Aric clutched his flaming torch tightly as he crouched to examine the jagged three-fingered footprints before him. These prints were unmistakable; they belonged to a Wyron.
"Spineless childeater", he muttered under his breath as he scanned the bushes around him.
The cold night wind rustled the surrounding trees, an owl hooted occasionally and crickets chirped endlessly but beneath all forest noise, Aric knew he wasn't the only one out there that night.
Suddenly, the snap of a twig behind him broke the silence. Aric sprang to his feet in an instant, dropping his torch and drawing his blade as he turned around.
"Relax, tiger. It's just me", Caden whispered with a grin, raising his arms in mock surrender.
Aric sighed in frustration as he sheathed his sword. "Stop following me around, Caden. You're going to get yourself killed."
Caden chuckled lightly, as he stepped closer. He placed a friendly hand on Aric's shoulder with a tight grip and gave him a forced smile but Aric could see the worried look hidden underneath.
"I'm only looking out for you. Besides, Garrick's orders were to stay together, not wander off aimlessly", he said.
Aric scoffed. "I don't need you looking out for me. And this..." he replied, pointing to the footprints etched into the damp soil. "... isn't aimless wandering."
Caden's smile fell and eyes widened as he noticed the footprints. He instinctively gripped the hilt of his sword and looked around but saw nothing except the crooked outline of surrounding trees.
"These are fresh, Aric. We should report this to Garrick, the Wyron could be near", he suggested, his eyes still darting around cautiously.
"Or we could track it down and capture it ourselves", Aric said defiantly. "Once Captain Garrick gets involved, he'll make sure every damn thing is done his way."
Caden sighed in defeat and then walked past Aric to pick up the torch, it was almost exhausted and the heat licked at his fingers. He turned around with his usual forced smile, the firelight revealing the sheen of sweat on his forehead.
"I'd rather wrestle a Reaper than try to change your mind, so lead the way brother", he taunted, stepping aside and gesturing towards the path ahead.
Aric said nothing as he continued following the trail with Caden behind him. He hated how well Caden knew him but there was nothing he could do about it. He shoved the thought aside, the only thing on his mind was finding that Wyron and rescuing the missing child; he had given Selenna his word and he would not fail, or so he thought.
✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓
Dunmore's Southern gates groaned open as Selenna rode out through them. Dunmore's lantern lit street faded out behind her and her cloak billowed in the cold night wind which bit at her cheeks and rumpled her dark hair. Ahead of her was the path leading to the small settlement where she lived amongst her fellow non-Dunmorians, a place she called home.
As her horse galloped along the dirt road, she was engrossed in thought. Today was yet another fruitless day of trying to improve the living conditions of these settlers who lived outside Dunmore's fortified walls. Another day of empty promises.
The closer she got to the settlement, the more the weight of her people's hope pressed down on her. These people had always looked up to her for years, hoping that she'd secure them a place within Dunmore but it was the same story everyday for over two decades.
"When does this actually end?" she murmured.
The question hung in the air, it's answer remained as uncertain as the future of those who depended on her.
Upon reaching the settlement, she was greeted with the lively chatter and laughter of children and the scent of charred flatbread; a common delicacy among people who had little or no access to finer grains, relying instead on the little crops they could cultivate.
Her horse plodded slowly through the settlement, the piercing glare of questioning eyes following her every move but the disappointed look on her face already spoke volumes. She could only hear the murmurs growing louder behind her as figures began to pop out of makeshift homes of stone and hardened mud.
"Looks like we'll be spending another rift season out here as usual" said an elderly man, lines of hardship engraved onto his features as he watched her pass.
"I'd like to hear what excuse they gave this time." added a woman who held a malnourished toddler close to her chest.
Selenna heard everything but could not muster up a reply or even look at the sea of faces surrounding her. Her chest felt tight, and she knew she'd have to face the small crowd forming behind her.
As she reached her home at the edge of the settlement, she came off her horse, her boots sinking into the muddy earth. She hesitated before turning around to face the crowd, their eyes filled with hopelessness.
Selenna steadied herself, taking a deep breath before speaking. "The cabinet claims the city's resources are stretched thin," she said.
"They say taking in more people would compromise Dunmore's stability. That they must put the city's survival first."
Bitter and discontented murmuring filled the air.
"Go sharpen your weapons, the least we can do is protect ourselves as Dunmore has turned it's back on us again," the elderly man declared.
"A city that thrives while we scrape by in the dirt," another woman yelled. "And we're supposed to just accept it?"
Selenna had no reply to give, no encouragement. She understood their anger, their frustration and their need to be protected. Before she could disperse them, a sudden wail came from the crowd.
A young woman whose face was streaked with tears, shoved through the crowd, almost stumbling as she reached Selenna. "Please! My boy...have they found him?" She asked, kneeling and gripping Selenna's cloak tightly.
Selenna placed her hands on the woman's shoulders.
"Garrick and the best of the Vanguard are out there now. They're tracking the creature that took him," she said, loud enough for everyone else to hear. "They won't stop until they bring him home."
