A New Life

Neutral POV

The wolf prepares itself for it's next attack. It noticed Atom making carvings in the ground and the tree. It stands out as it seems like wasted time to do that during a fight, but even though it sees it, the wolf doesn't have a clue as what it is for and decides to keep a bit of an eye on it, but focusses mostly on taking out it's enemy.

After circling around Atom in a quick pace for a little while to see if he is up to anything, he starts to get impatient and decides to go for an attack. Trying to avoid a predictable straight forward attack it jumps off against one of the bigger trees around it and attacks from that spot.

On the edge of the mountain roads can now be spotted other wolfs looking at the fight as if they are there to support the the big wolf. But even though they start there they don't seem to have any intention to join the fight as if they don't want or can't leave the mountain.

"I will finish you!"

So far so good. I've managed to avoid a direct attack and somewhat managed to lure the wolf away from the girl. The grass I rubbed on her should subdue her scent, but I noticed it worked to slow. Now if I manage to create enough distance it shouldn't be able to find her that easily anymore. Not only that, but I seem to get more and more on track. It shouldn't be that far away from here.

The wolf seems somewhat hesitant now not going for the attack immediately as it did before. It then suddenly start to run around in circles, as if to restrict my movements. Knowing the dangers I keep a close eye on the wolf as it paces itself. I slowly edge to the back as it goes trying to anticipate its next attack. It then leaps once more and I quickly jump to the right again. This time, however, the wolf's aim is slightly off as it leaps to a tree close by before going after me. This sudden change in attack prevents me from properly making another escaping leap. Feeling I won't make it in time I instinctively move the knife in front of me and prepare for impact as the wolf tackles me with full force.

I'm sent flying like a bullet shot from a gun as the world around me spins. My momentum is only stopped as I crash into a tree. The impact of my back hitting the tree pushes the air out of lungs as I then fall almost lifeless to the ground. It takes a few seconds from for vision to return as my surrounding is blurry. It takes a lot of effort to lift my hand as I push the bloodied knife into the ground next to me. As the knife pierces the ground I feel a small sense of relief as I seem to have finally found it, by dumb luck. That impact must have hurt the wolf as well as it charged straight into my knife. I try to get back up the sheer pain is preventing me from doing so.

The wolf's words ring deeply inside my mind as it is filled with fear and anger. The violent rush of adrenaline quickly numbs the pain, and my desire to live push me to move. I slowly manage to get back to my feet as I gasp for air, waiting for the wolf's next move, hoping it will be it's last...

The blood comes gushing from the wolf, coloring the green forest in a crimson red. However it refuses to give up. Although a bit stumbling it runs up to Atom again wanting to launch a fatal attack.

'Stop it!'

I couldn't let Atom on his own after all. After getting my sense of reality back I started to move. It took longer than I hoped as I kept falling and had to lean on the trees to move forward. I still feel like I can barely stand, but I try to ignore that.

As I reached Atom and the wolf I lauched another attack on it. I summoned a small ball of light and threw it at the wolf. My aim is slightly off as I fall down from the impact of sending the ball of light across, but I still manage to hit it and as it was in the air as it wanted to jump at Atom I manage to sent it flying to it's right against a tree.

Now sitting on the ground I create another ball of light ready to throw at the wolf. It stands up seems confused as for who to attack, but it noticed that if he sets one more step in Atom's direction that I will attack it.

It then turns around and runs of. I don't know if it was the right decision to let it go, but I don't know if I can beat it in my state so it isn't too bad for now.

With some help from the tree I manage to stand up again and move over to Atom. At first I want to ask if he is alright, but it feels like a useless question. Of course he isn't.

'Is there something I can do? Should I get your backpack?'

I didn't take it with me as I can barely carry my own weight at the moment, let alone taking the backpack with me, but I know that if he asks for it that I can do it.

