Jacov sat silently in a tall oak as he watched his carefully concealed snare. That darn rabbit had been sitting right next to the thing for over ten minutes! Really, what animal just sits there for so long? Jacov tried to silently will the rabbit to the snare. It was only one hop in the right direction-
Suddenly the rabbit darted the wrong way, startled by a sound in the woods. Jacov cursed under his breath and slammed his fist against the tree. His head snapped upward, though, as he heard a voice and felt a heartbeat quicken.
"Hello?" the voice spoke. "Someone's there?"
Jacov's eyes narrowed. There was something about that voice. It was familiar but had he ever heard that deepened, rich tone? Jacov felt for the presence and saw a flash of tawny hair and wary grey eyes.
He called back. "I'm here...?" He cursed his uncertain questioning tone. His heartbeat skipped when the voice spoke again.
"Who are you?"
Jacov thought carefully. "How about showing yourself, first?"
A figure stepped out from behind a tree and Jacov had to stop himself from crying out. "Alon?" he called.
The figure discreetly drew a knife from a belt sheathe. Anyone else wouldn't have noticed but Jacov was trained to see such things. "How do you know me?" the figure said.
Jacov dropped from the tree and immediately had to sidestep to avoid the knife that lodged itself into the bark of the tree. "Cool it! It's me, Jacov!"
Alon's astonished face broke into a wide grin. "Jacov!" He jumped at Jacov and wrapped his arms around his neck, having to stand on tiptoe. Even at the age of of fourteen, Jacov was still taller than Alon by at least a head.
Alon pulled back and grinned at Jacov. "Well, how are you?"
Jacov grinned crookedly back. "Well enough. And how are you?"
Alon shrugged. "No better, no worse. Oh, holy gods, I've missed you!"
They laughed and hugged again. They sat and talked for what could've been hours. They'd been apart for so long; they had a lot of catching up to do!
Although, before they knew it, the sun had begun to set. Jacov looked up and noticed the darkening sky. With a short curse, he jumped to his feet. "Oh no! I didn't check my snares! Da expects me back by nightfall!"
Alon stood next to him. "Don't worry, I can help you! Just run and cut them down and I'll pick them up."
Jacov sighed. "Okay, just lend me your knife."
And so they went. Jacov ran and cut the filled snares with a crude, fraying slice. He shivered every time he heard the wire twang; he was taught that metal cutting weapons were the most disgraceful thing. Why kill or draw blood when there were more tasteful ways to disarm a foe?
Finally, Jacov tied the caught rabbits together by the snare strings and stood with them slung over his back. "Is this goodbye again?"
Alon looked at him gravely for a moment but than crossed his arms and shook his head. "No."
Jacov adjusted the rabbits and raised an eyebrow. "It was by chance that we met again, Alon."
Alon stayed firm. "And we will keep seeing each other."
"How? Do you expect us to sneak out every night? My father does NOT like the tribespeople," Jacov said.
Alon walked up to Jacov and poked him in the chest. "We'll sneak away whether your father likes it or not. Jacov, you were my first and maybe only real friend. Ever."
Jacov rubbed his chest where Alon had jabbed him with his finger, feeling a strange warm feeling from the spot. "Alon, you're the only friend I've ever had. But where will we meet? And what happens when my da and I leave for our winter spot?"
Alon thought for a moment. "Then...we'll meet here and I'll follow you to your winter spot."
Jacov looked at him in shock. "What about your tribe?"
"I don't live in a tribe anymore," Alon replied uncomfortably. Jacov sensed a dam of horrible memories bathed in red and assumed that OakTribe had been massacred. He felt immediate remorse for the tribe that'd taken in him and his father for even a short amount of time.
Jacov made a split second decision. "Then...we'll meet here."
"Tomorrow?" Alon asked.
"Tonight. At midnight." Jacov surprised himself with his resolve. Something was pulling him back, though. Something made him absolutely certain that he HAD to see Alon again.
Jacov quietly slid into his bedroll. The fire had started to die out and the air had started growing chilly. However, Jacov was warm from head to toe. He couldn't explain it, but sneaking out to see Alon had left him extremely...happy? It was a golden glow.
Before he finally drifted into sleep, he realised that he'd felt something-something more than grave sincerity-in a long time.
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A/N: Did you guess that Alon would be back? I did. I guessed by my extreme love for this particular kid. And because I sometimes know what I'll write next. JigsX Out
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