~The Best Robin

Maps wasted no time in digging out her water bottle and drinking greedily from it, hiking sure was thirsty work. Having sated her thirst she took a moment to glance around at the place they had stopped, up until now she’d been too tired to really pay much attention to the surroundings, but now that she actually looked it was really pretty here.

The setting sun cast a reddish glow through the trees and onto the ground, mixed with the quiet sounds of crickets chirping it seemed almost magical in a way. “Amazing…” she whispered, for once in her life talking quietly without having to be told.  Glancing up at the tree Damian had climbed, she found herself wondering what the view was like up there, was it as amazing as on the ground.

“Psst, Damian, see anything?”

Damian was rendered breathless, and not because he just climbed a twenty foot tree—that was just childs play. The fourteen year old had never seen such a sky— casted in a spectrum of colors and wispy clouds as the sun sank behind the purple shadowed mountains. It was almost something out of a painting, and although this didn’t help him see where they were going, Damian couldn’t help but appreciate the view.

From the branch he balanced on, he could see the spread of trees that went for miles and miles, until it bent over a hill. From up here, the air seemed clean and unsullied. He closed his eyes and took a deep slow breath.

“No, nothing.” He called down through the swaying leaves. Sparing one last glance at the scenic forest scape, he descended back into the leaves of the oak, skillfully swinging his body down limb to limb. He could see the top of Maps head as he curled his hands around a branch, struggling to find his footing on the limb below him. She looked dazed, staring up with wander.

“Hey, what are you-“ Without warning, the branch he hung from snapped under his weight and Damian fell, belly first.

“Hmmph, well you lack the people skills to be a teacher.                     You have brother’s right? Maybe I should ask them. They’d probably be better teachers anyway.“

“I don’t have any brothers. Adoption papers hardly make them my family.

                 Besides what little they can teach you 

“I wonder why the first two Robin’s didn’t wear pants?”

damianwaye

“Oh my gosh, that was so cool! You have to show me how to do that!”

“We can’t stop for just five minutes?” Maps inwardly cringed at how whiny her voiced sounded, she was tired and so though so she couldn’t really help it. Wait, had he said something about a flashlight? “I have a flashlight!” Kneeling down she swung her backpack off her shoulders and began digging through it, “Let’s see…no that’s not it…that’s not it either…aha here it is. ” She proudly held up the object in question.

“See, I never leave home without it, now we don’t have to worry about the dark!” And to think her brother had once teased for always carrying around a flashlight and rope, she couldn’t wait to tell him how it had come in handy.

His first reaction was to disparage her. Why would she just carry around a flashlight? Did she always find herself in situations where one was needed? Of course she did. She was Maps. However, the insults died on his tongue. For once, Map’s peculiarity had come in handy.

“Five minutes.” He declared, with a huff. And he meant five minutes. Any longer, and they wouldn’t make it back by sun down. He would carry her back if he had to. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to. He took the flashlight from Maps hands and gestured to a large mossy tree stump. “Rest. Drink water, do whatever. You’re not taking another break after this.” 

Damian was out of breath and out of patience, which he really hadn’t had in the first place. His left shoulder ached substantially, along with his left cheek, and his fingers that were rigidly curled into fists were beginning to lose feeling. So she had landed a few good hits, nothing to discourage him, or knock him down, but certainly enough to spark a light rage that ground his teeth—a guttural growl vibrating from his throat.

Damian bounced frivolously on the balls of his feet, repositioned his fists and narrowed his eyes at Stephanie, visibly disgruntled. I won’t lose. He had chanted over and over again in his head.

“I’m not annoying! I’m fun.”

"Shut the fuck up. And have a good day."

"You talk like such a high schooler. It’s adorable, but please stop."

"Gravity’s a bitch."

"Congratulations, you’re kinda smart."

"This is not what I wanted to be when I grew up."

"Do I need to knock someone out? I’ll put my boot right in their friggin’ facial region."

"Do I go for the booty, or not the booty?"

"I’m having a really bad time with ghosts today. They just don’t seem to like me."

"Dying is not something you wanna think about."

"You kids wanna see a dead body? I’ll show it to you."

"I’ve come to ruin your day!"

"There’s a few things in life better than being a bear. One of those few things are probably being a bear with lasers."

"You can be weird if you want to be."

"You’re an asshole-dick. Two things in one."

"You also look like kind of an asshole, no offense."

"That is dangerous. I like it, but it’s dangerous."

"Ok, I hear sounds. I think I’m supposed to avoid those sounds."

"Well, that happened. That damn well happened."

"Your idea of fun has changed drastically since I first met you, dear."

"I’m a motherfuckin’ miracle worker."

"Killing me is not going to solve anything!"

"Looks like you just made a big mistake, you arrogant asshole."

"Where is the ‘hell yeah I wanna do this’ option?"