written for @ofprivation .
quiet is something cruel, it isn’t something to be enjoyed. those who attack in these woods aren’t loud, they don’t run full force at you with a blade in hand and shouts to echo. they’re in the trees, in the bushes, in the water... -- they’re seasoned hunters and warriors, and if they want you dead then so be it -- you will be dead. where there is one, there is all, and when one is shook loose they all come out, scattering like cockroaches.
but this stranger, the one he sees wandering like a lost dog, he isn’t experienced. he’s careless, moving along the land like it’s his home, like anywhere on the earth can be considered safe. crouched down behind a tree among the camouflage of foliage, brown eyes catch glimpse of a wild beast, jet black in color. what possesses him to even think about protecting someone from skaikru is sheer curiosity. shifting in his position to stand tall, he draws an arrow back on his bow, sending it shooting through the air to pierce through the animal’s skull. it practically drops at the boy’s feet, and brian takes the opportunity to make himself known once the stranger has followed a trail back to him and their eyes meet.
❝ chon yu bilaik? ❞ a pause. ❝ yu beda nou be hir. ❞
then, it occurs to him that he doesn’t understand. ❝ branwada, ❞ he speaks beneath his breath, head shaking in near disappointment. ❝ -- you don’t need to be here. ❞