The man walks along the street past a three way junction. People stare for a moment but he seems to not mind the attention, he seems used to it. A short while later he reaches a tavern standing a walking distance to his right, it sits in a row of building but stands out by the loud noise coming from it.
The man walks into the tavern and almost immediately the noise grows dim. Attention shifts to him for a moment, a waitress almost drops a beer mug staring at him, she cannot be blamed the man is gorgeous.
The tavern is almost full with a mere two seats empty. The bartenders are in a rush to prepare the booze while the waitresses sprint across the room back and forth trying to appease the smelly, perverted drunks that are their customers. Most of them are old married men trying to out drink and out wither each other. Trying to flirt with the waitresses to no avail yet they laugh amongst themselves unsatirically believing that they have truly wooed them with their imaginary charm.
The the building itself is decent for it's line of work, the floor is wooden with a few cracks and loose, creeking planks. There are old barely hanging chandeliers connected to the ceiling. Long stools are placed along the bartenders' stations. All of them except for one are occupied. About five tables with a different number of chairs at each based off of who's gang is there.
On one of these tables and the one closest to the man at the door are three gents. Each seated at a cardinal point around the table. They all wear a trench coat similar to his but a different color. To the man's north is a gent in a green attire facing him, an axe that resembles the man in blue but his has green markings. On seeing him a gentle smile pops up on his face. He looks the youngest of the four. He has long hair tied into a bun at the back of his head. His right cheek bone has a mole. He has light, slightly swarthy skin.
To the west is another man, he has a rather stoic impression on his face. His coat is full on grey. He has curly black hair and black eyes. His lays on the ground with grey markings on it, almost like it has been abandoned.
To his immediate front and opposite the one in green, is a man in a red coat, he turns back to see the visitor. He's a red head with his relatively long hair tied behind his head, half his face is a beard that connects one side burn to the other. His bushy moustache joins in completing his facial hair perfectly. Just like his friend in green, he smiles on spotting the man at the door. His axe leaning by the edge of the table and it's head on the ground.
"Zamar!" Calls the man in red with excitement. His voice deep and gruff like that of a father's marinated in the joy of seeing his son come back home. He has an Irish accent, one that complements him and his personality.
He walks over to the table with a half smile on his face and takes off his axe, places it leaning on the side of the empty chair then sits.
"That was long," says the one in green.
"It's the beans, isn't it? You must've been fighting for your life, did the toilet make it?" says the one in red. The one in green smiles.
"Calm down Angus," says Zamar in a deep, youthful voice, "It wasn't shitting that kept me busy, I was looking for a hairstylist around the edge of the town when I heard woman's voice. It was strange, like her voice was breaking."
"Wendigo," says the one in green.
"They were luring a young girl out to the snow, but I got there in time," says Zamar.
As they go on conversing a man comes out of a room in the left corner of the room near the bartenders' station. He is a fat man with a big round nose and trimmed hair. On his chin are scarce strands of hair poking out at different lengths. He spots the gents in coats at their table and frowns up like a child stuffing their mouth with food. He proceeds to walk and sit on the empty stool by the bar tenders station.
"Would you look at that! The bloody rainbow's complete!" He says out loud.
"He's talking about us," says Zamar looking at the table.
"Yes," says the one in green next to him. He almost looks ashamed.
"Woodsmen this, woodsmen that, I'm sick and tired of having your bullshit shoved down our throats!" He goes on complaining.
"Would you rather it shoved up your ass?" Asks Zamar.
The man turns as he gets off his stool, more lumps on his face like indicators expressing the degree anger. He takes a few strides towards Zamar swinging his arms every which way like a cartoon character. Zamar also gets off his chair and steps towards him, Angus sighs before taking a gulp from his beer mug. Zamar and the man are now facing each other. Zamar easily towering over him at a whooping six feet and five inches height while the the proposer stares up with his five feet seven inches.
"Stop this Leopold," pleads the man sitting next to his empty stool by the bartenders station.
"You think I'm afraid of you?" Asks Leopold with his neck bent almost ninety degrees back just to stare at Zamar's face.
"I know you are, everyone in this room knows how insignificant your strength is compared to mine, so I suggest you calm your man breasts and sit the fuck down," commands Zamar.
"Or else what?" Asks Leopold.
The rest of the tavern stares at them heavily invested in the drama, even the waitresses are frozen in time unable to look away. It's only fair, rarely does anyone get to see the woodsmen argue with some random, bitter middle-aged, man. Zamar notices the attention, he chooses to be the bigger person and tone it down.
"Or else nothing Leopold, threatening you gets us no where, just sit down and mind your own business," says Zamar seemingly more calm.
