The air tastes of fire tonight.
Hablex sits on a wooden stump, their feet dangling above the grassy floor. Every so often they hear shouts, but they have learned to ignore their group's tendency to make loud noises.
Ash clings to their lips, even as they drink their last sips of water. They can seek out the next river tomorrow, as the remaining light is more a shadow of how radiant their orange sun shines through the trees.
They clutch their coat tighter as the wind rattles by their small body, stirring their short hair and the huge leaves hanging over their head.
Hablex falls asleep in that position, with clouds to cover the setting sun and a trunk as their bed.
When they blink awake, they feel alone. The long, branched limbs of the trees sway overhead, reminding them of each time something seemed out of reach or far too away from them.
This time, whatever they cannot grasp seems important, and may have something to do with the quiet around them.
Hablex gathers up the few items they carry, folding everything back into their bag, before setting off to where Malker and the rest had set up camp.
They pause a few feet away, catching the silence once more. Their brother and friends are never able to hold in their laughter or jokes or simple conversation for more than a few seconds. If the rest of their group are not here though, would they have traveled further without them? No, they are friends. Friends are not that cruel to one another.
Frowning, Hablex spins to gaze the way they walked here. They cannot figure out what would make them leave in the first place. Their goal is the mountain, and their current route is supposed to be the clearest path there.
What are they missing?
Hablex glances down at the ground, scanning for any possible clues. Nothing seems out of place, nor is there anything laying out as if forgotten in a hasty action.
Taking one last glance at the campsite, they grab out the one thing that they and their brother promised to obey in case anyone gets lost. Both of them carry a silver bell, one their mom had fashioned for them, and that had a useful yet alarmingly loud chime.
Here goes nothing. Hablex flicks the crafted instrument, closing their eyes at the ringing, reminding them of metal utensils being slammed onto the wooden dining table. They wait a few seconds, hoping against hope that Malker and Iharli and the rest will pop around a tree, like they were just messing with them and then continue along with their journey.
Instead, they hear nothing besides rattling leaves and a quiet hum from a close bird. They sigh, scuffing the grass below them. No one has ever ignored that sound, not if they wanted to live and not be scolded, so Hablex knows that something is very wrong.
They cannot tell who put their brother into such a mess, but they can assume that there is no telling what the consequences could be if they don’t retrieve him and their friends fast.
With that, Hablex feels stuck once more. They are four days into this trip, four days away from Yurav, away from their family. Wasting that time to walk back can result in something terrible for Malker, yet trying to find him on their own can wind up useless too.
A cleared throat startles them into pulling out the lone weapon they had, a knife forged by them years ago, and pointing it towards the nearest bush. Clouded in the shade of trees and nearby vegetation, a round face peers back at them.
“I’m Cardinal,” she announces, tilting her head as if to bow. “You must be lost.”
Hablex shifts to point the knife towards her. They have never seen this girl before, yet she seems friendly, which they are not at all used to.
“Maybe,” they say, not wanting to give any information away. They learned their lesson the last time they dealt with a stranger.
Cardinal frowns. “It’s rude to not introduce yourself back, you know.” She stands up from her crouching, revealing tanned skin and hair the color of tree bark.
They sigh in a quiet huff, considering the possible outcomes of telling her their name. She seems innocent enough, but still they were taught to be smart in times of confusion.
After another moment of debating, they rub at their forehead. “Hablex,” they say at last, hoping they will not later regret this.
“You’re an interesting one, huh?” She grins, her eyes sparkling. “I like you.”
Hablex huffs, looking away from Cardinal. Their history with curious children getting in trouble does not bode well for this new scenario, but they know that they need to look after her.
They may have lost their brother, yet something tells them that this kid may be in need of a watchful eye. Until Malker appears, all they have is time. Not to mention they are not going to be headed home until they wring that boy’s ear.
Cardinal grabs their hand, putting something small there before letting go.
Hablex glances down at their palm, blinking with surprise at a brightly colored sculpture, much like a miniature variation of the very mountain they are meant to arrive at.
They look up from the rock only to see they are alone, again. That pesky girl. Hablex is stuck once more, now with a rock and the knowledge that this Cardinal person seems to be interested with them.
She seemed younger, at least in an innocent sense, and probably hadn’t lost her brother like Hablex has, but they aren’t sure how to feel about anything from this situation.
That darn Malker, always making such a fuss and now he’s gone and disappeared. Hablex runs their fingers through their hair, trying to ignore the tremors. They will fix this. They always have after their brother’s mistakes. This time is just a bit more important than before.
The closest town they can name is right along the border, and not a place their parents ever let them travel to, but they need supplies and a place to sort out today’s events.
Hablex sighs, clutching at the bell still in their pocket before starting to walk in the direction of Heo. Their surroundings will remain the same for now, as it’s really just another part of the large forest at the south of Wistan.
All they can hope is that Malker is headed towards Heo as well.
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