Sweat dripped from the cracks on his large forehead, chapped lips moistened as he licked the sticky leaf before rolling the earthy green contents into a cone. He coughed loudly appreciating his impeccable Spliffcraft. With his back to half of the road, he put the copper lid back on his rolling box started to tap the coned leaf down on it. Straightening it, he lit the end with the tip of his finger, he glimpsed a shadowy figure slinking through the shrubbery behind him through the reflection in the flame. He smirked as he enlarged the flame on his fingertips, inhaling the smoke from his joint. As the flame started to engulf the boys hand he hurled it into the shrubbery behind him. The small fire ball hit the bush, putting it out instantly. Leaving a small puff of mist in the air. Turning around, he noticed the water drizzling from the bushes around him, wetting his auburn hair.

Clever, but far too late, cheeky bastard. He thought to himself.

The boy stood contemplating while scouring along the bushes with deep hazel eyes, searching for any signs of movement. His hand slowly lowered to his side grabbing the hilt of a concealed sword from under his robes. Beginning to unsheathe his blade the boy started to ready himself in a fighting stance and he gently closed his eyes. Breathing in the boy started to turn slowly, as he turned he could begin to hear the heartbeat of his intruder. Following the sound of the flow of blood of his enemy, the boy drew his blade and blocked a throwing knife that was aimed straight for his right cheek.

’Least your not rusty.’ A voice said coming from the bushes that surround the old dirt road. A shorter boy with brighter red hair that covered one of his eyes walked out of the bushes with a cheeky smile on his face.

’Are you calling me a cunt?’ The auburn haired boy violently and almost unpredictably shouted as he pointed his finger at the other one.

’No, but you are one.’ The smaller boy winked and swayed towards the other boy and lightly tapped him on the arm. Both boys looked at each other in disgust upon both their faces. Before they both burst out laughing and started to play fight in the dirty old back road, surrounded by blackberry bushes and Conifer trees.

’Mathias.’ The taller auburn haired boy exhaled as he started to put his left arm around the smaller boy, and preceded joint still in hand to to inhale and then blow smoke in the other boys face before passing it to him.

’What’s my name?’

’Athanas.’ Mathias said as he took a toke and looked up smiling at him.

’Good. Just making sure.’

Mathias and Athanas were both orphans and although in their late teens now they spent most of their childhood growing up as orphan brothers under the protection of the famed warrior Vinar, a Wrathmorian along with Athania -Athanas’ little sister- and a few others they called family. Mathias was soon to have his nineteenth birthday; his long crimson red hair was kept up in a ponytail that spiked out towards the top of his head and a fringe that covered his left eye. Although mostly human in appearence his ears were very pointed and elf like, but had lobes that represented mankind. His eyes were blue and caked in black eyeliner and he was fairly feminine in stature.

Athanas on the other hand was quite a bit taller and had broad shoulders with short hair and while he was slimmer than Mathias he had more muscles, or at least they were much better defined. On his chin was a patch of dark ginger hair and his face was very coarse and stubbly. An obvious Ramastan with pale skin and a few freckles dotted about his body. They both lived in the small town of Terralynne in Western Ilorali, where they grew up in an orphanage called connifer cottage.

 The boys started to walk alongside a woodland path overlooking a bustling town that boasted with flora and greenery which held a single cherry tree in the centre of it, Athanas began to catch his little brother up on what he seemed like his life story, almost all in one big burst.

 ’Athanas...’ Math impatiently sighed as his brother ceased talking and looked at him with a concerned sort of smile on his face that said ’I understand’.

 ’I’ll catch you in a bit boi, don’t fall too hard though or you’ll hurt my hands.’ Ath said as he winks and points at his brother whilst walking away, allowing Mathias some space to breathe. 

 He was home. Everything he had remembered was still there, unchanging. It had felt as if he were gone for nearly a decade, yet nothing had changed. Not that he was gone for too long, three... Maybe four months tops he thought to himself. But Terralynne never changes anyway, it’s no place of importance and it only exists for the pure fact people needed a place to rest and trade on their way to one of the Cities of Western Ilorali.

 Taking what seemed to be a short cut ended up in a half hour walk through a rather serene looking woodland area named Bluebell woods, after it’s abundance of bluebells scattered amongst the bottoms of the trees. Along the woodland path Mathias stopped at some blooming daffodils and knelled down in front of them. He smiled and gently touched the biggest flower he could see. 

 ’I hope i’m not disturbing you.’ Mathias said in a hushed tone... To the daffodils. As he started to dig his bare hands into the soil around them and felt for their roots below the soil. Dragging the plant out the ground trying to carefully not damage the plant, he started to walk in the direction he was headed before he had spotted them. Eventually the path lead more towards the town and came to an end in a graveyard that seemed rather abandoned and with very few headstones.

 However Mathias’s nostrils began to flare and his face turned red with anger after seeing Athanas standing there giggling, yet another joint in his mouth.

 ’Alright, I’ll wait by the gate.’ Ath muffled as he sparked his second cone and casually walked away with his forearms pointing out and his hands dangling down.

 Shaking his head Mathias watched his brother walk away until he was no longer in sight.