"No! I don't want to calm down!" Yells Leopold.
Zamar stares at him almost embarrassed for him. He looks like a child throwing a tantrum. It's no longer anger that Zamar feels, just second hand embarrassment and a weird sense of pity, one that you feel when you see someone pathetic.
"I don't get it, what do you want? Or at least, tell us what did we do to get such hate from you?" Asks Zamar.
Of course Leopold has something to say.
"You killed my brother!" He yells at Zamar.
Some of the people watching gasp in shock. They seem so invested in fact that only the flies buzzing around the smelly perverts are moving around. One of the waitresses is so lost she's taken half the beer in one of the mugs she's carrying.
The man in grey lets out a chuckle and says, "Crazy. Hear that Kai, we're mindless murderers,"
"But we've never killed people," says the one in green looking at the one in red.
"I don't remember any of us killing anyone, ever," says Zamar to Leopold.
"Of course you don't remember, after all like you said, we're all insignificant to you," says Leopold angrily.
"That's not what I said," says Zamar.
"I don't know Zamar, I seem to remember..." Mocks the one in grey, quicky Zamar interrupts him.
"Quiet Indra!"
"So serious, come on, you always say I should joke a little," says Indra.
"Six months ago you were fighting some monster, you led it into the town and it charged into my brother's house. Mauled him to death," says Leopold.
Zamar thinks for a moment, his left eye lid twitches as he stares at the ground trying to remember. He does and looks up at Leopold.
"You're talking about the drider," says Zamar.
"Whatever it was, you brought it here and killed my brother,"
"We didn't bring it, it was a burrower, it lived under the town," says Zamar.
"Fucking lies!" Yells Leopold.
Zamar sighs rolling his eyes to the side.
"I don't expect someone like you to believe me, but for your brothers death, I am truly sorry," says Zamar.
"Sorry? You feed my brother to a giant spider and all you have to say is sorry?" He asks enraged.
He clenches his right hand into a fist and retracts the arm preparing for a punch. From Zamar's perspective the preparation for the attack alone is so obvious and so slow that it is as if time was stopping at the end of each movement granting him the opportunity to act. However he stands there, watching, he understands that the man is not just drunk but in pain. He is bitter for losing his brother.
Leopold throws the fist at Zamar's left cheek, the blow lands and a sound similar to that of bones shattering is heard with a slap sound.
"Urgh!" He grunts in pain holding his hand.
Zamar stands there, unfazed, staring down at Leopold. The punch had absolutely no effect on him, in fact, at the point of impact, Zamar didn't even blink.
Zamar turns after a moment to walk away, Leopold however, isn't done. He takes a mug full of beer at the bartenders table and pours it onto Zamar's head. Zamar stops on his tracks, Indra smiles staring at him. He turns then a string of electricity flows down Zamar's face leaving his eyes glowing bright blue.
"Do it! Kill me like you did my brother," says Leopold, trying to push him over the edge.
He stares down at him intensely. Leopold staring back, a wasted drunk with nothing to lose. In all honesty, it wasn't worth it.
"Zamar," rumbles a deep voice as a hand lands on Zamar's right shoulder.
Angus stands behind him with an aura that cannot be ignored. Usually a very charismatic and jovial gent, he wears a serious look on his face. Standing at seven feet four inches, he towers over Zamar, over shadowing even Leopold. He's height isn't entirely what makes him massive, he has a strongman build, with a rather wide waist and thick, beefy arms.
Zamar stays quiet for a moment, his eyes glow down and then he speaks, "I wasn't going to hurt him."
"Huh!" Laughs Indra.
"I know you weren't going to," says Angus.
"Then why'd you stand if not to stop me?" Asks Zamar.
"To show you that amidst all this, you're not alone brother. When they point fingers at you, they point fingers at all of us. Regardless of whatever is said against you, against us, we know the truth, we know each other, and that's all that matters," says Angus.
"Right," says Zamar as he steps off to sit down at the table.
Angus follows him to sit.
"That's right! Run! Like the spineless cunts you are!" Yells Leopold.
"Shut up!" Yells a man from one of the tables in the tavern.
Everyone snaps back and it is as if someone pressed the play button on a video. Activities play on like they previously were, old drunks throwing half witted, barely worded compliments at the waitresses while they dash along the diagonals of the room trying to attend to most of the customers.
"Woodsmen! The mayor asks for you," says a man wearing a somewhat fancy rob standing by the entrance of the tavern.
"Shall we?" Says Angus.
They all get up to leave.
They arrive at a building seemingly at the centre of the town, Angus knocks on it.
