The text of this story is not fully thought out and spelled out, so later, when my imagination has subsided and the work requiring writing has diminished, I'll go back and finalize it. But I hope you enjoy this small part of it.
The red-haired boy pointed his kirasin lantern toward the sound again.
It was a hedgehog on a night hunt. But when he saw the man, he ran away into the bushes, much to the boy's dismay, for he wanted to observe this rare sight longer.
He had no choice but to sigh and continue walking on - he was already halfway to the middle of the forest.
There he must find a house that could not be found in broad daylight, and perhaps encounter a monster that lived there, at the sight of which people would drop dead. So said the people of his village, where he was now.
His full name was Baron Humbert von Gikkengen, and he lived in a large but modest house. But everything is turned upside down when his parents have an accident. They are alive, but their condition does not allow them to take care of the child, they needed someone to take care of them. That's where the envious relatives hustled up, forcing the parents to sign some papers in which the boy understood nothing. And say that he went to the best school for aristocrats, but instead send him on a cycle of traveling from one village to another, forcing him to get all the benefits by his own efforts.
In almost every place he stopped, he was lucky enough to be sheltered by at least one family, even though they were doing far worse than those who claimed it was good to be able to have a loaf of bread on the table (experience had shown that sixty-eight percent of these families had an income capable of supporting one extra life).
In the village where he now lived, unfortunately, there was no family that would take him in without expecting much in return.
It's summer now, but the rains and cold nights have contributed to the diseases that are not uncommon in these parts.
And to shelter him, the children of a family had sent him into the woods to find a home, and if he returned alive and with proof that he had met something supernatural, they would let him stay with them until he set out on his journey.
He could have ignored it, but this kind of cold wasn't messing with his body. The Baron was well aware that his health was failing after all these adventures, and he needed to cherish what was left of it.
As one could tell, it was already nightfall and his legs were tired. However, he had walked enough to give up somewhere in the middle of the path.
After walking some more, he noticed that the bushes and trees were becoming less and less frequent, and, encouraged, he walked forward, came across a path laid out by a man, and followed it to the house.
"Then he really is real," said the boy, and blinked as he looked at the log house.
To make sure it was real, the Baron walked closer, his lamp not much help as the kirasin was running out, but he examined a corner of the gray wood, touched it and found it to be as solid as any other wood.
He moved on by feel-the lamp was completely out, and there was little use for it.
Quickly he reached the door and knocked, but no one answered or moved. Deciding that the owners were either asleep or absent, he sat on the threshold, leaning against the door.
He felt a chill run through his whole body and gradually fell asleep with the words, "Whatever happens, happens."
After a while he felt as if someone had picked him up and carried him somewhere, and then fell unconscious again.
When he came to himself again he was warm, the crackling of wood reached his ears for a second, and someone's hand lay on his forehead.
"Is it really a dream?" - thought the little baron; "it is too wonderful to be a dream, but let the sensation last at least another minute," and he fell into sleep again, without hearing the anxious words of the one who had taken him in.
When he came to himself a third time, he was able to realize that he was not on the street, but in a house of some kind. He was lying on a comfortable bed, pressed down with a heavy blanket.
Then he opened his eyes to face reality. It took him a couple minutes to open his eyes blinking, they hurt from the tears he couldn't remember. After he made a couple of light movements, not only his eyes but his whole body started to ache as if they had been unmoving for a long time.
His savior, noticing the movements, approached the bed, or rather, the savior was a young girl.
"You've finally come to your senses, how are you feeling, does anything hurt?" - The voice asked, a very beautiful voice as the Baron noted to himself.
He tried to say exactly what it hurt, but the dryness prevented him from doing so, so he nodded and pointed to the sore spot with his hands.
The girl watched his hands carefully, "Other than that, nothing else hurts?"
He shook his head and looked into her eyes, gentle brown eyes.
"Good, your body is protesting because you've been unconscious for a couple days with a fever," the girl explained as she heard the sound of boiling water behind her and jumped up to fill a wok with water.
"So someone really saved me," the Baron took a moment to look around the hut, it was the same as all the others, but cozier.
And soon the savior was back in front of him, she was holding an earthenware mug with something in it, "Here is the medicine, I made it not too hot, it should help you regain your voice"
Baron spread his arms vigorously, wanting to regain consciousness as quickly as possible and thank her.
The medicine was bitter, and he tried to swallow it as quickly as possible and forget it.
"When you get better, I want to hear how you got here," the boy seemed oblivious to these words, looking at the remnants of the medicine at the bottom of the mug.
But after a week, when his body had grown stronger and he could walk as before without discomfort, his voice came back to him.
He told the whole story, every time his savior banged her fist on the table, he flinched but continued, and when he finished, he looked at her, waiting to see what she would decide.
The girl was slow to answer and pondered for a long time, the Baron thought she would send him back, but in the evening, as they were straightening up the table, she looked at him resolutely.
"If you should suddenly disappear, no one would look for you, would they?"
"Right, I doubt my parents are still alive, maybe you have some kind of plan?"
"Yes, I wanted to get far away from here, there's a village with everything you need and there are people there who know me and I'm sure they can shelter us both".
"Sounds great".
"Is it supposed to be different?"
"No," he said, shaking his head.
And indeed, a few days later they traveled to another village where they were welcomed.