The Ranger and the Rat

Path to Bilbali

The sound of gently rolling waves against the shore... A contrast to the previous night's waves. The sun shines dimly on the land, ensuring that it is a cold morning.

"Zol..."

The ship's wreckage in the violent storm is lost. It's nothing short of a miracle that anyone could survive it. Though Felix was never that easy to kill.

"Zol...?"

Straining himself, Felix forces his own body to get up, despite the incessant desire to rest.

"Zol!"

He begins to panic, looking up and down the shoreline. Surely Zol made it to land as well, surely...

In the water, barely onto the shore. There he was. Felix quickly runs over, dragging Zol onto relatively dry land.

"Come on... Come on... Please... For the love of Sigmar, please..."

Felix leans down, putting his ear to Zol's chest...

...

Thump

...

Thump

...

That was all he needed to hear. Acting quickly, he opens his overcoat and pulls Zol up against him, trying to keep him warm.

"Okay... We're both okay... We're... Okay..."

His breathing hitches and a tear rolls down his cheek. He turns his head down, lightly resting it on top of Zol's. He almost lost him...

He knew there was always a risk. Always a risk of losing his son, but this time it was way too close. The chance that he would ever get this lucky again is surely impossible.

Felix finds himself ruminating on the previous night... The sudden intense waves and storm, the sky turning an unnatural colour, something breaking the ship in half with ease... Is that really what happened? Or did the time in the hold get to him as well?

Felix's train of thought was broken when Zol began to stir. His eyes slowly opening, as he starts to shiver from the cold.

"Where are we...?" He whines quietly, discomforted from being cold and wet.

"I don't know... The ship- It... It was destroyed by something. We're lucky to be alive..." Felix gently rubs Zol's back. "It's as if fate doesn't want us to go just yet..."

Felix stands back to his feet, looking at the surrounding area. It... Doesn't look too dissimilar from the Empire, but if they were in the Empire, they would be able to see Norsca's shore.

"Estalia... That's the only place this could be... And if this is the northern shore... Bilbali should be that way."

He turns to the right, looking westward.

"I guess... There's no sense just standing around anyway..."

Felix begins the trek, still holding Zol in his arms. They didn't make it far before he decided to stop.

"I think we should make a fire. I can't let you get sick after all." Felix puts Zol on the ground. "Are you feeling alright?"

"J-Just cold..." Zol sits on the ground, shivering more. "P-Please be quick..."

There isn't much around to work with, being a fairly sparse section of woodland. While there's a good number of trees, there wasn't much kindling to get a fire properly started. He'd have to try and make do with some larger pieces.

Of course, he's a crafty woodsman, he can figure it out. Finding an old log, using a mattock to split open the top, he makes a perfect start to an effective fire. He drops some twigs and dried leaves into the centre part of the split and uses a tinderbox to light it up.

"There. That should do for now." The design of the fire was self-ventilating, so it wouldn't need to be fed more wood, and could burn for a good while.

Felix and Zol huddle up next to the fire as it gets bigger, the warmth providing a much-needed relief.

"...I want to go home..." Zol whines quietly, leaning against Felix, who wraps his arm around him.

"I know... I wish we could... But it's not there anymore..." Felix pulls Zol into a hug. "I hate to say it but we might need to start over..."

"But... it's just not fair... Why do they keep doing this to us?" Zol looks down at the ground. "Is it because of me...?"

"No- Zol- You're fine. This isn't your fault. The people of the Empire can just sometimes be a little... Unsavoury to those that are different."

"Okay..." Zol sighs and leans into Felix more, closing his eyes. "What are we going to do now?"

"Hard to say. I have no doubt that they'll be persistent, so we might not be able to stay anywhere long." He looks up, thinking... "But for now, I can probably find us a safe place to stay."

Felix scoots a bit closer to the fire, as it gets warmer.

"Let's just keep warm for now. Can't get far if we get sick."

The morning passes by, Felix and Zol huddling next to the fire. The ambient temperature rises slowly, and the sun begins to shine brightly over the landscape. It was time to move.

Hand in hand, the two travel along the woodland trail. The sounds of the local wildlife gave a calm and refreshing air to the environment. It's nice to be able to walk in such an area without the risk of being attacked by something.

"If we can get to Bilbali, we can find somewhere to hide out for a while. At least until we can figure out what to do next."

Bilbali would be at least a few hours away, depending on how the trip goes. Sometimes Zol would stop to look at random things, and even in such a dire situation, his curiosity and wonder of the world was as strong as ever.

After numerous stops and distractions, the two finally arrive to Bilbali as the sun begins to dip behind the horizon. The sky is shaded a dark purple and the streets remain dimly lit, perfect for sneaking through unbothered.

Moving through the city using the many backstreets and alleyways, the two eventually came to an Inn, secluded in the darker reaches of the city.

Entering the Inn, it was mostly empty. Only a few people were inside, including the innkeeper, who had noticed the newcomers immediately...

"Felix! It's wonderful to see you again, how long has it been?" Luckily, the Innkeeper knows Felix quite well. "And I see you brought your son too."

"Yeah, hey Falko. Listen, we're kind of in a bad situation. Is the... Basement room still available?"

Falko, the Innkeeper, nods and motions for Felix and Zol to come behind the bar and into the backroom, leading them to a hatch.

"Still untouched. Left it exactly how you did. Enjoy your stay."

Falko goes back to the counter as Felix opens the hatch, letting Zol go first before going down as well.

The 'Basement Room' was actually a hideout, filled with potentially useful items, weapons, objects, all sorts of the like. Complete with beds, so that they'd not have to leave too often.

"Well... This is where we're staying for now..." Felix turns to Zol. "How about you get settled in? I know how difficult it can be sometimes in new places."

Zol, however, seems to be a lot more interested in the various tables holding different sets of tools and materials. Going over to look at all of them.

"Alright then. Well, im going to get some rest." Felix walks up to Zol, kneeling down and giving him a gentle hug, and kissing his forehead. "Don't stay up too late. Goodnight."

Zol smiles and giggles. "Goodnight father." And he is then left to peruse the room at his leisure, until he gets too tired, of course.

Maybe having to start over... Wouldn't be so bad.