𝐒𝐔𝐍 𝐇𝐀𝐒 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐒, roof tops glistening like the frosted points of mountains & just as tall too, at least to a boy whomst has only seen them i͟n͟ ͟h͟i͟s͟ ͟d͟r͟e͟a͟m͟s͟ ( towering pines & caves of carnivorous creatures to pair ). it was around this time when the boy would sneak away from the lodging 𝙝𝙚 & 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨, following the rise of an early morning sun past an old cinema and to a warn down gas station a mile or two down the road from there. after the 𝙵𝙾𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚃𝚂 that surrounded their home, everything was practically a straight shot— at least, from what atreus had explored; n͟e͟v͟e͟r͟ ͟s͟t͟r͟a͟y͟i͟n͟g͟ ͟t͟o͟o͟ ͟f͟a͟r͟, lest his father realize the boy had been stretching his boarders farther and farther every other few months.
it had started a year ago when one day atreus found himself on the edge of the forest, then two months from there he had ended up down the road from home, & had found himself at the cinema three more months from there. eventually, though it had taken months, atreus had reached the gas station where he had first come 𝙖𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 “𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙” 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙨, whom called out to him as he ran away the first time— 𝚁𝙴𝙳 𝙷𝙰𝙸𝚁 disappearing behind houses & eventually returning t͟o͟ ͟t͟h͟e͟ ͟w͟o͟o͟d͟s͟ ͟f͟r͟o͟m͟ ͟w͟h͟e͟n͟s͟t͟ ͟h͟e͟ ͟c͟a͟m͟e͟. though it became routine to atreus to try and spot the other boy, returning back to the gas station where he had drawn 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙥𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙙, he’d eventually found packages waiting for him— paper bags, sometimes plastic. there were only ever a few things held within, food, supplies, but each time it was as if their friendship built a little stronger.
was it possible to be friends with someone you never really met? 𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙪𝙨’ 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝, would probably never permit him outside the lodge again— but the boy himself doesn’t quite think so, as he returns to the gas station only to find that the package he always finds on top of a purple car’s hood, is not where it is supposed to be. p͟a͟u͟s͟i͟n͟g͟ ͟j͟u͟s͟t͟ ͟o͟u͟t͟s͟i͟d͟e͟ ͟o͟f͟ ͟t͟h͟e͟ ͟b͟u͟i͟l͟d͟i͟n͟g͟, standing under the shade of the building’s over hang, a multicolored gaze scans the surrounding area— noticing at first, how quiet it was. not even a bird was singing. then, at how that silence was ruptured by a single shot— those same birds, silent 𝙰𝚂 𝙳𝙴𝙰𝚃𝙷, fleeing from the tops of trees a block up; his “friend” came from that direction, where ever he was from... and as atreus looked at that line he had drawn in his mind, never crossing the road, his boot slowly slides to mar the gold he’d drawn 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙨— smudging the line as another shot rings off, and the boy takes leaps and bounds in that direction; bow upwards, arrow drawn back, and gaze landing on t͟h͟e͟ ͟f͟i͟r͟s͟t͟ ͟w͟a͟l͟k͟e͟r͟ ͟h͟e͟ ͟s͟a͟w͟ by releasing his fire onto it.
♞ ——————— ▐ ; @heforges get’s a surprise starter, from 𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙪𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙡 !
