4 6 - V H A L A R - 7 1 7 . . . S O M E W H E R E I N THE EASTERN PLAINS CLOSEST TO VOLANTA
In the damp dark of a Vhalar evening, Hyde made his way through the brush with care to not step on any twigs or rustle any bushes. The twisted black of dead trees stabbed into what little light remained on the dull indigo horizon. A round of burnt orange sun still peeked over the small hills that rippled through the countryside. Each step took him further to a destination unknown. He would know it when he saw it... of this, he felt certain.
"Wait up," whispered the younger human behind him.
He looked behind at the girl who crept as if she was trying to not wake her parents in the next room. Hyde shook his head then continued with the slow but methodical path forward. It wasn't too long until the newbie spoke up again.
"H-hey, how much longer, y'think?" she asked.
"Long as it takes," he dared to respond. He knew the instant after he'd said it, that it had been a mistake. For she took that as permission to talk more, while she quickened her walk to catch up to him. A few bushes rustled in her path. He grimaced, and surveyed the lengthening shadows around them.
"-think we should head back. It's going to be dark and we need to check where the camp is, right? If we get too far, it'll take forever to find our way back-"
"Quiet," he told her with a sharp gesture of his hand. Not quite a wave. Just the very start of a wave that stopped immediately after. He lowered into a crouch, and approached the curve of the hill they were on. Through some bushes, he squinted through the evening's dark. He moved slightly aside while the girl crouched near him. She whistled lowly.
"Is that the place?" she asked.
"What other place could it be?" he couldn't help but return. They were literally in the middle of nowhere. A huge house all alone in the hillsides certainly was the house they were looking for. It extended through a valley between the hills, all looming and painted black with iron-wrought fencing and decrepit stone figures perched on spots of the rooftop. Hyde said in a low, hushed voice, "I'm getting a closer look. You, stay here."
"Can't I come with? I'll be quiet," she insisted.
Hyde shook his head while he started to climb down the slope of the hill.
"Please?" she tried again while she leaned over the hillside to look down at him. "I don't want to wait alone up here..."
"Then you shouldn't be a scout," he replied brusquely. "Now, stay there and stay quiet. If I'm longer than a break, go to the camp. If you hear me whistle, run back to the camp. Understand?"
"Yes..." she pouted, but gave up on her insistence while she sat behind one of the scraggly bushes.
Hyde didn't bother with worrying about that, while he continued down until he found a flat enough landing that he could walk on it. He started through the dark valley toward the estate. Eventually, he noticed glimmering black granite stones set in the form of a walkway path. Cautious, but having nothing to hide behind, he decided to take the cleared off spot rather than hike through the tick-infested long grasses.
As he got closer to the black-painted house, he noticed light. Mainly because night had fallen, and a warm amber glow stood out in a window of the house. It flickered and crossed. A candle in a holder? A lantern? A torch, even? He glanced around until he saw a lone tree partly fallen from its roots being torn up. Hyde hid behind the timber, and silently watched. The light started to drift into different openings of the house, until finally, a figure crossed out the door and lit a couple iron-clad torches on a porch.
Still far away enough that he couldn't discern specific features of the figure, but close enough that he could observe their general actions, he continued to watch. But the figure turned around and headed back inside. Whoever it was, returned in a few bits and emptied a bag of something... bones? A pair of dogs wandered onto the porch from the front gardens. The canines laid down in the warm light of the torches while they gnawed on the thrown bones.
A different sort of light caught his eye then. Like a green haze, in one of the highest and smallest windows. He peered at it, and squinted as if to get a closer look... when a silhouette approached the open space and seemed to lean out and look right at him. So assured of this sensation, Hyde nearly stumbled backward. He left the dead tree after that, his heart thumping a little too fast for his liking.
He climbed back up the hill, and back to the bushes and...
...where was the girl?
Hyde patted the spot where he'd seen her last. Her bootprints still showed fresh in the dirt. He glanced around, then whispered, "You there?"
Crickets responded in repetitive chirping. He stepped around the shadows, struggling to see in proper fashion, then sighed. Had she gotten lost? Gotten kidnapped? Abandoned her post? He didn't see or smell any blood, or viscera. Didn't catch any scents of animals or their tracks. Hyde started on the path back to camp. He could only hope that the girl would find her way there...
...or maybe she found her way there, before him?
