"Let's go," said Blanc, passing Miyanna, who was lost in thought as she watched the surroundings.
"Okay," nodded Miyanna behind him, trying to keep up with his pacing and long strides, but unsuccessful, "Hold on, do not walk so fast."
"Ah, sorry," said Blanc, reducing his speed, "but try to keep up with this speed; we need to hurry."
"Is it that important?" asked Miyanna, now able to stand next to him.
"What a stupid question, Miyanna… Of course, it is important. You need light to be able to see what you are picking, no?" sighed Blanc as he looked around them.
"Don't call me stupid. But, it makes sense," she muttered.
"I do wonder how you managed to survive until now," said Blanc, as he turned sharply to the left, going towards a patch of greenery.
"I had my ways," she replied, but was unable to continue as Blanc spoke again.
"Okay, this is a good example," began Blanc, crouching down next to a patch of plants with small white flowers on top, "are these edible or not?"
"No!" said Miyanna the next moment.
"Why?" Blanc asked.
Miyanna looked confused, but still answered. "Because they are flowers?"
Blanc looked blankly at her bronze eyes, unable to accept that as an answer.
"Please, for the love of Vita, tell me you are joking. No, do not even answer. Do you know the name of this 'flower' of yours?"
"W-white flo-" started Miyanna.
"If you dare say 'White Flower', then I swear we will return to the cave," he intervened.
"I don't know," she muttered after a few moments.
Blanc sighed, "Better to not know than to say stupid stuff," he said. "This is hemlock. You are correct on one thing. It is not edible. It's poisonous. But, before I explain why, tell me, this patch next to it, is it still poisonous?"
"You really think I'm stupid? Of course it is, it's the same thing," said Miyanna, confident in her answer.
"Wrong. This is edible," he replied.
"It can't be, they look the same," Miyanna said, looking at the flowers of the two plants, which looked exactly the same.
"You are looking at the flowers. That might help you with other plants, but not with these. When you cannot tell from the flower, you look at the stems or the roots. Hemlock has a fine stem, while this plant has a hairy stem."
"And that makes it edible?" she asked.
"No, that only tells you which is the correct plant, in this case. Look," said Blanc, pulling the plant and the hemlock from the ground, revealing the roots.
Both plants had bulbed roots. The hemlock had a grey bulb, while the other plant's bulb had a brown-orange look to it.
"Do you recognise it now?" Blanc asked.
Miyanna shook her head, unsure of what he was trying to show her. Which made Blanc give up and reveal what it was.
"This is a wild carrot. The hairy stem and the bulb are the differences between the two," he explained.
"That's a carrot? I never knew the whole plant looked like this," Miyanna replied, amazed.
"It is," Blanc nodded, "Now, grab some. But not all of them. We do not need that many."
After collecting what they needed, they kept walking, as Blanc showed her more and more such examples of plants and mushrooms alike, for over an hour or so.
"I think that's enough, let's go back," said Blanc to Miyanna, who was plucking some mushrooms under some leaves.
"Okay," she nodded, getting back on her feet, "and thank you, Blanc. Honestly."
"Shhh," said Blanc, silencing her and listening intently to their surroundings.
A pair of small feet running at great speed, followed by a larger beast to their east, over a small hill that blocked his vision, and a larger pair of feet from the direction of the cave.
He ignored the feet coming from the cave towards them, pulled out an arrow, and nocked it onto the bow while he took silent steps towards the small hill to see the fleeing beast and what hunted it.
Miyanna remained silent as she watched him, the air around him suddenly changing.
From teacher to hunter in less than a moment's notice.
It sent a shiver down her spine. She felt his power now. His decision-making at each step was silent but full of meaning.
She tried to follow, but her feet were stuck to the ground.
They did not want to disturb the sacredness they felt as her eyes followed him.
He pulled the bow's string back, his vision locked on something beyond her eyes.
He loosed the arrow, and the target he aimed at fell with a small thud.
A second arrow fell onto the string as his hand drew another, even before hitting the first target.
And another flew, and another thud followed.
She knew he was strong, but this was just beautiful. The grace with which he sent beasts to eternal rest made her bronze colored eyes shine like gold under the setting sun.
As Blanc exhaled and began walking towards the two beasts, Miyanna followed, seeing what Blanc had fallen.
A cute little rabbit was pinned to the ground by Blanc's arrow, the shaft piercing its chest and driving deep into the earth as it left on its other side.
Beside it lay a second creature. A badger. It was larger than the rabbit, but still small compared to the true beasts of the forest.
It had tried to snatch the rabbit for itself, but Blanc's second arrow found its head before it could free the prey from the dirt.
"Wait for me here," instructed Blanc as he placed the bow near him, crouching near the rabbit and placing his hand on its small chest after removing the arrow from its small body.
Miyanna tried to ask why, as she drew closer, baskets filled with vegetables in her hands, but Blanc did not reply.
He stood there, unmoving, with his eyes closed. What was he doing?
She tried calling him again, "Blanc, Blanc," yet no reply came.
It was as if his mind was elsewhere. Then crimson snakes rose in the air from the rabbit towards his chest, before swimming deep into him.
She was shocked by what she saw. She knew what Vita was, and she knew where Raw Vita came from, but this was the first time she witnessed it with her own eyes.
It was amazing seeing it. She thought so as well, but another thing crept into her mind. One, she was scared to act upon.
As she stood there, not sure if she should do it or not, Blanc's eyes opened.
"Blanc?" asked Miyanna.
"Yes?" he replied, turning towards her with the rabbit in hand.
"What happened? I tried calling you ten times at least," said Miyanna.
"I did not hear you. But I do not have time to explain now. Maybe later, back at the cave," he said, putting the dead rabbit into one of the baskets before turning around and going to the badger and kneeling before it, standing in a comfortable position.
"Are you doing it again?" asked Miyanna, placing the baskets down.
Blanc nodded, "Yes. Now, if you'll excuse me."
This was it. Thought Miyanna, because after a few seconds, when Blanc touched the badger, she spoke again, but no reply followed.
She felt her heart exploding in her chest for what she was about to do.
If she did it, there was no going back.
A choice. A definitive choice.
She exhaled once. Twice. Encouraging herself.
She took a step. Then another.
Blanc was deep into the Vita. There was still time.
Another step.
She crouched.
Got close to him.
Even closer.
And locked lips with him.
It all happened in a second.
No, less than that. But it felt like an eternity for her.
An eternity locked between her and his lips.
Blanc was unaware of anything happening.
His mind was away, as the crimson serpents began leaving the badger's chest, swimming towards his own.
Yet, it did not matter. What happened, happened.
Even without his knowledge.
Miyanna moved her head back, separating her lips from his own.
She opened her eyes. Blinked. Then blinked again.
She jumped back, falling on her butt. Her cheeks were a deep crimson from realising what she had done.
She dragged herself back swiftly.
Thud.
She hit something with her back.
A tree, maybe. She should turn around and go back toward the baskets.
The tree had legs.
Legs?
Fuck.
"It seems you had fun, Miyanna, dear," said the tree with legs, which was no tree whatsoever.
Yet at this moment, she hoped it would have been.
"Hello, Celine."