Burden of the Cursed -- Chapter Six

A few hours after Adam finally drifted into a peaceful slumber, morning arrived bright and early upon the vast countryside. Taking the opportunity to embrace the brisk morning air, Tinnus unravelled himself from his bedding, clothed and sat atop the large boulder to observe the previously obscure surroundings of the campsite. It was now possible to make out the distant sight of Medenral's city walls beyond the tree lines ahead, and it was even clear enough to spot early morning breakfast smoke escaping from chimneys on top the buildings spread across the capital.

He smiled peacefully, watching the world around him focus upon their morning rituals and prepare for the day's events. Overhead he listened to birds whistling their sacred melodies and watched sharply from a distance as a small family of deer tended to their morning meal. This place indeed reminded Tinnus of home, and no matter how painful the memory was; it still was something to remember and smile about.

Breakfast was short and silent; a now-drowsy Adam prepared a bundle of fresh food such as milk and bread which had been stashed away in the supplies to be eaten on their first day of camping to avoid wastage. They slowly finished their meals and prepared for the beginning of their day.

"So then" Tinnus started, eager to get the belated conversation from last night over and done with. Adam just looked up from his rationed meal and watched the cheeky smirk climb from ear to ear. A snort escaped his lips.

"Well, where were we? Information about the mission, was that right?" Adam said; his voice still slow from stirring from the dream world. Tinnus nodded as he put his own food aside to listen intently.

"Ok, I'll tell you all of what I know" Adam started, licking his lips from a flask of fresh milk.


--

"So, let me get this straight then?" Tinnus asked softly, running all of the images through his head. Adam was by now standing besides a pale tree and practicing some of his sword techniques as he watched Tinnus try his best to piece it all together.

"It's an escort mission, from here to someplace up north called…Um…"
"Reathe"
"Reathe, right and we have to help this woman who is in some kind of trouble get there safely because she knows something really important but can't tell anyone because of this curse, and there are people at Reathe who can help her, right?"

Adam smiled, he just watched Tinnus sit there in his childish posture, tailing wagging and in a manner normally unfitting, turned their important mission into a broken child's story. It was all quite amusing.

"But what about these bad guys? Is there no information about them at all?" Tinnus asked; he had stood now playing with the tip of his long tail and watched intently as Adam continue with his sword practices.

"Nothing at all, we'll be going blind for this mission. But we should be fine, especially after I'm done with you." Tinnus blinked.
"Um...What do you mean?"

Adam paced slowly towards Tinnus, holding his sword by both the hilt and blade and offered it to him.
"You ever used a sword before?"
"A couple of times back home, for hunting but not for defence" Tinnus took the Longsword in hand and wrapped both hands around the firm leather handle. He raised the blade in front of him and swung a couple of times into the air, demonstrating to Adam without words the lack of training he had.

"What about a bow?" Adam asked, Tinnus nodded his head
"I can use a bow; I used it more frequently than close-ranged"
"Any other training? Like Hand-to-Hand?"
"My father taught me to fight quite a long time ago, you don't forget everything" Tinnus joked as he started to side-step left and right, Adam simply smiled. It was good then, he didn't have to teach him as much as he thought.

"Alright then, I have a day and a half to train you to be a dependable fighter for this mission, you think you can handle that?" Adam's tone was firm which caused Tinnus' ears to prick up nervously.
"Yes. I think I'll do fine" Tinnus bolstered confidently, Adam's face however did not agree.
"Are you sure? You do know that I can't hold back, I have to train you hard and fast to do this, there can be no pity if I hurt you, what I'll do to you would be nothing compared to a merciless enemy." Adam paused, he bite down hard on his lip when he realised how hard it was to squeeze that last sentence out, he saw Tinnus' face however and saw a look of determination which reminded him of other candidates back at the Fighter's Guild years ago during his own training.

He would be fine Adam thought.
He must be.


The training started when the sun reached the highest peak during the day, Adam had spent the morning preparing the surrounding areas with training obstacles for Tinnus to occupy himself with including log dummies and a duelling circle marked by twigs. The afternoon however involved a long and intense barrage of sword fighting techniques and marksmanship practice which lasted until the clouds above soon covered the sun's ray and unleashed her fury.

