To Rhial

16

Brenden

Geren rested his taloned hand on Adam's shoulder and guided him into the house.

No way in Hell is this a good idea! Red flag after red flag of fantasy shit is all over this creepy cabin. Are we gonna be the next Hansel and Gretel, but way dumber for trusting a literal monster? I don't even remember the story, but this guy's probably gonna chop us up to have some nice rainy day meat pies. Am I judging this guy by how he looks? Yes. Could he be a nice guy? Maybe, but I don't get the vibe that he's going to be cool, considering all the cages outside. If my flesh is going to "slop off bones," it is for damn sure not happening in this guy's house or on his porch.

And yet, because I was so tired of the rain, I followed Adam into the cabin. Despite how absolutely creeped out I was, I got the sense that we could take Geren if we had to.

Desmond and I shared a glance, silently acknowledging each other's suspicion.

Adam lingered in the tiny foyer until all of us were in, then crammed in right next to me, looking uncomfortable beyond comparison in this horrifying stranger's cabin. Geren stood at the door for a second and looked over our dripping wet selves. There was an awkward moment of him just staring down at us, still smiling, before he quickly twisted his head and began lumbering over to a cupboard. He rifled through some belongings before waddling over on his hind legs and presenting us with some rough towels.

"You please excuse me. Haven't had guests in while. Take boots off... bring them to chimney. I will light fire to dry. Dry yourselves. Be comfortable. May take while. Please, be comfortable"

He sounded like Tells with how awkwardly he was speaking. He clearly didn't get visitors often, but he was making some kind of effort.

Maybe I was quick to judge, but I'd rather assume the worst and live than trust a random guy and have a chance of getting killed.

We all pulled our boots off and emptied them outside the door. Our socks slapped on the strangely soft wooden floors over to the fireplace, where he was leaning down and igniting the fire with his hand. Hadn't even thought about how many people use sigils here. Had to be a lot if they were practical.

We sprawled out on a brown fur carpet in front of the fire. I'd put money on it being the skin of one of those big mammoths we got chased by. The room was packed full of shelves that had hundreds of white knick-knacks on them. Upon closer inspection, I realized they were all made of bone, and there were so, so many of them. A single old worn leather chair sat next to the rug by the fire. On the far side was a table covered in white dust and thick parchments. I couldn't see well, but there were carving tools and other, strange implements strewn across the desk. In the back left of the room was a closed door leading to somewhere else in the house. Despite the unsettling bone theme, there was a strange comfort to the cabin.

The rain pounded endlessly on the roof. It was surprisingly cold for the summer-like weather we had been experiencing the past few days. Geren sat in the leather armchair and gazed at us expectantly. Funnily enough, he had some noticeable jitters as his little hind legs gently bounced, too short to touch the ground from a seated position.

"You come on behalf... of Mother Yeline and..." He took a long breath, as he tended to do at the end of sentences. "You want to capture... fireblood? How prepared are you? What is your experience?" He leaned forward, resting his head on his massive fists.

Adam responded pretty quickly. "We don't have a lot of battle experience, but we have killed some person-sized bug things in the forest near Mother Yeline's village."

"I've done a lot of hunting, just with better equipment than what we've got," Desmond cracked his knuckles and fiddled with his bow.

Geren chuckled. "Hunting is good. But battle experience? Battle is least of worries. And yet... you look strong... athletic... but inexperienced? Elaborate." He narrowed his eyes at us, but I couldn't tell who he was looking at. Adam spoke up before I had the chance to.