|| A novelette of the Lullaby Chronology ||
The people of Lo huddled in their homes as the life-flames slowly faded away. Each day turned colder and colder as they were left to freeze in a dying realm. They had lost the war, after all.
Aeric, too, h...
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And then Fury burned so bright The heart Solid, cold as ice No more Could he feel a thing So numb Shadow of a soul
"Aeric...you should rest, too. I think we're far enough away from Lo'ol now."
Aeric didn't reply. Instead, he adjusted his hold on Dov who clung onto his shoulders a little tighter. The younger didn't have as long of legs as the older and became tired much quicker. In order to keep their pace, Aeric carried Dov on his back. All night they had walked, and all day they continued forward. The realm was dark, even during the day, and Aeric feared the light of their lanterns would make them easy-to-spot targets. It was that fear that kept him going, but he knew he was reaching his limit.
Veering off to the right of the path, Dov noticed an oddity in the trees. By his vantage point, he could barely see the blue glow of a life-flame. That was when he realized it was a makeshift shelter, made to blend in with the trees. It looked to be something that was once used to keep out of sight from game while hunting.
"Over there." Dov pointed in the direction of the shelter. "I think there's somewhere we can sit and hide. Someone's there, but maybe they'll share with us?"
Once again, Aeric made no indication that he heard, but nonetheless followed Dov's direction. It took a bit of maneuvering through the branches, Dov squirming out of Aeric's hold to move through easier, but they soon came across what was indeed an old hunting shelter. There was another man there when they entered, laying on his side with his back turned to them. Both assumed he was asleep, and simply settled on the other side soundlessly.
"You should sleep," Dov said, his voice just above a whisper. Aeric opened his mouth to object, but Dov quickly silenced him by covering his mouth with his hand. "I already got to sleep today, and I promise I'll wake you up if something happens or if I get really tired, ok?"
Aeric pulled Dov's hand away, scowling, but settled against a tree that supported some of the structure. He would never admit how quick he was to fall asleep, especially when the last thing he saw before shutting his eyes was a smug expression on Dov's face. He neither knew how long he was asleep. Yet when he woke, he immediately found himself lying on the ground with his cloak rearranged to be draped over him. Must've been Dov, he thought.
Sitting up, the first thing that caught his eyes was the man. He may have been exhausted previously, but he could've sworn the man hadn't moved since they got there. A heavy sleeper? He then looked to Dov.
Dov was staring at the man with an unsettled expression. Aeric was about to ask what was the matter, but Dov blurted out a sentence before he could even open his mouth.
"I think he's dead."
Aeric immediately sat up straighter and snapped his attention back to the man before them. He couldn't tell if the man was breathing or not.
