Soon we were heading down another forest trail.

We had sat under that tree for quite a while, peacefully enjoying the moment. But the morning inevitably wore on, and when the sun was reaching its zenith, we decided it was time to depart. I didn't know where we were going next, but Andrian assured me it was a place I would remember when I saw it. 

We moved easily through the thick undergrowth, following animal trails and beastman-made passages through the foliage. We had no encounters with monsters or predatory animals along the way, but we did come across a group of small monkeys that chattered and threw things at us to scare us away. They were harmless, and their righteous anger made us laugh as we hurried past.

After we'd walked for nearly a full movement, the jungle began to thin and we entered a large clearing. The space was a field with tall grass and wildflowers growing in abundance. There was a river running through the clearing, leading to a waterfall at the far end of the field.

This clearing was where Andrian and I used to play when I came to visit. His father would take us out here and let us play for hours. The field also had some special equipment that Uncle Alek had built for us. 

That's right! I had called Andrian's father "Uncle Alek" and he had called me "kiddo." Uncle Alek and Andri. I used to call him Andri! How had it taken me so long to remember that? Shouldn't that have been one of the first things I recalled? I had even heard Uncle Alek calling him that back at the cabin.

“And-ri,” I said his name out loud, just to see how it felt to say it again.  

“Yes, Falyn?” he asked, smiling broadly at being called that way.

“H-here… we pl-ay… I–” I started to cough roughly before I could say more. 

Andrian quickly took a waterskin out of his small backpack and handed it to me. I tried to drink, but ended up coughing water all over myself instead.

Once I was done choking and had successfully drank from the skin, I looked down in dismay at my now soaked shirt. The whole situation seemed utterly ridiculous, and I began to silently laugh at the mess I had made. 

To be honest, if I hadn't laughed, I might have cried instead. I’d regained my voice but all I could manage was to sound like a stuttering drunk before choking half to death. I felt like the butt of someone else’s joke, so I might as well laugh along through the frustration of it all.

“It’s nice to see you looking happy,” Andrian commented, “I know you’re feeling frustrated, but it’s good to be able to laugh a little at your own situation. Actually, if you want, we could jump off the falls before we leave like we used to. Then we'll both be wet. Think you're up for it?”

Something about the way he asked that roused my competitive spirit. When we were little, we would race across the field and jump off the falls to see who could reach the shore first. In the early years, I never lost a race, but as Andrian got bigger, I was often defeated.

I knew he was asking me if my current body could handle it, but all I heard was a challenge. I nodded eagerly to his question. 

He smiled a wicked smile and said, “I can see what you’re thinking. There’s no way you can beat me now. Not in that, nor in any of our other old challenges.” 

I knew he was teasing me but I couldn’t help but feel indignant. He was right, of course, but he could have humored me a little. It wasn’t my fault that I was weaker than I used to be. I scowled up at his smiling face.

“Let’s have some lunch and then we’ll see what we can do. Nearly everything survived the war and years of neglect. Dad’s better than most professional builders. The only thing we lost is the top platform, which was knocked down by a tree during a storm,” Andrian pointed to what used to be the highest platform, the one I’d usually avoided anyway. 

I looked at the playground that Uncle Alek had built for us. A collection of twenty, now nineteen, platforms, all connected by swinging wooden bridges, rope ladders, and planks. Two of the platforms had steep slides leading straight to the ground and another had a slide that was wrapped tightly around a wooden pole. 

Rope fences were hung on the upper platforms to make sure no one fell, and the top platform, the one that was knocked over by a tree, had a long pole that you could slide down to get back to the ground. Along with the platform, the pole had also fallen and was leaning against the branches of a nearby tree. 

When we first found this field, it was just an open space with a waterfall, but Uncle Alek had slowly built the platforms over the course of a few years. As an adult, I had a better appreciation for how much work it must have taken him to build all of this by himself.