The world feels like it is moving in slow-motion. At that moment all I could process is me and the wolf who's approaching fast. The wolfs leaps in for another attack. Probably because of my injured body, it takes a while for me to respond. Knowing I already missed my chance to fully dodge another attack I prepare for another jump while setting myself up for an attack. It then happens in an instant, but the blow I was expecting never happens. It takes a while for me to notice but the wolf got blown away by some unknown force. I slowly glance over to the source of the blow and notice the girl sitting on the ground. H-How did she...

She creates an orb of light, which is probably the same thing she used to hit the wolf the first time. Not knowing what to do I stand my ground watching the movement of the wolf carefully. The tension once again grows, but after a short while, the wolf decides to flee. I sigh a breath of relief as I feel like the weight of the world has been put off my shoulders. I start to wonder why it now suddenly decided to run, but my mind quickly becomes blank as the pain kicks in again and I fall back to the ground. The effects of the adrenaline must have worn off now that a major threat is gone. The girls then come over, barely able to stand on her own two feet as she once again seems far more concerned about my health than that of her own.

"Hehe... Why don't you just sit down here with me for a moment? I doubt anything I have in my backpack can fix me any faster than that I do naturally. N-Not only that, but you don't seem to do well yourself either. It looks like we both won't be going anywhere soon, so why don't you keep me company for a while?"

As the wolf disappears the omninous darkness disappears as well. I don't think the wolf will completely give up now, but at least it feels safe for now. However as the unnatural darkness disappears it becomes visible that a natural darkness is approaching. It is getting late and even though I think that big wolf will stay away for awhile that doesn't make the night safe. Atom has to be tired. Getting him some food would also be nice, but I have no idea how to do that. I can't go look for something if he is lying on the ground here, injured. We will have to do without for today...

"I will stay here, so you can fall asleep. I will wake you up when there is light again or if something happens, but let's hope that doesn't happen."

I don't know what Atom put on my ankles earlier, but it seems to be working now. As long as I stay put I barely feel anything. Tomorrow morning I will probably be fine again. Or at least it will be back to how it was. I hope this didn't delay the healing process.

I do feel bad that he used his good stuff on me instead of using it for something more useful, but tomorrow we will probably part ways and I will go home as well...

I actually feel a bit sad. It was kinda fun to learn more of the world and it was a bit of fun as well to be with someone that doesn't know who I am, to be treated like a human for once... That is actually pretty bad... I should know my place instead of pretending to be a human. It will just be until tomorrow, after we part ways I will never pretend to be human again.

The weird darkness that was looming seems to have vanished but is replaced by the darkness of the night. Has it really been that long? At my request, the girl seems to have decided to stay. She immediately offers to stay guard, but in this situations, I doubt it will be useful. The herbs and grass I rubbed on the both of us should still somewhat work against normal predators, so we should be safe from them for the night. Even if it won't work, staying on guard won't help much. It takes effort for me to just deal with the pain, so moving, let alone running is out of the question. So even if she woke me up there isn't much I can then do. Not only that, but she seems to be in need of a rest as well.

"D-Don't bother... I can wake myself up if there is light and even if something were to happen, there isn't much that I can do about it... Like you said let's just hope we won't get any more trouble for now. B-Besides, I think you can use some rest yourself as well."

Silence between the two of us falls. With my body like this, my body is pumping blood hard enough the topple to sound of the wind. I use the silence to think a few things through. Many questions about this girl pop into my mind, at the same time I feel reserved to ask them, seeing how closed off she seems. After a while, waiting in silence, I decided to ask her something.

"Hey, do mind sharing with me what you're next destination is?"

Atom then decides that it is better if we both go to sleep. Is that really safe? I don't know anything about nature, but I heard before that it is dangerous. I do understand that anything that happened up until now wasn't exactly normal, but how dangerous it is normally I don't know. If Atom thinks it is safe enough than I should do so. If I sleep now I can protect him better tomorrow or at least the time that we are still together and if I only try to sleep light I should be able to react if something happens.