So, he found out by the time he reached the camp to find the dying little fire and most of the mercenary company asleep. The girl waved to him, with a smile, from the comfort of her fiance's arms - a bulky warrior with far too much armor.
"Y' alive," mentioned Hyde while he sat down at the fire to warm up from the night's chill.
"I could say the same to you," she exclaimed, then placed a hand over her mouth when she realized that she'd been loud. She hissed an apology to a couple muttering mercenaries who glanced over. She whispered, "I thought you were done for."
"...what?" asked Hyde. He rubbed his hands together.
"You whistled and all," she explained with a shrug, then smiled up at her lover. "So I ran right back here, like you said to."
The warrior grinned at her, then said, "Yeh did a good job, babe."
"Did I?" she cooed back at him, then smiled when he pulled her a little closer.
Young folk and their flirting... Hyde ignored the nausea in his stomach. He shook his head and muttered, "I didn't whistle."
"Sure y' did," insisted the girl. "I heard it, just like you taught me. Sure surprised me too."
"Hey, least yer still kickin'" said the warrior while he picked up a liquor bottle and handed it out for Hyde. "Might as well drink, celebrate another trial alive."
Hyde glanced at the bottle, then shook his head. He held up a hand and said, "I don't drink on the job."
"The... what?" snorted the warrior. The girl in his lap snickered. "Yer kidding, right?"
"No. I'm not. Someone has to be level-headed in case of ambush," replied Hyde while he stood and walked away from the firepit. "Especially when leaving all this light and scent of charred meat in the middle of the night."
"Ha! Let them come, I'll rip them apart with my bare hands," insisted the Yari warrior so loudly that a few of their fellow mercs groaned in discontent.
"Oh, you sure would," chorused the young woman. She giggled while he brought the bottle to her lips so she would take a swig of the liquor.
One of the older mercs sat up, the lieutenant of the company, and peered at the couple. He grumbled, "Wassit? Hyde, you alive?"
"Yup," answered Hyde while he walked past.
The older merc shook his head and laid back down on his mat with an unintelligible mutter of something.
Hyde went over to the nearest tree from the camp. He lifted up and climbed the branches until he reached the highest one that wouldn't give under his weight. He settled himself in a comfortable position, but not so comfortable that he might sleep, and crossed his arms while he peered through the night. The moon hid behind a dark cloud, but the spattering of stars could be seen unlike anywhere close to a city. He glanced at the sea of little speckled lights, before he returned to surveying the surrounding shadows for anything unusual... or anything canine.
"Wait up," whispered the younger human behind him.
He looked behind at the girl who crept as if she was trying to not wake her parents in the next room. Hyde shook his head then continued with the slow but methodical path forward. It wasn't too long until the newbie spoke up again.
"H-hey, how much longer, y'think?" she asked.
"Long as it takes," he dared to respond. He knew the instant after he'd said it, that it had been a mistake. For she took that as permission to talk more, while she quickened her walk to catch up to him. A few bushes rustled in her path. He grimaced, and surveyed the lengthening shadows around them.
"-think we should head back. It's going to be dark and we need to check where the camp is, right? If we get too far, it'll take forever to find our way back-"
"Quiet," he told her with a sharp gesture of his hand. Not quite a wave. Just the very start of a wave that stopped immediately after. He lowered into a crouch, and approached the curve of the hill they were on. Through some bushes, he squinted through the evening's dark. He moved slightly aside while the girl crouched near him. She whistled lowly.
"Is that the place?" she asked.
"What other place could it be?" he couldn't help but return. They were literally in the middle of nowhere. A huge house all alone in the hillsides certainly was the house they were looking for. It extended through a valley between the hills, all looming and painted black with iron-wrought fencing and decrepit stone figures perched on spots of the rooftop. Hyde said in a low, hushed voice, "I'm getting a closer look. You, stay here."
"Can't I come with? I'll be quiet," she insisted.
Hyde shook his head while he started to climb down the slope of the hill.
"Please?" she tried again while she leaned over the hillside to look down at him. "I don't want to wait alone up here..."
"Then you shouldn't be a scout," he replied brusquely. "Now, stay there and stay quiet. If I'm longer than a break, go to the camp. If you hear me whistle, run back to the camp. Understand?"
"Yes..." she pouted, but gave up on her insistence while she sat behind one of the scraggly bushes.
