Lost and Found // memoriesofthewild
“We’re not going to lose anyone tonight.”
Fellis said it with a conviction of a man knowing he might die that night. It was a worry, and had been for the past week or so. They had lost count since the new monsters had shown their glowing-eyed faces, familiar shapes they were once able to stave off in the tedious trek south warped and twisted by something frankly more malicious than they wanted to imagine.
The wagons were worse for wear, two of them were powered by magic alone at this point due to the loss of the horse teams, and that was a limping effort at best. Patched from the constant nightly onslaughts faced on the wilder paths between spots of civilization, they wouldn’t last long either. They were pulled tight in a circle now, with the horses and younger dancers and merchants in the center.
The mages were there as well, stoking the communal fire. If the outer guard gave the alarm, they would make certain the young ones were safe. Had it been the normal monsters they had run into from the start, it wouldn’t have been a problem, a good learning experience. But these were not the normal fare. It was safer in the circle than anywhere else.
At first, it seemed like their first uneventful night in a long while, those denoted as guards taking the break in the tension as a blessing. For a short time, they enjoyed the sounds of crickets and the playful nightly breezes and were even humming a folksong or two so as not to disrupt their ability to hear their environment. Even in their relax, they were vigilant.
As soon as the crickets stopped chirping, all pairs of ear tips swiveled out toward the field, seven pairs of eyes looking out toward the fields. In the dim light, the pupils seemed to glow a reflective silver, scanning the rustling grasslands around them for the source of silence. The horses felt it first, snorting and pawing the ground nervously before movement finally caught the sentries’ attention.
“Fellis?” someone called softly from within the circle, apprehensive as the appointed leader slowly started drawing his weapon.
“Put the others in the center, start drawing the symbols.” he affirmed, slicing his thumbpad against a hidden razor in the hilt of his sword and letting the beading blood smear across the pommel. “As soon as we know for sure, encase yourselves with them.”
There was no answer, but a shuffle told him that the inquirer heard him and was retreating back to the others to relate. Tomni was already sighting down an arrow notched in her bow from on top of one of the wagons. “Yeah, that’s them.”
Rustling across the grasslands with unnatural shrieks and screams that caused hackles to raise, the glowing eyes and malformed outlines of the Blighted creatures were more visible now. The sounds of weapons being drawn and bowstrings pulled taut, the movement in the corners of Fellis’ eyes assured him the others were getting ready. They were only seven now, but seven was enough.
“We’re not going to lose anyone tonight. We’re all going home.”
