Chapter Text
“My friend, how exactly did you manage to get stuck up there?” Inigo couldn't keep the amused tone out of his voice, looking up at his friend.
Stuck in a tree.
Pumpkin looked down, her cloak hood covering her face in embarrassment. “Listen, I’m not a smart adventurer, I’m not… entirely sure myself.”
“You really hate spiders, don't you?”.
“ Listen ”
“It is fine my friend, but don't worry, the spider is dead now. You can come down now!”
“Well… about that. I Think i'm stuck?”
“Well, jump down then, I can catch you.” Inigo opened his arms, trying to assure his friend, she’s jumped higher before, but something was wrong.
Maybe the spider really scared her?
“Uhhhhhh… No offense but I’d rather not… squish you so n-n-no?” Pumpkin’s nails were firmly in the wood of the bark, helping her keep her balance.
She's like a cat stuck in a tree, funny considering I'm the one with the ears and tail.
Inigo was about to comment, until he noticed something purple on his friend's leg. Pumpkin’s ankle was dark, and swelling.
She’s ether in a lot of pain, or she's so scared she doesn't notice it yet, I’m not sure which is better at this point.
Inigo carefully climbed up to his friend, offering them a small smile and his hand. “Hey, hey it's okay Pumpkin, we all have our fears, Here, Inigo the expert climber is here to save the day.”
Pumpkin merely glanced at Inigo, still not keen on really moving. “I-i-i-i’m heavy though?”
“Nonsense, Here. just let me...” As carefully as he could, Inigo got next to Pumpkin. “Climb on my friend. I can get us both down.”
Pumpkin was about to protest, but a slight crack in one of the branches made her go quiet. “....thank you Inigo”
“It's no problem, hold on tight, okay?”
“O-okay”
Inigo was careful as he climbed down the tree, a puzzled look on his face. Pumpkin had to problem climbing mountains, or looking down from far above in those nasty Ruins, why was the different?
“N-n-not that branch, it’s not stable.”
Inigo was drawn out of his thoughts at pumpkins words, looking at the branch he was about to grab. She was right, it was rotted and surely wouldn't support their weight. Understanding filled the khajiit, as he carefully avoided any weak or rotting Branches.
Stone and rock are sturdy, even when an earthquake ravished the land, they stood firm unless water had damaged it.
Trees didn't have that same sturdiness. Something told Inigo this was a learned fear, not a phobia like the spiders.
“Did i ever tell you about the time Fergus and I Snuck out of the house as teenagers?”
Pumpkin looked surprised for a moment, before finally speaking. “N-no? Why did you guys sneak out, from what I know you two didn't seem the type to get grounded?”
“You’d be right, we weren’t. We did however read all sorts of books where teenagers snuck out in the middle of the night, we figured we’d see what the big whoop was.”
“What kind of books did you and Fergus like to read?”
Inigo carefully jumped down the rest of the way, keeping a good hold on pumpkin, when all else fails, get them to ask questions as a distraction. Inigo was pretty sure he could turn into a giant spider right now and she wouldn’t notice, her brain was too busy visualizing what he was saying.“All sorts of books my friend! Riddle books and Mysteries were Fergus’s favorite, I always preferred the adventuring and books where you could craft your own stories.”
“Was there a certain book you liked the best?”
“Kolb and the dragon, our father used to read it to us when we were little, so it always makes me feel nostalgic. I’m not sure what Fergus’s favorite book was, I know he quiet enjoyed Feyfolken, He also enjoyed reading about the Nightingales, he also enjoyed Words of Clan Mother Ahnissi. He really enjoyed books.” Inigo was already back on the path- their camp was close by, he didn't mind carrying pumpkin back. “Fergus always made sure to read in a well lit room, or outside when it was sunny, he said it helped him read better. Anyway, we snuck out while mother and father slept, we left a note to be safe, in case they woke up and saw we were gone. They used to be assassins after all, we didn't want to worry them and think someone snatched us up.”
Pumpkin made a small noise, curious. “Where did you guys go?”
Inigo smiled, “There was a clearing about half an hour away from the house, the moons were not out, so the stars were bright. It was very beautiful. Fergus and I brought some pencils and paper so we could try and make our own constellations. That night it was beautiful, the Stars were shining like jewels and we were the only ones there.”
Pumpkin smiled, the scene painting a pretty picture in her head. “Did you are Fergus make any fun constellations?”
“Honestly, we were teenage boys, we made some but most were immature. The Apprentice's Dick is still my favorite because of how ridiculous it is.”
Pumpkin couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out from her, she tried, she really did to keep a straight face, but to hear something so normal for two teenage boys was almost ridiculous. “Oh Mara, please tell me all about the other constellations please .”
Inigo carefully set pumpkin down on on a fallen log, smiling. “I'll tell you all about them, but first, let's get your leg checked on, okay?”