The Chaos Of Knowledge

Chapter 20

Nomas moved along quickly along the forest floor with his posture low. Smells he had never had the pleasure of finding before seemed almost overwhelming in the dusk light. He could hear everything, bird wings fluttering, creatures calling out into the evening, and the feeling of everything around him made him feel like he was opening his eyes for the first time.

His three companions followed behind him whispering, but Nomas could hear their words too. With his hears twitching for even the slightest noises that surrounded him. "He's acting odd," Kristen said honestly looking at the shifter moving across the road.

"Is that what Constantine did to him?" Boris asked with a frown.

"I don't think so, I have never seen any other shifter acting like this. Not even Dani."

"Kitten," Andrew added with a frown. All of them watched with a frown walking after him.

Nomas dropped to all fours with a frown and running along the ground with the odd scent he had picked up. The path disappeared behind him as he followed after it.

Running up to the base of the tree he smiled looking up at the small nest high on the branch. Without a bird within, he knew there was no one to defend it. Nomas didn't even think about it before he was nearly ten feet in the air and standing near the trunk of the tree trying to balance himself on a large branch.

The nest was nearly at the edge but the two blue eggs within were far too enticing for him to simply give up. Taking the first few steps he smiled walking with less timidness with each one.

As he stooped down and gripped the eggs in his hand Nomas' ear twitched at the noises he heard below him. The armor clinked slightly and the leaves rustled as they moved past the tree making him look down at the group of men with cloaks covering their heads.

Nomas felt nervous as they passed below him looking back towards the clearing, the only feature Nomas could make out from under the cloaks was a single long black tail swinging behind the leader. He could hear the hushed whispers of the group as knives were drawn.

Cocking his head to the side he frowned, he couldn't help but wonder why they were there. He took a single step backward hoping to get back to the safety of the tree trunk. They moved below him and stopped behind a large boulder that he could see Kristen and the others were about to pass. They were yelling something Nomas' couldn't hear from his distance.

He frowned feeling the hair on the back of his neck standing up. Nomas' free hand went to his side feeling the hilt of his sword jabbing into his side. Swallowing hard he realized that if there was one thing he had learned on his journey it was that his sword would do nothing against these creatures.

Nomas stood on the branch and began to fumble with the buckle holding the sword at his side. If he wanted to win this fight he couldn't think like a fighter. Tucking the sword into the notch of the branch and watched the men once more.

Two of the five men split from the group, one going further up the path and the other further down. The other three stood still for a long time before the first charged out into the clearing with its blade raised.

Nomas stifled a scream as the bow was yanked from Kristen's shoulder and the arrow was lodged into the attacker's chest causing them to tumble and land a few feet from the elf.

He must have known someone was there and was ready for an attack.

The other two frowned as the second threw their knife from behind the boulder and it flew straight. It made a loud thunk as it stuck itself deep into the elf's leg before he collapsed to a knee screaming loudly in pain.