Mystic Heart Odyssey

Part 9: In the Shadows of Kryckwood

Chapter 10

Please forgive Lykou. He do be a bit of an idiot sometimes. He does have a bit of that ‘himbo’ energy after all- sexy, pure of heart, dumb of ass.

-Llox

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Once they reached the edge of the garden, Lykou and Kuna were pleasantly surprised when Algrytha popped up almost immediately, saving them from having to wander around for a while first. “Welcome back, boys. How’d things go?”

“Well… we’re still alive,” Kuna replied dryly. “Despite the world’s best efforts.”

“Why didn’t you tell us the trees themselves would attack us?” Lykou asked.

“Wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise, now would I? Anyway, considerin’ what else you two’ve been through, includin’ escapin’ the Great Wraith, I figured you could handle an ornery oak.”

“I guess we should’ve expected it at this point, honestly,” Kuna said flatly. “Especially in Kryckwood.”

Algrytha snickered. “Now yer gettin’ it. Gotta stay on yer toes ‘n’ expect trouble in these parts. So did ya get the fruit?”

“Right here,” Lykou said, setting his things down for a moment so he could dig them out, then handed them to her.

“Good, good. Now, fer the next ingr-”

“Uh, actually, you mind if we rest up a bit at your place first?” Lykou interrupted. “Kuna’s pretty wiped out and I promised him I wouldn’t go back out without him.”

Algrytha looked over at the sereva and chuckled. “I thought you were leaning on that stick a bit hard. Sure, yer welcome to pop in fer a bit. Just remember not ta wait till nightfall unless ya wanna deal with the Kryck at its worst again.”

“Thanks,” Kuna said, then wrapped an arm around the konuul as they followed her back to her house. “Sorry, hope you don’t mind-”

“Of course not. I offered, after all,” Lykou said with a smile, returning the side-embrace as the sereva leaned on him while they made their way through the garden. “Feelin’ that drained, hmm?”

“Y-yeah. Obviously still dealing with the effects of that damn ghoul’s bite, heh,” Kuna said. In truth, he probably could have managed with just the stick, but now that they were safely back to the garden, he was happy to accept the offer for a bit of support, if only as an excuse for more closeness with the konuul.

“How ‘bout the pain? Still sore?”

“Very faintly. Mostly just hurts if I bump it too hard or try to stretch too far.”

Lykou booped his nose. “Then I suggest you don’t do that.”

Kuna smirked back at him. “Thanks for the sage wisdom, almighty Lykou the Magnificent,” he said quietly, so that Algrytha didn’t hear.

The canid rolled his eyes, then stuck his tongue out at him playfully. Then they both giggled a bit.

Eventually, when they made it back to the cottage, Lykou led Kuna over to their usual spot by the wall and helped him get comfortable on the floor, cuddling him in his lap. Meanwhile, Algrytha started a fresh pot of tea for the three of them.

“So… why does your garden seem to, er, rearrange itself when we’re not looking?” Lykou asked. “Always seems near impossible to find your house until you show up.”

“No idea what you mean. You must have a poor sense’a direction, or a mighty overactive imagination,” the witch said dismissively, although there was a faintly playful edge to her tone. “Anyway, this potion has me thinkin’, and I’m curious- by any chance did yer little magic ability come up at all while you were out?”

“Uh, it did actually,” Kuna chimed in. “Was that why you didn’t warn us?”

“Could be, could be, hehe.”

“Well, yeah, like Ku said, it did,” Lykou said. “Not that I noticed right away. As usual, I didn’t realize it until afterwards when he pointed it out to me.”

“Intrestin’, intrestin’…” she trailed off as she began rummaging around in some boxes and baskets under one of the tables. “Lessee, where’d I put that damn thing,” she muttered. After a few minutes, she pulled out a small wooden object. It looked like a carved wooden tube with some kind of crystal wedged into it, hanging from a leafy vine preserved in some kind of thin resin that was wrapped around its middle. Some symbols were etched into its sides. “Ah, there you are!”

