The Last Wolfson

Chapter 5: The Hermit

They set up camp for the night on the side of the road. When they woke they kept on traveling. They walked for about a mile and then they reached a small stream. The stream had water trickling slowly down from a boulder that overlooked the stream. The boulder sat on a small hill above the stream. A small hole was in it, maybe as big as a fist. The water slowly but surely trickled out of that hole. Phang stepped up and put his cupped hands under the stream. The water pooled in his hands and he then put his hands up to his lips and drank it.
"It's...sweet?" He questioned tilting his head. He took another sip and exclaimed "it is sweet!"
Altima shook her head in exasperation and took a small sip of the water. "Whoa, you're right! But why?"
A loud thud shook the ground next to her. She looked over and saw Phang on the ground, unconscious. She shook her head, shapes dancing through her vision, kaleidoscope colors hit her like a club and she fell to the ground. The last thing she saw was a small blurring figure prodding her with a stick.
She woke up on a cot. It was a hard cot with a thin animal skin blanket covering hard wood. She grunted. Her muscles were sore. But she somehow still felt like she could run a mile. Must be the rainbow jewel she thought. She swung her legs over the edge and blearily rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. When her eyes focused she realized she was in a wooden room with a dirt floor. It almost smelled like home. Sitting across from her was a small man with a long wispy beard. His face was wrinkled and looked like the bark of an old tree. He wore what was once a robe but now tatters. He didn't look like much, Altima thought. The weirdest things she noticed about him was his eyes and feet. His eyes changed color as she watched. Green...blue...red...yellow. And his feet! They were made of some sort of a tentacle/gooey substance that sank into the floor. Weird. She noticed her bag on her "bed" and slung it over her shoulder.
"Who...I mean, what are you?" Altima tried in her most deep and menacing voice.
"I am Katimo the hydr." His voice was scratchy and yet, smooth. High, but with an edge to it that said he knew what he was doing.
"Altima the Oakelf." She said, reciting the proper greeting her mom always told her to do. "Where am I? One minute I was drinking some water and...now I'm here! There was something weird with that water though."
"Yes." He replied. "I live near that water because it flows out of a place where there is sweet flowers that will render you unconscious with their scent the pollen mixed with the water creating some sort of a drug. I use the water as a trap. When animals drink it they fall asleep and I use their bodies as food. Unfortunately some travelers accidentally drink too. So this is basically the room I use for travelers that are incapacitated with the water."
"Any life is precious life. That's what my father always told me.
"Wow. I'm...impressed! That's super smart!" She yelled pumping her fist.
"Thank you." He said dryly.
"Slightly gross though...man am I hungry. Do you have any food?"
"Absolutely. You'll be needing your strength and so will your companion. He is asleep on that bed. He motioned toward one of the many cots in the corner of the room. If she looked carefully she could just see his feet over the side of the bed.
"He drank slightly more water than you. He will be out for a little while longer. Follow me." He guided her out of that room and into another room.
"I will prepare something for you to eat. It's the least I can do for your inconvenience." He said, and walked out of the room.
She looked around the room. It was a simple room. A table with two chairs sat in the middle while some artifacts sat anchored to the wall. One specific artifacts caught her attention. She had this feeling that drew her towards it. It was the hilt of a broadsword. As she stared at it she could have sworn it pulsed gently. She stared at it, not realizing that her feet were moving towards it. It pulsed brighter and brighter the closer she got to it. She felt a tug this time more urgent. She felt her bag sliding over her shoulder and it fell to the ground. She paid it no heed, hypnotized by the beautiful hilt. The hilt was of the jaws of a wolf, biting down on...nothing. There seemed to be another piece missing from the set!the entire hits looked like diamond, wrapped in some sort of bark, or stretchy substance. Suddenly the glass shattered! She screamed, breaking herself out of the trance she was in. Suddenly a bright light, brighter than the sun, brighter than anything she had ever seen before blinded her. Then it was done. All was silent.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!!"
Katimo crossed the room in what seemed like a single bound. He raised the dagger he had grabbed when he heard the chaos and raised it. It swung down aiming towards her heart. There was no time to call on her plant powers, no time for anything. Only time to accept the inevitable.