Chapter Two: Hair of the Dog
Deep in the monastery of Gui Sudor, a monk named Brother Kwin screamed in terror as he pushed himself out of a nightmare. He was breathing hard, his heart pounding in his chest as he became aware of the familiar surroundings of his room. Kwin couldn't remember the last time he had a nightmare, as his dreams were usually tranquil and lucid. He took a moment to gather his wits, and began reconstructing as much of the dream as he could, picking out details and committing them to memory before they evaporated like dreams do.
The first thing he remembered from the nightmare was darkness, a void. Then golden threads of shining light appeared, weaving in and out of time and space. These threads began to come together and form a web. More flew in and the web grew into the weave of a tapestry.
Then there was a handsome young man in the dream. The young man was of average height, but athletic, with long hair. While he couldn't see the man's face, but there was some quality about him that he found attractive. The monk knew this young man was somehow important. Golden threads from the tapestry dropped down and tangled about him, tied to him like a marionette. Kwin knew his destiny would affect many others. Was he a puppet, or was he pulling apart the weave?
The dream turned darker then. There was a dog, a beast that lead an army. Then the threads of the tapestry became something else: arms or vines. The young man fought against them, before they dragged him away into the darkness. There were things in the darkness, and they all wanted the boy. They hungered for him. Kwin then turned around and saw the monastery in flames, burning red against a night sky. He heard the screams of his brothers as they died.
The flames spread into the woods, then to the fields. Farm houses, villages, castles, all alight with a terrible fire. Soon the whole world burned, and the screams were universal. That was when Kwin woke.
He feared there was some message in this nightmare, something one of the gods wanted to communicate, but he didn't know what the message meant. In the morning he would consult with the abbot of the monastery. Perhaps his wisdom could help him parse this nightmare.
Brother Kwin lay back down to sleep, but it was a long time in coming.
-----
The next morning, the ranger woke Kasper with a shake.
"I'll be back," he said. And with that, he disappeared into the woods.
Kasper yawned. His head ached and his mouth felt like it was filled with sand. He took a long drink from one of his water skins, stretched, and ate some food. Unsure what to do while waiting for the ranger to return, he opened up the "Bestiary" and flipped to the entry on grimlyns:
"The grimlyn is considered a class two biped, roughly humanoid in appearance and amphibious in nature. While their actions are often considered malicious towards humans, they rarely mean serious harm. The prankster quality of their behaviors indicate intelligence and playfulness."
The grimlyns he had met last night certainly didn't seem playful. At least, not the sort of playful he was used to. He read on.
"Grimlyns have a unique tribal social structure, often separated by gender. The creatures engage in fascinating mating rituals often lasting days at a time."
Kasper shuddered. Days?
"Our experiments with grimlyn remains reveal that their bodily fluids and tissues have many unique properties and a mild toxicity towards humans."
Not listed in the book was the effect the grimlyn saliva had made on the young man. He had never felt anything like it. Even hours later, he could still feel flashes of heat. Thinking of what the ranger had told him last night, Kasper took a charcoal pencil from his pack and made a notation on the page, "Spit is Af-ro- aphra- makes you horny."
He closed the book as the ranger reappeared.
"Did a quick scout of the area. You shouldn't have any more problems."
Kasper felt a blush in his face. He had pleasured the handsome ranger, tasted him, yet didn't even know the man's name. He couldn't look him in the eye as he spoke, the memory of last night still fresh in his mind. "Thank you."
The ranger nodded, then pointed to the sword on Kasper's hip. "Do you know how to use that sword?"
"Yes Sir. I've had training."
The ranger held out his hand, and Kasper quickly unbuckled the sword and gave it over. "Training, eh? Then how'd you end up a plaything for those grimlyns?"
The blush grew in Kasper's cheeks. "I guess I dropped my guard."
The older man looked carefully at the blade. "This is a good sword. But a good sword that's a hairsbreadth out of reach is as useless as a bad one. Keep it handy. There's dark deeds afoot, and dark things stirring."
"Yes Sir."
"This is where we part ways boy. Keep your eyes open and your wits about you and you'll be fine. It's just a few days journey to Gui Sudor."
Kasper was surprised by the little spike of disappointment that rose up in his chest. They hadn't talked about what had happened last night, and it looked like they weren't going to. Kasper wasn't sure how he felt about that. He had to admit that he enjoyed the new experience.
The ranger continued to speak as Kasper gathered his things. "You should hit the Vass river by the end of the day. Follow the river northeast. The land rises as you go. Stay on this side though, or you'll run into a nasty swamp. I've heard there's been some strange monster activity in the area too, so be careful."
