Word Prompt 87: Solitude
A lone figure perched in a tall tree, his long legs hanging from the branches as he stared up at the dark night sky. Stars twinkled brightly, partially obscured by dark storm clouds coming in from the west. Leaves rustled in the soft breeze, adding to the soft song of nature.
Damien sighed heavily, absentmindedly twirling a feather between his fingers. He had always liked his solitude, and while his friends respected his wishes, no one else ever left him alone for long. They were afraid for his well-being, but they never realized that he liked his peace and quiet, simply spending time on his own.
"Damien, Damien, are you over here?"
Damien jumped slightly, turning his head to look over towards the nearby wooded area. It appeared that Mena was looking for him. Again. She thought herself to be his mother, even though he was a good two years older than her.
"Damien, its one in the morning! You should be in bed, what if a wolf got you? Or a bear? There are bears in the area, you know. Damien? Damien!"
Damien rolled his eyes, and lightly jumped from the tree, his feather blowing away as he loosened his grasp on it.
He passed the short brunette on his way back to his room. He glanced over at her as she huffed in annoyance.
"You really shouldn't wander off in the middle of the night, Damien," she scolded.
He quirked an eyebrow at her, his mouth twitching. "You're right, Mena," he agreed.
She stared at him in shock. "I...I am? I mean, I am!"
He nodded, quickly picking up his pace. "After all, those chipmunks can be pretty vicious. And those squirrels are the worst!"
She stared at him in shock. "I...I...Argh!" She took off her shoe and threw it at him as he laughed and ran off into the night.
Mena blinked, realizing she was all alone outside, in the middle of the night. Missing a shoe. She glanced around herself nervously.
"I can do this, Damien does it all the time," she whispered, looking around nervously. "I can just find my shoe, and then go back inside. No problem, no problem at all..."
A nearby bush rustled, and she whirled to face it. She edged away, looking around wildly for her shoe.
An owl hooted, and she jumped, her eyes wide. She continued to edge away nervously, ready to flee at the next sign of movement.
A frog croaked loudly, and she shrieked, running off. Forget her shoe, there were vicious creatures outside!
Damien grinned, watching Mena from the safety of his room. Solitude was all right, but driving Mena crazy was even better.