Night-Mare

Chapter 4

Steven stuffed a handful of charred dodo in his mouth and watched others socialize. Their hunting party had met up with another to settle and take a break. It was safer if they all stayed together. They had taken down two parasuars and a phiomia in total, and they had rustled up some dodos for a snack before they headed back through the dark forest towards camp.

Leo laid down the spear he had been carrying and sat down next to Steven. "Quite the wallflower, aren't you?" he said with a smile. He bit into a dodo drumstick.

Steven shrugged. "None of these people know me, and I don't know them. I can't blame them for not talking to me. Everyone seems so reserved here."

Leo sighed, "It's a dangerous world out here. You have to be careful who you trust."

Steven nodded slowly. "Well, then thanks for taking me in." After a moment of silence he looked back at Leo. "Why did you take me in?"

Leo laughed and threw a bone to the ground. "Looking a gift horse in the mouth, are we?"

"I'm not trying to be ungrateful, it just doesn't make any sense. You just said you have to be careful who you trust. It makes no sense to take me in," Steven looked adept hunters, fighters, and trackers around them. "I'm practically useless."

Leo wagged a finger, "Practically isn't actually. Don't worry, you've got a skill. We've just got to find it." He sat in a thinking pose for a moment before suddenly perking up with bright eyes. He snapped and pointed at Steven, "I know! Ribbon dancer!"

Steven rolled his eyes, cracking a smile. "But in truth," Leo said, supressing his jokester nature, "You've got a good heart. That's why I took you in."

"How could you have known that?"

Leo was silent for a moment. "You remind me of someone. My son." His bright eyes dimmed.

Steven held in a gasp. Leo didn't seem like the type who would be a father, but he did seem like he would make a good father regardless. "Did he die?" Steven asked as sensitivley as he could.

"No," Leo said with a small smile, "I just lost him, when I came here. I truely hope he never sets foot on this acursed Gray Ark."

"What's his name?"

"Alexander." A sad smile crept across his face. "I called him Lex. I haven't seen him in 16 years. He'll be 27 now, and I don't even know if I'll ever see him again."

Steven was about to offer Leo whatever words of comfort he could think of when a ghostly wail errupted from the forest. Roman stood. "The horseman's call. Time to go," he shouted out to the hunting parties. "Eric's party will go first, then Terresa's, then mine. Go."

Steven turned to Leo, "Why are we splitting up? I thought we wanted numbers."

"Out here we do," Leo whispered back, "Out here we face dangerous creatures, but in there…" he pointed to the dark forest, "More numbers means more sound. Sound is how she hunts."

Steven nodded slowly. He had learned to understand who "she" was.

~CL1