Monster

Calm Before the Storm

Shadowed woods lay thick with smell of damp moss and wet leaves. Still air clung to the ground with patches of fog. And a questioning little voice sounded through it all, lost in great distance.

"Aah?" A toddler called out.

Picking himself up, the tiny being stood with his small, chubby hand reaching to the dark trunk of a tree for support. Looking up at the enormous world around him, diffusing away into colors and intriguing shapes, the child blinked his glowing white eyes, and stepped forward, only to stumble with a small 'oof'.

Struggling up to all fours, the child looked up and began to crawl instead. Just a little ahead lay the edge of a ravine. Grass and tree roots hid from oblivious child the view of the jagged drop off, with only a thin stream bubbling lazily on the very bottom.

A buzzing noise and purple particles appeared, making the child briefly blink as he bumped against two hard, black legs that stepped right before him.

"Nno!" The toddler stubbornly complained, recognizing the obstacle and tried to crawl around it. Looking down at the little being, the mob made an uncertain noise. And, ignoring the child's displeased protest, picked him up and vanished.

Just beyond the edge of the twisted ravine on the other side stood a startled villager in blue robe and pale, almost gray skin. Gaping, it continued to stare at the place where the child was just a moment ago, until a basket of herbs dropped from its hands. Then, the villager looked down at it and groaned on bending the aged body down to reach it. Grumbling under its nose, its gray lips twisted with displeasure, it began to stuff the spilled herbs back into it.

...

"Hero! There you are!" Beor exclaimed and stepped to the tall being before it even had the chance to leave the disobedient toddler on the porch of their house as he usually did after Hero went missing. 

"Uncle! He is back!" Beor called back to the house over his shoulder and irritably pulled the toddler from the being's arms. Only already turning to the house did he realize what he just did and froze.

Turning around, the tall villager looked back at the being, finding it still standing there in utter confusion at the villager's daring. His breath held, the villager slowly looked up from the being's chest to its face where two lilac eyes looked down at him with disapproval.

"Um..." Beor said, not sure what to say, both grateful that it brought Grake's foundling back to him and irritated that the child vanished again. Their uncle grumbled that they were not watching him well, but how could they when Margol and Tnul kept running in and out of the house, playing, and forgot to keep the door closed? 

This morning, he and Rangil were busy washing the dishes and talking. One moment, Hero was there at the table, chewing on a piece of bread that he begged to have despite them all just having eaten breakfast. And when Beor glanced back again, he was gone! If Beor didn't know better, he would have sworn that the child gained the power to Travel the same as this strange being that followed him.

"Rpt..." The Traveler emitted a creaking, mild sound and vanished, leaving behind usual faint, purple particles that drifted around in a flurry. Some landed on the villager's skin, leaving behind tingling, but otherwise causing no ill effect. Beor let out a breath.

"Uncle, he is here now and we need to get ready to leave!" He called back to the door. He critically looked at the child in his hands and found white eyes curiously looking back at him. The child grinned brightly, looking at him with fondness.

"Bah." He said in recognition. 

"Hmm..." Beor frowned at him and checked his clothes. "At least, your clothes still look clean." He grumbled.