"Come in," says a man's voice from inside. They open the door and walk in.
It appears to be an office. It has portraits of old men aligned on the right wall. They stretch to the front end. At the front sits an old man at a desk. He has papers on the desk and a feather pen in his hand, seems he was writing something on one of the papers. He is balding with some grey hairs on the sides of his head. His face is slim and long. He wears a black rob that stretches down to his ankles. There's garments on it that seem precious, expensive.
"Ahhh...Angus, Kai, Indra aaaand Zamari. Good evening," he greets them. As he says Zamar's a brief contempt is expressed om his face and tone.
"Actually it's Zamar," says Zamar.
"Whatever you say," he says to Zamar, as he does so he seems unbothered and looks down at the paper on his desk. Deeming Zamar's correction unimportant.
"It's not..." Starts Zamar as he steps forward, Angus puts his right arm in front of Zamar stopping him in his tracks. The two share a moment of staring into each other's eyes. Zamar gets the message and steps back looking away.
"Good evening Mayor Malon," Angus answers alone.
"I called you because of a recent predicament we've been facing here in Maintown Ivar," says the Mayor.
"And what might that be," asks Angus.
"Wendigos, though popular creatures in this country, recently we've been having an extremely high number of attacks. In fact they're abducting people, in broad daylight,"
"That's...rare," says Kai.
"Yes Kai, it is. They're getting confident, now we don't know why but, it needs to stop," adds the mayor.
"It'll be taken care of mayor," says Angus.
"Good," he says opening a book, "Emma, our town's doctor wants to have a word with you, you should go to her."
The four take their leave, out side Zamar stops walking while the other three take a couple of steps forward.
"I'm not coming, you three should update me later," says Zamar.
"Why?" Asks Kai.
"I'm getting my hair done," answers Zamar.
"Finally," says Angus smiling.
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Should be pretty obvious Zamar, you can't be shaggy and dumb," says Angus. Kai and Indra smiles.
"Eat shit Angus," says Zamar.
Zamar walks in the opposite direction while the other three walk on to the town clinic. Zamar arrives at some building. It has a giant comb and scissors for a sign on top of the front entrance. He walks in and meets a brown melanated lady with black afro hair in a green dress. She's slim, has a spotless and smooth skin with a chiseled jawline. She looks good.
In the shop's forefront are three stations with three seats where hair stylist attend to their customers. The one to the furthest left has both a customer having her hair done by another hairstylist. The other two seats are empty with the one to the furthest right having the unoccupied hair dresser standing behind it.
The ones on the left seemed to have been engaging in a discussion that came to an abrupt stop immediately Zamar walked in. They turn to him and stared for a moment. Zamar steps forward towards the free hairstylist. He's not smiling but his facial expression is subconsciously welcoming.
"Good evening," says Zamar to her.
"Good evening, my name is Liya, are you here to get your hair done?" She asks jovially.
"Yes," he answers.
"Good," she adds as she pulls back the chair creating space for him to sit down. He takes his axe off his back and leans it on the chairs arm rest before sitting down.
"Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself, I am..."
"Zamar!" She yells interrupting him with excitement in her voice. Zamar stares at her reflection in the mirror in front of him with a smile on his face.
"You know me," he says.
"The lightning wielder, yes, yes I do," she says smiling in fascination as she stares at him.
Theres a brief moment of silence before he speaks in a relatively loud whisper looking into her eyes via the reflection, "Liya, the hair stylist, do my hair."
The two share a chuckle as she snaps back. She takes a comb on the dashboard in front of them and begins undoing a dread lock on his head.
"Are they still staring at us?" Asks Zamar whispering with his teeth clenched.
"Yes, but don't mind them, it's not everyday a woodsmen visits our salon," she answers in a similar manner.
Angus, Kai and Indra are inside the town's clinic. A figure in a black gown and plague mask walks across a hall way in front of them.
"Hello!" Calls Angus. The figure stops and turns to the three.
"Woodsmen," says a feminine voice from under the mask. They take off the mask revealing a young woman, "You're here."
"You must be Doctor Emma," says Angus.
"Yes, the mayor sent you I assume. Follow me," she says.
They enter a door in front of them that leads into a sort of pharmacy. There are portions and jars full of chemicals on shelves all around them. A desk with papers to their left and a chair that the doctor sits on.
"I do not really have any other chairs with me here but it's the only safe space to talk about what I am about to tell you,"
"Proceed," says Angus.
"Assuming the only reason you're in Ivar is to hunt some monster, I'd like to raise an issue on that subject. We've had wendigos raiding the town boundaries. We thought they were abducting people to feed on them but then, their numbers increased," says the doctor.
