Cookie's Bakery

Arthur wasn't where he belonged. He was certain of that. The flourishing green woods he woke up in seemed... lifeless. His ears couldn't pick up the noise of people bustling, or the clanging of metal, or the talking and arguing he lived his life surrounded by.

It was too quiet here.

He checked his reflection in a little stream he strolled past. He was still his disconcerting, lion self anyway - that didn't change. His giant, golden wings were still on his back, useless as ever. If only he were able to fly above these tall trees and look for signs of his homeland again.

Surely, the kingdom would be looking for him? They would certainly need him for the war brewing up against those..."evil ones" as his Majesty would call them, up north. To make use of himself for his allies though, he needed to get out of here and find them first.

Despite the uneasiness he felt in the new environment, Arthur marched on through hedges of green and weaved through towering oaks and birches. The further he progressed through the forest, he began hearing the singing of birds high above him. Dunnocks, he believed.

Hearing them reminded him of how hungry he was. His stomach was in agony, now that he thought about it- it wasn't usual of Arthur to forget food time. Sources of said food seemed to be fairly barren, though. Of course, there were plenty of leafy greens, as well as a couple of small, red berries and mushrooms about the area, but he would only eat those as a last resort.

He craved something a bit... fleshier.

He stared back up at the dunnocks again. They continued to twirl and dance about in the sky, chirping their tunes.

"Eh... it'll have to do." Arthur thought to himself.

It was no mutton or beef, but there weren't much appetising options for him to choose from.

Despite his powerful reputation of athleticism and strength, climbing wasn't his strong suit. It wasn't a skill he thought he would particularly need in battle. He was far from small and nimble, as was evident by his meager attempt at climbing a nearby tree.

The fluttering birds were within his grasp for a second, unphased by the lurking winged lion by their side. Giving the tree as tight of a hug as he could muster, he slowly released a paw off the bark to grab at one of the dunnocks. In a flurry of movements, they flew right out of his grasp. Arthur let go of the tree in a panicking flurry, instantly regretting his actions.

He now found himself lying in the earthy soil, in more pain than before.

"Those stupid birds didn't even look tasty..." he grumbled.

He spent some more time flat on the ground, until remembering he was still hungry, then resumed his search for a meal.

The sky turned deep shades of navy the further Arthur progressed. Exhaustion was creeping in on him. On his journey thus far, he had encountered and eaten a shrew- not nearly enough to keep him fed. He very seriously considered eating leaves, out of desperation to eat.

He felt weaker with each heavy-footed step, and he felt disappointed- disappointed in how pathetically feeble he was without anyone around, in the realisation how he relied so heavily on the servants and maids, and the people that had been always been by his side at every waking moment, fulfilling his every need.

How could he ever protect those he cared so dearly about, if he could barely keep himself alive?

It was then when he smelled smoke in the distance.

Something was cooking. His entire self perked up at the sound of humming- the kind that came from a human. The sounds and the smells drove him forward with hopeful anticipation, a feeling he thought he would never experience in this place.

He could feel his tail swish behind him as he approached the source of his attraction. He quickened his pace upon spotting the welcoming flames of a roaring fire far ahead of him.

Covered by shrubbery, he decided to keep himself hidden, just in case the person humming was an opponent of the kingdom. One could never be too certain as to where the enemy could be.

...Whoever this person was, they didn't look like an enemy. They weren't well dressed or protected, lacking armour or clothing to denote their place in the hierarchy. Their hair was long, damp and unkempt, and they smelled very salty. Perhaps they were a serf, who wandered into the forest to gather things to eat and got lost?

Arthur figured the likelihood of them being dangerous was low, before emerging from the bushes to introduce himself. He flashed an overly wide grin at them, already panting from excitement. His shrunken pupils remained focused on their mildly alarmed face.

"Hey! Hi there! I'm Arth- I'm Arthur! What's ya name?"

They scrunched their nose and narrowed their eyes.

"Where...are you from?" they questioned.

Oh. They sounded... different. Arthur had never heard of that type of voice before. They must have had not been familiar with his voice either, judging by their confusion.

"They aren't scared yet though! That's a start," he thought.

"I'm... I'm from Arilden! Don't ya know, hah!" he waved his paw dismissively, giving them a glance.

"Don't know that place. Is that north?" The human asked while checking on the food they were cooking.

Arthur was going to respond with concern until he picked up the scent of fish from the fire.

"Food! You- y-you got food! Food! Food-!" he nearly tripped over trying to get closer them, his mouth salivating.

"You must be hungry. Want to share this with me?" they looked up to see Arthur nodding eagerly in response, tail swiping the dirt beneath them.

"What a kind serf!" he thought.

Hundreds of "thank you"s were being slurred by Arthur between shovelling pieces of fish into his maw. The person gradually gave a smile in return, seemingly amused by Arthur's frantic energy when it came to his appetite.

As the fire continued to burn, the pair ate together in comfortable silence. Stars scattered about the night sky above, seen through the branches of the trees surrounding their cozy spot. Despite the quietness, Arthur was at ease now, in a place he felt safe in.

"I-" started Arthur, before wiping his face with the sleeve of his tunic. He glanced at them again.

"I don't think I got your... name, did I?" he asked, leaning towards the chef of his meal. They chuckled softly.

"Ah, no, you didn't- I didn't share it. Bríde. Nice to meet you, Arthur." Bríde's voice grew calmer, offering their hand to shake.

Arthur giddily shook their hand with vigor.