Prologue: News from Crier's Cross

[Basil_Bottletop]

Hektor Redgrove

 

His furry brow wrinkled in disappointment, but he allowed the woman the final word. The interaction hadn't gone as he'd liked, but there was no changing that now. He did want to know more about what brought her here and the fact that she gravitated toward him had given ample opportunity for it, but every chance he'd had to gather some bits about it his mouth had run afoul through defensiveness and some inflated sense of protection for Hearth's native kin.

He wiped the beading sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He was warm only because he'd made a point to jaunt around before the news briefing and his body took far too long nowadays in getting back to a restful state. He was growing old and it was moments like this that made him feel it more than others. His mind was sharp and his tongue was wild, but he'd always had a sense of satisfaction that his body could be ignored in such matters and still keep up. Perhaps those days were numbered.

Thoughts of mortality were a descent into madness, Hektor knew, and so he washed it away with a long drink from the mug that had been placed in front of him. He took in the low roll of thunder that was the night life of Hearth and thought of more pleasant things.

 

[Craigmacc]

Bellamy "Ames" Woodcock

Pierro's comments on Trenton niggled away in Bellamy's mind as the evening wore on. More than once he made up his mind to draw a line under the night and head for home. And yet he remained. And Pierro would get his unspoken wish.

It started with a yelp. A big fellow had trodden on Forfar's tail. An accident bound to happen when a dog as big as Forfar sits in a busy bar. It was a yelp of surprise as much as anything, but Bellamy was on his feet before the burley lad had even turned to apologise. The sour ale had clouded his senses just enough to bypass the rational part of his mind. "Watch where you put those clown feet of yours 'fore I-"

But he was cut-off. He had risen too quickly, and stumbled away from the table, knocking into Jillian Pine as she passed by. A tray of half empty plates of crayfish salad, and mugs of warm dregs, all clattered out of her hands. Bellamy rose, breathing raggedly. He had a shooting pain down one side, and a hammering headache.

It wasn't helped by the image of Trenton picking chunks of crayfish out of his wet beard.

Bellamy sighed, fingering his temples and holding a hand out towards his nephew. "Trenton. Larent." He didn't hide the sigh from his voice - it was pretty clear that he didn't want to be there. "You eh… Trenton, you got a bit of crayfish in your mustache." He gestured towards the younger dwarf's face. Regaining his composure somewhat, he drew himself up. "So anyway, how's the sows? Heard you'd gotten a good litter this year." It's all he knew to talk about, and he knew it sounded ridiculous. He glanced at his nephew from time to time, but mostly was looking back over at Forfar, and to see if the big lad looked like he would be up for a scramble.

 

 

[Peacemonger]

Hektor

Finding himself at a table alone is not an uncommon experience for Hektor in Hearth. In truth, much of his efforts feel as if he's trying to make the small village a little more like himself, to have people to share a few more things in common. It's a two-way street as they say, and as he's shared his knowledge so too has he started to pick up on common experiences and stories. There's still some distance to go to bridge the gap, but the work so far is there, something Sa'Sasril cannot see.

"Um... Mister Redgrove, sir?" Pat Rispa Jr. is there along with Milo, the two boys looking to their teacher. "We... uh... had a question?"

"Why is this spring colder than others? Why are some summers hotter? Some winters longer? Why isn't it... the same?" It's Milo who finishes it. Always inquisitive, no doubt the Halfling boy first posed the question. Perhaps that's Milo's fault though, that he wants things to be set in a fixed pattern. Although much can be learned that way, it can also be barriers of the mind.

Pat n the other hand is likely swept up in the curiosity. He knows more than Milo now just given his age, but Hektor suspects the younger boy will surpass him any year now.

Bellamy

It's Viktor Pinesbane who startled Forfar, and fortunately that was it. The dog looking up curiously, not wimpering or making a fuss thankfully. Large hands out in placating motion, Viktor clearly isn't one for trouble, just prone to accidents like anyone else. "Sorry, Bellamy. I'll watch my step." Without any more of a ruckus, the silence in the room soon is over and people return to their business.

Trenton waves off Jillian Pine, but does look to Bellamy with at first uncertainty, and then acceptance. His loving wife starts to pick the food off his beard, if anything finding the whole thing amusing. "Sows are good, uncle. A bit cold, but Larent made 'em blankets. Thought it a bit much, but turned out she was right... as usual."

"Not as always?" Larent teased him, plucking the largest piece of crawfish from his beard and placing it on the table.