They sat by the campsite, the rain slowly trickled down from the leaves around them and softy patted them upon the head. The coldness was a comforting break for them both as they had trained long and hard and simply bathed in the rain's tears. Adam finally finished dressing the last of the small wounds which Tinnus had inherited during the tuition on the top of his forearm. It wept blood calmly and for the time being, during the last session neither had known who had caused it.

"I feel refreshed" Tinnus said as Adam tightened the restraints upon the boy's new light studded leather armour, the rain had eventually stopped and the forest was rewarded with the aroma of musty flowers and thick grass as well as a humid breeze.

"That's good, because we've only a handful of hours left of daylight and I intend to use them well." Adam crudely said as he patted Tinnus on the back, his armour now felt sturdy and ready for another beating. They both picked their swords from the wet soil and proceeded to the small circle opposite the campsite.

"Now remember, it's not all about blocking and parrying, you have to be offensive as well, otherwise your enemy will gain more ground and be upon you in a flutter" Adam quickly demonstrated this by charging Tinnus head on, raising his sword high and waiting for Tinnus to parry it, the two steel blades connected fiercely, the force was enough to send Tinnus three steps backwards before regaining his balance. Just as he steadied himself and brought his sword to stance Adam was upon him again, this time the strike came low which Tinnus narrowly blocked. The striking blows again sent Tinnus two steps backwards. He knew what Adam was doing and he knew that unless he didn't take his advice he would run out of ground to steady himself.

He prepared himself for the third blow, this one came as a flurry as Adam rotated on the spot and spun the blade in a swift circle, Tinnus successfully parried the attack and within an instance of recovery managed to bring his sword on the offensive, the blade swung overhead and came down almost an inch from Adam's head. There they were frozen in place as Adam noticed the fatal attack above him and smiled, pleased with himself he moved the blade away from his face and stood tail in front of his young apprentice.

"Well done, you would have killed me, were I an enemy"
"Ha, good thing you're not then" Tinnus smirked and then joined Adam in a soft chuckle.
"Come on, you've still got a long way to go"


--


The fire was burning strong as it crackled away in the night; Adam finished sharpening the edge of his sword when he looked up from the kit to the small figure nestled besides the fire. Tinnus had only crawled there a couple of minutes ago and had already fallen fast asleep; he listened as the teen Savag snored softly and watched as the boy's armor sunk and rose as he breathed. Adam realised then that he may have pushed him a little too hard today, causing a grand total of six flesh wounds that could very well become scars in the future. But in the end it was necessary he thought. He had to make him stronger; he had to make him ready for anything. He knew it would be hard now, but it'll get better eventually and maybe then he would be thankful for all the pain now.

Adam watched the boy silently snuggle within the fire's warmth, he could tell by the way his tail slide slowly across the dusty earth that he was comfortable and napping now and he decided, after slowly and gently un-strapping his armor's restraints that he should leave him there like he was.

For tomorrow was going to be an even busier day then today.


--


Tinnus whirled rapidly; his stance had dipped after Adam charged him with a forward slice which almost scraped his leg. He managed to block the next two swings and even try for his own roundhouse spin with no success. By now the light of the morning sun had risen beyond the horizon surface from this morning and was now hovering just above the direction of Medenral.

"Can we have breakfast now?" Tinnus asked politely as Adam repelled his quick advancement and they both stood at a stand still.
"How long have we been practicing for?" Adam asked, more of an observation than a question.
"Must be over three hours now, just about the time you woke me up, put the sword in my hand and told me that I'd be dead if I snored that loudly again." Adam laughed briefly, quickly rebutting the comment aside as his tone became serious again.
"You never know when danger strikes, should always be ready."
"I know that now thanks" Tinnus muttered as he ran his free hand over a freshly cut wound on the side of his leg, a wound which he acquired not long after their duel began thanks to his drowsiness.
"But you've done well for now, so I think you've earned some food." Adam smiled as he impaled the blade of his sword into the dirt and started to walk towards the campsite. Tinnus eagerly followed with a swing in his tail and a skip in his step.