“What’s that?” Lykou asked.

“A magic tool. Gotta take a quick peek at somethin’, don’t mind me. Just hold still fer a minute,” the witch said as she sauntered over to him, then leaned in uncomfortably close and began inspecting him through the little tube. “Hmm…”

“What does it do, exactly?” Kuna interjected with a mildly bewildered expression. Due to their position, she was invading his space as much as she was the canid’s- arguably even moreso. “And do you have to get so close?”

“Yep, these peepers aren’t what they used ta be. It just lets me take a look at certain things ya can’t norm’ly see,” Algrytha explained as she moved around to the other side and looked them over. Finally, she straightened up with a sigh and tucked the object away somewhere under all the moss covering her body, then walked back to her stool by the fire. “Was hopin’ there’d be some lingerin’ clues about how yer lil’ trick works, but looks like I’m too late, if there were any.”

“What exactly does it let you look at?” Lykou asked curiously.

“Mostly just yer energies. Was tryin’ ta see if anything looked unusual there, but it looked mostly normal to me.”

“Mostly?”

“Wait, that thing lets you see mystical energies??” Kuna chimed in, fascinated. “Like life, soul, that kind of thing?”

“Yep. As long as yer the one that’s attuned to it, anyway,” the witch replied as she got comfortable on the stool.

Lykou tilted his head a bit. “Attuned? What’s that mean?”

“Well, y’see, with a lot of magical doodads, ya gotta sorta… bond with ‘em, in a way. Involves a buncha meditatin’ over it ‘n’ getting’ ta know it, ‘n’ so on. The details can vary a bit from one thing to another, so ya gotta kinda figure it out as ya go,” Algrytha explained, gesturing around in the air as she spoke. “Yer basic’ly connectin’ its magic ta yer soul, see.”

“How common is that?” Lykou asked, glancing down at the bracer on his arm. “None of the magic stuff we’ve come across needed us to do anything like that, really.”

“Ah, them bracers were made special. Technically they sorta attune to ya somewhat instantly, when ya activate ‘em,” she explained. “They tie inta yer life energy instead’a yer soul, though.”

Kuna thought for a moment, then leaned over and pulled out the crystal from Whironui and the charm from Aelana and Daisy. “What about these?”

Lykou winced and averted his gaze nervously. When he’d recounted his story to her before, he’d skipped over the bit about their friendship with the secret queen-duo of Clovaria, for various reasons. Apparently, the sereva had forgotten.

Just as Algrytha was about to reply, she paused, and narrowed her eyes at the charm. “...well, powerful magic made ‘em fer each of ya specifically. One by a mighty powerful spirit, from what ya told me,” she said, then arched a brow and smirked. “’n’ the other from someone else, from what ya fergot ta mention.”

Immediately, Kuna blushed a bit and let his ears droop as he realized his mistake. “Uh, er… r-right, I um. Forgot we didn’t… mention them…”

“Yeahhhh, sorry about that,” Lykou replied with a sheepish grin. “It’s… kind of a complicated thing and they’re a little secretive about their… identities. True identities, that is.”

“Powerful Sylthean of some kind, hmm? More’n one of ‘em, even? Good thing ya got on their good side,” Algrytha said. “Dreamwalkin’ charm, right?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Kuna replied, putting it away. “So we can stay in contact with them despite the distance.”

“Rare fer folk ta even meet Syltheans these days, let alone make friends with ‘em. Must admit ya got me mighty curious. What kind are they?”

“Technically half-Sylthean,” Lykou explained. “And, uh… wolpertinger.”

“You don’t say?” Algrytha commented, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “My, my, my… a half-wolpertinger, two of ‘em even, hoppin’ around the mortal world in this day. How do ya like that… ‘n’ here I thought they’d all off ‘n’ got themselves killt one way or another,” She furrowed her brows after a moment. “Hang on a minute, ya say that thing lets ya talk ta both of ‘em? What, at the same time? Even fer a powerful sort, that’s tricky.”

