Tales of Arlo

Moon Rise and Thoughtful Eyes

From behind some bushes, I could see the faces of guards peer out of the small, barred window from the crumbling tower. I could just barely watch them scramble across the small interior of the tower, searching for someone they'd never find. 

Despite the agonizing pain in my side, I tried my best to walk quickly and show as little of a sign of weakness as possible. As I walked, I could hear the tingling sound of fairy wings as they drifted above my head in the treetops. From this far below, all you could make out was their translucent wings and bright glow of their bodies. 

 Listening to the birds sing out to one another eased the pain and kept me pressing forward. I walked until the morning sun had long past and the stars began to shine in the sky. I knew I had left the forest of Nohr when the tall spruce trees were replaced with yellow aspens with thin white trunks. Instead of moss covering the ground, the earth was seemingly decorated in colorful stones. 

I didn't stop until I found a lake with a cave nearby, scanning the area for any potential trouble. As soon as I entered the cave, my body gave out on me and I slumped to ground before I could give my legs the command. I took off my overcoat and unbuttoned my blouse to reveal a bloody bruise that went from underneath my armpit to my hips. 

I buttoned my blouse and leaned my head back against the wall of the cave. It was cold and soothed the raging headache that kept my thoughts from fully forming. The headache made my head pulsate to the point of shutting my eyes and I feel asleep against my will. 

 "CA-CAW" screamed a crow somewhere outside of the cave, where the sun had been beaming for hours. 

I shuffled awake, immediately noticing that my blouse was missing and my side was covered in some kind of green goo. The jolt of me getting up shot pain through the side of bruised body, causing me to release a small yelp. 

In the distance, I hear a yelp that was almost identical to one I had just released and then heard the soft and swift crunch of fallen leaves. I tried to find somewhere to hide, but before I could leave the cave, the largest crow I had ever seen popped his head out from atop of the cave. 

"AAAHHH!" I yelled in pure shock. 

The crow creature jumped down and began waving his hands at me while chirping angrily. This wasn't just a crow, he was a Kenku. His crow face was wrapped in a cloth hood and his matching black robe dragged against the ground. He wore a belt that had potions dangling and on his back sat my bag. 

"Hey, you stole my bag!" I scolded the bird creature. 

The Kenku stopped and put his hands on his hips, with one eyebrow lowered and both eyes looking at me quizzingly. He took my bag off of his back, placing it on the ground before revealing all of my belongings were still as I left them. On top of my overcoat, there was plenty of plants and berries I had never seen before. The annoyed Kenku then motioned for me to sit back down, which I followed with no additional grievances. 

Outside of the cave, there was a fire from the night before. The Kenku flicked his fingers and a small fire floated above his hand. He flung the fire onto the logs he had collected and began gathering the plants he needed with a single hand. With the other hand, he twisted and twirled it behind him. 

As his hand swayed in the air, a kettle and kettle stand floated over the fire. Water jumped out of the lake and into the small kettle, where the Kenku then dumped his ingredients inside. Once he was satisfied, he brought over the pot and pour some into a small bowl. 

The Kenku offered me the bowl and pressured me to drink it swiftly, not revealing how bitter the brew was going to be. My face puckered, despite my best attempt to cover my disgust. Seeing my reaction, the Kenku began cawing with laughter before encouraging me to drink more. As I finished my bowl, I could feel it becoming easier to keep myself upright.