Crescent Scar chapter 1(Edited )

This is chaper 1 of a story. It's been Edited thanks LancelotKnight

Dry wind blew through a crack in the window gliding a gentle breeze upon Vallen’s face. The harsh summer nights often kept his body sweaty and sticky. Exhausted from an entire day of travelling, he slept as if his life depended on it.

At five foot nine, he laid on a bed too feet to small letting his feet hang over. Drops of sweat dripped off his big toe, echoing as they thumped onto the floor below. The room dark and humid, the walls covered with mold all resting on a decayed timber floor, well-fitting the price he paid.

Inside was a small dresser with a candle placed on top and a bed. The room wasn’t what you call fancy, but it beat sleeping in the forest. Before entering the town, he expected a hard time finding a place to rest. The town itself populated was by thieves and bounty hunters kept him on edge. Every step he took brought greedy glances and harsh stares. The inn he approached north of the town’s gate stood two stories high, with a chimney to the right discharging black smoke.

Once inside he obtained a room, ate, and undressed as exhaustion hit. Adding to his troubles nightmares tortured him every night. Images of a man from his past plagued his mind. He awoke to a loud clanking sound slowly creeping outside his door.

Voices could be heard whispering over the snores of his next door neighbor. Rising he listened as the men climbed the stairs of the old inn. “Search every room” one man ordered. Squeaks from the old planks played a symphony of death with every step they took.

He knew what they were here for…him! “Damn and I just got to sleep.” Shifting his weight to the right he placed his feet to the far right Corner of the bed; the only spot without a squeak. Rising slowly he made his way to his cloths hanging in the closet, quickly putting them on with ease. Clearly this was not the first time he had been in this situation, and “it won’t be the last” he muttered. Grabbing his pack full of survival necessities and old family heirlooms he made his way to the window. Peering out, he cursed silently as he measured the drop. “Two stories, hopefully I’ll just break a leg,” he sighed. Glancing to the right, he saw a tree with long decayed branches scratching the side of the inn.

Measuring the distance, he pondered as shouts were heard in the other rooms. Great just great. If he tried jumping to the branch it could break and he’d fall, break some bones, and probably alert the men searching for him, then he would die… slowly, or he could stay and be shot right where he stood. Not a complicated choice. I choose option number three! Perching his feet on the window ledge, he crouched to the right. “Better die tryin,” he thought. Leaping towards the branch, he cleared the distance by wrapping his arm around the width of the branch. “Ha, lucks with me tonight,” he thought as he began to climb up. His heart nearly burst.

“Crackle,” the branch was more hollow than it looked. “Damn you tree you deceived me” another crackle brought the branch down a notch.

While trying to think of a solution without him dying in the process, the men outside his room broke though the lock. A short chunky man came tumbling down with the door and cursed in pain. Four men stormed in scanning the inside. Looking for him no doubt, he decided to swing and try to land on a few of the bushes below. One…two…on the second swing the branch gave way as he let out a long winded curse. The men rushed to the window. A tall rugged man dressed in a tailored black suit muttered an oath looking down where the scream came from.

Getting up rubbing his behind Vallen looked up and then started running into the forest nearby. “Down stairs now, find him and bring him to me!” As the men started to leave the chunky man blurted, “Do you want him alive?” The tailored man closed the distance, his dark black eyes fix on the putrid blob. Back handing the man’s chubby freckled cheek he shouted, “alive you imbecile, he has information we need!” Putting a hand on this swollen face, the shaken man nodded and ran out the room with the others following behind. The tailored man turned back to the window, staring out into the darkness, “damn you Vallen D. Knightly no one steals from me. Especially not some mutt like you.”

Upon entering the forest he turned back to see if he was being followed. He wasn’t, so he stopped to take a breath. That man…Lionel Runner. He found me. Five year after the death of his mother, five years of running, and still the man had found him. After a few minutes he made his was further into the forest. His mother; not a day has gone past without her in his mind. His heart began to ach at the memory.

Kicking small rocks along the ground could not suppress the thoughts nagging within. His mind was plagued by the fact that he was not there in those dear last moments. Hearing her death being shouted on the streets is what really broke him. Rage formed within him, but there was nothing he could have done. Pushing the thought aside, he continued walking through the forest. The night was dark lit by the moon’s beauty. His boots splashed in the mud as he followed what seemed like the only path in the dense forest. A great place for thieves to set up a home base, he thought. All around him trees swayed and branches crackled. His memory flashed to the tree by the inn. Lesson learned, never trust a tree.

Keeping his eyes alert, he scanned his surroundings. In his line of work one could never be too careful. The night was cool with a light breeze floating about. He climbed over a large tree trunk, probably hit by lightning during the storm season. Walking for what seemed like hours with no end in sight, he moved to a nearby tree that was hollowed out due to old age. After a nights rest he would navigate his way out of this freaky forest. Taking a blanket out of his pack along with two sticks of dried beef, he covered himself, ate while still keeping his eyes vigilant. After eating he got as comfortable as he could get and nodded off within minutes. Maybe this time he could get his proper rest.