“Uh… kiiiind of a special situation in their case,” Kuna said awkwardly. “They… used to be, um. One… person…?”

Algrytha tilted her head and gave him an odd look. “Come again?”

“Yeahhh, so it’s a long story,” Lykou explained. “She tried to repress her Sylthean side due to all the responsibility she had, but the stress and loneliness kind of drove her a bit crazy until eventually somehow she… uh, split into two halves? Magically? Or something?”

“Reeeeally?” Algrytha said, clearly intrigued and amused. “Been a damn long time since I heard’a somethin’ like that happenin’. Lotta responsibility ya say? Where abouts did ya meet them?”

“This place called Clovaria. Lots of wide open land and hills and such. Really pretty.”

“Clovaria… Clov- ah! Yes, I think I’ve heard’a it actually,” the witch confirmed.

Lykou gave her a surprised and slightly bewildered look. “You… have?”

“No offense, but just how old are you?” Kuna asked warily.

Algrytha cackled a bit. “Older’n dirt, as they say.”

“Okay, there’s no denying you’re a Sylthean now,” Lykou said flatly. “I can’t imagine what else you’d be, to be around long enough to know so much.”

“Fair, I s’pose,” she said, snickering some more. “Like I said though, I’m just little ol’ me. Got no strong ties ta that other world or anyone from there these days. ‘n’ by the way, there are some reg’lar mortals that’ll live a very long time, too, just so ya know. Rare, but they exist.”

“I guess Ink found a way,” Kuna pointed out.

“Unfortunately,” Lykou bitterly added.

The sereva winced at the comment. He understood and to some extent even shared the sentiment, but he wasn’t used to such spite coming from the usually over-friendly konuul.

“So this… or these, rather, half-tingers ya met, what’re their names?”

“Aelana and Daisy.”

“Well, tell ya what, next time ya talk to ‘em, tell ‘em ol’ Dark Aggy says hi.”

“Dark Aggy?” Lykou asked, arching a brow. “Old nickname of yours, I assume?”

Kuna gave her a look. “And you think they’d have heard of you?”

Algrytha shrugged. “Can’t say fer sure, but seein’ as they’ve been bummin’ around the mortal world since the big separation all this time, it might int’rest ‘em ta know they ain’t the only ones. I did have a reputation fer bein’ a bit odd years ago, so my name mighta gotten to their ears at some point.”

“You, odd? The one that willingly lives alone in the world’s creepiest forest, with all kinds of undead monsters for neighbors?” Kuna snarked with a subtle grin. “You don’t say.”

For a moment, Lykou tensed up, worried she’d be offended by his friend’s sass. But quite the opposite, she immediately cackled at the response. “Not sure it’s the creepiest, but it’s a contender at least, I’ll admit.”

Kuna shuddered. “If there are worse ones, I hope we never visit them.”

“Suit yerself,” Algrytha replied with a nonchalant shrug. “But yeah, ya get the idea. I never shied away from bein’ a weird one. S’possible they’ve caught a rumor or two at some point. Long-lived folk tend to hear about all kindsa things from far away after a while- unless a’course yer a loner like me, hehe.”

“We’ll be sure to let them know, then,” Lykou said, then rubbed Kuna’s arm absent-mindedly. “I’m supposed to pay them a visit as soon as we’re in a comparatively safer place where I can afford to be light on sleep for a day.”

“Best save it fer after yer next meetin’ with Elzhan, then.”

“On that note,” Kuna said. “What was the other ingredient we need to get?”

“Ah, right,” Algrytha said, straightening up a bit. “Good news is if ya play it smart, it won’t necessarily be as dangerous as anythin’ else ya done around here.”

“Sounds… good?” Lykou said warily. “Smart how, though? What is it?”

“You’ll need to collect a perfect broth.”