Atom then asks about my destination. I already told him that I was going home, right?

"Just back home. To the village over there. You could see it from the mountain. I forgot the name of the village again, but it isn't too far away from here. It is easily doable in one day."

I then point in the way of the village as I say so.

(The village she points at is known for having a corrupt leader that is known for stealing, blackmailing and a lot more stuff. He has also destroyed the two villages that were very close to it and captured or killed it's residents.)

"And it's my own fault for running away in the first place, so I should go home. They are probably already really mad at me. Ah, forget that you heard that hehehe."

I shouldn't talk bad about them that isn't the right thing to do.

Once again, the girl seems rather distant as she talks about her home. Because of the way she speaks, it is hard to buy in that it's about her hometown. I mean, how do you not even know the name of the village you live in. Deep down she probably doesn't want to to go back. After all, you don't away for nothing and to top that all of, many of her injuries seems fairly new. I really can't leave her alone like this.

The direction she is pointing is somewhere I have never been before. So curiosity hits me once again, which helps me distract myself from the pain. I try to think of something else to ask, but at the same time, I try to avoid asking things to personal.

"S-So it is close by... Can you tell me anything about the town? A-About the people who live there, the food they eat, or the clothes they wear? They must have a unique taste in clothing they wear hats like the one you are wearing. I-I would love to visit the village as well."

Fatigue and pain are starting to take their toll. I'm barely managing to stay awake, but adding the factor of the cold floor underneath me it is getting harder to stay awake.

He then asks me a new question, but the problem is that I don't have a good answer for his question.

'I-I don't really know about that. I have been curious about that as well. From what I saw people don't wear much color and often the clothes look old and are ripped in some places. The person I live with is different though. He wears more colors and there are metal things on his clothes as well. My mom made these clothes for me, but it is very different of what the others wear. As for food I don't think I ever saw much of that. As for what I eat... that depends on when, but I don't really know the names of anything. The people themselves look really nice. They always stay together and protect each other. I saw some children play with a ball before and they looked really happy, but most other people didn't look so happy...'

I feel a bit embarrased for not knowing the answers to most of his questions. But it does make me think, I hope that I someday can get to see it as well, but that is just wishful thinking. Everything will just go back to the way it was before I run away.

I look around me for a bit. Now that it we are not being attacked I also finally have some time to take in my environment. I do like all the greenery around me, even though it is dark now. It also smells really nice. I haven't smelled anything like this in some time. I don't even have a clue as for when was the last time. The wind also feels really nice. It all feels really fresh and calming. I try to look up to the sky as well, but the trees are blocking my view. They just move slowly on the wind. I then spot a small bird as well. I can't help but smile at the sight. I haven't seen any animals in a long time, aside from the wolfs that were attacking us. I try to follow it with my eyes, but it gets out of sight quickly again. If I was alone and my legs were okay I would have probably followed it, but for now I just let it escape from my view.

"I-I see... That sounds... like a waste. But... a-at the same time... I-I'm relieved. C-Cause it means... I get to... see it for myself."

My eyelids are starting to get heavy, as my body tries to shut itself down so that it can rest. With all my might I try to stay awake trying not to be rude and listen to the girl's story. For the first time, she doesn't seem to that reserved to speak up, which feels like a huge improvement. Though her story only brings up more and more questions. I now finally get the feeling she starting to open up. When I'm rested up, I definitely have to pay this village of her a visit to see what is going on there. I guess my return to my village simply has to be put on hold for now. I suddenly remember something important that I need to tell her.

"H-Hey... I... ..... ... Y-you... ........"

By the time I get myself to speak up my conscious slowly fades away, as I can only hope my message got across... somehow.

I then see Atom slipping away into the land of dreams, or that was what my parents always said. I heard him talking about seeing it for himself. I was too absorbed in talking about the village that I didn't mention that visitors aren't really allowed. I will have to tell him tomorrow. Also I think that there are better places for him to go to and he should be going home. I don't want him to miss his deadline because of this.

