The sun was high in the sky beating down onto the plains, a few stark clouds filled the sky providing shade now and then. As Zarath, Tharon and Hura walked along the hot grassy ground Tharon had already begun to snack on one of the sweet rolls his mother had packed him.
"Careful Tharon if you eat them all know you might never get one again." Zarath smiled at his friend shooting him the quick jab, they hadn't really spoken since they had left the tribe's camp.
"I…Know…its…just." Tharon tried to talk with his mouth full crumps falling onto his new leather vest that he and Zarath had both just received this morning. "I hate this I understand why we have to leave but who knows if we will ever find this Emrick guy your grandfather was talking about."
Zarath let out a deep sigh. "I get it I hate this too, honestly this is my fault for dragging you and Hura into my dream of being a great Krellar like my father."
"Oh, don't give me that crap Zarath we both wanted this we just ended up being at the wrong place at the wrong time." Tharon, slightly annoyed, reached into his bag and shoved a sweet roll into Zarath's hand.
"Look there is nothing we can do about it now, so we get to Vrak'Thura bath in the waters and find this stupid human and get cured."
Zarath couldn't help but laugh. He knew Tharon was just as nervous and upset about this whole situation but also that he was right there was nothing they could do about it.
"Alright no need to get so boss besides I couldn't think of anyone better to be doing this with." Zarath took a bite of the sweet roll as they continued on breaking off a small piece to feed Hura.
"Like you always say Zarath. I'm the shield." Tharon pounded on his chest making his belly jiggle even in the leather vest.
"And I'm the arrow." Zarath followed suit pounding on his chest.
It would take them a full four days to reach the forest and at least half a day to make it to Vrak'Thura at its heart. So, they pushed on walking through the plains of the Heartlands in their new armor was a bit different than what they were us too given the culture of their people.
"Do human seriously wear this much clothing and armor on a daily basis." Tharon pulled at the collar of his leather vest clearly not used to wearing any upper body garments except on rare occasions.
"I actually think they wear more depending on the weather, I've only seen humans once and that was back when we were still pups unlike us, they don't have body fur to protect themselves from the cold." Zarath scratched at his chin as he tried to remember what humans looked like.
"They sound weird, I know we are supposedly on good terms with them, and they leave the Heartlands alone so that the tribes can wonder without issue." Tharon rubbed his belly as they walked like normal.
"I think I have more on them Koto gave me some books written in the common tongue when I was learning how to do the rites and my dad told me a bit about them because he over saw the tribe's security when some of our Garmakar would trade with them. They look similar to elves though taller and stockier like dwarfs if I remember correctly."
Zarath patted Hura as she brushed against his leg, he scratched behind her ears which caused her to let out a low rumble akin to a bark.
"But despite the way humans look they make up the largest population on Kantora from what I recall even compared to the dwarves and the elves' humans have a strength of will, closer to ours and a desire to conquest and competition. But I hear they also create great and impressive things with their technology and magic." Zarath looked at the sky as he thought about it, humans where a very uncommon sight to Wolfkin only a few every interacted with outsiders of one of the traveling tribes like his and even in one of wolfkin actual permeant settlements like Vaerthruin (heart of the forest) which is also where Vrak'Thura was located or even the far north settlement of Greyscar Hold which boarded the dwarven kingdom to the north west and the human kingdom of Aranthor directly north of the heartlands witch was always trying to invaded the southlands. Even the capital of the Heartlands Ebonvale also known as the ancestral birthplace of the wolfkin no invading army has every made it to the gates of Ebonvale. In fact, very few outsiders had ever even seen Ebonvale unless they were traveling diplomates.
"Well, whatever they look and act like all that matters is this Emrick person can cure us so who cares what he looks like." Tharon let out a deep sigh as they walked.
"Do you think we should set up camp soon?" Tharon asked as he looked up to see where the sun was in the sky.
"Well, they did provide us with our own Kraan-thurs so though my grandfather did say they were smaller than the ones the tribe uses maybe we should set up now just to take stock because I honestly don't know what all my parents packed for me." Zarath patted his thigh, and Hura came up to him. He gave her ears a quick scratch before removing the rolled-up Kraan-thur on her back as well as the other bags she was carrying.
Both Zarath and Tharon set down at least seven bags between the two of them each and began to set up their own Kraan-thurs. These smaller yurt-like tents were in fact half the size of the ones the tribes used where in the larger ones a family of five could have a central area as well as several rooms separated by cloth walls. These could at most fit a cot, a cloth wall to provide a changing area and a small central area for a hearth in total maybe two to three people could sleep in these smaller ones. Both boys set up their Kraan-thur to face each other's. A tactic taught by wolfkin hunters since they did not have the cloth fence that normally surrounds a wolfkin tribe camp the tents where place close together and facing each other so in the event a wild animal or attack by enemies they would have to move in between both tents where the occupants could attack from both sides. It was basically a reverse encirclement forcing the enemy to trap themselves. Zarath and Tharon picked a spot in the middle of head high grass making it harder to spot them or their Kraan-thurs as they took a full inventory of the things they were sent with.
"Ok looks like out of my three bags I have some medicinal herbs, cloth bandages, ointments and a mortar and pestle probably packed by my mother." Zarath sat the medical supplies to the side making sure none of the herbs touched the ground.
"My mother packed at least a week's worth of biscuits and about two dozen sweet rolls not counting the ones we already ate." Tharon tied the bag back up tightly to make sure the food would stay fresh.
