The Past Leaves Scars

Chapter 12

Akira

Akira had walked through the rest of the town remains with Neyco directly by her side. They'd wandered to the very end of the blood-splattered streets and back again.

Neither of them had noticed anything suspicious or clue-like until they'd decided to leave, mounting their horses, and riding up the dunes. And that's when Akira saw them.

Shallow divots in the warm, yellow sand. They could be called anything but today, Akira called them hoof prints. She'd dragged Neyco's attention towards them and suggested they follow to see where they went, as they led down the dune out into the open wasteland.

Neyco had argued that following the tracks with no evidence of where they had come from, was a stupid idea. Which, yes, it was, but they didn't have anything else to go off and they needed to get a move one.

Neyco had also said wind would've blown most of the tracks away in the couple of days the tracks had probably been there but, again, they didn't have anything, and they should at least try.

Her friend then 'bullied' her about the sudden change of attitude and spout of optimism. They both needed that to come out of whatever subconscious trance that dead town had put them in.

Just like Neyco had said, the tracks eventually disappeared, but Akira insisted they go on travelling in the direction the hoofprints had been going in. Yes, optimism wasn't like herself, but all Akira could think was that she had to find the people who did this.

Those vile, vile people.

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Woodchips and dead leaves crunched under Akira's boots as she hit the ground, echoed by Neyco's as he too hopped down from his steed.

Akira scanned the forest floor for any sign of the tracks that had gone missing and sighed when she couldn't spot any hoof-shaped divots in the ground.

"Nothing, huh?" Neyco's voice came from behind her.

Akira shook her head in response. She turned to Neyco, "Starstreak and Seth are Glacian, it's hard to imagine they'd want to be in the desert for too long. The forest is a good place to start, I guess."

"You're the boss," Neyco shrugged, indifferent. "Let's wave goodbye to the horses then." He gestured to the animals, their sand-coloured hides glimmering in the dappled sun coming through the trees above.

Aratky horses were built for the desert and the drylands, having them around would only slow Akira and Neyco down. Transportation would be a later problem, right now they had a job to do.

Akira unfastened the leather clasps holding her battle-axe to her horse's saddle and undid its sheath. Slipping it into the holster on her back, before making a short clicking noise telling her horse it could go.

Akira looked up to find Neyco doing the same, sheathing his curved daggers in their respective places on his legs.

A harsh noise akin to a yell sliced through the air and both Akira and Neyco's pointed ears flicked up and they stared at each other waiting for another noise.

Another noise rang out, and this time it was definitely identifiable as a yell from a person. The voice wasn't close, but it wasn't far either.

Akira sprang into action, moving quickly to the trees to her right where the yelling had come from. As the blonde got closer, she heard smaller loud voicings different to the one she and Neyco had first been alerted to.

Neyco came up beside her, his hand poised over the dagger on his upper thigh. His brow was furrowed in concentration.

Another, deeper voice sounded out followed by the original one not half a second later. Akira shared a glance with Neyco, these voices could very well be what they'd been looking for all this time.

The duo stayed as silent as possible as they crept through the undergrowth, keeping their footsteps light, their brains focused and their ears perked, listening to the two voices in the near distance.

Akira's heart fluttered with hope, as she got closer, she could discern that the first loud voice belonged to a woman, and the second, to a man. Yes, yes, yes! Quick job's a good job.

She could tell Neyco had come to this realisation as well and was getting as equally excited. There was a small, cute spring in his step that became more noticeable as the voices got louder and the pair got closer.

"UGH CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING USEFUL?!" Akira's eyebrows shot up as the female voice screamed.

"Like you can fucking talk!" The male's voice was significantly calmer, yet there was no doubt he was pissed at the lady.

They were getting so close now. The man and woman's voices were muffled, but Akira could make out what they were saying and that was enough.

Akira and Neyco crept closer and closer, with each step anticipation and giddiness building in both of them. But then Akira caught a glimpse of short red-brown hair and dark ram-like horns, bronze skin and one, fiery orange eye.

She snatched Neyco by the collar of his shirt and pulled him behind a tree, snapping a hand over his mouth and pushing him up against the bark of the tall tree. She had to stand on the tips of her toes to see over his shoulder but at least she was hidden.

Akira cut a glance to Neyco who suspiciously had his head hung looking away from her, but also not looking around the other side of the tree to see what was going on. He must've been listening to the argument going on between Aesira and the other man, whom Akira assumed to be Lowell.

Akira looked back past Neyco's shoulder to where Aesira was standing.

"Oh for Arank's sake, why do I have to do everything myself?" The loud woman muttered, "Giver her here then!" She raised her voice.

Lowell's hand appeared into view and handed Aesira one end of a rope. Akira frowned wondering what could be attached to the other end. Aesira tugged harshly on the rope and deep blue hair and coffee skin came into view.

The soldier.

Akira had no idea why, but her breath caught in her throat at the sight of the girl. Akira forgot she was standing precariously on her toes for a short second causing her to lose her balance.

She almost fell forward into Neyco's shoulder and likely would've fallen past it and onto the forest floor, had it not been for her friend. Who was now, annoyingly, trying to keep the amusement off his face.

Neyco's arm wrapped around her waist, catching Akira before gravity pulled her down. Her hand which had been covering his mouth the whole time, slipped, and caught itself on the crook of his neck.

Alas, none of these practically instinctive reactions prevented Akira's from falling into a hard step onto a traitorous twig on the ground. It snapped and all talking ceased. Akira cringed. Shit.