He then says a few more words. I can't really make anything out of it, but that is fine. I'll ask him about it tomorrow. If it was that important he would have said it sooner probably.

'Goodnight'

I know he told me to go to sleep, but if I fall asleep the morning will come too soon. I want to enjoy being outside for now. It is a selfish reason, but I can't help it. Of course I also think I can protect Atom this way, but maybe it is a bit of an excuse as well.

I just stay still enjoying the sounds around me. Some birds and insects make noise in the background. The trees that calmly move back and forth also are much louder than I thought they would be. With my fingers I touch the cold grass and some sand. Tomorrow I will go back home, but for now I can enjoy it as I am still here.

But even though I try to stay awake my body eventually forces me to sleep as well. I should take care that I don't fall into a deep sleep though...

(Falls into a deep sleep)

Another day passes and it takes a while for me to fully wake up. With my face so close to the ground I get of a bit of dirt blown into my face by the wind that passes by. That alone causes the drowsiness to completely vanish. Slowly standing up I'm quick to notice that my body feels sore all over. That is to be expected though. besides from the injuries I had sustained yesterday I haven't exactly slept in a comfortable position. On a positive note, the excruciating pain I had to endure yesterday is somewhat gone, which is a relief. I do some quick stretches to see if everything else is still functioning. After making sure I can at the very least move normally again, I glance over the girl who still seems to be asleep. It's hard to put into words but looking at her face like this puts me at ease for a bit.

I then look in the direction where I should have left my backpack. I need to go and get sure, but at the same time, I can't leave her alone like this here, knowing what could happen if I did. I hesitate for a bit before deciding to carry her along with me for now. Making sure to be extra gentle, I lift her up and notice how she is fairly light.

I then set out to search for my backpack. After finding it gently put her down against the nearby tree where I left the bag. I then make sure everything in it is still intact and attach the knife back to the bottom of the bag.

(If she wakes up before me I kindly greet her and ask her to come along to get my backpack.
If she wakes up during the walk I kindly greet her and ask her if she can walk before setting her down gently
If she wakes up later I will wait by her side until she wakes up)

As I wake up I see that Atom is already up and about and I see him rummaging in his backpack. ... In his backpack? I get up in one movement. I almost trip as my ankles are still a bit weak, but I also notice that it isn't nearly as bad as yesterday. I can walk again that is what is most important right now.

I still fell asleep after all last night... and it seems like Atom even carried me here. At least I think that is what happened as Atom and I are in a different place from last night and I don't see anyone else here. It seems like Atom is calm so I doubt that we were attacked. I troubled him again...

"How are you feeling right now? Does it still hurt? I am sorry for falling asleep, but luckily nothing happened last night."

I give him another fake smile. He is probably used to these by now. Hiding my mistakes behind a fake smile is becoming a bad habit. That is not gonna cut it when I go back home again...

"So what way do you need to go home? You said it was pretty far away. I-is there a way that you can still make it to go home in time? Ah, I already asked that... sorry..."

I really hope he can still make it and doesn't get in trouble with the rest of his village. It sounds like a beautiful place to live. Having everyone support eah other. I hope I didn't delay him...

Checking through all my stuff I suddenly hear the girl, who was sleeping, wake up. In an instant, she gets on her feet and it wouldn't have taken much for her to fall back down. Mainly because I'm still facing my backpack, I give off the idea that I am not looking but I do see her hasty ascend in my peripheral vision. Like usual she immediately starts asking about my health, instead of truly checking her own. Although I admire her concern for me I do worry that she completely disregards her own health.

"I'm doing fine. A good night rest did wonder on me. As for being safe, you didn't have to worry about either way. I entered the mountain from around here and back then, I set up multiple traps to prevent all kinds of dangers when I was staying here. Where we were just happened to be one spot where most of them were."

