Tracks

It was early morning; and the sun is but barely seen in the sky. But Ishnaia and Alister already left their camp site and was searching here and there here in the Deepwoods. Hoping to find the missing two who left in search for the beloved horses of Hardy. Alister calls loudly to his dear friend,

"Hardy!"

While Ishnaia follows behind him silently, feeling bored and lazy. Not sooner than later, she began laying herself flat on the ground, in which Alister did not notice-

"Damn, I wonder where they may be… Lady Ishna-"

-until he turns back to Ishnaia. She was lying flat and still; her arms and feet spreads wide with her eyes closed.

"Lady Ishnaia!"

Alister rushes towards Ishnaia, stricken by panic as he remembers what happened earlier.

"Lady Ishnaia-"

"Aaaaah! Will you please shut up for a moment!?" Ishnaia growled loudly in which Alister was stopped his tracks by this commanding tune of her. She continued ranting,

"Lady Ishnaia, Lady Ishnaia, Shit! So irritating! Maybe just call me Milady, Lady or by my name or whatever! Woman or Girl is fine too! It's shorter! Or maybe go silent for a while you hear!?

Alister fell silent for a minute, then finally muttered "S-sorry.."

"Yeah," Ishnaia smiles and nodded satisfactorily while still lying on the ground and eyes closed, "You forcefully woke me up in the middle of my sleeping hours! Be truly sorry about that will you!?"

"I truly apologize lady Ish-"

Ishnaia opened one of her eye and raised its eyebrow to him.

"-Er…Lady… But I won't do such thing if it were not urgent!"

She closes her eye again, "Yeah yeah, I know. I worry for them too you know, but this is better than looking for a loud dwarf and a dirty furryman."

"Hey!" Alister felt his nerve seething hearing those words. Sensing it, he breathes deeply and try to speak again, "They are friends! And I really worry for them now that they have been gone for a long while! I understand that you maybe had not the best relation with Hardy, or even Kes! I don't think he will bewray after the fiasco!"

"Yeeah yeeah, I knoooow…" Ishnaia replied more lazily than before, not really listening any of his words, "And you know what? You always see good in everyone, even if I know you not for long. Heck, you made me tail with you even though you had a choice not to!... Weeell, I'll tail with you even if you refuse mind you... but at any rate, I love you for that you know?"

Alister turns speechless and blushes when he heard Ishnaia complements him like that. And hearing the word 'love him for that' made his heart really skip a beat.

"Finally silent? Good. I'ma just rest here for a while…" After a pause, Ishnaia speaks again, "Hey prince charming," then she taps the ground with her right arm, "how about you lay also here by my side?"

"I-I pass…" Alister timidly replies.

"C'mon now!" Ishnaia opens her eyes and glances at Alister, "As if our clothes aren't full of dried furry blood already. It really reeks but whatever, sleep is more important than hygiene! You do well to remember that young prince!" Ishnaia points at Alister with that last sentence, in which the young prince nodded meekly and finally laid flat beside Ishnaia; his arms lay above his chest. In this apparent position, his heart beats wildly as he only stares at the rustling leaves above. He can't find a strength to even take a glance to Ishnaia.

"There, what a good boy! Now, close your eyes, and feel the nature embracing you… I guess."

And Alister do what Ishnaia instructed him to do. As he closed his eyes, Ishnaia follow suit. In a while, they felt the orchestra of nature here given to them by the Deepwoods. The whispers of the wind and the rustle of leaves gives definitive solemnity that affect their rest. It was very peaceful… until someone scream from afar.

"Eeeeeeek!"

The sudden noise broke the tranquility of Alister, who open his eyes immediately at the sound of it and raised his upper body up quickly as possible to take a glance as of where it came from.

"…!"

There he saw; a visage of the back of an upright little beast with a furred tail on its hind, leaving away in a hurry. It was a beastkin, and a child at that.

"Wait!"

Alister got up to run towards it, yet as soon a he steps forward, he turns his head back to Ishnaia, and-

"Uwah!"

-saw Ishnaia, standing behind him like a walking corpse with only a feet away. He backed away in surprise and almost lose his balance. Ishnaia lazily stares at him and without reaction at all. Alister put his palm on his chest and breaths in and out to calm the shock.

"Hoo! You scared me."

"The fuck was that noise?" Ishnaia asks with clear annoyance in her tone.

"A beastkin! and it's-"

"Another furry?" her face winced with ire, "Fucking furries are starting to annoy the fuck of me already. I had an image that they're a cute huggable bunch, but it turns out that they all look like your typical old smelly grandpa-"

"N-No! It's different!" Alister cut her short as she let loose her frustration with rapid words, "I think it's a child!"

