As and Wayne stared at one another, tired and out of breath, with more relentless forest around them. The green encompassed them as it had been for all this time, and it was as if the world itself couldn’t get enough of it.

  “Are you alright?” As started, huffing.

  “I should be asking you that...” Wayne took another heavy breath in.

  “No... You’re the important one.” As insisted.

  “Well, we saw a murder.”

  “It’s not as if you hadn’t seen one before...”

  There was a pause, like there was not much more to say. In reality, Wayne thought of what As had just said, about him being ‘important,’ and how to As, it had always been like this was the case, and never the other way around. Wayne considered how selfless As had been the entire time they have been together, and now he felt he had to know the answer to the question—the question that hadn’t been answered to him yet: Why?

  “Why am I so important? It’s never you.” Wayne blurted out.

  “It’s because I care about-”

  “I know that, As!” Wayne said sternly, looking into As’ face, and he could make out an expression of confusion, not one of ‘Why are they asking me this,’ but a more genuine confusion. Not knowing what to say next. It was clear that Wayne had every reason to be upset, but not towards any life-threatening events he had gone through, all this time... He was afflicted with a sickness, the mystifying sickness of knowledge.

  There was more quietness. As sighed, until he felt the urge to speak against what was battling inside his head, “Two nights before I met you,” As forced out, “The sky had been clear for... a few nights, and I kept looking at the stars. At that point, I’d been feeling very... lonely... isolated... You already knew that part...” As glanced at Wayne, then averted, “I kept wishing there was someone, every night, who wasn’t against me. I looked up this one night... and something felt... abnormal, of course, everything was the same, but... I saw this... comet just flash quickly. I still felt strange, but I went to sleep unusually easy. The next day, nothing changed, I had my daily routine, and it ended... But the day after that...”

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  As’ voice trailed off, however he continued with guilt in his voice, locking eyes with Wayne once again, “...I think I’m the reason you’re here.” His voice quivered, but he remained sturdy.

  Wayne reflected for a few moments. He couldn’t show how much more upset he had gotten, not to As. He sucked in his gut, before shifting his mind to a more indifferent way of thinking

  “I forgive you.” Wayne admitted.

  “But...” As felt astonished. It was all his fault... And Wayne forgave him?

  “There wasn’t anything I could’ve done about it...” Wayne continued, his voice ringing out in solemn. He breathed in again, “And I’m glad we met each other.”

  There wasn’t any physical connection needed to show their approval to one another, and they both smiled, before As’ smile turned blank.

  “You’re not upset with me?”

  “No...” There was reassurance in Wayne’s voice, similar to how Wayne had heard from As many times before, and As felt more surprise than he did relief. Their journey wasn’t over yet.

  “In any case... we need to head for Owarr. It’s in the west... I just need to find one of the old landmarks I used to keep track of years ago.” He paused, “Then we’re done with this... with this... hatred.” As looked at the clouds heading north with the wind, and he knew the direction. He scanned the top of the treeline, like he was looking for a specific tree. “Let me get a better vantage point.” He flew up to the top of one, and then quickly saw what he was looking for—a tall, stripped, thick pine tree which rose up above every other, even though it was very far off in the distance. So far that he had to squint. “There!” He yelled down, pointing, followed by swooping back down to Wayne. “That way,” He pointed into the darkening trees now, and gave a joking sigh, “How much easier it would be if you weren’t too heavy for me to carry while flying... Come on!”

  The two had begun again, just as they had started. Walking alongside each other, they soon forgot a lot about their troubles, now with As guiding them to what he considered a safe haven. The two had said enough in their minds, silently in bliss, and in agreement that when they arrived, they could talk to their hearts’ content, and they could both experience even more new things, positive things, that they both had dearly missed. For Wayne, it had been months, but for As, it had been years in the making.

  And for the first time, As remembered something: He remembered the lullaby his mother would sing him. Even if it was only the chorus, it may as well have been the entire song.

  I'd rather waltz than just walk through the forest.

  The trees keep the tempo and they sway in time.

  Quartet of crickets chime in for the chorus.

  If I were to pluck on your heartstrings,

  Would you strum on mine?