Lykou and Kuna both shared a confused look. “Perfect… broth?”

“A perfect broth, cooked from the bones of a perfect kill, by a perfect hunter.”

“O...kay?” Lykou responded uncertainly.

Kuna gave her a dubious look. “There’s more to this, isn’t there? ‘Perfect’ is kind of a made-up, silly concept when it comes down to it.”

“Smart one, arencha?” Algrytha responded. Finally, the kettle started whistling, so she removed it from the heat and went over to pour them each a cup of the tea while she continued. “Perfect’s a nonsense word most’a the time. But there’s cases where ya can get damn close. Close enough fer this potion, in partic’lar. ‘n’ technically I already told ya about where ya can get it from.”

Lykou was even more confused. “You… did?”

“Mhmm. Think about it. How do ya get a perfect hunter?”

Lykou and Kuna both thought for a moment. Then Kuna’s eyes suddenly widened as something occurred to him. “Wait, you mean…”

“Huh?” Lykou asked.

“Even the best hunters have flaws they gotta deal with. Distractions. Pain. Thoughts. Hesitation,” Algrytha pointed out. “But there’s one partic’lar kinda case around here where those don’t apply.”

Kuna shivered a little. “Y-you mean s-some kind of undead thing, don’t you?”

“In a way, but nothin’ ta do with ghosts. They don’t have the patience or int’rest in making broth, after all. ‘n’ they’re all full’a thoughts ‘n’ distractions, anyway, even if they’re not so susceptible ta physical pain anymore.”

“Oh, good point…” Kuna said, then mulled it over some more while the canid did likewise behind him.

“The husk,” Lykou suddenly blurted out, his own eyes widening as it dawned on him. “That… that thing wouldn’t have any of that.”

“There ya go,” Algrytha confirmed as she brought them each a cup of hot tea. “Gotta pay a visit to that eerie old neighbor of mine. He usually does his huntin’ real early in the mornin’, out in the forest outside the Kryck, then starts makin’ the broth after he eats the meat fer breakfast. He goes out a couple’a times ta collect more wood fer his fire through the day while the broth simmers, so that’d prob’ly be yer best chance. Do it carefully ‘n’ he won’t even notice it’s missin’.”

“D-didn’t you say he’s basically a perfect w-warrior, too?” Kuna pointed out nervously as he held the cup in his hand, relishing the warmth.

“True. Which is why you’ll wanna be extra sneaky, especially once ya get ta his house. If he sees ya out in the woods, he won’t pay ya much mind unless ya provoke ‘im. But if he sees ya in his home uninvited, you’ll wanna run like hell. Good thing is he should give up the chase pretty quick once ya get a certain distance away.”

Lykou nodded, then gave Kuna a gentle squeeze. “I know what we said, but-”

“Don’t even think about it,” Kuna interrupted, shooting a little glare back towards him. “You’re not going alone, dammit.”

The konuul sighed. “As weak as you are, though-”

“I’ll be fine after I’ve rested up some more,” the sereva insisted. “I can do sneaking and running away. If nothing else I can help keep watch while you’re getting the broth.”

Lykou sighed. “Fine, but… only I go inside the house, alright?”

“As long as you get out of there the moment I warn you, with or without the broth,” Kuna stubbornly replied, then carefully sipped some of his tea.

The konuul gave him another soft squeeze. “Alright, deal. I’ll make sure to be fast.”

*****

Lykou and Kuna carefully made their way through the woods southeast of Algrytha’s garden. Other than a few shadow spirits that only showed passing curiosity about them, they didn’t encounter anything particularly frightening. In fact, while it was still clearly the Kryck, the section of forest they found themselves passing through looked slightly more mundane than the rest as they went along. They spotted a few more odd-looking squirrels that weren’t quite as malnourished-looking. There was slightly more plant life, although it was just as strange looking as before. Kuna didn’t dare consider seeing if any of it was edible. They passed several large bushes that they hadn’t seen in other parts of the Kryck. They also didn’t encounter any more dangerous pools of water.

