H |
uman beings as whole were really quite offensive to faunkind. Not only did they have the awful habits of being stupid and foul, but they also had a nasty practice of cutting down the biggest, oldest, and wisest trees they could find to make buildings out of them. It was even worse when they burned a fresh wood for no reason but to clear a field. Really, the larger population of man had no respect at all for living things.
Having kept with that basic sentiment that most fauns have, even when I settled in Readimina I refused to call a human structure my home. Instead, I picked a secluded spot a mile from the village center and went to work. Using my mediocre skills with plant-related magic, I was eventually able to convince three large willows to come together and form a house. They still grew, of course, which meant I had to make adjustments every few months, but it was a small price to pay to avoid living in a room made of dead things for the rest of my life.
The sun had almost cleared the horizon when we reached the clearing around my house. I do not think the dragon-kin realized we had until I pointed it out. After all, a house made of trees is perfectly camouflaged in a forest.
I barely spoke as we approached, my mind still full of unwelcome worry. Above all else – above the threat of being attacked or outcast – was the worry that something horrible would happen to Morrense in my absence. I doubted anyone in this village would take kindly to him after rumors of the situation spread, even though Gorn would stick up for him as much as he could. With a regretful sigh, I acknowledged that word had probably already spread far enough, considering the size of that lynch mob.
My thoughts were eventually interrupted by my intuition: something felt wrong here beside the fact that I had essentially risked our lives for the sake of some relic-seeking dragon. The air around my home seemed incorrect. My only comfort was that I realized it sooner than later.
We were only some twenty feet away from my front door, but I crouched to the ground, halving my already slight stature. I turned my head back to Levent, who had stopped and was looking at me, baffled. I gestured at him to stop and then did a little hand motion that I hoped indicated that he should make himself less conspicuous, but ended up looking more like I was telling him to start beating a drum.
He raised an eyebrow below his long, choppy bangs, but seemed to know what I was getting at. He also seemed aware that crouching would not hide him as