.
.
.
The Zith used the last of its strength to jump up and take hold of a low hanging branch, using it to escape further up into the tree. Some of the men got off their horses and made their way to the twisted trunk only for Aris to call out and stop them. “Leave it! He ordered, “It won’t be long until he passes.”
The dust settled and with it the horses came to a standstill; even Cree found his way back, satisfied that the area must be safe now that the rest of the gang was here. Dravite looked to where the battle had taken place and saw that the earth was wet with the creature’s blood. He remembered then that he had been looking for Belhatir and sucked in a worried gasp before finally spotting him on the ground, upper body nestled in the grass.
Dravite ran to his Windborne brother and checked him for wounds, finding only one on his shoulder where an arrow had grazed the skin deep enough to draw blood and possibly even leave a scar once it was healed. He helped his friend sit up slowly and brushed some of the dirt off of him. As Aris spoke to the group, two of the riders kept guard at the base of the tree. “We will camp here tonight; Endrykas is moving to the summer grounds and will pass this way. We have to secure the area to make sure there won’t be more of these attacks.”
“What was that thing?” One of the young recruits asked.
Aris sighed, he was used to working with well-trained, seasoned warriors, why had he opted to take on a group of newbies; the pay wasn’t that good. His features seemed to reflect his thoughts as he answered. “That was a Zith, you may have heard of them from some of your clan members.”
“Man or monster?”
Aris pinned the recruit with a glare and hissed. “Be it man or beast he attacked one of us and that means he dies.”
As his gaze fell on each of them he nodded at Belhatir and Dravite. “Are the two of you okay?”
“Just a scratch,” Dravite answered ignorantly, pointing out Belhatir’s shoulder; he hadn't noticed the cut on his chest of grazing down his side.
“I think you’ll survive,” the man smiled, something none of them had seen him do before.
There was a long, low hiss from above in the branches and the team watched as the Zith’s body withered against the trunk of the tree where it was almost at its thinnest point. He was dying and a part of Dravite felt guilty for inflicting wounds that killed slowly rather than outright. He bowed his head, not fond of watching men die and tried to help Belhatir to his feet.
“You two, I want you to ride on ahead towards the Kabrin Road and see to it that the way is clear for the city migrating to the summer encampment. If the plain is free of danger and any more of these Zith, send word to me through the web,” Aris instructed them.
Dravite nodded, it was a better fate than sitting around watching The Serenity Tree for signs of life, and whatever they had found in the grass was something best unseen, something Belhatir would probably tell him about on the journey north. He took his shirt from the saddlebag on Cree’s back and used it to wrap Belhatir’s shoulder. It would stop the blood for now and keep the dirt out of it until they could find a better solution.
They hadn’t really come prepared for an overnight stay, so Dravite set his mind to hunting as they set off on horseback towards the Kabrin Road. Of course they wouldn’t have to travel all the way to the road, journeying no further than the lake Endrykas passed by on its way to the summer grounds, but it was a good marker to let them know if they had gone too far.
Belhatir seemed quiet and Dravite didn’t want to pry, so instead of hounding his friend with the typical ‘are you okay,’ type questions, he started to sing. Belhatir was likely to join in once he caught the tune of the song Lazuli had taught them when they were little, that or ask Dravite if he too could hear the dying animal, for the man could barely hold a tune, humming the words he had forgotten..
.
.
The dust settled and with it the horses came to a standstill; even Cree found his way back, satisfied that the area must be safe now that the rest of the gang was here. Dravite looked to where the battle had taken place and saw that the earth was wet with the creature’s blood. He remembered then that he had been looking for Belhatir and sucked in a worried gasp before finally spotting him on the ground, upper body nestled in the grass.
Dravite ran to his Windborne brother and checked him for wounds, finding only one on his shoulder where an arrow had grazed the skin deep enough to draw blood and possibly even leave a scar once it was healed. He helped his friend sit up slowly and brushed some of the dirt off of him. As Aris spoke to the group, two of the riders kept guard at the base of the tree. “We will camp here tonight; Endrykas is moving to the summer grounds and will pass this way. We have to secure the area to make sure there won’t be more of these attacks.”
“What was that thing?” One of the young recruits asked.
Aris sighed, he was used to working with well-trained, seasoned warriors, why had he opted to take on a group of newbies; the pay wasn’t that good. His features seemed to reflect his thoughts as he answered. “That was a Zith, you may have heard of them from some of your clan members.”
“Man or monster?”
Aris pinned the recruit with a glare and hissed. “Be it man or beast he attacked one of us and that means he dies.”
As his gaze fell on each of them he nodded at Belhatir and Dravite. “Are the two of you okay?”
“Just a scratch,” Dravite answered ignorantly, pointing out Belhatir’s shoulder; he hadn't noticed the cut on his chest of grazing down his side.
“I think you’ll survive,” the man smiled, something none of them had seen him do before.
There was a long, low hiss from above in the branches and the team watched as the Zith’s body withered against the trunk of the tree where it was almost at its thinnest point. He was dying and a part of Dravite felt guilty for inflicting wounds that killed slowly rather than outright. He bowed his head, not fond of watching men die and tried to help Belhatir to his feet.
“You two, I want you to ride on ahead towards the Kabrin Road and see to it that the way is clear for the city migrating to the summer encampment. If the plain is free of danger and any more of these Zith, send word to me through the web,” Aris instructed them.
Dravite nodded, it was a better fate than sitting around watching The Serenity Tree for signs of life, and whatever they had found in the grass was something best unseen, something Belhatir would probably tell him about on the journey north. He took his shirt from the saddlebag on Cree’s back and used it to wrap Belhatir’s shoulder. It would stop the blood for now and keep the dirt out of it until they could find a better solution.
They hadn’t really come prepared for an overnight stay, so Dravite set his mind to hunting as they set off on horseback towards the Kabrin Road. Of course they wouldn’t have to travel all the way to the road, journeying no further than the lake Endrykas passed by on its way to the summer grounds, but it was a good marker to let them know if they had gone too far.
Belhatir seemed quiet and Dravite didn’t want to pry, so instead of hounding his friend with the typical ‘are you okay,’ type questions, he started to sing. Belhatir was likely to join in once he caught the tune of the song Lazuli had taught them when they were little, that or ask Dravite if he too could hear the dying animal, for the man could barely hold a tune, humming the words he had forgotten..
.
.