The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

C17 - Evil

(Edited December 26th, 2019)

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Chapter 17 – Evil.

A soft drizzle fell in the morning air, the tiny drops of falling water barely distinguishable amidst the monochrome sunlight vaguely radiating through the overcast skies. The gentle rainfall was nothing in the way of their travels and the sun itself was plenty high in the sky, but still, the Shepherd's group stayed stagnant in the silence.

Mikleo stood in the drizzling rain away from the campsite, staring worriedly towards the cliffside trail that curved past the nearby ridge and out of sight. His cape flapped in the breeze as he stood there, motionless.

"What happened with that girl and her father... All of this is just awful." he mumbled, breaking the silence. "...And now Sorey's beating himself up for what happened." he said grimly.

His words carried to Lailah who was quietly combing her hair by the cave entrance. She softly nodded her head. "...I don't think Sorey slept very well last night. I was sure I heard him tossing and turning in his bedroll."

"He probably didn't get a wink of sleep." Edna curled up with her legs against her chest as she sheltered herself from the rain under her umbrella. "Killing another human for the first time had to have been difficult. Especially for someone as originally naïve as him."

"Well, yeah." Rose trotted up to the rest of them, crossing her arms. "Honestly, I had hoped that he would never end up getting to a point like this. The world's got enough killers like me, after all." She shifted on her feet, the charms dangling off her clothing waving in the wind. "...But there's no use crying over spilt milk. It's best to give him some space for right now – this is the sort of thing you have to come to terms with on your own."

"I take it you're talking from experience?" Mikleo asked dully, still staring out into the fog.

"Of course I am." She shook her head. "But you know, it's probably a good thing that Sorey's reacting so harshly to it. If killing is something that comes to you easier than breathing, then you're probably not someone who respects how precious lives really are."

Behind her, partially obscured by the shadows of the cave, Dezel grunted, crossing his arms. "Could've fooled me." he muttered.

Velvet's blade squealed noisily as she ran the grindstone down its length for the umpteenth time amidst the silence that followed. The wind kicked up once more, playing with her hair as she stared at her reflection in the pristine steel that made up her lifeline. After a few more moments of silence, her sword collapsed back into its sheath with a noisy clank.

"I'm going." she stated simply.

The rest of the group watched mutely as she stood up, turning around and leaving down the path that hugged the ridgeline without another word.

Her steel boots clanked rhythmically on the moist stone and gravel underfoot as she followed the path, the drizzle and the mist enveloping her entirely. To her left and off the edge of the cliff, the vast expansive landscape of the Biroclef Ridge spread out amidst the overcast skies, populated by sharp, jagged cliffs and patches of rolling hills topped with vast swathes of forest. Up ahead, the path continued, twisting and turning with seemingly no end in sight.

It wasn't long before she found him amidst the drizzling rain.

Sitting cross-legged underneath a lone tree on the cliffside up ahead, Sorey stared out into the vast expanse of nature in utter solitude. His hands rested on his thighs, his elbows bent, and his entire body hunched and diminutive. Velvet paused there for a second, taking in the sight of the Shepherd sitting there by himself. Then she stepped forward, the metal chains on her outfit clinking in the breeze.