Chapter Three — The Boy, the Beasts, and the Long Walk West
Five days had passed since Eldran vanished. Hikari still woke most mornings expecting to hear his voice calling from the trees. But there was only the hush of wind and the patient, watchful gaze of Vorakar.
Vorakar was always there, lurking behind a tree or crouched a respectful distance away. Sometimes he would slink closer as Hikari slept, just to make sure the boy was still breathing.
On the sixth day, Vorakar finally broke the silence.
"…Young…Hikari," he rumbled carefully, as if tasting the name.
Hikari looked up from poking at the ashes of his fire. "Hm?"
"Where do you journey?"
"West," Hikari replied confidently, pointing in precisely the wrong direction. Vorakar tilted his massive head but said nothing. If the boy wanted to walk in circles for eternity, Vorakar would guard him for eternity.
That afternoon, a roar split the trees.
Vorakar stiffened. "Ka'Renth," he said. "The fourth strongest of the forest. A mindless predator."
Hikari blinked. "I'm kinda hungry."
"…You plan to eat Ka'Renth?"
"I mean, if he tries to eat me first."
Vorakar stared, deeply unsettled by how casually this was said.
Sure enough, Ka'Renth appeared soon after, crashing through the brush like a boulder come to life. Its jagged plates scraped the trees as it snarled.
"You trespass," it roared. "Die."
Hikari sighed. "Shoosh."
Ka'Renth lunged, jaws wide. Hikari stepped forward and flicked the monster on the snout. A sound like an earthquake cracked the clearing as Ka'Renth flipped backward and crumpled unconscious.
Vorakar's soul nearly left his body.
Hours later, the smell of roasted monster filled the woods. Hikari tore a rib free and grinned. "You want some?"
Vorakar declined. He wasn't sure he could eat knowing what that meat used to be.
The next sunrise, as Hikari finished his breakfast of charred Ka'Renth flank, a cold wind whispered through the trees. Frost rimed the branches, and the underbrush parted. A massive blue-furred wolf padded into view, eyes like frozen lanterns.
Vorakar inclined his head. "Ralven."
"Vorakar," Ralven growled. "I smelled death. Where is Ka'Renth?"
Vorakar gestured mutely to the smoldering bones.
Ralven's eyes flicked to Hikari, who was licking grease off his fingers. "…You…ate him?"
Hikari shrugged. "He attacked me."
Ralven was silent for a long moment. Then he lowered his head. "Then…I will serve the one who feasts on the strong."
"Wait—what?" Hikari protested. "I don't need—"
But Ralven was already settling beside Vorakar. From then on, he trailed after them like a gigantic, furry shadow.
Day Nine:
Hikari climbed an old oak to look for landmarks and fell asleep in the branches. Vorakar waited below all night, watching in baffled reverence as the boy snored, completely exposed to any predator. None dared approach.
Day Twelve:
They discovered a meadow filled with glowing blue flowers. Ralven cautiously sniffed one, then sneezed so violently he knocked over a small tree. Hikari clapped in delight, convinced this was normal wolf behavior.
Day Fourteen:
Vorakar and Ralven bickered over who should carry Hikari's pack. Hikari ended the argument by declaring he'd carry it himself—then immediately tripped over it, face-first into a bush. The monsters shared a long, silent look that somehow conveyed: He is unstoppable, yet impossibly fragile.
A week later, the woods grew darker and more oppressive. The monsters grew tense. Something was coming.
The Serpent's Arrival
On the twenty-first day of travel, as twilight deepened, the ground began to tremble rhythmically.
Ralven rose, fur bristling. "Tyriss," he whispered.
Vorakar's spines rippled uneasily. "Second strongest."
Through the black pines, a shape slithered—long as twenty men, scales black as coal. Her fangs gleamed like polished obsidian. Tyriss's golden eyes locked onto the clearing. She saw the burned remains of Ka'Renth and stilled.
"You…" she hissed, voice echoing like a chorus. "You have slain Ka'Renth."
Ralven bowed low. "It was not me—"
"Traitor!" Tyriss snapped, voice shaking the branches. "I see you standing with Vorakar—shame on you!"
"No, you misunderstand—"
Tyriss reared up, ready to strike him down. But then she noticed Vorakar's posture—head bowed, claws tucked in humility. Her gaze flicked from Vorakar to Ralven, then to the smoldering bones. Confusion flickered in her serpent eyes.
"Vorakar. You…submit to this…child?"
Vorakar cleared his throat. "I do."
Tyriss blinked slowly. Her eyes trailed from the towering monster to the small figure crouched by the fire, quietly eating dried berries.
"…Who is he?" Tyriss rasped.
Ralven tried to explain. "He…he is our—"
"He must be a spirit," Tyriss decided flatly. "The child is merely the puppet of the others."
Hikari looked up, waving with sticky fingers. "Hi. Want some berries?"
Tyriss reared back, wary, but she did not bow. She remained coiled at the edge of the clearing, observing. I will watch and learn his nature.
A Year in the Wilds
Time passed.
Seasons shifted from the late chill of early spring to the warmth of summer, the gold of autumn, then the biting winds of winter again.
Hikari learned to read animal tracks, build better shelters, and fish with a spear (though he often just asked Vorakar to catch them instead).
Sometimes, when the nights grew too quiet, he would catch himself staring into the fire, whispering, "I wish you were here, Eldran." The others never asked what he meant. Even monsters knew grief when they saw it.
On the morning the frost began to lift, Vorakar approached him carrying a small, smooth stone marked with shallow runes.
"This," Vorakar said solemnly, "was left with you when you came. It marks the day of your birth."
Ralven nodded. "One cycle of seasons has passed. You are a year older."
Hikari held the stone in both hands. "I'm six?"
"You are," Vorakar confirmed.
Hikari smiled shyly. "Thanks, guys."
He looked around the clearing, feeling a pang of loneliness that the old man wasn't there to see it.
The First Humans
Late that evening, smoke rose in the west. Hikari crept closer to find a group of rough-looking men camping by the river. They wore mismatched armor and smelled strongly of old iron and liquor.
Humans.
His heart sped up. Finally, he thought. Other people!
He stepped into the light of their fire.
"Oh—look at this," one of the men sneered. "Lost, kid?"
Hikari smiled shyly. "Hi. I'm going to the town west of here. Are you going that way?"
"Yeah," the leader said, eyes glinting greedily. "We'll take you."
He motioned, and two of the others stepped forward. One slipped a rough sack over Hikari's head. He heard the others chuckle.
Oh, Hikari thought innocently. This must be how travelers help you get there faster.
From the trees, Ralven growled low. "Shall we end them?"
Vorakar shifted, scales rasping. "His aura is calm. Perhaps…he has a plan."
Inside the sack, Hikari sighed. I hope this is normal.
Suddenly, in the minds of the monsters, a voice thundered—a voice deeper than any child's, layered with infinite echoes.
"Do not interfere."
They shuddered. Behind Hikari's simple thoughts, they felt a colossal will. They bowed in the dark, believing their master was weaving some grand design.
"…We will follow," Vorakar whispered.
"And watch," Ralven added.
As the kidnappers tied Hikari's hands (more loosely than necessary, assuming he was helpless), the boy smiled inside the sack.
I finally get to see a town.
«End of Chapter Three»