Ashrain

10. The Man Who Knows the Path of Hooves

Wooyoung knocked on the unassuming door of a hut tucked in an alley. It was quiet back here and the mighty branches of the ancient oak at the corner overshadowed the entrance as if it led to a magical fairy world. The leaves were doused in orange and brown and a round carpet of them lined the tree. As they waited for a response, Seonghwa ran his fingers over the gnarly bark. Soaked in the red glow of the lantern falling through the treetop, he looked magnificent.

Hongjoong pushed his hands into his pockets and stared at his feet. The night caressed his nape with chilly fingers. With a shiver, he tilted his head back up to look at the stars blanketing the skies and twinkling at them charmingly.

The door opened with a shudder, as if the hinge was stuck. Out of the dimly lit home peered the head of a man. Wild black hair obscured his vision and shrouded his face in mysteries. His skin was tan from the many kisses the sun had cast upon him and his body seemed to radiate its heat even in the dark hours of the night. To Hongjoong, he seemed as if he might have travelled here from the south, where most people were naturally dark from the sun and pirates sailed the same oceans mermaids buried in.

Once this meeting was over, Hongjoong should interrogate Wooyoung about his findings in the bog again.

"It's you," Yongguk said. His vigilant demeanour dropped, and he yanked the door further open. He wore a worn grey tunic and brown pants, looking ever so unassuming as Hongjoong would expect from a pathfinder.

"It's me," Wooyoung grinned. He jabbed a thumb in Seonghwa's direction. "And this is the one we came for."

Seonghwa bowed his head politely to the other male.

"Pleased to meet you, pathfinder. My name is Seonghwa."

Yongguk eyed him, his face cast in flickering light through the tree. His astonishment reflected in his gaze. Inconspicuous, Hongjoong inched further in Seonghwa's direction. Even if they promised to heed this man's advice, Hongjoong was careful to trust strangers. Too many people had looked at Seonghwa as if he were a trophy today for him to allow any tricks.

"You are a magnificent creature. What is your real name? The one your folk gave you?"

Seonghwa blushed, barely visible in the night. As if endeared by him, the late cicadas on the nearby fields hummed their song. It was a pleasant stream of noise in Hongjoong's ears.

"Ashrain," Seonghwa muttered. From his lips, the name carried prestige and an undeniable pride. When Yongguk muttered it under his breath, it mostly sounded plain.

"Welcome to my humble home, Ashrain. You too, Wooyoung." Finally, his attention turned to the group. Wooyoung linked his arm with Hongjoong's and beamed at his friend.

"This is Hongjoong, and his brother Mingi. We found Seonghwa in the forest and promised him to bring him home. From what we heard, you would know best which paths to take to Wind's Bridge?"

Yongguk hummed before he beckoned them in.

"I certainly do, but it's not as easy as that. Join me and let me make you some tea while I explain."

One by one, they shuffled inside. Seonghwa ducked extra far to not hit his head again, and Hongjoong helped him navigate the furniture in Yongguk's home. His round hut had a bed pushed against a corner, a fireplace, and a study with neatly arranged books and papers. The massive chest in the corner of the room was pleated with iron and on it bunched the equipment he took out to his trips. Maps, a dagger, a cloak.

The room offered a dusty detachment. Yongguk didn't live here often and only crumbs of his personality showed in the choice of his reading material and his handwritten notes sitting on the table.