"I have an additional sharpening stone for my bronze sword as well as a few books, Oh and another bundle of arrows from the looks of it. As well as." Zarath stopped as he pulled out a small leather pouch with a note attached to it.
"What's that?" Tharon asked as he began to dig through another one of his bags.
"Looks like my father packed us some human money. It says there is fifty silvers in it use it when you get to the human town." Zarath made sure to put the coin pouch back into the bag with the books and sharpening stone.
"Let's make sure not to lose that." Zarath said as he retied the bag closed. Both him and Tharon nodded in agreement.
By the time they had finished checking each of the seven bags they had found that aside from medical and everyday items. Tharon's mother had actual packed a small copper pot for them to cook in as well as a week's worth of salted meat and several vegetables. Zarath couldn't help but make jokes about how Tharon was being babied by his mother even though she wasn't anywhere near them. Tharon just simply replied by saying that he wouldn't cook any food for his friend if he didn't shut up which made both boys burst out laughing. At least they wouldn't starve. After checking all the bags and retying them all they sat down and helped themselves to some of the salted beef Tharon had. At the moment they couldn't start a fire as they didn't pack any firewood for the journey and in the middle of the Heartland's finding firewood was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. No, they wouldn't get any firewood until they reached the forest in the next few days. But that didn't really bother them covered in fur and each of them had a fur blanket with them as well as the walls of their Kraan-thurs to keep them warm through the nights. Though it wasn't the cold that bothered them once again as they slept, they both had dreams of something dark trying to break them, wear them down to corrupt them and turn them into something horrendous.
As the boys awoke the next day in the early morning, they both felt drained fighting their nightmares after walking for so long. It seemed like whatever this ancient curse that Zarath grandfather told them about was no joke they would have to double their efforts to get to the Lake of Scared Waters (Vrak'Thura).
"Ugh that was by far the worst night's sleep I've ever had." Zarath groaned as he put on his leather vest. The weariness in his face was visible to anyone that looked at him. He rubbed his eyes as he tried to adjust to the early morning light.
"Oh, stop complaining your just upset that your awake before the sun for once in your life." Tharon tried to make light of the situation, but it was clear that he himself had trouble sleeping last night as well.
As the boys ate some of the biscuits Tharon's mom had packed for them Hura stepped out of Zarath's Kraan-thur stretching out and yawning all her fangs on display as she did. Her fur seemed matted compared to her usual clean appearance. She laid down next to Zarath and he gently patted her side.
"Looks like Hura has been having trouble sleeping as well." Zarath tried to use his fingers and claws to comb out Hura's matted fur, he had grown use to grooming her after all the years they had been bonded. Like his father would say no Wolfkin should be without a Brakkron (dire wolf).
"Well, we still have three and a half more days before we reach the lake so it's going to be tough for all of us if every night we deal with these nightmares." Tharon reluctantly got up and rubbed his belly as he began to take down his Kraan-thur.
Zarath's ear twitched as he stood up. His eyes were scanning the tall grass. Tharon kept taking down his tent, but his tail slowly wrapped around the shaft of his spear. Hura slowly rose from the ground, her ears flat and claws out. Zarath walked over to his own Kraan-thur and reached just inside the flap his hand finding the hilt of his bronze short sword. Something was there moving in the grass towards their camp, something that wasn't there before. Suddenly a shadow burst from the tall grass both Zarath and Tharon reacted. Zarath spun his bronze sword cutting an arch through the air. Tharon using his tail tossed his spear into the air grabbing it with one hand before spinning and thrusting forward. Both struck true a horrendous scream filled the air as Zarath sword cut flesh and bone his white fur splattered with black tarlike blood. Tharon's wyvern bone spear impaling his would-be attacker the wyvern teeth added to make the tip barbed added to the strike tearing an even bigger hole into the creature.
Zarath moved quickly swinging his sword in a savage ark as another creature burst forth from the grass. His blade cleanly cutting through the beast neck, its head sent flying back into the tall grass as the creature's body slumped onto the ground, black blood used from its neck. Tharon ripped his barbed spear from the chest of the one he struck moving next to his friend. Just as another creature bursts from the grass behind the boys. It was Hura that dealt the killing blow, pouncing from her spot her body slamming the beast from the ground with a loud snarl she dug her fangs into the creature's neck and shook it violently until a loud snap could be heard the monsters body going limp in her jaws.
"So, we were being followed, dam these things look a lot like." Zarath knelt next to one of the creatures and examined it. The beast was very human in shape and size, all be a lot thinner and slightly shorter, its skin had turned black like rotted food and its arms and legs were bone thin, the nails on its hand and feet growing into sick broken claws. Minus the gash from his sword Zarath could tell it was a female and then he noticed it the pointed ears.
"These things where elves at one point I think." Using his sword to tilt the creature's head to get a better look Zarath got Tharon's attention. Both boys could feel some kind of connection to these monstrous former elves they had just slain. These ones intelligent and mindful beings reduced to mindless beast bent on killing and eating. They both quickly noticed the black tarlike blood the same blood as the wyvern the had killed the same blood that now cursed them. These monstrous elves were blighted.
"Shit is that what's going to happen to us if we don't get cured?" The worry in Tharon's voices was clear to anyone that heard it his chest rising and falling in quick succession the adrenaline of the fight slowly leaving his body.
"We should burn the bodies to keep these things from spreading the curse even though they are dead something tells me it won't matter if we just leave them here. Zarath stood up slowly looking at his friend who quickly nodded in agreement.