Heart of Oak

Bringing Home a Woman

In the days following the assault on New Haven and the escape from there, Falcher, Sura, and all the refugees had made camp in the nearby forest, using the dense foliage to avoid detection. The smoke was suffocating the city and everyone there knew what had happened. The first night away from the city, there was a loud explosion that rumbled the surrounding ground. An explosion completely decimated a part of the city's palace. Sura's werewolves, those who'd stayed with her or escaped their suicide mission, reported that the humans had a mass exodus.

While free of the confines of the city and its oppressive mentality, still had no way to get home. He spent two days pleading with Sura for some way home and the answer finally came after a dangerous expedition into the smoldering ruins of New Haven.

On the fourth day, Sura approached a grouchy and idle Falcher. He was muzzle deep in a history book, but the way his eyes wandered said volumes about how interesting the read actually was. She crossed her arms and leaned back on her left leg. She cleared her throat to get his attention. "Still want off this continent?"

Falcher slapped the book closed and groggily looked up towards the black-furred woman. Apathy had, to some extent, already set in and it was visible in his gaze. "One could make that assumption, yes," he responded in a monotone voice.

Sura's pleasant demeanor soured. Intending to or not, Falcher's mood dampened her excitement. Regardless, she still told him, "There's a seaworthy sailing ship still in the harbor."

Falcher tilted his head. "You're pulling my leg."

Sura shook her head determinedly. "Nope. They ran from the city in such a hurry that they left everything behind."

The wolf-kin put the book away into a bag and pushed himself onto his feet. He paused his excitement momentarily. "How are we supposed to sail a ship without a crew?"

Sura gestured to the encampment of refugees. "We just need one or two sailors who know their way around and everyone else is muscle. It's an unfortunately narrow plan, but it's the best I can think of."

After an hour of herding the masses, Sura and her werewolves led the way back to the city. The city stood completely abandoned, with its gates wide open. Black smoke plumes still fumed out of smoldering coals. Falcher pushed his way to the front of the march and saw the sights. Half the city was reduced to charred rubble. The palace, now visible across a reduced skyline, was half sunk into a massive crater that formed in the middle of the city.

Crunch!

Falcher looked down at the road as he pulled his foot back. Staring back at him was a blackened skull with burnt red flesh still clinging on. He took two steps back and looked to his right where a collapsed house was. Resting in the doorway with a massive splinter of charred wood thought the chest was another human skeleton still partially dressed in commoner's clothes. His eyes widened in horror. The brutality of the fight became clear to him as he walked only a few yards down the road. The more he looked, the more bodies he saw, civilian and soldier alike.

He couldn't stand to look at it. He lowered his head and focused his eyes on the road, following the crowd to the docks. Much like the rest of the city, it too was in smoldering ruins. However, much to their fortune, was a large three-mast sailing ship still docked in the harbor. One by one, each person climbed onboard, Falcher being the last one off the docks. He turned and leaned on the railings, looking back at the city. "So much death and destruction," he lamented.

Sura walked up beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Whether you agree with it, what's done is done." She adjusted herself and gripped the railing with both hands. "So, where are we going?"

Falcher coughed hard, almost choking on his own saliva with that question. With a bewildered expression, he turned to look at her. "What do you mean?"

She nodded towards him. "What do you think I mean? The best chance these people have at living is going to be wherever Oakengrove is."