Orchard

Waking up in the dark initially made Elian dizzy and disoriented, while his previous memories began flooding back the moment his mind whirred into first gear. He felt his heart speed up, wanting to jump out of his chest as he remembered drowning... but then, he also recalled waking up in a strange place, whisked away by an alien.

"What were those popping sounds?" He asked himself, remembering the sound of them when he thought he was dying... But nothing came to mind now. Sitting up, realizing he was not alone, he also had to acknowledge that he was indeed 'abducted.' Sakku, the alien in his dreams, was nestled up to him, forming a little pink furball as she slept, reinforcing the fact that he was not dead, nor was it just a bad dream. "Saria... no. Sumita... No... what was it... Susaria, yeah..." He muttered, sighing, waking up his sleeping partner.

"Mhm... Hero...?" Sakku murmured, looking up, sticking her little, red tongue out, licking her button-shaped nose as she sat up, opening her large eyes. "Good morning, Elian!"

"Y-yeah, woah, you are... an energy bomb, huh?" He stuttered because she jumped on him the moment she was up, hopping around happily and wiggling her little body, giving his face a few licks. "I always envied people who could just get up and go... but surprisingly... Huh... I feel totally rested!"

"Um, um, your body is healthy, that is good! Heroes can go days without resting and still remain powerful; it is, honestly speaking, terrifying!"

"Wait, I could stay up for days and stay fit?"

"Well, what I know is heroes can take it much more than any other species." She nodded, "Oh, but if we're both up, we can head out! It is best if we get on our way... this town has been destroyed and is further away from the frontlines, but that does not mean it is safe."

"How did they destroy this place if it is far away from the battlefield?"

"It was a show of force..." Sakku whispered as the two of them walked out of the cellar, stretching their bodies in the early morning sun's light, which was just beginning to peek over the horizon. "They broke through, killed everyone they could, and then retreated. They are..."

"Playing with the food," Elian added, but Sakku did not answer, as it was hard to acknowledge and a horrible thought to face. "It is best to be on our way, then!" He clapped, breaking the silence, letting her smile and lead him on, heading towards Karnia, the capital city of the kingdom.

This time, Sakku wasn't in a hurry, though both of them kept up a steady pace, reminding Elian of a light jog. Still, from the outside, it would appear to be fleeing gazelles with their speed. Previously, he would have become tired quickly, but now he didn't even feel exhausted after an hour had passed. While they traveled, he mostly remained silent, reflecting on the scenery, the lush green meadows, the little hills around them, and the thick forests in the distance. As the sun took its proper spot in the sky, the weather proved to be warm, and the sky remained clear, barely filled with a few wandering clouds. It was an ideal summer day, not too hot, just perfect, painting an idyllic picture before them. If Sakku had not told him about the troubles this world was facing, he would have thought he had been dropped into paradise.

"We can stop soon; we will come across Tobek's Orchard after the next crossroads. He had the juiciest snacks one could ask for!"

"Had?" Elian asked, jolting out of his thoughts, realizing they did not have breakfast, and eating something sounded good when he thought about it.

"He also abandoned it... Like many others, he moved to Karnia. The city and its nearby parts are the safest right now; all the other provinces are too dangerous, and people are afraid to stay in their homes."

"Fear is rampant amongst people, huh?"

"Yes... sadly..." She whispered, picking up some speed, forcing Elian to break into a proper run.

Sakku wasn't lying because fifteen minutes later, the pair reached a patch of land where no matter where Elian looked, he could only see fruit trees growing in neat rows, their branches sagging under the weight of their produce. There were not only apple trees but cherries, peaches, pears, and apricots wherever he looked. Walking in through the open front gates, passing under the large arch, he was surprised that he could read it. He was sure that it was an unknown tongue with weird symbols, but he read it as if it were a language inherent to him.

"Tobek's Orchard... What happened to him? I mean, is he okay?" He asked, turning his head and looking towards the two-story, cozy-looking little cottage not far from them. He could see the reclining chairs on the porch, the gardening tools scattered around the ground, and a shed where multiple wheelbarrows were stacked next to each other, but the quiet told him that nobody was living there.

"Yes, yes. He wasn't hurt. I know him because we have bought a lot of fruit from this place over the past few years. But he didn't want to risk the safety of his family, so they fled when Niena was destroyed."

"How old is he?" Elian asked, suddenly unsure how long people lived in this world.

"Oh, the current Tobek is... hm... Maybe thirty? Around that. It is hard for me to tell; humans live short lives, only around seventy years."

"What about you? How old are you?"

"Me?" Sakku stopped, standing before a cherry tree. "I am still young, only a hundred and ten!"

"Damn... Then I am particularly a child compared to you!"

"Humans grow up fast! And you are much smarter than us..."

"Tells me you don't know my world..." Elain grunted, turning towards the tree and already guessing Sakku was aiming to get some cherries for breakfast.

Without asking a question, he began climbing up the tree, curious to test his strength in the process. Sure enough, just as running was a piece of cake, he could jump higher than an Olympic athlete and easily pull himself up to the lowest hanging branch after clasping onto it. With one hand.

"Damn, this feels as incredible as yesterday..." He added with a soft laugh after he pulled himself up. Sitting there for a moment, he quickly gathered a handful of cherries in his shirt and jumped back down, landing like a cat, barely making any sound. "Here you go!"

"Thank you! Aww... these are the best munchies! Try it!"

"I will, but if we are already here, I am going to go and get myself from all of it. Let me taste-test Mr. Torbek's goodies."

"Um, um! When we reach the city, I will visit him and pay for it afterward!"

"..."

That simple sentence made Elian stop in his tracks for a moment, looking at Sakku, who was sitting on the ground, happily humming and nibbling on the cherries, spitting the seeds out carefully and collecting them in one place. Her words described the little furball enough... the little fluffy creature was way too innocent.

...

....

......

While Sakku and Elian were on their way, traveling with a fuller stomach, back at the spot where he had been summoned to Susaria, a group of armored people was gathering, examining the ground and the tree stumps. Most of them were human, but not entirely, as some exhibited animalistic traits, including their ears and tails.

"A ryuin was here..." one of them whispered, kneeling on the ground, sniffing, his dog-like, brown-furred ears twitching before standing back up. His young yet already scarred face was harsh and cold, and his icy-gray eyes were like those of a wolf. "I also smell a human, too, but his scent is weaker... and weird."

"What type of weird?" asked another voice, belonging to a bulky man. His skin was earth-colored and decorated with scales, resembling a mix between a human and a lizard with frighteningly sharp teeth.

"I can't pinpoint why... But... It's... fresh?"

"What do you mean fresh?" groaned a female voice, echoing from the throat of a slender yet voluptuous girl. Her face was covered in light, blonde fur, and her golden, cat-like ears were annoyingly scanning her comrade, flicking her blonde locks from her face with her sharp claws.

"It is fresh, fit, and filled with life. Like a newborn."

"Yummy~!" She answered, licking her whiskers, but the wolf-like man ignored her.

"The marks on the ground tell us that he is an adult... As I said, it is weird... they were heading that way." Following his finger, pointing towards the north, all of them grimaced, knowing they wouldn't be able to follow him.

"Let's retreat and report back to the captain." The lizard-like man exclaimed after thinking. "He can take it to the commander, and it will be them who make a decision on what to do."

"Shouldn't we tell the Hero? Maybe he would reward us!" the girl yelled, her eyes glowing with greed. "He does have a bounty on any and all surviving ryuins!"

"I learned that it is best not to bother people that high in the food chain." The wolf-like man answered her as the group slowly disappeared one by one. "Many times, what is a reward for some, a punishment for others..."