The Dragon Prince: Between Tales

Oceans Edge

In the early hours of the morning the sun has just met the horizon, turning the shimmering black sky into a soft, light blue. Corvus had been walking West, deep into the forests surrounding Mount Kalik. He had gathered information about Tidebound elves from Zubeia and the library of Katolis. His search for the withdrawn species took him towards the sea, only a days walk away.

"Moon elves, fire elves, earth elves, sky elves, now ocean elves," Corvus thought out loud, "Find the ocean, find the elves." He walked through untraveled bush, there was no path to follow, he pushed branches out of his face and lifted his feet high over the undergrowth.

Snap.

Corvus stopped, his eyes scanning the forest. A branch had been broken very close to him. He reached for his crownguard sword, placing his hand on the grip, but not yet drawing it out.

Crack.

Another branch was crushed, this time, Corvus caught the direction that it was coming from; southwest. He stepped silently and carefully towards the source of the sounds, moving behind trees for cover. He paused, breathed in through his nose and filled his lungs. Corvus drew his sword and stepped out from behind a large tree in one swift motion.

"SQUAWK!"

"Sorry, did you want to use this tree?" A man with a bird on his shoulder said startled and sarcastically. The man was unarmed, he turned around to face Corvus, two patches covered his eyes.

Corvus looked stunned at the blind, defenseless man. "I'm sorry," Corvus placed his sword back into it's holster, "I was startled. I assumed I was traveling alone through this part of the woods."

"That's okay," the man said with an accent, "I should have see you comin'." He waited for the joke to land.

"I'll leave you to it," Corvus said gesturing to the tree.

Corvus took a few steps before the man said, "Don't get lost looking for something that doesn't want to be found." The bird squawked, "He will."

Without turning his gaze towards the man or the bird, Corvus said, "Don't get lost trying to get out of these woods, you are sitting on a blind man's shoulder." Making a quick quip towards the bird and the man, but mostly the bird.

"HA!" The strange red-haired man let out, "I may be blind, but I can see what you can't."

Corvus stopped in his tracks, he turned to the man and said bluntly, "Great banter, but I'll be on my way now."

"Can't you feel it?" The man shouted out to Corvus.

Corvus kept walking and shook his head, this guy is a kook, he thought.

"The tide changes to keep its secrets hidden," said the bearded man.

Corvus stopped again, he was too far to converse with the man. As he approached the hysterical man, he asked, "What do you know?"

"I know more than what meets the eye," the man leaned forward and chuckled.

"Enough," Corvus said sternly, he turned around and walked away from the man with a bird sat on his shoulder.

Corvus got farther and farther into the forest, replaying the strange interaction he had just moments earlier. Corvus stopped walking, he looked around for any sign of water, he felt the leaves and the bark on the trees around him. They were damp. He was getting close to the edge of the Katolis boarder, he was getting closer to the ocean. The terrain changed from bushes and shrubs to rocks and skinny trees. As he reached what looked like the edge of a cliff, he looked down to see a marina, filled with vendors and boats.