In fact, shortly after passing a more mundane-looking stream, Lykou caught a certain scent in the air and slowed to a stop, halting Kuna in the process. He looked up at the sky through the tree branches, as if searching for something.

“What is it?” Kuna asked, looking around warily.

“I thought I caught a whiff of smoke for a moment,” the konuul replied. “Not sure though. Don’t see any.”

Kuna squinted into the distance. “...I don’t see anything.”

“Well, just be on your guard… we might be getting close. Remember, if you see… it, just try to act casual,” the canid reminded him. “Won’t attack us unless we give it a reason to.”

“Right,” Kuna replied. “Casual. About a s-soulless body that has no business s-still being alive.”

“Just try to pretend you don’t know about that bit,” Lykou pointed out as they resumed hiking.

“Can’t promise a-anything, but I’ll try.”

Sure enough, the smell of smoke, while still faint, soon became strong enough that Kuna picked up on it as well. Around that time, they also caught a glimpse of a few faint wispy traces of it in the air in the distance, and started heading in the direction it seemed to be coming from. When they arrived at the source, they knew they’d found their destination. It was a crude living space that’d clearly been occupied for a long time.

There was something that might pass for a very simple wood and stone wall set up around the perimeter, though it wasn’t likely to keep anything out. It was only a couple of feet tall, and the wood parts were mostly rotted away. Significant chunks of it were crumbling and had big gaps. They assumed that the owner must have built it back before he separated his soul from his body, and the husk must not have maintained it afterward.

There was a modest firepit on one side, though there was no fire in it at the moment, so it wasn’t the source of the small puffs of smoke they’d spotted. Near it was a stone that likely served as a simplistic seat. Behind the firepit was the main structure. It was a very rough wooden shack that’d seen so many repairs and had sections rebuilt so many times, seemingly with incredibly basic tools, that it was barely recognizable as some kind of building, rather than simply a strange, massive collection of miscellaneous chunks of wood. The entrance had a very crude, but thick curtain made from animal hide hanging over it. At the top of the structure, there was a gap in the roof, which the faint wisps of smoke were coming from.

And on the other side of the living space, there was a very crude wooden drying rack- with some kind of animal skin stretched out across it. Nearby, other inedible bits of the apparently recent carcass was laying on the ground, apparently not yet disposed of. Kuna saw it and immediately recoiled with a look of revulsion that caught Lykou slightly off guard. “Ku, you okay?” he asked quietly, looking around warily for any signs of the camp’s owner.

Kuna quickly turned away and held his head as he swooned slightly and fought to keep his last meal down.

Lykou arched a brow and looked over at the skin drying on the rack. By that point, he’d figured Kuna would have gotten accustomed to such things, but it slowly dawned on him that every time he’d gone hunting, the sereva still tried to avert his gaze while he was cleaning his kills. And although they’d been around more leather on the Crimson Isles, it all must’ve been produced in villages they hadn’t visited. After all, the villages they’d been to either mostly ate fish and fruit, or imported all their food.

But after their encounters with the undead, he figured his friend would have become a bit more resilient around such things. Clearly, he was mistaken.

After a moment, though, Kuna recovered a bit and rubbed his face. “S-sorry, just… w-wasn’t expecting… that,” he said, then gagged and retched again as the mental image returned.

“I would’ve thought you wouldn’t be as bothered by it at this point,” Lykou pointed out, though he gently rubbed the sereva’s back. “Not that it’s ever easy to look at, I guess, heh.”

“Knowing w-where leather comes from is one thing, s-seeing it in progress, though, plus the… rest… especially unexpectedly,” Kuna said, clenching his eyes shut as he tried to suppress the image in his mind. “S-sorry…”

Lykou gently hugged him for a moment. “Yeah… I guess it’s a good thing there are special houses for that back in Lakefire, so you shouldn’t have to worry about seeing it too much.”

