Chapter 12: Sister.

Uri stayed in the mountain cave for two days, then returned to the wooden house. It was his rendezvous with Clement, so he wanted to be there often so he could see Clement when he arrived.

Finn continues to accompany Uri to the wooden house. After all, Uri was still an inexperienced child; he desperately needed help from others.

With his extensive experience, Finn and Uri carefully inspect the forest; he wants to help Uri get used to how to protect himself. After ensuring there weren't any strangers in the woods, they went to the wooden house.

From that day on, Uri went to the edge of the forest every night and hid in the treetops waiting for Clement's arrival. Finn doesn't stop him; he sympathizes with Uri's feelings.

It was late at night, and the dew fell on the trees, making the air cold. Finn jumped onto a high branch, standing beside Uri. He looked at the empty road that ran through the forest, sighed, and said:

"It's late at night; your father isn't here. We should go back to rest. Tomorrow night I will stand here with you waiting for him."

"I want to wait a little longer." Uri did not take his eyes off the road, waiting patiently.

Finn advises: "I have cooked food; you should eat to be healthy. Listen to me. If your father comes here, as long as he goes into the forest, I can find out; you don't have to worry."

Uri jumped to the ground and followed Finn back to the wooden house. As soon as he entered the door, the smell of delicious food wafted out, making him feel hungry.

"You seem to be cooking something new today?" Uri went to the kitchen and opened the pot of soup that was boiling on the stove.

Finn scooped up the soup into two large bowls, smiled, and replied, "When you were at the edge of the forest, I went to the East, where there was an enormous cornfield, so I took some and brought it here."

Uri brought a bowl of steaming hot soup to the table; he scooped up a spoon to taste. Corn cooked with potatoes and rabbit meat has a sweet, delicious taste. He raised his head to look at Finn, who was walking out of the kitchen and asked:

"Why have you lived in the forest without growing vegetables or raising livestock?"

Finn put his bowl of soup down on the table, laughing. "If we grow food crops and raise livestock, do you think we can keep our whereabouts a secret until now?"

"Sorry, I'm so ignorant." Uri shyly looked down at his soup bowl.

"It's okay; you just don't understand our life." Finn poured tea into a cup and pushed it in front of Uri. "We have scattered potatoes in the forest, so we have potatoes to eat all year round. We can't go to the city often to loot food; it's too dangerous."

After many days of waiting, a black car stopped at dusk on the tenth day at the forest's edge. Uri sat on a tall tree and stared at the car, realizing it was his family's car.

"Looks like it's my dad." He turned to look at Finn sitting on a nearby branch. "I want to go down there."

Finn held Uri's hand, his eyes never leaving the car moving up and down, finally crashing into a large tree.

"Not your father. What is this person going to do?"

Uri frowned at the figure looming behind the windshield; suddenly, he said: "Maybe Anthea, she just learned to drive."

After saying that, he immediately jumped off the tree branch and ran to the side of the stopped car.

Looking closely, Uri realized that the person sitting inside was indeed Anthea. He quickly opened the car door, pulled her out, and drove behind a dense bush.

Anthea ran after him; as soon as Uri opened the car door, she rushed over and hugged him.

"I miss you!" She cried out, her eyes turning red. "Dad told me what happened to you."

Uri stroked her hair. "I miss you too, I want to go home, but I can't."

Finn stepped forward, saying, "We shouldn't stand at the edge of the woods."

Uri took Anthea's hand. "I'll take you to the chalet; it's safer there."

"You help me get things in the car." She pulled Uri's hand. "Our mother was afraid that you were alone in the forest with nothing to eat, so I brought a lot of things for you."

Uri opened the trunk. Inside were two large boxes full of things, and in the back seat, there were also two other crates. He carried a box and gave it to Finn. "We need to make two trips; my mother sent us four big and heavy crates."

Uri let Anthea stand beside the car, then he and Finn each carried a box and dashed to the wooden house. With speed so fast, they were back in just a short time.

Uri carried the crate with one hand, then took Anthea's hand and led her deep into the forest; the darkness covering the forest scared her.

"Are there wild animals here?" She walked closer to him, worriedly asked.

"Yes, but they dare not come here." He had the urge to tease her. "If they come, I will bite their necks, suck their blood."

Anthea slammed her fist into his chest, laughing. "You think it's easy to scare me?"

Finn walking beside, was also happy to follow the Millers. He quickly ran to the wooden house and returned to take the crate in Uri's hand.

  

"We should go faster. You carry your sister, and I carry the box."

Hearing what he said was reasonable, Uri handed the crate to Finn and crouched down for Anthea to climb up. In the dark, she couldn't see anything, but the sound of the wind in her ears made her realize that Uri's speed was too fast. She clung to his neck in fear, hiding her face behind his back to avoid the cold wind blowing in her face.

When Uri dropped her on the ground and then lit a small candle on the table, Anthea realized she was standing in a wooden house. She enjoyed looking at the walls made of tree trunks, smiling happily.

"This is the house you and dad made, right?"

"Yeah, my dad and I built it; I never expected to use it." Uri brought her to the table. "Sit down here."

She looked at him, comforting. "Don't be sad. After a while, those people no longer pay attention to us; you can go home."

Uri poured her a cup of tea; he laughed at her innocence. "I'll come back when it's safe, don't worry. Is someone watching our family?"

Anthea nodded. "People were following Dad, so he asked me to bring you things." She boxes. "Dad sent you some books. Why do you like those old books? I don't find them attractive at all."

Uri sighed, so the Red Leaves organization didn't give up on capturing him. He opened an item box, inside there was a lot of food, some of his clothes and some old books.

He asked Finn to open the remaining three boxes and set the books on the table, looking at Anthea's beautiful face by the candle.

"How are you and mom doing?"

She looked at her brother; after not seeing him for a while, his face had become more solid.

"Mom is fine and misses you very much. I still go to school every day."

"It's fine." He stroked Anthea's hairs from her cheeks. "I want to live with our family like before, but if I go home, our family and I are in danger."

"I hate those people," Anthea growled. "Because of them, you can't go home."

"I can take care of myself, don't worry," Uri reassures her. "Did our father tell me anything?"

"Well, Dad went to the libraries to find books for you, and these are all old books about vampires and Genesis." Anthea suddenly remembered what Clement had said.

"Tell our father how grateful I am to him." Uri turned the pages of an old book that had turned yellow.

He didn't know what he would find in these books, but he wanted to read them, hoping to find something useful.

Anthea stays at the bungalow for a while, and Uri asks her to drive home. He didn't want her to be outside too late, and it would be hazardous to leave until morning.

After seeing her off to the forest edge, he returned to sit and stare at the four crates she had brought.

"Your sister brought a lot of food." Finn opened the lid of the barrel. "It's mostly dry flour and canned food; maybe your mother's afraid you won't have room to store it."

Uri holds a few boxes of prepared food, smiles, and says: "My mother is careful and cooks very well; although canned food is also delicious, I like to eat the food she cooks."

"I understand how you feel." Finn put his hand on Uri's shoulder to comfort him. "If you live well, your mother will be much more secure."

"I know." Uri took his clothes out of the box and threw them on the bed. "We bring food to the cave for everyone."

"Your mother sent it to you. You can keep it; we're used to simple food here." Finn waved his hand in refusal.

"I need to get used to a life of hardship and deprivation like you." Uri bent down to pick up a crate. "Let's go! .We need to make two trips."

Seeing that Uri was adamant, Finn stopped refusing. He also carried a crate and left the wooden house with Uri, walking quickly towards the mountain cave behind the waterfall.