The woman nodded, still sobbing as Selenna's response did nothing to ease her pain. But Selenna had nothing more to give her; no certainty, no promise. Only the usual hope.
The woman looked up, her tearful eyes searching Selenna's face for a promise, for a certainty she couldn't give. "But... what if they don't?" the woman asked.
Before Selenna could answer, a coarse voice cut through the air. "If you had kept a better eye on your child, he wouldn't be out there in the first place!" A man stepped forward from the crowd with anger evident in his eyes. "We all know the dangers out there. Demons, Reapers... it's careless. Don't expect us to feel sorry for you."
These words hit Selenna like a physical blow. She turned sharply towards the man, and spoke firmly. "Do not speak of things you don't understand. The dangers we face aren't the fault of one mother. They're the fault of a city that has turned its back on us, of a world that has abandoned us, and gods that have forsaken us."
The man opened his mouth to retort, but Selenna's glare silenced him. She could feel the tension among them. They had all suffered, they had all lost something. But at that moment, Selenna knew they needed anything but empty promises.
"We all know the threats we face. We know the demons out there, the dangers in the forests, and the losses that come with survival," Selenna said. "But we will not be ruled by fear. If Dunmore will not help us, then we will stand together. We will defend ourselves."
She exhaled slowly, peeling the woman's hands from her cloak. Without another word, she turned and led her horse toward the stable beside her home while the crowd started to disperse.
✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓✓
The Wyron's tracks led through the undergrowth of shrubs, pointy imprints and grooves luring both men deeper into the forest. The trail led them toward an outcrop of stone, its surface covered with moss. At the base of the rock was a pitch black cave entrance.
Caden let out a sigh as his fingers twitched around the hilt of his sword. "Great. A cave. That's never gone badly before."
Aric didn't hesitate, grabbing the torch from Caden and walking towards the gaping mouth of the cavern. "The tracks lead inside."
"No. No, no, hold up," Caden stepped in front of him, looking around cautiously before continuing. "We don't know how deep that thing goes, what's inside, or if that thing is alone. We need to wait for the others."
Aric clenched his jaws. He could barely stop himself from shoving Caden aside. "And every second we waste talking is a second that child loses."
"Or it's a second we're walking into a death trap," Caden replied, lowering his voice. "You think I don't want to save the kid? But running in blind is how people end up dead. Yrengoth forest isn't safe. You and I know that."
Then they heard it. The unmistakable voice of a child.
Both men froze.
From deep inside the cave, a soft, trembling voice came out, a whimper hardly louder than the howling wind.
"Help me…"
Aric wasted no time. He rushed forward into the cave, torch in one hand, his drawn sword in the other.
"Aric, wait!" Caden cursed under his breath and hurried after him.
Damp air filled their nostrils, thick with the scent of earth, rot, and something even fouler; something malicious. The tunnel walls were rough and moist, the echoes of their footsteps swallowed by the oppressive darkness.
"Aric!" Caden's voice was hushed as he caught up, grabbing his brother's arm. "You have got to stop doing this. Charging in, not thinking, one day, you won't be fast enough to fix your mistakes."
Aric yanked his arm free, gripping his sword tighter as he turned to face Caden. His brown defiant eyes burned in the firelight. "And if we wait? If we hesitate?" He could barely contain his frustration. "Then we might as well have left that kid to die."
Caden opened his mouth to reply but a slow chuckle came from the surrounding darkness.
It echoed through the cave walls, a sinister sound that slithered into their ears and made their stomachs churn.
Both men unsheathed their swords as if on cue, their eyes darting around the cave walls.
The voice came again.
"How sweet… you came looking for the child."
Aric's strengthened his grip on his blade as he snarled back into the darkness. "Enough games. Show yourself."
An eerie laugh echoed through the cave, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once.
"Oh… but I have," the voice jeered with amusement. "I watched you blundering through the woods, fumbling at footprints like blind pups."
The voice shifted, moving from one side of the cavern to the other but still not visible to Aric or Caden.
"And you took so long… long enough for me to savor every little bite…"
"You're lying," Aric growled.
The voice chuckled again. "Am I?"
Aric snapped. He rushed forward, sword drawn, ready to find this thing and carve out it's skin.
But Caden held him back.
"Think, damn it!" Caden hissed. "It wants you to rush in blind!"
His eyes shifted to the torch in Aric's hand, then to the clusters of dry roots and brittle fungal growths on the cave floor.
He took the torch and hurled it.
It landed on a patch of dried root clusters, the flames quickly catching the brittle fibers and spreading. The flames roared and illuminated the cave all the way to the ceiling.
And then they saw that they weren't alone.
A dozen Wyrons clung to the cavern walls and ceiling, motionless, silent and waiting to strike. Their lean hairless bodies twisting, long clawed arms gripping the rock like insects. Their snake-like lower halves coiled around the stalactites and tails swayed about.
One of them, slightly larger than the others, crawled out from the shadows. It grinned, jagged teeth glaring in the firelight.
"Ah… now isn't this better?"