"How do you know it's not the same numbers attacking the town over and over," asks Indra.
She takes a deep breathe and then says to the three, "Follow me."
They follow her to a room at the forefront end of the pharmacy that leads to what looks like a lab. Inside are surgery and research tools. Some with smeared with blood. A foul smell of rot hits all four of them. It's a messy dingy looking room. At the back, behind them is a wall with scratch marks all over it.
She then walks to the right side of the room where a large box like container stands. It's huge. She opens it and the smell becomes concentrated. They all squint their eyes as the eye watering stench sips into their noses forcing it's way down their lungs.
"What is that?" Asks Angus as they barely face what seems to be the carcass of a slightly familiar creature with shackles on its wrists and...ankles?
It slightly reassembles the wendigo Zamar had fought earlier but smaller. The skin is a brighter grey with human-like hair at the back of its neck. It's feet look like those of a rabbit, but shaven and without claws.
"A wendigo, why would you have this in your laboratory?" Asks Kai, it's hard to tell if he's concerned or just asking out of curiosity. The disgust on their faces all match.
"This here is the body of John Philips. He came to the hospital one night a week ago. I'd been working on some medicines and stayed till late. None of the other nurses were present hence his presence didn't raise an alarm. He was not fully morphed but quickly becoming a full blown wendigo. He still had some control over himself but it was quickly fading. He begged me to help him and out of fear for my own life, at least at first, I agreed. He let me chain him and use powerful sedatives to knock him out for of the little time he had left. I immediately began taking samples from his body to try and develop a cure, I did this for days in secret. However, just when I thought I was on the right track, he perished. Sad as it was I had to go on for the sake of the future. I knew there would be more like him, victimized by those monsters,"
"Ironic isn't it? That rest are monsters but he is not," says Indra.
"Well, yes. But as it is it would be easier to help those who have not yet lost themselves to the darkness than to try and save everyone," she says.
"Right," says Indra.
"What is it that you need from us doctor?" Asks Angus.
"I need you to catch more like him, wendigo that have not yet lost themselves and are in the morphing process. Then I can try my discoveries on them, might just be the cure to this disease," she says.
"Please close the box,"pleads Kai.
"Ohh sorry," she says as she closes and locks it. The smell barely changes in intensity.
"Let's just leave this room please," please Kai again.
They head out and step into the pharmacy. They take a few breathers before Kai speaks, "Wendigo in their early stages tend to be more ferocious than those that have fully turned. They're in constant pain as their body is still morphing. Typically less intelligent than their fully turned counter parts, they'll attack on impulse. I doubt your sedatives and chains were enough to hold him down, he must've had immense will power, and hope that you'd help him."
"Does the mayor know about this?" Asks Indra.
"No! He'd deem me a witch and burn me on a stake at the town square. Only the the people in this room know about this. Please do not inform him," says the Doctor.
They notice her fear and already they realized the task ahead would be difficult. Not in terms of getting a hold of the damned beasts but rather delivering the catch to the doctor. The creatures can be loud and chaotic, especially the younglings. However they are heroes, impossible personified, they would never back down.
"Marvelous as that sounds, let's say you get this cure, people will still have to know of what happened here for you to achieve that," says Indra.
"She's helping them, we'll stand by her when the time comes. For now we do what we can, that bridge will be crossed when we get there, together," assures Indra. He smiles at her and uplifts her spirit. She smiles back at him.
They walk out of the hospital with the doctor with them.
"Thank you," she says to them.
Angus nods at her and she wants walks back in.
"To the inn," he says and the three walk away.
They reach the front entrance to an inn. As they head to enter a figure in a cloak and hood approaches them quick. Their face is hidden but they have a small build and all three tower over this character. They seem dirty and weekly. They keep looking by their sides and over their shoulders as if afraid that someone is onto them.
"Heroes, please may I speak with you?" begs the figure.
"Urgh! Come on we just got here," bickers Indra irritated.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Asks Angus.
"I am a messanger from the people of the eastern town of Ivar. I cannot expose my identity but I plead with you to heed to me, please. The people of the eastern town call for you, as we speak they reside on Neil island," she says.
"Neil island? . How did you cross the Green lake?" Asks Indra.
"Explaining that would take far too long, the our doctor will tell you everything when you get there. As for the eastern town, the mayor abandoned us, treated us like lesser human beings, left us to rot like peasants. The lake was gruesome but the sacrifice was worth it," she says.
"What do you mean the mayor abandoned you?" Asks Angus who's interrupted by a bell, darkness has dawned and the bell alarms the people to avoid unnecessary night strolling or activity as safety diminishes with the light.
