew he had won. His opponent wasn't ready to admit it though but he'd get around...

Something hit Charles in the back, hard. And a set of teeth set itself on the side of his neck, wet breath warming his skin. Charles froze... Maybe he'd gone too far. The young man in front of him was now smiling, although the smile might have been a little strained. The girl gasped and jumped at his neck. She started struggling with the creature on his back.

"Fooox, let go of him."
Growl.
"Come on, he didn't really do anything. Let goooo!" The set of teeth left his neck before hurting when they came back. More growling occurred.
"I know you want to help but Kaleb had everything in hand, see? Kaleb! Tell him!" The little girl was still pulling at the animal. Her voice was vehement, her face probably fiercely determined. The young man in front of him was suddenly trying very hard not to laugh. He would probably too if a set of sharp teeth weren't scraping periodically against his very beloved throat.
"Kaleb!" The little girl now had a whine in her voice from her unsuccessful struggle.
"What is it Kelya?" The young man was sniggering at him. Son of a hyena. Nobody should be having so much fun at everybody else's expense.
"Help me! Fox is going to hurt him!"
"So? He's the one who ambushed us. Fox can do whatever he wants with the intruder."
A small satisfied growl emanated from the – if the previous conversation was true – fox at his throat.
"Kaleeeeb!" The bossy tone a a child who's not getting her way.
"Fine, fine. I was just joking okay?" The young man's smile was suddenly wide. "Come on Fox, let's see if the boy has any sense to him. You'll tire Kelya if this carries on too long."

The teeth retreated and a purple fox trotted to the left of the young man. The girl flashed Charles a smile as she skipped to... Kaleb's (?) right, where she sat down.


Charles tried to fight off the nausea that came as the pressure on his neck dissolved. Damn. It wasn't supposed to come back so soon. Still, he seemed to be getting a chance at convincing them of his "use". Well, the little one, Kelya (?), seemed to like him well enough. That was a start.

"Well, well... Sirs, Mademoiselle. I am here to help you in your endeavor."

The girl's face suddenly held a huge smile. The fox was making a strangled cough that must have been some kind of canine laugh. The male's face was blank of emotions but somehow still seemed to make fun of him.

"And how, if I may ask, are you planning no doing such a thing?" The young man, Kaleb (?), asked. "You get a puppy on you and you need a child to save you, we don't need extra weight."

The girl giggled. Charles's face warmed as a wave of nausea overcame him. He had to find the right arguments for this. He couldn't afford showing weakness yet.

"True my good sir." He mustered some gusto into his voice and forced himself to smile. "Although I am at a loss with forest creature, my skills with a sword will most certainly be of help against... Marauders of a kind. Plus, voyaging with the son of a rich merchant might allow your fine party to rest in warm rooms instead of cold meadows."

The girl's eyes started ti sparkle at the idea of a fluffy bed to sleep in. The fox whined happily. The girl turned toward Kaleb with puppy dog eyes. The young man sighed heavily.

"You're joking, right?" Kaleb said. "Kelya, we're not taking in another stray. We already have Fox to fill that spot. People notice traveling groups, we can't afford to have people seeing us right now. We can't."

"Can't? Or won't?" The girl had a devilish smile on her face. "The guards will expect us to be sneaking around and hiding. You know that. Having someone with us who is known and respected will help us blend in." There was a long pause. It seemed Charles had miscalculated who the brains of the group was.

"… Plus, we can sleep in beds. You know you like sleeping in a comfy bed." The girl's grin widened, becoming somewhat softer. He couldn't tell why, but the look on her face at that moment held more of the loving care of a mother than the playful tease of a little sister. "Come on Kaleb, you know you want it too."

The young man's expression shifted and for a moment, Charles thought he saw longing in those mismatched eyes.