꧁༺ 𝓑𝓵𝓪𝓬𝓴 𝓫𝓵𝓾𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓰𝓸𝓵𝓭 ༻꧂

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 12

Back on the carts again, the pirate crew headed for inner Qaæya to meet with a witch who'd hopefully help the get to the Hall of ᚷᛟᛞᛞᛖᛋᛋ Íᛚᛁᚨ. They'd packed many things for the long trip from the coast. The old roads to the centre of Qaæya were known to be restless, ruthless, and unforgiving to travellers, so they made sure to pack as much as they could that would be necessary.

Leon fiddled with his thumbs, looking off at the distant trees across the plain, anxious and worried. He was worried for your well-being, your safety. He wished he could do something, anything to protect you. If only he knew where you were...

Polar and Truett played cards on the small crate next to Leon, betting their coins - the immigrant proved himself quite the pro player with the money. Bear was cackling at all of his brother's losses, which usually got him a slap on the back of the head. A mocking roar of laughter escaped Chris's mouth when Polar bid out the last of his gold to Truett, losing effortlessly in a failed triumph.

Leon furrowed his brows; the thought of you hurt killed him inside. He blamed himself for letting you get captured by the lying traitor he used to know as a friend. He hated himself for no thinking ahead, for not knowing that Harlynn had a second plan.

Chris noticed Leon's broken gaze, his pained expression. Chris sensed Leon's worry. He brought his foot over to his friend's leg, nudging him lightly.

"Hey," Chris said softly, despite his gruff voice, "stay positive. If anyone's gonna look worried, let it be me."

Leon chuckled quietly, smiling. He was grateful for his friend's attempts to cheer him up, even if it didn't work whatsoever. He couldn't help but be anxious about you. You'd grown on him, become so important. It was almost like he'd fallen in love with you.

"Thanks, but unfortunately, I cannot stop looking worried.." His voice faded as he finished the sentence, staring back off into the distant trees.

As Bear teased and mocked his brother's pitiful loss of money, his ears caught on something, a sound, drifted by the wind. His goofy, jagged grin gradually began to fade, and his mouth ran to a thin line. He stayed still in his crouched position, now listening closely to the sounds floating on the wind, trying to pinpoint the sound he heard.

The sound got louder, and he could just make out the flapping of wings. Curious, he turned to look in the direction of the sound. He squinted his eyes at the greyish skies above, searching for something that could possibly be causing the noise. His glare landed on an approaching shape in the sky.

It got closer, and Bear could only just make out it's features: large wings, a large beak, a lion's tail and four legs. His heart dropped to his stomach. He gripped his brother's shoulder, shaking Polar to get his attention. Polar grumbled, swatting Bear's hand away, but Bear's hand didn't falter. Bear shook Polar harder, panicking at the incoming threat.

Polar, who was getting very annoyed by his brother, frowned deeply, his muscles tensing from irritation. He whipped his head around to face his brother's terrified expression.

"What in the bloody hell do you want, you rat?!" Polar exclaimed, very ticked off.

Bear lifted his bony hand and pointed off into the distant to the now visible flying creature coming closer at high speed. Polar's face dropped, his skin turning pale.

"GRIFFIN!"

"Huh?" Chris looked up, and, before he could react, giant talons reached out and attempted to grab him. In a blur, he reacted purely out of instinct, grabbing the griffin's feathers and pulling down hard on them. The animal screeched, letting go of the large man. Chris tumbled down onto the cart with such force that the cart tipped, falling and crashing down onto the rocky road below. The crew flew out of the cart, landing a yard away. The horses fell in pain, screaming.