"I'm sorry, I have to leave. But please, attend to us. My people need you," please the figure as it dashes away.
"Wait! How do we cross the...lake?" Asks Indra as the figure disappears at some corner.
"Come on," says Angus. They all walk into the inn.
Inside their room, they meet Zamar on his bed among four. Each is placed by its wall as there's four. The room is square. Their beds aren't the best beds, but the four are glad to at least have beds to sleep on. Other than the beds the room has nothing but one small table in the middle with a half burnt candle on top of it.
Angus walks up to the candle and flicks his finger on the charred candle wick. A curved wave of fire diverges from that single flick enlarging outwards towards Indra who's on the opposite of Angus on his bed. The flame startles him and he jumps back on his seat.
The three share a laugh while he sits there agitated staring at the candle.
"Woops, almost caught your beard aye Indra," says Angus chuckling.
"I don't have a beard," says Indra staring at him in anger and confusion.
"Exactly!" says Angus who begins to laugh again.
Zamar laughs with him while Kai empathizes with him and stops. Zamar smiles, his hair newly done and looking fine. He has blonde dreads locks tied behind the back of his head with the sides of his head trimmed down to a clean fade. It ticks him off that no one mentions it but so as to seem manly he keeps quiet about it.
Angus stops then clears his voice before saying,"Now to the important matters."
"First of all, next time we get separate rooms. I'm done staring at little Angus everytime he's from bathing," says Zamar.
"If it's so bad then why are you staring?" Asks Indra.
"I didn't say I stare at it,"says Zamar.
"Yes you did," says Kai smiling.
"You just wanted to talk about my shlong," says Angus smiling, he then adds, "And who are you calling little?"
"Well, relative to mine, it is quite small," says Zamar with a smirk on his face as he steps forward towards Angus. They stare at each other with smouldering intensity as if they were about to hold a measuring content. Angus breaks the awkward silence in the room.
"It's why they calls us the woodsmen," says Angus smiling. Zamar and Angus share a chuckle.
Kai smiles but turns to Indra who's not having it.
"Alright enough with the...sword...fights, we need to talk about Neil island, and what the doctor asked of us," says Kai.
"Right," says Angus as they turn to the other two. They sit back at their beds and pay attention.
"Wait, there's people on Neil island?" Asks Zamar.
"We're not sure, someone, a messenger intercepted us as we came back to the inn. They claimed that the people of eastern town Ivar moved to Neil island because the mayor apparently neglected them," says Kai.
"Huh, earlier today when I fought those wendigo, the battle took place in the eastern town. It was deserted, " says Zamar.
"So the messenger was telling the truth," says Angus.
"Does that mean we're going?" Asks Kai.
"We'll attend to them, find out the full story and make our next move afterwards," adds Angus collected and calm.
"Tomorrow?" Asks Zamar.
"I'd like to assume that's for the best, unless there's anyone who objects?" He asks. A brief silence fills the room.
Kai then says to Zamar, "The doctor asks us to catch some wendigo for her."
"Why?" He asks.
"She believes she may have found a cure," says Kai.
"That's a first," he says.
"Anyway, we should sleep, we have a long day tomorrow," says Angus.
A blizzard hits him covering his face with snow. It blows the candle off covering the room with darkness. They can however make out each others faces.
"Woops, did it catch your beard?" Asks Indra smirking.
Angus smiles then says, "Quite the langer."
Flames build up on his head and face vaporizing all the snow in an instant flashing the whole room with an orange lighting.
He turns to his bed and lays down, "Good night all of yous,ohh and Zamar, the new look, I like it."
Zamar smiles and says nothing to hide his joy.
They all lay down for some slumber awaiting the next day.
Back in the eastern town, two wendigo stand before the dead bodies of their counterparts. One small with its right antler broken while the other, towering over it. It has more fur on it. It's antlers stretching out like bit fibrous roots.
"What is this?" Asks the big one.
"Dead wendigo," answers the one with the broken antlers.
The bigger one grabs it by its neck lifting it up and choking it, "I can see that they're dead, who did it?!"
"I might...know...who," it mutters as it's life is squeezed out of it.
It gets released and drops to it's knees, it places it's rickety hands onto its neck as it huffs for breathe.
"Who?!"
"The woodsmen, they're the only ones who have enough power to do this. They must've recently arrived," it says.
"Is that so? How do they taste?" Asks the brute.
"I don't know, even before you arrived, we stayed away when the woodsmen were around," it answers.
The larger one growls then grabs the skinny one by its only good horn, it then drags him into the woods saying, "You will tell me everything you know about these 'woodsmen'."