Kai slept until the soft patter of drizzle hitting the roof of his hut fitted together with the soft hum of the trees outside. Lying, he listened for a while, letting the morning unfurl over him like a warm blanket. The unease of the night didn't leave him, but he shoved it aside as he got up, dressed, and readied for the day.
Today was market day in Elderwood, and though he hated the teeming village square, he had to restock some of his supplies. He could not live on the scrawny flora that he picked in the woods forever. Picking up his pouch, he set off along the narrow, muddy path that finally opened into the village, and his mind began to wander to the strange sensation he had that night. He had been traveling these woods for years but never felt quite anything like that.
The hum of conversation met him long before he was close to the market, intertwined with sweet fresh bread and wisps of dried herbs on the air. The villagers were out in force: haggling over vegetables, haggling with traders, and exchanging rumors. Kai kept his gaze low, slipping between the stalls, avoiding eye contact.
"Look, it's the Marked Boy," someone muttered behind him.
"He's up early today," whispered another, with an air of suspicion.
Kai seemed deaf to this, studiously regarding the stall in front of him. Lena-the village healer-gave him a soft smile as he drew near; she was amongst the few that never treated him like some sort of walking curse, and for that he was grateful.
"Morning, Kai," she said, crinkling up the edges around her eyes. "Stocking up?"
He nodded and pulled out a small bunch of dried herbs he'd collected. "Thought you might be able to use these in exchange.".
Lena stared at the bouquet and nodded in approval. "These are in good condition. You got a sharp eye for plants, Kai.
He allowed himself a small smile. She was the only one to ever acknowledge his skills, and these were the moments he cherished.
Lena fitted his pouch with everything from medicines to salves, placing each item with careful deliberation. She turned it over to him, her eyes straying to the scar, her brow furrowed slightly. "How's the mark been? Any… changes?
Kai shifted uncomfortably. Lena had been there when he'd first appeared in the village with his mother; she knew as much about the scar on his face as anyone else did. But not even she knew where it came from.
"It still glows sometimes," he said quietly. "Mostly at night. But it's… nothing I can control."
Lena nodded, a pensive look crossing her face. "Marks like that are not normal, Kai. Whenever anything out of the ordinary is going on, come see me. Sometimes, a mark like that is an omen of something yet to come.
Kai was speechless. He nodded briefly in appreciation and disappeared into the trees, her words weighing heavily upon him. Something yet to come. A chill ran down his spine as he hurried his pace, in a rush to get back into the soothing silence of the forest.
And as Kai walked away from the market, he could feel the weight of their gaze upon him, the weight which prickled his skin until he wanted to disappear into nothingness, mere shadow among the trees. This scar is not something he had asked for, yet it apparently defined him, set him apart in ways he could not control.
He came to his hut, dropped his supplies inside, and did some light preparation of food. As he was doing these things, his mind wandered. There was an ache within his chest, an ache he could somehow not satisfy. The living here was cushy, incomplete; he was only waiting for something. And many times, he wondered whether he would ever have the purpose of his life or his destiny was sealed to remain the village outcast forever.
That afternoon, deeper into the forest he plunged, his feet carrying him down paths now so well-known they scarce required the guidance of his eyes. Here, the trees were like old friends, their trunks twisted and knotted, roots curling over rocks like fingers. Today, he pressed beyond the trails that he knew, pulled on by quiet urgings to explore.
He hadn't walked much further when he heard a faint noise, like leaves moving, but with a rhythm that was almost… purposeful. He froze, hard-of-hearing. The sound was faint, a soft padding, as if something large moved just out of his line of sight.
Kai stepped closer warily, heart pounding in his chest, because he knew better than to disturb any wild animal, but somehow this seemed different, almost as if it called to him. This was almost recognizable: a faint stirring deep inside, as if one part of him knew the presence.
But in that instant, it vanished. The forest fell silent once more; the only sound his shallow breathing. Kai shook his head, chiding himself for his runaway imagination. Perhaps he had been alone too long. With a sigh, he changed direction, a thought that it would be better to head back before night began to fall.
The long shadows stretched, like dark tendrils, across the forest floor as he walked into the evening light. His thoughts drifted to the myths and stories of beasts his mother used to tell him on quiet nights.
Always telling him he was destined for something great, he had a path no one else could see. But such were only tales, he told his mind. Life was here, in Elderwood, amongst people who feared him, and this wood-its sole protection.
As Kai came in sight of the hut, he experienced a pang of disappointment for which he had no accounting. He shrugged it off and turned his mind to the evening chores, allowed himself to relax in the sturdy rhythms of work.
The forest was quiet, but he felt, deep inside, that something was watching, waiting, just beyond his grasp