Hyde didn't bother with worrying about that, while he continued down until he found a flat enough landing that he could walk on it. He started through the dark valley toward the estate. Eventually, he noticed glimmering black granite stones set in the form of a walkway path. Cautious, but having nothing to hide behind, he decided to take the cleared off spot rather than hike through the tick-infested long grasses.
As he got closer to the black-painted house, he noticed light. Mainly because night had fallen, and a warm amber glow stood out in a window of the house. It flickered and crossed. A candle in a holder? A lantern? A torch, even? He glanced around until he saw a lone tree partly fallen from its roots being torn up. Hyde hid behind the timber, and silently watched. The light started to drift into different openings of the house, until finally, a figure crossed out the door and lit a couple iron-clad torches on a porch.
Still far away enough that he couldn't discern specific features of the figure, but close enough that he could observe their general actions, he continued to watch. But the figure turned around and headed back inside. Whoever it was, returned in a few bits and emptied a bag of something... bones? A pair of dogs wandered onto the porch from the front gardens. The canines laid down in the warm light of the torches while they gnawed on the thrown bones.
A different sort of light caught his eye then. Like a green haze, in one of the highest and smallest windows. He peered at it, and squinted as if to get a closer look... when a silhouette approached the open space and seemed to lean out and look right at him. So assured of this sensation, Hyde nearly stumbled backward. He left the dead tree after that, his heart thumping a little too fast for his liking.
He climbed back up the hill, and back to the bushes and...
...where was the girl?
Hyde patted the spot where he'd seen her last. Her bootprints still showed fresh in the dirt. He glanced around, then whispered, "You there?"
Crickets responded in repetitive chirping. He stepped around the shadows, struggling to see in proper fashion, then sighed. Had she gotten lost? Gotten kidnapped? Abandoned her post? He didn't see or smell any blood, or viscera. Didn't catch any scents of animals or their tracks. Hyde started on the path back to camp. He could only hope that the girl would find her way there...
...or maybe she found her way there, before him?
So, he found out by the time he reached the camp to find the dying little fire and most of the mercenary company asleep. The girl waved to him, with a smile, from the comfort of her fiance's arms - a bulky warrior with far too much armor.
"Y' alive," mentioned Hyde while he sat down at the fire to warm up from the night's chill.
"I could say the same to you," she exclaimed, then placed a hand over her mouth when she realized that she'd been loud. She hissed an apology to a couple muttering mercenaries who glanced over. She whispered, "I thought you were done for."
"...what?" asked Hyde. He rubbed his hands together.
"You whistled and all," she explained with a shrug, then smiled up at her lover. "So I ran right back here, like you said to."
The warrior grinned at her, then said, "Yeh did a good job, babe."
"Did I?" she cooed back at him, then smiled when he pulled her a little closer.
Young folk and their flirting... Hyde ignored the nausea in his stomach. He shook his head and muttered, "I didn't whistle."
"Sure y' did," insisted the girl. "I heard it, just like you taught me. Sure surprised me too."
"Hey, least yer still kickin'" said the warrior while he picked up a liquor bottle and handed it out for Hyde. "Might as well drink, celebrate another trial alive."
Hyde glanced at the bottle, then shook his head. He held up a hand and said, "I don't drink on the job."
"The... what?" snorted the warrior. The girl in his lap snickered. "Yer kidding, right?"
"No. I'm not. Someone has to be level-headed in case of ambush," replied Hyde while he stood and walked away from the firepit. "Especially when leaving all this light and scent of charred meat in the middle of the night."
"Ha! Let them come, I'll rip them apart with my bare hands," insisted the Yari warrior so loudly that a few of their fellow mercs groaned in discontent.
"Oh, you sure would," chorused the young woman. She giggled while he brought the bottle to her lips so she would take a swig of the liquor.
One of the older mercs sat up, the lieutenant of the company, and peered at the couple. He grumbled, "Wassit? Hyde, you alive?"
"Yup," answered Hyde while he walked past.
The older merc shook his head and laid back down on his mat with an unintelligible mutter of something.
Hyde went over to the nearest tree from the camp. He lifted up and climbed the branches until he reached the highest one that wouldn't give under his weight. He settled himself in a comfortable position, but not so comfortable that he might sleep, and crossed his arms while he peered through the night. The moon hid behind a dark cloud, but the spattering of stars could be seen unlike anywhere close to a city. He glanced at the sea of little speckled lights, before he returned to surveying the surrounding shadows for anything unusual... or anything canine.