“Th-thank fuck,” the sereva replied, leaning into the embrace a bit. After a moment, he nervously looked around. “W-wait, shit. We should hurry. Doesn’t look like you-know-who is here r-right now, but could come back a-any time.”

“Good point,” Lykou said, then reached into his bag and dug out the container Algrytha had given him for the job. He then paused and stared at the curtain blocking the entrance for a moment. “Unless… he’s in there. Er. It? Not sure which-”

“Not sure it m-matters,” Kuna said. “No soul. Anyway I d-don’t sense a-any person-sized chunk of life energy in there.”

“Okay, good. Didn’t want to have to wait around for hi-… it to leave.”

“Still, be careful.”

“Will do. Keep watch out here and let me know if you see it coming back,” Lykou said as he hopped over the crude little wall and made his way towards the hut’s entrance.

Kuna nervously peered out into the woods, looking for any sign of movement. “Try to be quick. N-never know when it might come back.”

Lykou nodded. Once he reached the entrance, he peeked through the curtain carefully, then signaled to the sereva that the coast was clear before slipping through. The inside of the hut was predictably very dim. There were no windows, so the only light came from the small hole in the ceiling, and the dim coals burning in a small firepit in the middle. Off to one side, there was a rough sleeping mat with the latest tattered, heavily worn pseudo-blanket laying on top of it, surrounded by the decayed debris of its countless predecessors laying around it. Scattered around the hut were fragments of past broken simple tools of various kinds. The most recent still-in-tact ones were sitting in a little collection near the door. Although very basic, it became apparent that each one and its predecessors were all made in an almost perfectly identical fashion.

On top of the coals there was a clay pot with a lid on it. He could very faintly hear something simmering inside, so he carefully reached over to remove the lid. He quickly realized it was hot to the touch, though, so he looked around, then grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around his hand for protection before grabbing at it again. Setting the lid aside released a small plume of steam and a scent that made Lykou’s mouth water slightly. It wasn’t as if there were any seasonings, but the smell of the fresh bone broth inside still made him crave a good soup again.

He took out and uncorked the container he’d brought along and looked around for a moment. With a faint sigh of annoyance, he realized there wasn’t a decent ladle or anything like it to use. And he didn’t want to just dip the container in and risk burning his hand while he tried to fill it. After searching around for a few minutes, he found a basic wooden spoon under a pile of other crude utensils and began the tedious process of using it to fill the small preserved gourd up. It took much longer than he would’ve liked, but he wanted to make sure he brought enough back that there wasn’t a chance they’d have to come back for more. When the container was finally full, he sealed it back up and paused, having an internal debate with himself.

His stomach rumbled and he licked his lips as he sniffed the air again. He hadn’t eaten much, so the broth was extra tantalizing. After a quick glance back at the curtain, he shrugged and decided to try a quick spoonful of it. It wasn’t as good as the turkey stock he relished back home, but it still tempted him to have more. But after accidentally spilling some of the second spoonful on himself, he realized he was being foolish and decided it was a bad idea to linger any longer, so he carefully replaced the lid and slipped back out, making sure to wipe any broth he’d spilled on his hands off with the blanket before leaving.

Once he was back outside, he rejoined the very antsy sereva pacing around near the wall.

“F-finally!” Kuna blurted out in a hushed tone, grabbing him in a brief embrace. “What took s-so long? I was starting to get worried.”

“Sorry, filling it was awkward. Just had a little wooden spoon to work with,” the canid explained, glancing around warily. “No sign of the husk out here, I take it?”

Kuna shook his head as they turned to leave. “Haven’t seen it yet.”

“Good. About time one of these little errands was simple and easy,” Lykou said as they trudged back through the forest.

“Don’t jinx us,” Kuna playfully quipped with a faint wince. “We’re not back yet.”