"As usual's all you'll get from me." The younger Dwarf says it with a smile. "How's um... how's things with you been of late? Still keeping busy?" It's clear Trenton would like to ask more, but he doesn't even know what to ask.

 

...elsewhere...

Somewhere else a voice, weak and in pain utters a single word.

"Why?"

At first there is only darkness... and cold... and yet the presence is still felt.

 

[Nixis]

Sheshi

The night continued under the same rhythms for a while, Sheshi moving from table to table, smiling at a joke, pulling one person into the orbit of another, trying to implement what she had been taught back in the city in terms of the ways that one built civilization out of civility to one another, especially important before a harsh winter.

 

But there was one person she avoided, until, at last, squaring her shoulders, she resolved to poke the issue right in the nose - metaphorically speaking, that is.

 

"Lucredda, why don't you come inside. The fire is warm and the food is good. No need to stand in the cold."

 

[SerakHawk]

Akakzi Sriro

Akakzi narrows her eyes at Joseph when he assumes she is on board his 'plan', as most of his plans, well, could be planned a bit better. The narrowing follows Joe as he dismisses Olivia. Akakzi pointedly avoids eye contact with Olivia while attempting to keep the growing smirk off her face. Olivia's daggers pierce the back of Akakzi's skull as the trio makes their way toward a table.

Damn if he wasn't so oblivious, he just made my next few weeks hell... worth it for the look on her face.

"What ever your 'fool proof' plan is it better not involve getting anyone into real or imagined danger! I still have a scar from the last 'fool proof' plan, and isn't Mr. Woodcock still mad at you for the 'jest' you pulled a few months ago?"

Akakzi flicks her gaze from Oli's eyes to Joe's eyes and blows out a jet of air, slumping backwards into her chair. She looks thoughtfully over the crowd gathered, rubbing the scar on her wrist as she continues.

"Well, I do agree Olivarth could use some help, if he wants it of course. Have you even spoken to Viviel recently Oli? We could pull Amise in if you want some proper information on the lass, although she's as likely to unwittingly sabotage the effort, gods bless her. If not Amise I could talk to her..."

The elf locks eyes with Joe, her trail of thought lost as he soaks in Joesph's amber and char flecked eyes - like the start of a fire in midwinter, just enough ash to catch the light and burn mesmerizing in the chill winter air. Blinking rapidly she stifles a sigh and turns it into a hrumph.

"Alright then, what is your fool proof plan, and by the Winterling I swear it best not try to make Oli out something he ain't."

[Peacemonger]

Sheshi

Sheshi's rounds go about as usual, which is to say they go well. She's well appreciated and liked in the community and people are quick to give her a friendly hello, ask her how she's doing with half the people sincerely curious. Perhaps Viktor had a point. The news didn't offer much, save of course the troubling piece she heard first, but it is a chance to say hello outside formal gatherings or when people have a problem.

It's easy enough to save Lucredda for last given she's outside. That isn't the reason though. She's a hard, inscrutable woman. She walks at the beat of her own drum, but it can't be said that she's wicked or petty. She's a tough on, and truly cares about the community too.

"The cold's no good." Lucredda's words feel equally cold. She looks over to Sheshi and her faces softens ever so little seeing the priestess is offering a kindness. "It brings me some comfort to stand here and not think this spring is better than it is. The Winterling seems to be holding his grip on us. A troubling sign." Whether the fabled Winterling truly has that much sway over the village's weather is up for debate, but no doubt Lucredda believes it. "We should not be so carefree."

Akakzi

Olivarth looks right troubled by the whole affair and clearly if it wasn't for Joseph, he'd be retreating. "I mean, sure, I've talked to her."

"She means a real conversation. Not just a friendly hello and how's it going." Joseph looks both amused and not.

"Well, I suppose not really."

"So right. Nevermind the Woodcock incident, that's Crier's Cross and this is the here and now. Now my understanding is that a man appears more attractive if other people are interested in him first." There is some truth to his statement, though it's troubling where he might be heading. "Now I know you have it in you. Just need you to act like Oli's just the funniest, sweetest, strongest, best-looking lad in the village. Y'know? Laugh at his jokes, look at him all sweet like? You'll mosy all over towards Viviel, then offer some final giggle and goodbye. Then it'll be like clockwork..."

