Ei asked in between gasps, “Alis, what are you doing?!”

“Getting us out of here!”

Ei caught up to Alis, and they let go and stopped running. Ei nearly toppled over from exhaustion, and he yelled, “We didn’t have to run! They weren’t going to chase us.”

“Sorry, it was the heat of the moment,” Alis said as he gasped for air.

“You’re fucking stupid.”

Alis laughed, and Ei said, “Why did you come with me? They would have let you stay.”

Alis furrowed his brows and said, “I told you I wouldn’t leave you, remember?”

Ei wiped the sweat from his forehead, and he said, “You’re digging your own grave.”

Alis laughed and said, “I may be.”

Ei stared at Alis’ smile, and he thought, “Maybe I’m in more danger than he is. He’s clearly a lunatic.”

Alis looked around and wondered, “Where do we go now?”

Suddenly an idea popped up in his mind, and he said with a smile, “Let’s go live in the woods. Humans won’t bother us there.”

“You’re kidding. The woods? How will we get any food?”

Alis scoffed and said, “We'll have better luck getting food and shelter in the woods than in the town.”

Ei threatened, “If you’re wrong, I’m going to end you.”

Alis promised, “Don’t worry! I’m not wrong.”

The two walked for a while down the gravel road to a different forest than Alis had stayed in before. This forest was more lush and way larger, and the nearest town wasn’t ten minutes away but forty. The two of them hiked through tall grass to the woodlands, and Alis noticed Ei lagging behind him.

“What’s wrong?”

Ei complained, “You’re trying to kill me!”

Ei was stumbling as he walked, and his torso was slumped. Sweat was beading down his skin, and his breath was ragged.

Ei yelled, “It’s too hot, the ground is hard to walk on, my legs are fucking burning, and I’m so thirsty I’m going to die before we even get in the damn forest!”

Alis burst out laughing, and Ei threatened, “Want me to kill you!? What’s so funny?”

Alis walked up to Ei, turned around, and leaned down.

“Hop on; I’ll carry you.”

Ei’s eyes narrowed, and he scowled.

“No way.”

Alis stood up normally and said, “Fine, you can walk then.”

Alis continued walking to the forest, and Ei hesitated. He stepped forward, and his leg burned like it was on fire.

Ei yelled, “Wait!”

Alis turned around with a sly grin, and Ei muttered, “You can carry me.”

Alis asked as he put his hand to his ear, “What was that?”

“Carry me, damn it!”

Alis walked with a silly grin while Ei looked disgusted, and they searched around the forest. Alis decided he would listen for a river, since he saw one along the way and both he and Ei were dehydrated. An elf's hearing was significantly better than a human's, and so, it didn’t take him long to hear running water.