Young Writers Society

AREN’T YOU GUYS GLAD THAT I MAKE UP THESE CHAPTERS ON THE SPOT really though I want more progress but if only I would stop procrastinating so that I could write longer chapters lololol

Wow, I just realized that most chapters end with them walking somewhere. I’m going to have to change that e.e

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“You’re pathetic,” Lucius commented, observing Claud trying and failing to pull himself up onto the tree’s lowest branch. He himself was sitting on a patch of short grass, chin in hand as he did nothing to help or advise Claud. “The branch isn’t even much higher up than you are tall.”

Claud gasped and let go of the branch, dropping onto the grass. He laid there, his palms pink and slightly scratched up from gripping the bark. “Then… why don’t you… go climb it?”

“Nah, I can’t do it,” Lucius said, “so I’m not about to make a fool of myself like you did.”

“Eh… I can do it…” Mikhail hesitantly raised his hand like a schoolboy asking a question, which, in all honesty, was what he probably had been before coming to the arena.  “If, if you want, of course.”

“Are you sure, Mikhail?” Claud raised his eyebrows, having relaxed enough by that point to talk without panting every couple seconds. He sat up, brushing slivers of bark off of his hands. “No offense, but you’re even scrawnier than me.”

Mikhail nodded. He didn’t look offended; rather, there was the smallest hint of an uncharacteristic smirk on him, although he was trying his best force his lips into a neutral position. Without another word, he came to stand underneath the lone tree Claud had been trying to scale and jumped, taking hold of the lowest branch and shaking off some dying leaves in the process. With a determined grit of his teeth and some visible strain on his muscles, or lack thereof, he pulled himself up enough to hug the branch with his chest. He then scrambled into a crouching position, making sure to keep both hands on the trunk.

Claud was shocked to the point that he didn’t react when a couple of leaves fell onto his hair. He bit his lip, not wanting to say anything that would make himself look worse, and tried to subtly discern how muscular Mikhail really was.

“He’s not buff, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Lucius popped up behind Claud, clapping him on the back and making the older man flinch. “I mean, he’s stronger than I thought, but you’re just as weak as heck. I’m actually surprised.”

Cluad coughed, stepped away from Lucius, and gave Mikhail an encouraging nod. “Go on, Mikhail. Try to get as high as you can, then tell us if there are any signs of other people in this plain. Since this is pretty much the highest tree around, there shouldn’t be too many visionary obstacles.”

Mikhail gave a smile to show that he had heard, and continued scaling the tree with admirable agility. He paused on a stable branch every once in a while to catch his breath, but was still decidedly more efficient than Claud would ever be. A tree-hug here, scrambling onto that one branch there; it wasn’t even ten minutes before the boy had reached a high enough outlook to see most of the plains.

“See anything?” Claud yelled, his hands cupped around his mouth.

From where he was, Mikhail squinted and scanned the grasses below. It was a sea of green and yellow, and other than the occasional tree, there wasn’t much to see. There was nothing out of the ordinary, on the ground, anyways. However, circling a patch of tall grass a couple feet lower than Mikhail’s current elevation was a uniquely colored pigeon. It was a light gray with dark spots, yet unmistakably a pigeon all the same. He relayed the small finding down to Lucius and Claud with a shout that was just barely hearable for them.

Lucius pondered the new information, and a lightbulb seemed to go off. “Ah!” He raised a finger. “That’s right; there was a bird like that on the beach, too, right?”

“Could it be a coincidence?” Claud pondered, frowning and processing this small yet possibly important tidbit. “These areas are closely linked, after all. But… In all my time here, I haven’t seen a pigeon in any region but the city area. Perhaps we should go check the area the pigeon is circling. Memorize where it is, Mikhail, and come down!” He shouted the last part to the boy.

Mikhail may or may not have nodded, but either way, he began to climb down. When he reached the lowest branch and moved to jump off, though, he slipped and all but collapsed onto the dirt below with a squeak. "Ow!"

Claud rushed over to the boy, helping him up and bending over so that he could inspect Mikhail for any injuries. "Are you okay? Can you walk?"

Mikhail waved Claud off, giving a sheepish chuckle. "I, I'm fine. Usually don't trip, b-but I felt a little weird today... I guess everyone makes m-mistakes."

"Well, be more careful next time!" Claud lectured, although without a frown. "If you got seriously hurt, we would've had to waste time patching you up."

“Wouldn’t happen,” Lucius responded, even though it wasn’t a question and Claud hadn’t been referring to him. “I mean, it’s not that great a fall, and after seeing that display of climbing, I doubt Mikhail’s made of glass.”

“Still,” Claud shrugged, helping Mikhail to his feet, “You have to be careful. It wouldn’t do to be limping around when someone starts to chase you. Alright, got the location, Mikhail?”

“Y-yes.” Mikhail pointed to a distant location, about to say the instructions, before thinking about it and lowering his arm. “Just… follow me.”

Claud unnecessarily rapped Lucius on the shoulder and wordlessly went after Mikhail.

Lucius frowned at Claud’s gesture, but just laced his fingers and rested his arms behind his head, complying with Mikhail's request (and definitely not Claud's silent order). Stepping through the scratchy weeds and grass, he looked down at the ground, playing a mental game of 'Don't step on any flowers'.

He had a bad feeling about this.