Now Joseph is on a roll, his eyes bright, his smile wide, and he's talking with his hands as much as his mouth. "...he'll be all 'howdy Viviel' and she'll be all 'well hello there'. Then Oli will be all 'say, we don't see each other all too much and should change that. You aught to come with me on my next trip to town'. And she'll retort with 'Oh, but won't Akakzi be so jealous, she seems to adore you', and then Oli lands the finishing blow with 'Akakzi's nice and all, but she's more like a sister to me, and if I'm being honest not half as beautiful as you'. It'll be absolutely perfect."

It's... not a very fun role he's trying to give Akakzi. For one, he wants her to act rather silly. For two, she ends up being talked about as the girl not good enough for Oli.

 

[Basil_Bottletop]

Hektor Redgrove

 

Inquisitive minds, especially young ones, were always welcomed. Hektor smiled at the pretense the boys had made in approaching him and then mentally applauded them for realizing they simply needed to get to the point. It seemed some of his lessons were sinking in. He had a habit of letting questions from young minds linger on the air a moment longer than needed to give them dignity. It was a trick that had been countlessly beneficial to him for years, and routinely he found that it sparked a child to either ask more questions or simply answer their own question; both being profoundly useful traits in a child.

 

"These are deep questions from deep thinkers." He finally said, breaking the silent bubble growing between them. "It's important to know that the seasons, like many things in this wonderful world, is not as rigid and strict as we'd like it to be. The wind does not hold a schedule quite like your fathers do, and so it pulls and pushes the clouds along the sky at their whimsy. We can use history to tell us what should likely happen, but not what will happen precisely." Hektor paused long enough to gather the look of both boys, unsure if he was keeping their sparrow-sized attention spans intact, before ruminating on a loose translation of Cassius Huxley's Elemental Evocation and Their Practical Uses of Control, a book that touches briefly on the seasonal rotations and the mental bliss that comes from a changing environment versus the mental instability of living in a region with only one season (even if that season is perfect year-round). By the end, he'd told him far more about practical magic than he had weather conditions, but he was also convinced they would have been wildly bored had he kept to their line of questioning for much longer.

[Nixis]

Sheshi

Sheshi's face took on a seriousness as she let the smile fade from her face. It was not as if the seriousness was smothering the happiness, or that it had arisen out of nowhere. No, it had always been there, in the set of her jaw, the flint in her eyes, just masked beneath the warmth that naturally flowed from her.

"Lucredda, I know. Viktor knows. Many of those here know that this winter is not letting us go as easily as it should. We can disagree as to the cause -your old spirits, the machinations of the Grand Wizards of the Southern ReachesJust some harmless worldbuilding..., some punishment from the Gods, or just bad luck - but I promise you that what is going on in there is not mere revelry."

 

She flinched as, at that moment, someone - Viktor, was that you? - started up a drinking song.

 

"Well, some of it is likely revelry, but it is these interactions that bind a community together. Come in, sit and have some food. The Cold will still be here in the morning, but you won't face it just on your own."

 

[SerakHawk]

Akakzi Sriro

Akakzi sat straight back in the chair like she was slapped. How could he. This isn't Fair!

"You.." she starts, flicking her gaze between Oli and Joe, Joesph.

She tries to swallow but her mouth has gone dry and rebels against the notion. Oli looks scared, but a bit hopeful. Joesph looks triumphant and smug, the slightest worry at her hesitation.

Akakzi would rave normally at a bad plan. She would rant and tell them what was wrong, why it wouldn't work for Viviel, the girl wasn't even remotely the jealous type! Her and Akakzi weren't great friends, but she was with Amise, so they knew each other enough!

".. want.."

Akakzi mind raced as she plodded forward through the sentence, was it inevitable that she should accept? It was Joe who was asking her after all, wouldn't he be appreciative... but then she would give cause to show flirting meant nothing to her. Akakzi didn't flirt, she didn't have time, didn't have the desire, she only recently realized what Joesph might mean to her.. but it wasn't returned was it? She was just a.. a..

".. me.."

A Friend. Is that all she was? A good one perhaps but only a friend? Relegated to the realm of sisters and mothers, of people you jested with and used for plots but not one you liked.. ones you were attracted to.

Akakzi paused in her sentence, just a few heartbeats, rapidly blinked to clear her mind and abruptly stood.

"No."

She said it. What now. How could she continue? And the words leapt out before she could catch them.

"I cannot do that. You.. you know I cannot do that." Her eyes were pleading as she looked between Joesph and Oli, fighting to keep her eyes dry the words tumbled out.

"Don't jest... don't ask me to do that. Its.. Its not fair." Inhaling a ragged breath she locked eyes with Oli, blatently ignoring the shock on Joseph's face.

