** When their beloved mistress is murdered, a white raven and a black fox embark on a journey for revenge. Will the brave familiars manage to recover the stolen heart in time - or would they lose themselves? **
"Sometimes love is
what drives you to...
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The next morning caught up with them quickly and insidiously.
Odhrán woke his guests as the ash tree opened again at the first light of day, and his crow showed them the way forward. Cian had felt the weight of the two hearts on him all night, but Lir's closeness made it more bearable. Her trembling, sometimes quivering, and rarely regular breathing distracted him from the whispers, the temptation, and the promises.
"Where are you taking us today?" Cian asked as they trudged after the bird, and it flew relatively low to their side.
"To the next heart," he told them as if they didn't already know that.
"Yes, but where is it?"
"Curious fox," the raven scolded, but he deigned to continue, "You little minds are far too young to have witnessed, but were you told of the ancient wars?"
Cian thought about it for a moment, then nodded.
"Yes, in a time when the Otherworld was even wilder than it is now. With no fixed territories, practically everyone fought everyone else, right?"
The crow made an approving noise, and Lir even lifted her head. Her golden eyes scrutinized the bird curiously.
"King Fear Doirich has fought in many of these battles. Each one bloodier than the last. Sometimes the land has forgotten the suffering; other times it has not." With these bold words, the crow flapped its wings twice more vigorously and rose above them, leaving Cian unable to ask any more questions.
"The land has forgotten?" repeated Lir, who probably didn't know exactly what that meant either.
Cian could have cursed the duplicitous Odhrán spy up there. Although he was used to the Fey speaking in riddles and nothing in this world being what it seemed at first glance, there were situations where he wished it would work more simply.
"We'll see what he means... and very soon, I'm afraid."
And so it was.
The sun rose above the zenith and slowly moved back towards the evening sky. Lir and Cian walked through valleys full of soft grasses, some smaller forests, and plains full of lush green shrubs. The journey became increasingly strenuous, especially for the Raven, who was not used to such distances on foot. The dense bushes, which were already increasingly dotted with small red flowers, parted at some point.