The search in my backpack just about ends as I point out the situation to the girl. I pull out my last cans of rations as I offer one to the girl and keep one to myself. Because my motto is never to turn back, I try to make up excuses as to why I did so yesterday. The mountains are definitely a no-go zone and even if I could use the mountain trail, I am running out of rations for the trip. The girl did mention there was a village nearby, so that should be my next destination. I decided I wanted to it yesterday, but now I found myself a better reason for doing so. The girl, as if on point, then asks a question about my next move wondering if I can still make it home. I look back in the direction of the mountain

"Don't worry about it. The mountain was probably the only way for me to get back home fast, but that doesn't seem like an option anymore. Getting on time isn't likely, but I need to get supplies if I want to make alive either way. So I'll be accompanying you for a little while longer."

I am not completely sure if I can trust him when he says he is fine, seeing how hurt he was yesterday, but at least it seems like he can move, so I accept it for now.

He then mentions that he doesn't have much supplies left, which makes me feel really bad... That is of course also my fault. He didn't plan to have one more person to take care of. I push the can he gives me back to him.

"I don't really need anything right now. You should use it for yourself."

I am a bit hungry, but I am used to not having food for multiple days and I don't think I need as much as a human, so it is alright for now. The people I live with won't let me die anyways, so I don't have to be afraid of starving to death.

"If you want more supplies I don't think the village I came from is a good place for that. There isn't much to find there. Besides the villagers are not really fond of visitors in the first place. It might be safer for you if you go somewhere else for that."

I am also a bit afraid that the villagers see him with me. If that would happen I don't even want to imagine what they might do to him...

I feel bad for him that he can't make it back home in time. I look back at the mountain. But then I spot something that shouldn't be there. On the top of the mountain I spot the big wolf from earlier. It seems to be staring at me. After hitting him with my powers it might have noticed that I am not human. Powers like that don't belong to a human afterall. However I only see the wolf for a few seconds. After that it disappears into nothingness. I get the feeling we will see him again someday.

As I was expecting the girl returns the food I gave her after hearing I am running out of supplies. It wasn't a lie, but in hindsight, mentioning it now may have been some bad timing on my part. Either way, it doesn't take away that I need to stop somewhere to buy new supplies. After hearing that my plan is to get go along with her to her town she suddenly starts convincing me not to go. It weird for her to be so against the idea even though she insists on going to such a place herself. I was trying to resist the idea of bad things happening to her at first. Doing logic gymnastics to prevent me from thinking the most logical answer, but things are really starting to add, making it more an more difficult to simply accept all of this. The real problem, however, remains that the girl seems to go along with it.

Another problem presents itself as well, as the only other nearby village that I know of is the one I left before coming here. I made a decision when I started this journey never to go back until my quest was complete. But even if I were to go back on my words, I wouldn't be practical either. The village I left from is about 3 days away and since I hardly have any food left, I doubt I can actually make that trip. No, the only way to get somewhere is to go forward. I take a look at the girl before coming up with something.

"I see... Then let me at the very least walk you to the village. Like I said there are a lot of traps here and I don't want you to get caught in one on your way there."

With that said I offer to point out covered traps along the way to the village if she were to accept.

"I don't know... the villagers are really not fond of outsiders. Or actually it is mostly the leaders of the village. I never heard stories of outsiders making it out well..."

I didn't want to tell about how bad it actually would be for him to go there, but I really don't want him to get hurt. If they even spot him it could mean trouble, even more so if he was seen with me. What should I do? I didn't really see other villages close by from on top of the mountain. Maybe there are some on the other side? I don't know. But if he needs supplies that could be a problem. They are definitely not gonna hand over anything nicely. Or at least that is the idea I get from everything I heard. But it is about Atom's life so I can't afford to take risks.

I keep staring in the direction I need to go. There has to be a way to get Atom supplies without getting him in trouble. And if there really are a lot of traps here that would definitely be a problem. I have no clue what kind of traps or how to deal with it.