"Just. Talk to Viviel, tell her how you feel - or at least invite her to the summer festival." Akakzi bites her lip and slowly shakes her head, inching her way away from the table. Hypocrite, you can't even ask him yourself.

"Sorry, I.. sorry"

Akakzi pivots on her foot and rushes out of the tavern, eyes glistening as she makes her retreat. The night air catches in her throat and she stifles a cry before slumping against a wall of a house just out of view of prying eyes.

Why why why why. How could he, doesn't he know? Wouldn't he Know. Its not Fair. Its not Fair.

[Peacemonger]

Akakzi's exit is not subtle, and though many are too busy conversing to pay much mind, more than a few clock her quick exit. Still, young drama isn't unheard of in Hearth, it's not the kind of moment to cause concern besides a little curiosity. It's more a matter for family and friends to help out with, not for a full community intervention.

It's a good distraction though for several conversations to stop and for people to have an opening to politely excuse themselves, call it an early night and get a little extra rest. Not all, but most people start to gather their things together.

Sheshi

Lucredda gives Sheshi an intense look that's difficult to decipher. "I have always spoken against your faith, always encouraged the people to keep paying tribute to the local spirits." She says it matter-of-factly. "I still believe it. But perhaps... perhaps I have been unfair to you. You have been good for Hearth. Your patience and thoughtfulness is well appreciated."

It's then that two figures emerge. Lucredda's daughters are both leaving. "Oy, ma. Looks like we're calling it an early night." Amise looks out, probably trying to find Akakzi, but seeing nothing shakes her head just a bit.

"Well, it looks as if I'll have to take you up on your offer next time." Lucredda gives a nod and Sheshi could swear there's a smile in the woman's eyes if not her mouth.

"Greetings Leaf Priestess." Viviel stares unblinking at Sheshi. It's not that the young woman never blinks, it's just infrequent.

"Um... hold up... I mean... er... Viviel?" Olivarth stumbles behind. "Could I have a word?"

"What kind of word?" Viviel's head tilts to one side.

"Um... well..."

Amise, shaking her head again takes both the young people by the shoulder and leads them off about twenty feet away to let whatever silliness is afoot happen a bit away from the front doors.

"Good eve to you Sheshi." Lucredda takes her leave.

As others start to file out, Viktor is among them. "Hey Sheshi. Let's go for a walk. You can tell me what that news means." She knows what news he's talking about, of the other priest in Crier's Cross...

Bellamy and Hektor

Conversations are wrapped up. Milo stays enraptured by Hektor's lessons... Pat a bit less so. Unsurprising on both accounts. Milo's parents get their son, while Pat saunters out on his own. It's a tough situation for the Rispa's. Pat Senior was always the breadwinner, Leanora struggling to fill his place on top of her own. With just her, often one if not both her children are about on their own in town. Then again, people look after one another and it's not a long walk home for the boy.

Bellamy is able to extricate himself from the awkward moment with his nephew and niece-in-law. It's not the first time. Still, there's a tinge of disappointment that Belluin isn't there. After all... only so many more nights of news for her to come to...

As has become a usual practice, Hektor and Bellamy find themselves leaving near the same time and of course living next to one another find themselves walking along the same path. The cold offers a distraction, a chance to focus on the steam from their breath, to pull their coats around them a little tighter thus conversation becomes optional. Both men have spent time outside of Hearth, but with very, very different experiences. Hektor wears it on his sleeve... literally. Bellamy couldn't be more quiet about his time away. Still, there's that connection, the knowledge of a much greater world beyond this small, small village.

Hektor catches it first. He sees in the distance of his home the door to his rookery is unlocked. He can tell even in the darkness, even at a distance because he can see the door opening and closing with the wind, making a slapping sound of wood against wire. It's only a couple seconds later Bellamy notices too. For the Dwarf it's a new sight, perhaps the teacher is being uncharacteristically careless? Hektor knows better. He always keeps it locked...

...somewhere else...

"I know you're there... tell me... why?" The voice, straining tries again to entreat the darkness.

"Tell... me..." The voice trails off into silence. And then there's a shift.

"Tell me..." It is not the same voice as before, but something new. The sound is as if the speaker is empty inside, the words sucking in the air, the light, the life from around it. "...about Hearth."

The strained voice breathes out and speaks...

