The Cinders of Dezu

13th: Upping the Bounty (2)

Firas took a step back and started to continue again down the Skygazer's road. He wasn't about to deal with them today. The air stopped him in his tracks though. He turned around and sniffed again. Top soil, dead leaves, and pine. It was coming from one of the Horde tunnels. He thought about it for a moment. If they were nearby he would be able to hear them or even smell them. But all he could smell was the surface. That was a good sign.

He clicked and leapt the grid vertically from tunnel to tunnel until he found the right one. He was right. Not a creature in sight. Or in clicking distance at least. As he approached an exit, the fresh air got stronger, followed by the warm greeting of the early evening light making its way down the hole under the roots of a dead tree. Firas scrambled up its roots toward the trunk and kicked off of it. He soared high into the treetops. He landed quite precisely on a ledge and crouched in the branches, flaring his nostrils to take in the fresh air.

It wasn't long before he had his bearings. This whole debacle had taken him way off course. But there was a Crossover Sanctuary nearby that he knew. He took a path from tree to tree until he found the hilly incline he was looking for. He jumped from the canopy and slid down it until he located an ovular boulder jutting out from the hill. He slid below it and found another smaller boulder that was wedged underneath. It looked like it propped it up but he knew it didn't. He stuck his hand into an indentation in the rock between the top and bottom stones. He pulled the smaller stone away. There, perfectly fitted into the space, was an oblong leather case with a strap. Firas smiled. He took it and strapped it to his back.

The path from here was nearly already etched out since he'd done it enough. He decided that probably wasn't a good thing. He went back up the hill on the opposite side of the boulder and went into the trees again to avoid further engraving the trail. He followed the trail from the canopy until he reached the spot. He slid down a trunk and looked through the foliage. There it was, the back of the crossover sanctuary, peaking above the trees just a half mile down the incline of the forested hill.

He slipped the leather bag off of his back and flipped it open. He pulled out a bow and quiver. He looked through the various colored feathers of the arrows until he found what he was looking for. In one sweeping motion he pulled the red feathered arrow from the bundle and swiped it with a flip against the bark of the tree behind him. It lit up in flames with a hiss as his hand pulled the line taut. He lined up his aim. His eye focused on his tiny distant target.

His fingers released. The arrow shot over the tops of the trees until it dipped in its arc through the wooden trunks to the small unlit metal fire basin just at the edge of the sanctuary. Firas smiled as he saw the Sanctuary Guards running around barking orders and searching the trees. He sighed and sat down, leaning his back against the tree. The setting sun brought with it a memory from years ago. A setting quite similar to this.

He'd been on the hunt, watching the movement of prey in the trees when he'd heard a sound. The commotion was too much for his quarry and it had bounded off. He rolled his eyes and turned around to see a small pair of eyes peeking out from the brush.

"Now you know how I feel about little girls sneaking up on me and making me lose my lunch."

The girl stepped out from the bushes and giggled.

"Isn't it dinner time?"

"It is, but-"

"You aren't impressed that I followed your tracks?"

"No," he'd said, "I'm not. I taught you. And I'm a great teacher. And I wasn't hiding so I didn't bother covering them."

"I could've found you anyway," she said.

"I'd love to see you try. I'd also love to know why you're playing hide and seek with people not in on the game. You should be at home. The sun is almost down."

"You can be out, I can be out," she said.

Firas sighed.

"You can't run away from everyone, little one. Harper and Harbor are gonna be worried sick."

"I'm practicing Night Dwelling! You know they won't let me."

He smirked.

"And why would you want to do that, huh? You have a safe home to go to. You don't need to be out."

"I want to be just like the old warriors! I can help people caught outside after dark!"

She put her hands out and they lit up with fire.

"Who better to be the light in the night than me?"

"Night Dwelling is a war time strategy. Why would you need it?"

Her face turned deadly serious. It was the most serious he'd ever seen an expression on someone so young. It's probably why he remembered the moment so well.

"This is a war," she said.