Godsworn

Chapter 1: Brotherhood

"Savoy." A voice broke the silence as Sav's eyes shot open to once again see the moonlit tree line above him.

"What." He replied sharply, hoping to get sufficient sleep despite this being the third time his brother had spoken up since they laid down.

"I'm cold. And hungry."

Savoy rolled over. His joints creaked from staying still for so long. He was so close to drifting off. "Go to sleep. You're neither of those things when you're sleeping." Lazarus' sigh shook Sav to the core. He knew his little brother wouldn't stop complaining until he was fed. The cold he could always manage fine, it wasn't like they were short on furs to cover up with. But hunger was Lazarus' vice. Savoy scooted out of his bedroll, dashing over to his cloak as the cool air grasped at every inch of exposed skin. "I'll be back. If you see any wolves-" He said as he clenched his little brother's leg and snarled. Lazarus let out a little yelp. "Scream." Laz smacked his hand until his grip released and turned away. Savoy smiled to himself and made his way back to the path.

The woods at night were especially dangerous this time of year, when the snow finally began to melt and the predators became more bold. Savoy knew that sticking to the roads was by far the safest option when it came to avoiding wildlife. Still, it made him uncomfortable being out in the open after traveling off the beaten path for so long. He stuck to the tree line, hoping after a while to find a... "House." Sav peered through the darkness to see a slight lamplight illuminating a cottage just over the next hill. "That's impossible," He whispered to himself, "there's no way we're that close to town." He clamored to the top of the hill to see hundreds of lamps and firelights shining brighter than stars in the night. It was no ordinary town, it was a city. "Gods... damn it." Panic began to fill Savoy from head to toe. He and his brother had few rules since they started moving around, but one of the biggest was no cities, ever. He took a deep breath. Just get some food from the house and go. No trouble, no questions.

Savoy gathered himself and marched up to the door of the cottage with as much confidence as he could muster. With a quick glance into one of the windows, he could see someone sitting at candlelight. He gave a soft knock on the door and saw the figure tense up immediately. "Just- just a second!" A woman's voice hastily rose from inside. Savoy watched as she stumbled into the dark, and heard several things moving and being shifted around. Savoy removed his hood and placed his hands at his side, attempting to look as harmless as possible. He suddenly became acutely aware of his appearance, sneakily taking a whiff of his shirt and recoiling from the smell. Not good. Although, maybe if I look the part of an orphan it'll help. The door slowly creaked open as Sav was lost in thought, revealing the small frame of a blonde lady dressed in mostly black.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked from behind the deadbolt. Savoy gripped the edge of his cloak and fiddled with it as he spoke.

"Um, yes. My brother and I are orphans, see, and we're very hungry. Do you have some food scraps you could spare?" The woman looked him up and down, her eyes wild and suspicious.

"You're filthy." Savoy nodded and hung his head.

"We've been living in the woods, miss." Her brow furrowed as she slowly opened the door.

"Come in. Have a seat. I'll get you some food." She made her way inside to a cabinet as Savoy stood stunned for a moment at the ease of the exchange before following her in. The inside was well decorated with hunting trophies, exotic pelts adorned the floor and stuffed heads of massive wolves and bucks hung from the mantle.

"Do you... hunt?" He asked against his better judgement. Savoy knew that asking questions prompted questions to be asked back, despite curiosity being one of his biggest weaknesses. The woman simply shook her head as she placed some dried meat and bread in a sack. Sav looked around the room again as he sat down. Something didn't feel right to him about the woman. Some odd feeling of... kinship. Yet she was still dangerous. What are you trying to hide? He thought to himself, and shook his head. It doesn't matter. She's doing us a great kindness. The lady handed Savoy the bag and stepped back with her hands in front of her, seemingly waiting for him to leave.