"A child?" Upon hearing that word, Ishnaia's face lit up, her mood reinvigorated, and smiles as if finding a new toy, "Really!?"

"If I am not mistaken then yes, I saw him over there and I suggest that we follow that child and-"

Ishnaia grabs Alister's wrist and speaks excitedly, "What are we waiting for! Let's go!" and she hurriedly ran, dragging along Alister with her.

"W-W-Waait!"

Ignoring him, Ishnaia gleefully announced, "Cutey furry! Heeeere weeeee cooooome!"

***

"…There's people here not long ago."

"When there's smoke, there's fire, right?"

A faded residual smoke manifests from the ashen woods of the campfire. Standing in two steps beneath it is a big man, with a short brown hair but fully bearded face and with a fully donned silver armor with scratches, dirt and dust; it is not in a prime shape for a long time. But from one look from afar, his shape may be seen like a bear cladded with a superficial armor, even though his height was of your above average individual. To add to his impressive look, He had a two-handed sword sheathed at his back, making his appearance like a true veteran warrior. His deep bellowing tone sounded like a dwarf that had been forged in many years, but in reality, he is just a Hume in imposing figure.

"And that fire is brewing its flare in this moment." He said with a nod and continued, "Anyhow, Reonne, you found something more about this arsonist?"

"Not much Bear." Reonne shook his head slightly.

In contrast to the big man called Bear, Reonne is a young teenage individual with red hair that is short, but with a long braided hair, like a ponytail coming from the back of his head. He was undeniably shorter than the bear, only but below his shoulders. Yet, in contrast to the bear, he is visibly slim and agile, only donning a bronze armor on his upper body, and his two swords, with different coloration at the hilt and sheath; one is red, and the other is black. His swords were sheathed separately at the both side of his waist. Other than those mentioned, He refuses to wear further protection more than that.

"They've covered their tracks?" Bear asks.

Reonne surveys the surround, "I don't…" then he saw something on the ground not far off. He moved towards it, crouched, picked up a leaf, and scrutinize its details from all angles.

"What?"

"This is stained. Red. Most likely… Blood!"

He stood up and showed it to Bear. Bear took hold of it and observed it by himself. He speaks with askance,

"You sure?"

"Sure as the sun rising up. You think some artist is the arsonist?"

"I never said it was paint!" Bear speaks irately, "But…"

"I told you I'm sure of it!" then Reonne snatched it from Bear's hand, who was still observing the leaf.

Bear sighed, "you shouldn't do that."

"Why not? You're holding that leaf like you wanted to marry it."

"Haha, very funny." Bear said dryly, "So, what you deduce?"

"I reckon it to be the blood from the arsonist."

"Is it his blood?"

"No. In fact, I believe it came from the beastkins at the Tavern. I guess... some escaped?"

"Some may, but are you certain that it was not his blood?"

"Yep, certainly. Or else," Reonne raised the leaf to Bear's face, "There's more blood we could see here than this single leaf."

"As I thought." Bear nodded. "Very good Reonne." And he Tapped Reonne's head, "You're a certified tracker now."

"All thanks to you bear! What am I without you?"

"Say that to your lassies, not me! And don't tell me you had none, I heard you fucked more than a share now!"

Reonne snorts and smirked, "Today, that was of the past."

"No jest?" Bear raised his eyebrows.

"Come on now! I'm not into interracial thing!"

"Why don't you try it?"

"Yuck! Not interested!"

"Why not? There's Half-breeds too."

"That's…" Reonne paused and then changed the subject, "Anyway, 'till when should we do this?"

Bear wryly smiles for a moment then went back to his usual serious face, "Till the contract's done, the sooner we're paid, the better."

"You always say the same thing!" Reonne pouted, "I mean, how long should we stay with those Erons? I really wanted to get out of this place and experience pure girls with real pussy!"

Bear frowned, "I say when I say we're done with them, and I told you not to speak like that! How many times should I have to tell you-"

"Goddess! I'm Sorry! Alright! I should be knightlier than you ever was!"

"If you truly understand that, what's the next clue?"

"Clue?... Oh right," Reonne pointed at a broken branch at the ground not farther where he picked up the leaf, "See that? Those were footprints. The branch was pressed by footwear as to why it is cracked. Follow it straight and we will get more clues."

"Now that's a good observation, well done Reonne!"

"What're we waiting for? I want to get this job done with!"

Bear nodded, "Right, let us kill this killer arsonist and be done with this."