Monster

Farewell

"It's all right, brother. I forgive you."

"Forgive me? It's not my fault. It's his! If it wasn't for him, none of this would have happened!"

"It's not his fault, brother. He is just a child. How can he be guilty of anything? It's mine. And you are right. I'm the one who should be asking you all for forgiveness. I'm sorry that I have not told you about everything sooner. Now I am going to fix everything. I'm going to find the humans and take Hero to them. And then all of us will be safe, including him."

Beor stood on the edge of the trail and cast his family a farewell look. Both Margol and Tnul were sobbing, their heads tucked against grandpa Grake's gown on one side, while Hero hung on with a lost expression on the other, tears trailing down his reddened cheeks from all the crying he did over the last few days. Grake hushed them gently with both arms, patting them. Beor looked at his children one last time, wanting badly to give them all another hug. His sorrowful green gaze turned and held once again on his brother's face, where he could clearly see anger fighting with guilt.

"Take care of them, Rangil. They are your children while I'm gone." He said softly.

Rangil silently nodded, his fists tightening as the guilt in his expression grew heavier.

Giving them all a look one last time, Beor turned and began walking down the path away from the village. In his mind, he had already planned out his route. This week, he was going to visit all the villages to the East and learn if they have heard anything about the Humans coming or being seen nearby. And the following week, he would set out on a journey to visit all the villages to the West. There were no villages to the South because of the non passable mountains, but there were more villages to the North, although very very far away. It would be his last leg of the journey to go there and probably take a good several months.

Still, Beor felt fairly comfortable in the wilderness now after almost two years of going on short outings and looking for Hero whenever he would get lost. Wrapping his colorful scarf around a new striped tunic that the elders allotted to him for the travel, granting him the position of a travelling merchant, he strode forward along the trail with his heart both sorrowful and optimistic.

He was going to find the Humans and then... he wasn't quite yet sure what he would do. Maybe he wouldn't bring them home to his village with them. First, because not all Humans were good, and that was a proven fact according to all elders' Memories. And second, because if Hero was not Human, then... Humans and Monsters did not get along well, that was a proven fact in all the old stories, too

So, he would first find them. And then he would find out if they knew anything about the Monster with the white eyes that Hero used to be. Then, he would make his decision of what to do next. Meanwhile, his family would be safe at home in his younger brother's hands.

His stride growing strong and light as he came to a decision about what he was going to do next, Beor kept walking ahead. He tried hard not to think of Rangil's betrayal. It had to have been his brother who told the elders about what Beor once admitted to Rangil about the witch. How she confirmed to him that Hero was not a Human. Now, Beor was glad that he didn't reveal to him everything. If he had, then the elders would have for sure banished the child along with him to go with him. Fulfilling his mission to find the humans would have become much more difficult with a small child in tow. Despite all his hardiness, little Hero was not easy to care for. No, it was a good thing that he was staying home in the village. There, he would be far safer...

...

Margol stared hard after his father until the tall figure could no longer be seen among the trees. Then, he turned and glared at little Hero.