Eyes of the Innocent (final part)
He hadn't slept that peacefully in a long time, not since the attack on his homeland. He was not alone anymore. Sitting upright and stretching out to wake up Guin allowed himself to just soak in the warmth of the sunlight as it filtered through the over-hanging trees. Rinda and Remus had just left to refill the canteens with water while Sunni happily went about collecting wild berries. To him these people were beginning to seem like close friends. Out of the whole group the Crimson Mercenary seemed to be the most understanding of Guin though and he'd grown attached to him, it was like having an older brother. Wait a minute… where is Istavan?
At first he told himself he was just being overly jumpy since he HAD been on edge since the whole thing began, but couldn't shake the urge to look for him. It wasn't until he realized that Istavan's sword was still lying near the campfire that he gave in and went to look for him. Grabbing the sword Guin found a scent trail and followed it in a quiet run. The camp disappeared in seconds as the trees steadily became denser, effectively casting long dark shadows over his path. He wasn't lost though, at least not yet since the trail was still fresh. Continuing his pursuit the young cub sped along until a coppery scent caught his attention. Blood? It was Istavan's.
There wasn't much, just a few droplets on a fallen twig, but the many potential causes worried him. Steeling himself for whatever was going on Guin turned and sprinted onward in hopes of finding his friend soon, focusing his senses as best as he could to find any hints of danger. The sun was almost completely blotted out by the trees by now and the trail was getting frowned out by other scents, stronger scents. Had the cub been older and more experienced he would have noticed the subtle changes in the air and heard the soft crackling of footsteps approaching him from the left. There was something following him, waiting for the best chance to strike.
The creature followed Guin silently, eyeless sockets glaring ominously. It was a Noktune Chimera, summoned by a Mongaul Sorcerer under orders to locate the leopard warrior rumored to be protecting the twin pearls. Its primary goal was to disarm and capture him if at all possible but was given orders to kill if not. Chimera are not generally intelligent, but Noktune are the exception. It knew its prey was weaker than it usually was so killing it was not necessary; injuring it however was another matter entirely. Emitting a high-pitched screech the chimera lunged forth and knocked the surprised cub into a nearby tree.
Part of the trunk splintered on impact as Guin struggled to regain his breathing. His eyes went wide with fear when he saw his attacker. It was a large beast – approximately 8 feet in length – that had the body of a wolf. A single row of glistening black spikes ran the length of its spine to four sleek black tails that waved in a mad frenzy. The creature's legs were long and furless with the bones protruding through the flesh, a web of veins and muscles weaving over the surface and wrapping around the almost humanoid paws. What had the cubs attention however was the chimera's head and… wings? The head had no eyes, ears, or nose; it was practically a skeleton with thin strands of flesh stretched across and complete with a long mouth lined with dagger like teeth. The wings bore a similar appearance. What is this thing?!
Rolling sharply to the side Guin broke free of its grasp and ran, knowing full well he was not yet strong enough to fight such a thing. The creature was fast and easily caught up in mere minutes, narrowly missing its mark when it pounced after the cub. Swiping his blade in a long ark Guin left a deep cut in the creature's flank, distracting it for only a moment. His body was a blur as he bolted along the hazardous terrain, dodging low branches and leaping over exposed roots. It was a futile attempt though and the Noktune was on him in a flash. Razor sharp teeth snapped at his legs, forcing him to turn abruptly where his foot caught on a gnarled root and tripped him. Had he been human his leg would have snapped right there and then, but instead the root was torn from the ground, bringing with it debris as it snapped away from the tree and pinned Guin to the bottom of a boulder.
Seeing its chance the chimera leapt after its prey, but never reached it. With a sickeningly audible slice the creature slumped at the base of the uprooted tree, the top half of its head having been sliced clean off by non-other that the crimson Mercenary. Istavan spat at it in disgust before turning his attention to the fallen cub who was staring at him with wide tear-filled eyes. "What happened to you?" Guin asked shakily before crying out when the debris were lifted clumsily off his leg, "You were gone and I… I smelled blood." Kneeling in front of him Istavan gave a half-smile. "I saw some odd footprints and went to check it out… cut my arm on a low branch while looking," he lied, well… half lied. He had seen footprints but got his cut from the chimera when he found it earlier. He'd been in pursuit since. His face grew serious when he glanced down at the cub's injured leg, it was swelling and covered in scrapes and cuts, "We should get you back to camp." Scooping Guin into his arms he couldn't help but notice how badly the kid was shaking. He didn't say anything but instead opted to cradle him closer as he turned to head back. The silence was broken only once when a tired voice spoke up, "Thank you… Istavan…"
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Guin had developed a fever alarmingly fast during the walk back and was unconscious by the time they'd reached camp. Remus had rushed to get some water – was that seriously all he knew to do? – but was stopped by Rinda who said he just needed rest. There wasn't much point in arguing otherwise since she seemed to know more than she was saying, and the fever wasn't getting any worse.
Istavan was wide awake when the change occurred this time. He watched in worry and cautious hope as a soft warm light enveloped the sleeping cub's form before expanding and brightening to an almost blinding level. When the light faded the cub was gone, a full grown leopard man in its place. The spell was gone. Unlike last time however the injuries Guin had didn't vanish, he still had a cut on his arm and his leg was still swollen and bleeding. That worried him. The moment Guin began to stir he was there.
"I'm alright Istavan," Guin grumbled while slowly sitting up. He was well aware of the injuries but was able to ignore the majority. Istavan was still looking worried. Rinda and the others returned from gathering supplies right about then. "Look! Guin is back!" Remus shouted excitedly while Sunni bounced happily. Rinda looked happy too, but she also looked concerned, "Guin… do you remember any of what happened?" Judging by Istavan's expression he was wondering the same thing. After a small pause Guin just shrugged and nodded, "I do." Remus started chattering excitedly about something or other but Guin didn't really listen, his mind was more focused on the fact that he actually did remember. More importantly he was thinking about the memories he regained because of what happened. The twins went about talking to one another over various topics but Istavan just sat and watched the warrior, having a pretty good idea as to what he was thinking.
Prying was not really something he normally did, but after the past few days the crimson mercenary felt he should at least ask. "Hey, you alright?" Guin gave a half smile, breathing out an exhausted sigh, "yeah… I'm just finding that I have more questions than I do answers."
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Author's Note:
Figured this was as good a spot as any to end it. Hope you guys enjoyed the story.