Chapter 44: Dark tidings
When the two ended up at the end of the road, which Elias had told them to follow, there was a hut. And worse, there was a half-rotten head on the door of the hut, with a big nail running through the bridge of the nose.
"Oh, no," Erin said, as he ran to the door, tugging Lysander with him. "Ly, they killed Eli!"
Lysander's eyes were wide. Elias lived close to Crystargar, and the humans living there must have gotten inside the frontier, to do this. The head was too rotten, for them to recognize the satyr. He still had hope that Elias was still alive.
The wanderer knocked on the door three times, and then took a step back. No answer.
"Oh, Eli, why? Just why?" Erin began to sob then. Lysander gripped his hand tighter. The wanderer chanced a push at the door, and it slung open. The place was ransacked. The bed was upturned, and it seems that it was also chopped to firewood. The chairs were broken. The table was missing its legs.
"Why did they kill him? Just why?" Erin continued to sob. In his childish mind, this must have been done only by the humans of Crystargar. Yet, Lysander saw something, that made him pause. There, on the fireplace, were claw marks.
Now, if Lysander knew anything about humans, it was that they rarely employed beasts, or shifters. They disliked them on principle, and even chased them away. In a sense, a shifter was no different from a wanderer for them. So, he knew that whoever had done this to Elias, must be from the frontier.
"We have to leave, Erin," Lysander felt a cold shiver run down his spine. Whoever had killed Elias, must be close. For, the claw marks were fresh.
"We have to bury him," Erin said. Lysander was glad, that he wasn't talking about revenge. They were too young, and too frail. Paul was big, but the claw marks on the fireplace were bigger, than what Paul could do. Suddenly, there was barking outside. And more than that, rumbling steps.
"Paul is out there alone," Erin said, and he tugged Lysander out. Paul was barking up a huge bear. Dodging its claw strikes, and trying to bite its foot.
"Erin, look at me," Lysander said. He didn't want to ask this of the blonde, but there was no other way to win this. "You have to turn into a drake, or Paul and I will die. Or, you will die!"
"But, I don't want to..." Erin began, and then they heard a whine. Paul was thrown against a tree, a huge gash in his stomach. The wolf could only whimper, as the bear closed in on him.
"No!" Erin yelled. Suddenly, he felt a hot red fury in him. Paul was family. He guarded them at night, and was always up for a belly rub. And yet, this bear...
Erin began to shift. His form was no bigger than Paul's, but he could breathe ice and water. With a yell, the golden drake charged the bear. Yet, the only thing it needed to do, is swipe at it, for him to fly back towards the door, and fall along its side.
Lysander began to think, then. This was a bear, yes, but bears couldn't nail heads on doors. There must be a dryad close by. A vile retch, who was waiting for people to come to this hut, so he or she could kill them.
The wanderer knew that it was useless to go against a spirit bear, as long as the dryad lived. So, he took his spear, and then began to run in the direction, from which the bear had come. Just as the bear was about to give chase, Erin blocked its way, and breathed ice on its foot. The bear was stuck, and Erin managed to breathe ice on its other foot as well.
As Lysander searched for the dryad, Erin's mind was a haze. He could listen to his anger, and attack at the bear. His inner dragon couldn't understand, why the bear was still alive, after its feet were encased in ice. So, Erin flapped his wings, and managed to get up, to the bear's throat.
Paul let out another whimper, and that drove Erin to further anger. Without thinking, he bit the bear's throat, and forced water to run inside the wound. The bear let out a roar, and then began to vibrate. If Erin had known what Lysander knew, he would have known that the bear was just a summon, and that there was no killing it.
Yet, the blonde dragon didn't know that. He was doing his best, to try and hold back the bear. His mouth filled with blood, and he began to tear off the meat of the bear. His claws dug inside the bear's shoulder, and turned it to ribbons.
Meanwhile, Lysander finally found the person responsible for the death of Elias, or so he thought. There was a frail man, who was in a meditative state, with a third eye on his forehead. He wore a robe, and his hair was as white as snow. Yet, Lysander's anger didn't let him think this through.
With a yell, he plunged his spear right into the third eye. The man's eyes snapped open, and he let out a yell. Yet, Lysander just plunged the spear deeper into the man's brain.
"This is for Eli!" Lysander yelled, and then took out the dagger. The man fell on the ground. From the direction he had run from, a loud roar sounded, and then silence. This was all the proof Lysander needed, to know that this was the dryad.
The boy looked the corpse over for something valuable. There was a bottomless bag strapped to the man's hip, and water skins, which were empty. Lysander took all the loot he found, and then rushed back to Erin's side. What he found made him uneasy. Erin was eating the bear, as Paul lay unconscious in the base of a tree.
With sure steps, Lysander went to the wolf. Paul's life was hanging on a thread. Erin could be convinced to shift back later.