Andrian led me to the base of the playground, which was a large deck built over the grass, wide enough for us to spread a small blanket and sit down. It seemed that, unbeknownst to me, Andrian had packed and planned very carefully. 

He had laid out a collection of containers containing strips of dried meat, cheese, slices of flatbread, and chopped fruit. Along with our water skins, he also packed a skin filled with juice that his father had made from berries and honey. Once upon a time, that juice had been a favorite of mine. 

We ate and drank slowly, savoring the moment. I felt like I was living a dream. It seemed incredible to be back in this place. I had so many good memories here, and I was happy to know that we were going to make new ones as well. I relaxed and enjoyed the simple picnic fare as the wildflowers swayed gently in the breeze. 

As we sat in pleasant silence, it occurred to me how much had changed since we were young. I used to be the bigger one, and Andrian was the one who couldn't talk. I wanted to laugh out loud at how our situations had reversed. Perhaps that was why it was so easy for him to figure me out.

When we were finished eating, it was time to play. I was excited, but a little worried that my years of inactivity would hinder me. I was weaker than I used to be and I didn't have a lot of stamina. However, I had no intention of letting that stand in my way.

“Let’s start easy,” Andrian said with a twinkle in his eye, “First one to the bottom of the slide wins.”

I grinned and nodded. I was ready for a race, but I had one condition before we started. 

I crossed my arms and said, "L-li-on.” 

I hated how hard it was to get that word out, but I tried not to dwell on it. One step at a time. For now, we were here to have fun.

Andrian raised his eyebrows, “Lion, huh? Well I guess that would make this a proper rematch.” 

He shifted into his lion form and waited for my signal. I raised my hand with three fingers up and lowered them one by one. When my last finger dropped, we both ran for the platform. 

I instantly realized that I had greatly underestimated my opponent. Andrian’s adult lion was huge and his speed was incredible. Not only was he faster than me, but he could also leap impressively high. 

I watched helplessly as he leapt from platform to platform, completely skipping over the obstacles. He reached his slide while I was still struggling with the rope ladder leading to the third platform. I felt cheated.

Andrian shifted back to his human form and slid down the slide, before sauntering back over to me, looking all too pleased with himself.

“I think I won the rematch,” he gloated, “does that mean I get a prize?”

I put my hands on my hips and narrowed my eyes. I didn’t necessarily expect to win, but I was completely abashed to learn that I couldn’t even compete. And now he wanted a prize?  

“Please? Pretty please, my Falyn?” he pleaded with a sad look that I knew was fake. 

I continued to stare at him and he continued to give me sad eyes until we both broke down laughing. 

“What?” I asked him when I was done laughing. 

“A kiss,” he replied without hesitation, “In fact, that’s the prize I’ll claim every time I beat you.” 

I narrowed my eyes again. He was probably going to beat me at everything regardless, but he didn’t have to point it out so readily.  

Grudgingly, I nodded. I moved close to him and planted a loud kiss on his cheek. That was all he was getting out of me for now. Or so I thought. Andrian clearly thought differently and caught my arm while I was still in the middle of my retreat.

“You know that wasn’t the kind of kiss I meant, right?” he asked me in a low voice. He pulled on my arm and drew me in closer, pressing our foreheads together. “When I said I wanted a kiss, I meant a real kiss. One where your lips touch mine. Probably some tongue. Maybe some heavy breathing too... Or do you not want to kiss me anymore now that I can beat you? Hmm?” 

His teasing gave me butterflies, which only made his comment about beating me all the more annoying. I aggressively pressed my lips to his, fighting not to laugh at his surprised gasp. 

Taking advantage of his surprise, I pushed my tongue into his mouth and grabbed the back of his head with my free hand. Andrian quickly recovered from the shock and wrapped an arm around my waist. I kissed him a little longer before pushing him away.

“Hmmm… I suddenly feel very motivated to keep winning,” he teased in a tone that made my knees weak. “What should we try next?”