"Just telling me about where the traps are and how to avoid them is probably not an option is it? I really don't want to bring you in any danger..."

I know he will refuse, but I am just really worried and trying everything to keep him away from the village.

"Aren't there any other villages close by where you could get supplies? That would be much safer."

It seems that the more I mention my plan to visit her town, the more this girl becomes persuasive in trying to stop me. Is it really that bad for her to act like that? And how come I'm the one in danger, when I visit her town even though she is one who has scars all over her body to the point where she saw the need to run away from home. It is getting kinda obvious that this village has something to hide, but I can't quite convince myself that it is this girl that is doing the hiding. Maybe I should go along with what she says. For now...

"It really is "that" bad huh... Well, how about this then. I will only lead you to the front gate. That way, I won't be getting in any danger right."

I try my best to sound as convincing as possible, but I definitely will need to investigate that village. Once I drop her off, I will need to find a way in on my own. I won't let her be like that, but at the moment I feel like this is the only way. As I convince myself to deal with the situation I guide the girl through the forest, showing her were not to step and what area's to avoid.

I get the feeling he is not willing to give up on this as he keeps saying he wants to go even though I keep telling him about the dangers. Is it really alright though? If won't ever forgive myself if he gets hurt because of this.

"Only until then and no further. Can you promise that?"

This is going to be tough for me as well as I can't enter from the entrance either... I will have to wait until he is gone and then walk around to the back of the village and then go home... *sign*

After that I don't really know what to talk about anymore. I think I am just a little stressed for going back. They probably won't be just greeting me and having a nice conversation about why it is bad to walk away. Besides I broke the pact... He will probably first order me to recreate it.

At least I don't regret any of this. Going back is not going to be pleasant, but I have been outside again, seen some nature and of course met Atom, so it isn't all bad. He taught me a few new things as well. I wish I could do anything for him in return, but I don't have even a clue about what I could possibly do for him... Maybe I should try to get him some supplies from the village. The problem is that I have no clue about how to do it. They will never allow me to take anything...

Making mind gymnastics to ty and to talk myself out of this I eventually come to a stop as I concede in this back and forth.

"Alright, only to the entrance. But you have to promise me something too then. Promise me you will never lie to yourself ever again. Promise me that if you ever feel like you are somewhere you don't want to be you will use any means to leave. I've seen you use powers that allow you to, so I know you can if you put your mind to it. Can you do that for me?"

This time I'm not pulling any punches as I give an intense yet caring stare, hoping my plea somehow gets across. But deep down, I feel like it doesn't matter what I say. Though I may have promised her, I won't simple stand by twiddling my thumbs knowing she could be hurt or worse. I'll think of a way... somehow. A awkward silence follows, as we pass through the forest. After a while I feel the silence slowly killing me as I decide to ask a question just to break the tension.

"Say, I never really got your name. Do you mind telling me. It helps me put more value in the memories I make of my journey for when I return"

As I say that as I awkwardly stare in the distant.

After I make him promise to not go further than the entrance he states a condition and asks me to promise two things.

"I can't promise that. Those two promises contradict each other. I don't lie to myself, I can promise that. I know who I am and what I can and can't do. The second promise is a bit of a problem."

I know I shouldn't say anything more, but it feels like my mounth starts talking on its own.

"I doesn't matter whether I want to be somewhere or not, I have to stay, I would be lying to myself, forgetting who I am, if I don't. And even though I can in theory use my power to escape, these powers don't exist for that purpose."

After that there is just silence until Atom asks me a question that I haven't heard in a while.

"My name? Putting value in memories? Like anyone ever remembers it for longer than a day, but my name is Milly."

"......"

At that point, I remained silent. It felt that what I was expecting and mostly fearing just got confirmed. With our silence growing stronger every second I decided to ask another question but at that point, hearing that didn't ease the tension at all. By now the traps I laid out are far behind us as we are walking through an, for me, unknown forest. Although I see new forest it all looks the same. Every once in a while I see some open space where the light of the sun can reach more easily, but other than that, it's hard to tell this part apart from the rest.