Chapter 44: Dark tidings
When the two ended up at the end of the road, which Elias had told them to follow, there was a hut. And worse, there was a half-rotten head on the door of the hut, with a big nail running through the bridge of the nose.
"Oh, no," Erin said, as he ran to the door, tugging Lysander with him. "Ly, they killed Eli!"
Lysander's eyes were wide. Elias lived close to Crystargar, and the humans living there must have gotten inside the frontier, to do this. The head was too rotten, for them to recognize the satyr. He still had hope that Elias was still alive.
The wanderer knocked on the door three times, and then took a step back. No answer.
"Oh, Eli, why? Just why?" Erin began to sob then. Lysander gripped his hand tighter. The wanderer chanced a push at the door, and it slung open. The place was ransacked. The bed was upturned, and it seems that it was also chopped to firewood. The chairs were broken. The table was missing its legs.
"Why did they kill him? Just why?" Erin continued to sob. In his childish mind, this must have been done only by the humans of Crystargar. Yet, Lysander saw something, that made him pause. There, on the fireplace, were claw marks.
Now, if Lysander knew anything about humans, it was that they rarely employed beasts, or shifters. They disliked them on principle, and even chased them away. In a sense, a shifter was no different from a wanderer for them. So, he knew that whoever had done this to Elias, must be from the frontier.
"We have to leave, Erin," Lysander felt a cold shiver run down his spine. Whoever had killed Elias, must be close. For, the claw marks were fresh.
"We have to bury him," Erin said. Lysander was glad, that he wasn't talking about revenge. They were too young, and too frail. Paul was big, but the claw marks on the fireplace were bigger, than what Paul could do. Suddenly, there was barking outside. And more than that, rumbling steps.
"Paul is out there alone," Erin said, and he tugged Lysander out. Paul was barking up a huge bear. Dodging its claw strikes, and trying to bite its foot.
"Erin, look at me," Lysander said. He didn't want to ask this of the blonde, but there was no other way to win this. "You have to turn into a drake, or Paul and I will die. Or, you will die!"
"But, I don't want to..." Erin began, and then they heard a whine. Paul was thrown against a tree, a huge gash in his stomach. The wolf could only whimper, as the bear closed in on him.
"No!" Erin yelled. Suddenly, he felt a hot red fury in him. Paul was family. He guarded them at night, and was always up for a belly rub. And yet, this bear...
Erin began to shift. His form was no bigger than Paul's, but he could breathe ice and water. With a yell, the golden drake charged the bear. Yet, the only thing it needed to do, is swipe at it, for him to fly back towards the door, and fall along its side.
Lysander began to think, then. This was a bear, yes, but bears couldn't nail heads on doors. There must be a dryad close by. A vile retch, who was waiting for people to come to this hut, so he or she could kill them.
The wanderer knew that it was useless to go against a spirit bear, as long as the dryad lived. So, he took his spear, and then began to run in the direction, from which the bear had come. Just as the bear was about to give chase, Erin blocked its way, and breathed ice on its foot. The bear was stuck, and Erin managed to breathe ice on its other foot as well.
As Lysander searched for the dryad, Erin's mind was a haze. He could listen to his anger, and attack at the bear. His inner dragon couldn't understand, why the bear was still alive, after its feet were encased in ice. So, Erin flapped his wings, and managed to get up, to the bear's throat.
Paul let out another whimper, and that drove Erin to further anger. Without thinking, he bit the bear's throat, and forced water to run inside the wound. The bear let out a roar, and then began to vibrate. If Erin had known what Lysander knew, he would have known that the bear was just a summon, and that there was no killing it.
Yet, the blonde dragon didn't know that. He was doing his best, to try and hold back the bear. His mouth filled with blood, and he began to tear off the meat of the bear. His claws dug inside the bear's shoulder, and turned it to ribbons.
Meanwhile, Lysander finally found the person responsible for the death of Elias, or so he thought. There was a frail man, who was in a meditative state, with a third eye on his forehead. He wore a robe, and his hair was as white as snow. Yet, Lysander's anger didn't let him think this through.
With a yell, he plunged his spear right into the third eye. The man's eyes snapped open, and he let out a yell. Yet, Lysander just plunged the spear deeper into the man's brain.
"This is for Eli!" Lysander yelled, and then took out the dagger. The man fell on the ground. From the direction he had run from, a loud roar sounded, and then silence. This was all the proof Lysander needed, to know that this was the dryad.
The boy looked the corpse over for something valuable. There was a bottomless bag strapped to the man's hip, and water skins, which were empty. Lysander took all the loot he found, and then rushed back to Erin's side. What he found made him uneasy. Erin was eating the bear, as Paul lay unconscious in the base of a tree.
With sure steps, Lysander went to the wolf. Paul's life was hanging on a thread. Erin could be convinced to shift back later.
