Written in The Stars

The Twelfth Scroll: Pete

The first rays of the sun disturbed Pete's sensitive eyes as he found himself in a smooth green clearing in the thicket of the forest. Stately, lush trees could be seen a little further away. The young man examined his palms – they were completely covered with dirt and blood. His heart sank uncomfortably – he had no idea what had happened that night.

Pete tried to stand up, but his whole body ached badly, forcing him to curl up into a ball. Completely naked, he clung to the grass, blinking wearily from the bright light. Birdsong could be clearly heard from here. It pleasantly caressed the exhausted werewolf's ears.

This went on for a while, until the young man managed to find the strength to get to his knees, and then to his feet. Then he noticed that the dried blood was not only on his hands, but also on his face, as well as on his scarred chest. It was difficult to walk – it seemed that the limbs had completely stopped obeying their master after the changes that had happened to him.

Lost between the branches of the trees, Pete heard the sound of a stream somewhere in the distance and soon came out to a beautiful water surface. On this journey, he relied only on his enhanced hearing – his eyes still could not accept such a juicy picture. Spreading his arms out to the sides, the young man blissfully immersed himself in the water, washing away all the troubles of the past turning.

His thoughts were still confused. He didn't understand how he found himself in the middle of the forest. It seemed like a second ago he was chained to the walls of the basement that Ingrid had found for him. Ingrid. His heart suddenly felt restless. Whose blood was now dissolving in a clear stream? This reasoning instantly sobered Pete's mind. He forced his eyelids open and, finding a small hill, climbed there to look around. Realizing which way the city was located, the young man went to the place of his recent imprisonment.

It was still too early for Pete to run into unwanted travelers who would immediately wonder how he ended up so deep in the woods at such a time, and also being completely naked. This calmed the young man down a bit. However, not for long – the closer he got to the hut, the more bloody footprints appeared on his way.

The lonely little house looked completely different from last night – the door had been blown off its hinges, and the entire passage was stained with scarlet spots. Pete cautiously went inside – the hatch that led to the basement was also damaged and displaced from its rightful place. The young man became afraid of the realization of the power of the monster that had opened it. There was no one downstairs. Only his broken shackles decorated this inconspicuous corner. This made Pete breathe a sigh of relief – he still couldn't shake the thought that he had somehow harmed Ingrid. Neither her things nor herself were here. The young man took out his clothes from the chest of drawers and cleaned himself up. The journey to the city took him very little time – he was in a hurry to see his companion.

Coming up to the blacksmith shop again, Pete froze in horror a few steps from the threshold. There were traces of blood here too. The light of a single candle flickered in the window of the utility room. With incredible efforts, the young man managed to force himself to move in order to enter through the back door – it was locked, but without thinking twice, Pete kicked it out.

The girl sitting on the floor shuddered in fear, but when she saw Pete in the uninvited guest, she immediately came to her senses. The young man opened his mouth in shock – Ingrid's whole face was covered in tears. And her whole body and hands were covered in blood. At her foot lay the lifeless body of Warcroft, the owner of the shop. There was a horrific wound on the man's throat. There were a lot of rags and various medicines lying around – obviously, the girl had been fighting for the blacksmith's life for a very long time.

"Oh, gods, Pete," she clutched her forehead, dirtying herself even more, "I was scared. I thought it was someone else."

The orc did not stop sobbing, and the young man immediately reached out to her.