wow! its already chapter 4! I personally didn't know what to do with this chapter so its kind of a filler. hope you enjoy anyway!😁

A cool breeze, the sound of cracking ice, and the pain, still numbed. Fritz opened his eyes, and got a view of his surroundings. A thin layer of snow covered the whole area, and a stream was frozen, not very far away. He faced upward, lying on a chopped down tree, four blankets on top of him, and the sun beating down on his face. He could feel thick bandages on his arms, where his worst burns probably were. And yet, there was no scent of smoke. The air was clear and crisp, making his nose tingle pleasantly every time he inhaled. He shuffled, trying to sit up and find his savior, but he couldn't move his arm to support him. He managed to turn to his side with a groan, and he heard a screech from behind him. Someone ran over and turned him to face up again. The face was blurry a minute, but the voice was clear to him. “Fritz! Oh, Fritz!” Marisa leaned over him, then propped him up, burying her face in his shoulder. He lifted his un wrapped arm and patted her back awkwardly. “Why did you do that!” she said suddenly, glaring at him as she backed away. “Why didn’t you come with me when I shouted at you!”

“I'm sorry.” Fritz said, not sure of what she was talking about. She nodded in approval. Then her eyes lit up, as if she had come to an understanding. “Oh! You're probably wondering…”

“Why I’m here. And how I got here.” Fritz interrupted looking at the ground. “Okay.” Marisa started cautiously, as if she was afraid he would explode. “I found you in the forest. I assumed you had escaped so I dragged you here, we’re about twelve miles from home, I started walking three days ago. I wrapped your wounds and then I was just trying to get under the ice to the water in the stream. I think we should try and head to the nearest citadel.” She paused, waiting for him to respond. “Okay.” He said finally, deciding to trust her judgement. “Well, let's get started.”

“Not so fast!” she said, pushing down as he started to stand, “I should re-wrap your burns.” He sighed, but relented. They sat in awkward silence, but Fritz was distracted by the fact that she had not saved him from getting crushed by the school, and she obviously hadn’t seen anyone else. He felt the anger that often appeared from frustration build into bile in his throat. He wanted to spit, but he didn’t want to be rude, he failed however when he snapped, “Can you go faster!” Marisa looked at him shocked, but nodded, and after removing the rest of the bandages she slatherd them with a thick cream and wrapped them as quickly as possible. Once she had finished she backed away to another log and began to fill a small sack with the supplies that were spread around her. He busied himself with folding the blankets and once they had finished neither of them spoke until Fritz knew he must. “So, where now.”

“I don’t know.”

“Where were you headed for doctoring?”

“The great woods.”

“Then we go there.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

Fritz looked at her expectantly as she pulled a compass from her pocket and handed it to him. He gave her a slight nod to show his thanks, before directing it south. Without a backwards glance he began to walk.

***

They walked for an hour before they stopped for a break. They again stood awkwardly, bending on their knees for support. Fritz stole a glance at Marisa, she looked like she was fighting off tears and he realized how harsh he had been. He had not only yelled at her but he had also not thanked her. She had just lost everything also, and he was being selfish. “I’m sorry.” He said, looking down, ashamed. “It’s alright.” she replied, but she still wouldn't meet his eyes, “No, really, I mean it. I was being stupid and only worring about myself.”

“I told you, it's fine. I know what you're going through, if you ever need to talk.”

“Im fine.” He lied, trying not to think of Carla, Troy, Mother, and Cory. “And I’m here to listen too, you know that right?”

“Ya-” She broke off, her voice cracking. Then she burst into tears. “I miss them.” She whispered, not letting the sobs he could tell she was trying to hide out. “Me too.” He whispered back. He opened his arms and she rushed forward and hugged him. He could feel her tears soaking through his thin shirt but he didn’t care. He felt himself losing the battle against tears and a couple slid down his face. He didn’t bother to wipe them away. They held each other and rocked for a minute. She smelled strongly of strawberries and thyme, and he almost didn’t want to let her go. As if he was afraid he would never see her again. But he did, and they both wiped tears from their faces, trying to be nonchalant. They smiled sadly at each other, and after a quick drink they started walking again. Half an hour in Fritz knew they couldn’t walk in silence forever. “So, what was your family like?” he asked, checking her face for a wince. She just smiled sadly, but it widened as a memory seemed to flood back to her. “Well, one time my brother, Efew, you haven't met him, Climbed up on top of my fathers decoration cabinet during a game of hide and seek. I couldn't find him for ages!” They laughed quietly. “He was quite a troublemaker! Another time…” but Fritz was only focusing on the sound of her voice. He wasn’t alone, he had her for company. Maybe this trip wouldn’t be so bad after all.