--


As all of the fresh food had been used up yesterday morning, the pair had to deal with a rather chewy yet still edible meal of oats and dried bread. It may not have been much of a meal but for Tinnus, it was enough to stop the aching growl within his stomach.

"Adam?" The boy asked; breaking the silence as Adam stared in anticipation.
"Do you think my training is going well?" Tinnus asked openly for the first time as he stirred the last of his food around the bowl and placed it aside. Adam had lounged backwards against the boulder and rested his bowl neatly on his knee; he looked up lazily and watched Tinnus' face for signs of any reaction.

"Yes, it is, just don't be overconfident and you should be fine."
"You believe that?"
"Of course, I can easily say with no lie that you have the makings of a Fighter."

Tinnus smiled, not because the comment was pleasant and kind, but because now he knew that with this training and perhaps more, he was no longer a helpless lost boy cowering within the shadows of those stronger then him, but now was showing signs of the beginning of becoming a man.


--


The remainder of the morning and the early afternoon was spent wisely finishing the touches upon Tinnus' swordsmanship skills; although Adam admitted that they had improved greatly the pass two extensive days, they still lacked stability and finesse that could only be achieved after years of training. Finally however, after much pain and stake Adam made the decision that the training was enough and that it was time to prepare to rest for the late hike towards their destination. During their wandering around the campsite area, they happened upon a small pond which resided at the base of a steep hill and decided that there would be a good place to bathe before their rest.

"Is it cold?" Tinnus asked, he was squatted with his arms around his knees over the edge of a large rock which rested parallel to the pond's surface, he watched Adam, naked and confident as he strolled from the edge into the water and shivered.
"Quite, come on in?" The water was far from deep, and after taking almost six steps along, his legs were the only thing hidden beyond view. Tinnus watched as Adam started to lather himself with the fresh water, washing his hair and armpits. Bracing himself with each splash as the cold assaulted his skin. Tinnus stayed motionless, watching the marvel figure similarly glide through the water as he bathed and blushed when their eyes met.
"Well, are you coming in or not?" Adam joked as he splashed the surface water onto the rock, dousing Tinnus only slightly. He yelped and recoiled backwards, tending to his soaked leg as if it had been soaked with acid instead of water.
"Alright alright; I'm coming"

Eventually Tinnus made his way along the water after him, his arms wrapped around his chest as he shivered from the coldness. He stood besides Adam and realised that thanks to their height difference Tinnus was up to his waist in the freezing cold water where as he could only make out Adam's dark pelvic hairs floating on the clear stream. Adam quickly encouraged him to wash though as he doused his hair with a handful of water and continued onwards with gentle rubs across his body.

"That's freezing!" Tinnus bickered as Adam ran his fingers through his messy bundle of hair and playfully tingled his cat ears for fun.
"Stop fidgeting. It is cold, so the longer you fidget the longer we will be here for." Adam fussed.
Tinnus stood still, tending to his imagination as he slowly rubbed his hands across Adam's bare chest, sharing his warmth as he stepped closer, resting into him as his grip eventually lowered to penetrate the water. The sudden shock gave Adam an additional jolt as he gasped and looked down at Tinnus' cheeky grin.
"Can I help you?" Adam asked as Tinnus smirked back.
"Not as cold in here as I thought."

Adam grinned in response, pulling Tinnus closer and resting his head calmly just above his own chest. They embraced peacefully within the water, basking in their shared heat and rocking gently from side to side as the ripples danced with their rhythm. It was only when Tinnus playfully tightened his grip when Adam stared down to him. No words were spoken, perhaps because in the end it wasn't necessary. Adam put himself down to face Tinnus up close; they shared a brief yet passionate kiss before Adam confessed.
"This could be the last time we can be intimate for a while, let's make the best of it then, h'uh?"

Tinnus nodded, wrapping his arms around Adam's chest, sheltering him with protection and warmth; Adam lifted him up from the cold current and carried him playfully to the bank of the pond. Even when he was laid across the warm grass and kissed again, he knew. No matter how much he was trained, no matter how long they would be apart. He knew that within Adam's company, he felt safe; safe and loved.