All That From A Snowball (A Herobrine Adoption Story)

Unexpected Kindness

          And then his knees buckled.

           With one massive step forward, Steve effortlessly caught Jake with his one good arm. The miner gently brought him back to sit on the bed, raising an eyebrow at him. Jake gave him a sheepish smile, "It's fine, no pain, really."

          Steve huffed, "Jake so help me, tell the truth-"

          "Alright! It stung a little, and my bones ache, but just a little I swear to Notch." Jake looked at the ground, shoulders slumped.

          Steve sighed; Jake looked defeated. He was young and active, didn't like being stuck in bed, "I'll tell you what..."

          Jake looked up, hopeful.

          "...We'll go to town tomorrow...but only if you are able to help me carry wood in by this evening. If you can't, we stay for one more day, even if I have to drag you on a sled. And don't strain yourself, take it easy."

          Jake grinned, "Perfect." And immediately bent down to massage his calves, which still bore marks of the frostbite, white streaks running up and down his pale skin.

          Steve rolled his eyes, Jake could be terribly impatient sometimes, "Careful, you'll rub the skin right off."

          "Thanks grandad."

          "Excuse me...?"

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          The small form that had been watching the two men for three days was still outside the little cabin. He stood, just outside one of their windows, teleporting to avoid being seen. The younger one seemed to have a difficult time walking, which troubled the being. If only he hadn't been there...all his pain could have been avoided.

          The being sighed, shivering as a cold wind blew over him, whipping his thin cape about him, and his hair over his eyes. He'd found the cloak in an abandoned village, fluttering from a fencepost. It had already been thin and worn, but it was better than nothing. He could stand extreme weather; it was just greatly uncomfortable. He often found himself wishing one of the two men would discard an old cloak, theirs looked thick and warm.

          He watched from a window, hidden behind a tree, as the younger stumbled, his legs shaking, again. The being berated himself again for startling him at that lake, the man was innocent and had done nothing to warrant such a misfortune. A twinge of fear clamped onto his heart.

          What if they thought he had attacked them? What if they tried get revenge, or go and hire some sort of hunter to go after him? The being shuddered, he had encountered a few humans bent on his destruction, humans who would band together and try and trap him and kill him. Some had managed to hurt him quite badly before. He had always fled, trying his hardest to not hurt them, for they didn't understand just what they were going after, how powerful he was. He himself didn't even know! He had tried to block it all, tried to erase his powerful existence, hating the instincts that would fight to keep him alive...

          Another cold wind blew, rustling the spruces and picking up small sprays of snow. The being's teeth chattered, and he pulled his cloak tighter around him. The two men were sitting now, their back to a window. Curious, he teleported closer, wanting to see the extent of the damage himself.

          He hoped dearly that the young one would recover from it.

_______________________________

          Jake grunted as he struggled to stay standing, pins and needles running up and down his legs. Steve stood at his side, ready to catch him if he fell. It was late noon, and Jake had made it all the way to the furnaces. He was recovering, waiting to turn around and try making it to the bed and not fall over. His legs shook a little, but they felt much better than earlier.