~ Chapter 6 ~
Last Night Under The Stars

Zora stopped at the edge of town, Lilly was right behind him; he turned to see her gazing up into the trees. The wall and giant door were unable to hide the massive oaks; Zora put his hand on the wooden door, it was smooth in texture.
“Do you like the forest?” he asked, turning back to look at her, she shook her head in response.
“No, I’ve never been, I’ve only ever been around the town, but they’re so big I can’t help but stare.” She replied, tearing her eyes away from the trees above, “The festival starts an hour after dusk, so we should start making our way back at dusk.”
“Yeah.” Zora grunted as he pushed open the door; Lilly just nodded absentmindedly as she walked through the door. Her gaze had yet to stray from the trees; Zora was a little more focused on the forest floor.
“I’d love to find some rare artifact, get some extra pocket change.” He said; Lilly looked down from the trees before responding. “Why do you need some extra pocket change, hmmm?”
“I don't know; I got a pretty girl in my life, maybe I'd wanna buy you something.” He replied, glancing up at her, he’d just picked something from the dirt, “Is that so wrong?”
“Oh, you’re still gonna do that?” Lilly asked, her eyes sparkled with anticipation, “Thank you!” He nodded and stared at the object in his hands, his fingers digging into its dirt shell.
“I found an old medallion, probably worth a couple of gold coins,” He said, dropping it into his pocket, “Come on, I think I hear a stream up ahead.” Lilly nodded, standing up to follow him, but instead, her ears twitched.
“Someone is following us.” she whispered, quickening her pace to keep up with him. Zora nodded in response but kept walking, and Lilly followed in pursuit, her ears still picking up the faint crackle and rustle of someone tracking them.
“Um, Zora-” Lilly began, but he put his hand up, silencing her as they kept walking, then before she could react, he shoved her against a tree, his hand over her mouth. She looked into his eyes; they were calm; she stayed silent.
The sounds passed by, they waited for a short while in the silence.
"I think we're good." Zora whispered, stepping back, the sound of the stream trickling in the background. The wind chasing the leaves through the treetops.
Lilly took the lead, heading towards the water. When she pushed the underbrush aside, it opened into a small clearing with a pond. A cliff was straight ahead, and a waterfall trickled down the rocks and into the pond.
"This place is so pretty." Lilly breathed in awe; she skipped down to the bank and peered in. The water was...