The Trees Up North

Chapter VI

I was cutting some apples into slices. I had some fruit, both fresh and canned, and I wanted to make a fruit salad for breakfast. Pine lay peacefully in bed, just a lump of blankets away. The blankets would move with his breath. I had also planned to make some tea since Pine really seemed to enjoy the tea I made yesterday.

I poured some apples into a bowl and mixed them with oranges and bananas when I heard tapping at the window. Turning my head just enough to see the window that stood behind me, I saw a bird flying around. Weird. I dry my hands on a cloth and walk over.

A messenger pigeon sat by my door with a piece of paper tied to one of its claws.

"Good morning!" I gave the bird a smile. The bird was oval in shape and primarily light gray in color. I grasp it in my hands and remove the paper from its claw. As I entered my cabin, I unrolled the paper. The bird fluttered away quickly.

The letter began, "Dear Cedar, Saxum Nivis village needs your assistance. Our hens have been being killed by a werewolf that has been skulking around, and we've heard you're the hunter for the job."

I repeatedly turned the paper over in an effort to find any additional writing. The bird that carried the paper made it old and wrinkly. Saxum Nivis, the settlement, was about two days' journey south of here. Though I was aware that it would be hazardous and taxing, I was eager to take on the challenge. As I refolded the paper and placed it in my pocket, I sighed.

In Pine's still-sleeping presence, my eyes began to glaze over. I could not just walk away from him. Despite how well we got along, I wasn't sure if I could leave him by himself in my cabin, and I had no idea how he had ever made it this far north. It wouldn't hurt to take him, and having a friend around in addition to Marlow would be wonderful. After giving it some thought, I made up my mind to take him.

I grabbed a shirt from my wardrobe and pulled it over my bound chest. I grab a bag from a shelf in the closet and fill it with canned food and preserved meat. The tent the leaders of the hunting school had provided me when I began there sat by my bed. I made my way over to it and gathered it in my arms, then I collected a few other items from the room . I took a strap and put it by the door with the bag of food.

I silently walked over to Pine. He looked younger while sleeping. I stopped for a moment and examined his face, his peaceful expression untroubled by any worries. I let out an almost angry sigh as I ripped the blankets off of Pine.

"Time to get up." I stomped my foot with the final word. Pine jumped from his nest of blankets and pillows. Pine looked at me, his eyes filled with fear.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." I walked over to the weapons wall and said, "I got called to a mission, and it's best to leave soon." I pondered a little before grabbing two silver daggers off the wall. I put the daggers into a third bag, one that would sit around my waist. It would make them easier to grab.

Pine was up and pulling the sweater he took from me over his head. He looked at the pile of bags over by the door.

"I lost your sword that night you killed that vile vampire," I spoke as I picked a sword off the wall. "However, I do have this one, and it's best if you carry a weapon on you." I gently placed the sword beside the bag with the daggers in it.

He looked at the sword and daggers, then up at me. He nodded his head and stood up. He let out a yawn before getting on the jacket I had given him the day before.

"Ah, before you do that." I gently touched him on the shoulder and asked, "Could you fold two blankets and put them in the big brown bag?" Pine responded with a nod. Pine complied with my request, folding the blankets neatly and placing them in the bag.

I paced around the room, checking for anything else we would need. We would need the lantern stick. I quickly grabbed the old oak stick and put it by the door. It was a stick that would carry the lantern; it was easier to carry.

I jumped when I felt a hand grab my shoulder. Quickly turning around, I see Pine holding up the sketchbook.

"We should eat before we go." The words were written carefully. "It's going to be okay, Cedar."

I took a deep breath before making eye contact with Pine. His eyes were gentle. He looked over at the fruit that was still sitting in the bowl on the kitchen counter.

"Yeah." I sighed. "Yeah, okay."

I walked over to the kitchen to finish what I was making in the morning. Pine sat happily in one of the chairs on the counter. I silently scooped the salad into two bowls. Carefully, I place a bowl in front of Pine. He started writing something in the sketchbook.

"Is this your first job?" He asked. I took a bite of an apple.

"Yeah, other than the one I have in these woods." I spoke. This was the first time I was called by a different village and asked to travel. I was so excited, but also so nervous.

"You must be new to this job." Pine's pencil was sketched into the paper.

"Yeah. You must be 18 to complete your studies." An orange exploded in my mouth, making my speech a little muffled.

Pine's eyes went wide. "You are 18?" He wrote.

"No no!" I waved my hand in the air, as if to speak with my hands. "I'm 19." Pine's mouth went down as if to hold in a laugh.

"I thought you were older than me." Pine wrote it down. He was out of room to write on the almost-full page. He flipped over to a new one.

"How old are you?" My voice was loud and carried through the house.

Pine wrote down a small 20.