Akakzi

The absolute, awful, contemptable, cruel, reckless, dumb fool. If Akakzi weren't caught up in her own self-doubts she might curse Joe more. He knows better. He knows that none of it would've been comfortable for her, knows it would've been embarrassing. He doesn't know better though, doesn't know why it's all the harder. He doesn't get it...

"Hey."

Joe lets out a heavy breath and then leans over. "You've gotten really fast. Would've outrun me if you'd kept going." Of course he knows where she'd slip to. Of course he'd come running after. He always did before. Back when they were kids, he was always just a little more persistent, a little more stubborn than anyone else. What was she thinking? Of course he'd not just sit back and do nothing.

"I... hm..." He stops his words and leans his back against the same wall, slumping down right next to her. "Screwed up again, didn't I?" He looks over, apology written all over his face. A goof he may be, but he can be serious when the moment calls for it. "How many times does that make? A thousand?"

...somewhere else...

"...Mudderlins... Zans... Uphills... Ikkibrutch and the Blue Lady... Sriros..." The strained voice is gathering strength, but is now raspy, and holds a hollowness to it as well, listing off names.

 

Edited June 23, 2023 by Peacemonger (see edit history)

[SerakHawk]

Akakzi Sriro

A bitter laugh escapes her lips, closer to a bark than a proper noise. She represses a shiver and dabs at her eyes failing to conceal the moisture leaving streaks down her face. Akakzi lets out a slow shuddering breath and gives Joseph a half-hearted push, barely enough move a fly. Her voice comes haltingly, hitching with the unspoken emotion.

"Mo.. More like a hun.. hundred thousand you.. dolt"

She briefly catches Joseph's look and gives him a pained smile before turning her gaze to the night sky.

"Wh.. When did things.. things change. Why.."

She sighs, pulling her knees up to her chest and burying her face into them. Sitting in silence she hid, slowly composing herself. He was close, not quite touching her close, but close enough to feel his heat beside her. It was steadying, familiar, and she drew strength from it. Her muffled voice broke the silence between them.

"It wasn't fair to ask me that.. but you didn't know.. did you.. its because.. because-" Akakzi pauses, her curled frame frozen in the night air-"Why is this so hard-" she turns her face to peer up at Joe slumped beside her -" could you even see me as more than a.. a friend.. or a.. a sister? Is.. is that what I am.. what we are?"

Her moist eyes bored into Joe's, waiting for a response, begging for the answer. Waiting for Judgement.

 

[Basil_Bottletop]

Hektor Redgrove

 

Hektor wrapped himself in the chill of the night. After leaving the tavern and finding himself accompanied by his neighbor, the cold was an apt and welcomed second companion alongside Bellamy.

He mulled over the fact that the news shared an hour ago had been vapid enough that he barely recalled the important bits. It was like the very nature of courtship between two strangers somehow hid the heaviness of troop recruitment or other more serious things. It took him three tries to even recall which town was looking to boost their militia.

Deep in his attempts to recollect, he almost missed the open rookery. His eyes saw but his brain did not immediately comprehend. His mind had been strolling the streets of the neighboring town trying to decide if it needed more constables to keep the peace of the rowdy locals.

His foot steps continued toward his home a few more feet before he finally paused. "That's troubling." He uttered, mostly to himself. He was a careful man by nature, but doubly so with his charges -animal or otherwise- and so an open door was not something he considered a simple accident. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

"Something's afoot, Master Woodcock. Be alert." He warned as he climbed the rest of the pathway toward his rookery.

[Peacemonger]

Akakzi

At first Joe smiles when Akakzi says 'a hundred-thousand', likely with some witty quip on his mind, but he instead listens. And his smile fades. It's hard to fully see what his eyes are saying in the darkness lit up only by some of the outside lanterns and the stars above. It doesn't help with her own tears getting in the way of seeing his expression.

"Oh." A single word trailing off. He gets it now. There's no turning back. It's another aspect of their relationship. Whenever she tells him a secret, or admits she's struggling, or whatever it is he takes her word for it, and never lets her take it back.

"I mean... I'm sorry." Akakzi's heart sinks, sinks so deep it's as if a bottomless pit opened up beneath her and her heart is tossed in. "I kinda figured it'd just happen when the time was right."

...what?

"I mean..." Joe ran his hand through his hair, something he does when he's thinking hard, which is more than she often gives him credit for, but still not often enough. "...I mean who else is going to put up with a dumbass like me? So yeah, you're a friend. You're not a sister... got enough brothers already I think. And you're the most beautiful girl there is. One day you were just the cool girl who was the most fun to hang around. Then one day also got the urge the kiss you. I mean, I didn't. Wouldn't just do that." It's now his turn to feel sheepish. "Didn't want to spoil things though. Thought it'd... just happen someday. Guess I'm talking in circles now, aren't I?"