"About last night, I-"
"It was a good time. I think we both enjoyed it."
"I did-"
"Good. Take care boy, and enjoy your pilgrimage."
And with that, the ranger was gone. He simply stepped into the woods and vanished. So soft and silent was his steps that Kasper couldn't hear even a leaf rustle. He sighed into the silence. He was sad to see the man go. He couldn't have imagined his pilgrimage would have been so eventful. Attacked by grimlyns and rescued by a forest ranger! He'd certainly have stories to tell when he got home. Even if he did leave certain parts out...
Kasper picked up his pack and headed north. The day was mild. The woods were cool and comfortable. His earlier headache was now a distant memory. He kept the sound of the ocean on his left as he traveled. By late afternoon he had reached the wide delta that marked where the Vass River drained into the sea. He was tired, but he felt good. The first leg of his journey was complete.
Kasper refilled his water skins in the river before heading inland. He followed the river, warily putting some distance between himself and the sea. He didn't want a repeat of last night's events, did he?
As the sun slipped below the horizon, Kasper made camp. He soon had a small fire going. He ate some biscuits his grandmother had packed for him, and rested on his bedroll. He took the ranger's advice to heart, and slept with his sword within easy reach.
As dawn broke over the land, Kasper yawned and stretched. While certainly not as comfortable as his bed at home, his little bedroll made for a surprisingly good night's sleep (When not being attacked by horny grimlyns.) The fire had gone out in the night, so he decided to brew a little tea before starting his day. Once again, he tried in vain to get the quick-fire spell to work. After a few futile minutes, he gave it up and used the flint.
With the tea warming his belly, Kasper dragged dirt over the fire and headed off into the wilderness. The land gradually began to rise, and soon he was following the edge of a cliff with the river flowing far below. He took a moment to look out to the west where a large tract of swamp stretched into a wan fog. He was glad the ranger had told him to stay east of the river. He would not have wanted to have to navigate a slimy bog.
It had been an uneventful afternoon traversing the forest, and he was starting to think about making an early camp when he heard a noise that stopped him in his tracks. A low rumbling howl was echoing from the woods to the south west. Goose-flesh crawled up Kasper's arms. Something was in the woods with him. It sounded far away but he couldn't be sure.
His instinct was to bolt but he fought it back. He knew blindly running was not a wise strategy. Instead, he drew his sword, and continued to make his way through the woods, angling back towards the cliff edge. He was alert now, ears listening for any sound, eyes darting for any movement. He reached a wide clearing between the woods and the cliff's edge. It gave him clear sight lines and put the river at his back. This was as good a spot to stop as he was likely to find, so he put his pack down. While he was contemplating what to do next, the creature howled again.
While Kasper was not exactly an experienced woodsman, he knew instinctively that this was no wolf. It was too low, too loud, and too unnatural. He quickly took out the Bestiary from his pack and flipped through the pages to an entry he had seen on wargs.
"Wargs are a class six quadruped, similar in appearance to a wolf. Characterized by their large size and extreme violence, these creatures should be approached with extreme caution. Wargs tend to be solitary predators, abjuring the pack social structure of traditional wolves. They have a supernatural ability to track, even in conditions mortal animals could not."
"Wargs have a distinct howl, lower in timber and higher in volume than that of the common wolf..."
Kasper scanned down. There was something else he read, something about a weakness-
"Wargs are fierce in battle, but have an innate fear of fire."
Kasper shoved the book back into his pack. He raced to the tree line and started grabbing as many fallen branches as he could find. All the while, he tried to listen for any sound of the creature. He was sweating now with both exertion and fear. Soon, he had a large pile of wood arranged. Another trip, he would think, I need enough to burn all night. Back and forth he went, splitting his focus between searching for fuel and staying alert for the creature.
The sun had gone beyond the trees now, just an orange smudge in a sky that was quickly turning indigo. The evening air was thick with shadows. He stacked his latest load of branches and was about to turn back to the forest for another trip when he heard a deep voice call out from the woods.
"That wouldn't be wise, little one."
Kasper froze then slowly turned. At the edge of the wood he saw a dark shadow; but it wasn't the wolfish shape he had feared. It appeared to be a very tall, broad shouldered man. For a moment, Kasper's hope rose. Could the ranger have returned?
"Who's there?"
A deep voice drifted out of the darkness. "There are things in the woods, things that would very much enjoy taking a bite out of you."
