The Divine Tears: Crestfallen

III

Clovers. His feet sank deep in the sea of clovers. Houses, filled with life, yet tamed with silence. No smell of cooking, no clang of a forge, not even a chirp of a domesticated critter. Erwan knocked on a door where he heard many whispers.

'No one's here,' an elven man called.

'Oh, very smart,' a woman whispered at the man, 'just answer the door.'

The door opened slightly with the short man staring up at Erwan.

'Apologies good sir,' he said in a calm voice, knowing that those residents were hiding from a terror, 'I am in search of companions of mine. They came through not too long ago, a man and two women. They said that they're hunting some creature.'

The elf opened the door fully, already trusting his words. 'Yes, they came here, not two days ago if I recall.'

'Can you point me in their direction?'

The man pointed towards the forest, leading deep into the thicket of dark shrubbery.

'Thank you,' Erwan turned, heading in that very direction.

'Good sire,' the elf called, 'you do not mean to follow their steps? They're after a fiend.'

Erwan stepped back. 'I can hold my own. You've seen this creature?'

'Oh no,' the elf shook his head fiercely, 'but we did hear it, multiple times. It comes at night and picks off anyone who wanders. All we hear are screams and then, a laugh.'

'A laugh?' Erwan frowned in puzzlement.

'Yes yes. A likeness of a laugh through the throat, squealing and coughing through its chuckles. Loud. I've heard it four times myself, and it strikes the heart with agony—with fear. Then those three Valkans came this way, they set us at ease. Yet they told us to huddle in our homes and ration for a week's time. After the week the beast must be dead.'

Erwan pieced together and linked creatures together that had a laugh, only humanoid beings came to mind. 'Listen to them. Stay in your home.' Erwan turned, adjusted himself in his saddle and rode off into the shadowy forest.

It was still as silent as when he arrived in the town. He did have glimpses of old tracks of three horses leading deeper. And sure enough, he found a small camp with traces of a fire and flat grass, which served as extra padding for a good night's rest.

He trotted on for another half a day, finding a hidden battlefield. He found traces of blood in the thick grass, human. He smelled a fowl stench, hiding under a bush, fur, hard, and spikey.

His horse's reins shook again in the direction of the three's footsteps. And within another half a day, just after a night's rest in a silent forest, he heard voices far off. He saddled up and scampered towards the women's voices, no doubt giving away his location.

An arrow flew past him, jolting its head into the moss on a tree. 'The next one won't miss. Who are you?'

'It's me, Erwan. Could've taken my shitting head off.'

Lyra revealed herself with a face covered in a smear of mud, undoubtedly from camouflage. 'Erwan!' she ran over, hugging her friend. Her light hair was shining like wheat under the sun.

'It's good to see you as well, Lyra,' his grin was welcomed in a gloomy situation.

'How've you found us?'

'I used my nose. And some fingers pointed me in the right direction.'

'Well, your presence is a shine of slim happiness in this forsaken part of the forest. Come, the other two would like to see you as well.'