After a long walk, I start to notice a few things. The ground seems somewhat weaker and some of the plants in the area seemed trampled down. They seem like signs of humans having passed these parts, which probably means we are getting close. I turn to Milly, giving her a look as if asking if we have arrived. Knowing we are getting closer my mind starts doing overtime, trying to think of a way to get us out of this mess.

I look around as after some time the area seems to change a bit. I actually didn't even notice it until Atom turns to me as if asking if I knew this place, but it should still be a little too early. I had the idea that it took me longer on the way here.

I start looking for clues as to where we are. Going towards the mountain was easy as I could see it constanly, but the village isn't visible while in the forest, although I do get the feeling we should be on the right track.

After some time I notice a smell that I happen to be familiar with, but always hope to not encounter. It is the smell of blood. There has been a fight here. Although I don't see any bodies laying here, but the more aware I become of the smell, the more blood I found. There are small spots of blood in a lot of place, but this amount shouldn't be fatal just yet I think. Maybe they stopped fighting and made up? As that is the most positive explanation I can come up with so I try to stick with it for now.

"I do think we are close, but we still need to go a little further."

However I start to feel anxiety coming up. Just now another thought crossed my mind. Please let the village be alright... The thought that it might have been attacked right when I was not there doesn't make me feel that well. I start moving a bit quicker. I still can't run, but I try to find out how fast I can still move without pain.

Our walk seems to lead us closer and closer to our destination. As we get closer I start to smell blood around the area. A familiar smell that causes me to turn a bit nauseous as it brings up some bad memories. It is probably because of those memories that my hand slowly reaches for the knife attached to my backpack without me consciously knowing it. My sense of urgency is provoked once more as I desperately look in every direction. The contradicting feeling of relief of not finding anything and suspense of something still being out there is making me even more on edge. Milly's suddenly calls out but doesn't seem that distressed, by the smell in the air. Because of that, I try not to make a big deal out of it as well.

"Good... Almost their then. Are you sure you don't want something to eat? I still have the can of ration left for you. You haven't eaten since yesterday after all."

I'm asking Milly to distract her, is what I'm saying to convince myself. The last time the smell of blood in the air was this intense it didn't exactly end well.

Distracted by my trail of thoughts I almost missed that Atom started talking to me.

"I am fine. Really, I don't need anything."

I have too much on my mind for now anyways. I keep walking forward until I reach the village. I hide behind a tree to observe the situation without being seen. Luckily it still seems to be standing. I do spot that there is some more blood on the ground then before I left. Something definitely happened... I see a few people walking around. There never were many people out of their houses in the first place, so it isn't strange that the streets are almost empty. If one of the guards that are walking outside sees me I will be in big trouble, even more so if Atom gets spotted. I signal to Atom that he needs to stay out of sight. I grab his hand and pull him back a little so we can talk without being seen.

"Then, this is the entrance of the village. As you probably saw it is hard to get supplies here. If you want I can try to get something, but I can't promise it will go well."

I am in big trouble already for running away, so I am willing to risk that they get more mad at me for trying to get supplies for Atom. The most important part is taking care that they don't notice it is for Atom.

"Then I will try to get it, but if I am not back here in a few hours you will just have to give up and leave. I am sorry I can't do anything in that case..."

It feels sad if I just were have to leave him behind without giving him some supplies. I have to be able to pay him back for all this. I just have to be extra careful and succeed

(As Milly doesn't have a sufficient knowledge to understand what the village is like here is a more objective description of the village. It is a very poor and small village. Some people can be seen peeking out of their 'houses' that are more like tents. They seem scared. There are a few villagers outside that seem more wealthy though and by a lot. There is a very poor balance between the rich and the poor. A few bigger houses can be seen on one side of the village as well with one being clearly the biggest. )