Hektor and Bellamy

Hektor begins up the hill. The unease grows to worry, which in turn begins to tread into fear. Why though? Is is the coldness in the air? The sound of the door's slap? Perhaps it is the silence that is so stifling.

Bellamy can tell with ease the teacher is showing a side of himself the Dwarf's not seen, a true sense that something isn't right.

As Hektor gets close to the rookery there's one last pause, that moment that perhaps if he doesn't look, then everything will be all right. That isn't who Hektor is though, a man who seeks to know, to understand...

...

...

 

 

Blood and feathers are everywhere. Something got inside and murdered Hektor's messenger birds. Although it's hard to take everything in at the moment, his gut tells him that whatever got in killed them all. There are pranks in Hearth, there are rivalries and misunderstandings that escalate before they're resolved. This is not the kind of antics anyone in the village commits at least not what Hektor is aware of. And though it might take a little more investigating, whatever happened in here doesn't seem to be the work of a person. The birds are torn apart.

Nothing was amiss when he left for the inn not too long ago.

What happened? Why did this happen?

[SerakHawk]

Akakzi Sriro

Wait.

What?

Her mouth hung loosely as she stared at Joe awkwardly avoiding her. She felt the heat coloring her own cheeks as his admission sunk in. She forced her mouth shut but was unable to wipe away the massive smirk growing from cheek to cheek. Her eyes twinkled as she raised her head from her knees, wiping the last of the liquid from her face.

Then she fully uncoiled and struck, shoving Joe a little stronger than last time but not enough to bowl him over. Rocking him in his seat before scooting over beside him, knocking her elbow into his.

"Of course I knew I was the cool one, but the most beautiful? That is Oli, hands down."

An easy laugh escapes her lips, not broken or strained, but full and carefree. Akakzi giggles suddenly giddy, covering her mouth before leaning into Joe, her head resting against his shoulder. She lets the silence stretch, resting in the admission of feelings on both sides before speaking into it.

"Leave it to the 'master planner' to expect things to just 'work out', I guess... I guess this plan did work didn't it? Huh."

Letting out a long exhaling sigh, a glimpse up at the dark sky was enough to widen Akakzi's eyes to dinner plates.

"Oh no, Dad is going to kill me."

Akakzi bolts to her feet, pointedly looking towards the tavern - letting the stunned Joe stagger to his feet as she continues.

"I was suppose to walk Iniqi home! Curse the stars and skies! Joe! Help me find her please! She probably started back on her own - oh man, Mom's gonna skin me."

Panicked Akakzi starts back toward the tavern to see if she could pick up Iniqi's trail.. maybe she hadn't left yet either. But before going far she spins on her feet, rushes up to the now standing Joe and kisses him. Pulling back her own mischievous smirk is back. Giving Joe a wink she takes off, shouting behind her.

"Come on Joe, keep up if you can!"

[Craigmacc]

Bellamy "Ames" Woodcock

The walk home, even with all its familiarity, was not a comfortable one for Bellamy. The encounter with Trenton had shoved him into grumpy, and he replayed the conversation searching for hidden meaning behind his nephew’s words. The turd on top was Hektor’s closeness. They kept a cart’s length between them as they walked, an unspoken agreed distance. Still, he wanted solitude. Bellamy marched ahead, and most likely Hektor had to check his step lest he catch up to the old dwarf. Forfar loped at Bellamy’s heel.

It was enough excitement for the day.  Home and bed. And onto the next morn.

Hektor’s voice stopped him. His neighbour usually bid him good eve in situations like this, but something about his tone was off. “What’s that now?” He cocked an ear, then turned when no response was forthcoming. He saw Hektor making his careful way up the side path. 

Bellamy waved him off at first, and continued up the road. Near the crest of the hill, he glanced back at his neighbour. It was only then that he saw the swinging door. Something about the hesitation with which Hektor approached his own rookery troubled Bellamy. 

Forfar sniffed the air, then padded about on the road, sniffed again. Death was on the night air. The wrongness of it stung his nose. He went no closer.

Hektor heard a voice from behind him.

“What in the Seven Trenches… what’s done this, Hektor?” Bellamy stood behind his neighbour, close enough to see that the black mass inside was blood and feathers. Close enough.