Family. Blood.
Regardless of standing, these things have ruled the world and are seen as the most valuable assets one can have.
Not for any greedy reasons, most of the ti. But Blood and the continuation of it down millennia speak one thing to the Vita and everyone else around. That you are capable of surviving, and you are good at it.
Many attempted to understand Vita by going against this instinctual wish, but even if they succeeded for one generation, the other failed, either way.
The cause? Well, that its easy. One cannot pass excellence down to the next generation. It is not a congenital trait that one can just receive from their parents.
But so things can be passed down. And these things are worth more than any amount of gold. Life is finite, even if one manages to increase their lifespan.
Death cos to all, man or God. The Gods learned this lesson the hard way. And humankind made sure not to make the sa mistake the Gods did and doubt the Vita.
“Good morning,” said Blanc to the twins who ca out from the opening in the tree after the sun rose.
“Morning,” replied Lune, wiping the sleep from her eyes.
“Brother, Celine? Did you two not sleep at all?” Kael asked.
“We have rested a bit, but not too much. We will rest properly tonight if we find the cave,” said Celine.
“Either way,” began Blanc, “I’ve made so warm food. Wash and co and eat.”
“A fire? Didn’t you say it would be too dangerous?” Kael asked.
“I’ve found a whole suspiciously placed pile of dry branches, which do less smoke,” Blanc replied.
“Suspiciously placed?” wondered Lune.
“Yes,” Blanc nodded, “there are more such piles. I assu the cave Father ntioned is sowhere near, and these piles are theirs.”
“That’s good, right?” Kael replied, grabbing his water flask. “I am almost out of water, too.”
“It is,” Celine agreed, “And there is a creek a bit to the west, I can refill all our flasks before we begin searching.”
“Can you do that for ?” Blanc asked her as he stirred the porridge.
“Of course I can,” Celine smiled, grabbing the flask they shared. “Kael, Lune, give your flasks as well.”
“A mont,” Lune said, “Let drink all the water from it.”
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
“Are you that thirsty?” Blanc chuckled.
Lune shook her head, “No. This water is from ho. I want to drink it all.”
Blanc’s chuckle stopped as he heard her words, a pang of pain striking his chest, “Very well, then.”
And so, after eating, washing themselves and using the forest as a toilet, they’ve decided to go together to fill their flasks, before looking after the cave.
The creek Celine ntioned was small, no less than three feet wide, and very shallow. But it was perfect.
The water was coming from the Omu Mountain, and it was fresh and safe to drink, an assumption Blanc made after tasting the water.
If the cave was near them, this creek might be a safe and reliable source of water for them.
With that in mind, Blanc instructed them to follow the creek upward towards the mountain and start their search from there, in the hopes that the cave would be nearby.
The weather continued to favor them.
A blessing, Blanc gave thanks daily, offering his gratitude to the Vita.
Had it been otherwise, they might not have made it this far.
The days remained warm, and the nights, though touched by a chill, never felt too harsh. After all, Blanc and Celine had their own ways of staying warm.
The mild weather allowed them to move steadily, putting more and more distance between themselves and the Iron Line.
Yet, even as they advanced, their thoughts often turned back to ho.
How was their family? How fared the battle? Were their loved ones safe? Victorious, perhaps? Or had they fallen?
By now, all the allies of Blood Denegis should have arrived.
With luck, the tide had turned in their favor.
But there was no way for them to know. So, they just as often as the thoughts surfaced, they found themselves throwing them aside, not wishing to linger on them for too much.
“My love,” Celine spoke, looking at the base of the mountain.
“Finally, we’ve arrived. But unlucky, the cave is not near the creek.” Blanc muttered, looking around to see if he could spot it. He did not.
But another pile of dried branches, a foot in length, stood near the mountain.
“This is just odd at this point,” Blanc said, looking at it.
“Couldn’t have agreed more,” Celine replied to him. “What is the point of all of these?”
“Firewood perhaps?” Kael asked.
“I doubt that,” Blanc shook his head, “They are outside, in the elents, they are dry now, but rain will make them wet, and unusable. If this is firewood, it’s just poorly taken care of.”
Lune looked at the pile of dry branches next, as she walked around it, thinking about it before speaking, “Brother. Could this be a grave?”
“Lune!” Kael cried out, freaked out by the idea.
“No,” Blanc replied, “I have checked that already. It’s just wood placed on the ground, with nothing inside the ground besides rocks and worms. It’s also the reason why I find these so suspicious.”
“I have no idea,” muttered Celine, giving up. “Let’s just follow them and see where they lead.”
“Do you think these might have been made as signs to follow?” Blanc wondered.
“Perhaps,” Celine replied, “worth giving a try at least.”
After they all agreed it might be what Celine suspected, they began walking again, following the piles as they took them slowly around the base of the Mountain. Away from both the corpses of the wolves and the creek, and taking them into a part of the Golden Forest, Blanc had never seen before, not even from afar.
It took four hours before they decided to rest, near a fallen tree, which they used both as a bench and a table. They were chatting casually, with no signs of beasts around them. But a sudden branch cracking in the distance made Blanc cut them all off as he focused on listening.
Step. Step.
Reviews
All reviews (0)