A
Annyeong Bunny
Guest
Original poster
The cool breeze that brushed past Lee's forearms was both coveted and welcome. The detective felt many nostalgic memories float into mind as his shoes met with dead leaves and twigs. Bittersweet, yet calming. It was nice to search in the forest, as it seemed familiar... emotionally relaxing. Or, slightly, at least. Letting his dark, almost black, eyes travel against the rays of the sun, Lee took a breath of the air. The forest was most definitely one of the detective's favorite safe-places. Was it possible that the child may be the same? Especially if he knew the trees and paths... it wouldn't be difficult to find a hiding place. Turning down a narrow, almost nonexistent, trail, Lee felt the hairs on his arms and neck stand on end. Almost like someone was watching him. Immediately, the detective paused, silence enveloping him entirely. The only sounds he could hear were those of bugs and nature's creatures moving about.
"Hello?" Lee asked, hearing his voice carry through the trees. Then, a rustle. Leaves. Slowly, he turned his eyes upward to see a shadow moving further into the branches of a tree a few feet away. Slowly tilting his head, the adrenaline started to pump in Lee's veins as he took small steps to the tree, pressing his hand on the bark as he looked up, squinting his eyes to see through the thin and thick branches. "It's alright... nobody will hurt you." the detective spoke calmly and softly, even though he wasn't sure what was in the tree. Then, more rustling. Suddenly, a small head started to move into the male's view, tiny eyes suddenly rising as well. A small sigh of relief escaped Lee's mouth before a ghost of a smile tugged at his lip.
"Mind if I join you?" Lee asked carefully, letting the very slight smile grow a bit as he glanced over the boy. He slowly watched as the child nodded before moving back out of sight. The detective slowly grabbed hold of the tree and started climbing up until he saw the boy. Moving to sit on the thickest branch near him, Lee sighed, turning to look through the leaves. "It's been a bit rough the past few days, hasn't it?" Lee asked carefully, his midnight eyes turning to the child. Using no words, he simply nodded a reply, looking as if to fight back tears. Lee felt a slight tug at his heart and felt his eyes soften. Slowly, the detective placed his hand against the child's head, carefully petting his hair as a more gentle expression took over his features.
"Even if you're hiding here, it gets scary, doesn't it?" Lee asked another question, keeping a gentle hand on the child's head. Another slow nod was the response he received. Nodding as well, the detective looked to see a large cut on the boy's foot. If he had been here for long, it would get infected. That wasn't good. "Why don't you come with me? I'll get you some food and we'll sort all of this out. I can help with your foot, too." Lee added, moving his gaze from the child's foot back to his face. The boy was crying now, and he was nodding more eagerly.
"Alright, hop on my back and we'll get you somewhere safe." Lee advised, turning on the branch carefully so the boy could make his way to him. At the feel of the weight on his back, Lee carefully scaled down the tree, balancing the newly added weight before moving his arms to hold the child's legs securely. At the feel of the child's arms around his neck, Lee frowned and felt something deep in his gut. Pity. Carefully, Lee looked down at his watch before seeing that he was about a minute or two late. Great, now he looked like a huge hypocrite. Lee pushed the thought away before he stepped onto the main trail, seeing Austin up ahead. He was sure that his white button-up was dirty, and his hair looked unkempt. It didn't matter though... as long as he had the child and knew he was safe, he could live with getting a little dirty.
"I know I'm late, but I found the kid. Like I thought, he was hiding in the trees." Lee spoke, slightly out of breath, but nonetheless with a tone of relief. He watched the other detective and noticed the papers in his hands. Slowly Lee bent down and let the kid down before turning around and picking him up properly. "So. What did you find?" he asked, feeling his detective mode start running as he moved to a large rock, sitting the child down on it. Slowly, he grabbed the boy's foot and looked over the cut, sizing it up before turning to look at Austin once more, his eyes filling with curiosity.