“Fair point. At least if we see it out h-”

They both froze as they rounded one of the few large patches of bushes Kryckwood had and almost ran right into the very entity they were keen on avoiding. The husk’s body was… largely unremarkable, other than being a species they didn’t recognize. It might’ve been whatever the revenant’s species was, but the latter’s body was so wrapped up and mummified they couldn’t be sure. Either way, the soulless body in front of them had canine-like features with tan fur and black markings on its tail, ears, and face. It seemed quite physically fit, but not overly large. It had a very rough leather outfit on, covering all the important bits while allowing plenty of room for movement. It was holding a collection of wood under its arms.

All in all, the husk could have, for the most part, passed as a perfectly normal looking person. Until, that is, they saw its eyes.

The word ‘soulless’ or ‘cold’ was sometimes thrown around to describe certain people or looks. Kuna distinctly remembered the cold, calculating eyes that the murderous Kerr had back in Clovaria. Lykou had seen a few steely, cold looks from certain predators he’d fought. And some of the undead definitely had a certain aloofness to them beyond anything they’d ever seen in a living being. But this was different. Now they truly knew what it was like to look at a creature’s face and know, even if they hadn’t previously been told, that there was absolutely nothing behind its gaze but an empty void. It seemed to almost never blink, either. And its breathing was perfectly even and rhythmic, with no variance at all.

It was uncanny. The husk had no expression whatever as it looked at them. Presumably, it would not have expected to bump into them on the way back to its home any more than they expected to meet it coming around the bushes. But what they were looking at had no expectations or emotion at all. It simply… existed. And its only motive was to continue to exist in the same relative state that it somehow had for centuries. It didn’t react in any notable way- it just… looked at them. It felt like a bizarre reversal of the feeling of being watched without seeing anyone around.

Still, some habits superseded logic, especially in the face of such a surreal, uncomfortable encounter.

“Uh, hhhhi there,” Lykou said with an uneasy smile and a tiny, awkward wave. “We’re just, uh… passing through. I’m Lykou and this is K-”

Kuna nudged him in the side, staring wide-eyed at the husk. “Wasting y-your breath,” he said in a hushed tone. “Pretty sure it d-doesn’t, y’know… do conversations. L-let’s just… keep going.”

Lykou eyed the husk and nodded. “R-right. Uh… b...bye,” he said instinctively, with another tiny wave, as they started awkwardly sidling away. Kuna would have facepalmed if he wasn’t busy keeping a close eye on the eerie thing.

Suddenly, it started sniffing the air, then turned its full attention to Lykou.

“...fuck. I think it smells the broth,” the konuul anxiously muttered.

“How?” Kuna asked. “Y-you sealed it up r-right?”

“Yeah. M-must just have a really good sense of smell an-”

Before he could continue, the husk dropped the wood it was carrying and retrieved a hatchet hanging from a simple belt it was wearing.

“Fuckit, run!”

Lykou and Kuna immediately bolted. The husk was hot on their trail an instant later, having no difficulty keeping up with them. In fact, despite both of them being fairly fast runners, it was slowly starting to gain on them- especially Kuna, who was still moving a bit slower than usual and already starting to get a bit winded. Lykou spotted a club-sized branch laying on the ground and quickly scooped it up, then spun around and tossed it at their pursuer. The branch smacked the husk square in the face- but it continued chasing them without showing any signs of noticing, despite the large bruise and the blood leaking from its nose. Seeing that his plan had no real effect, Lykou let himself lag behind Kuna a bit and reached for his bracers.

But the sereva wasn’t about to let him do anything dumb, and slowed just enough to grab his hand, as the husk started getting uncomfortably close. “Don’t! You promised!”

Lykou reluctantly lowered his arm and redoubled his efforts, though he made sure not to let himself get ahead of Kuna. “He’s… gonna catch up… at this rate!”

“He’ll give up s-soon!” Kuna reminded him, then hazarded a glance back behind them, only to see the husk raising its hatchet less than a half dozen yards behind them. It looked like it was about to try and throw it. “...hopefully!”

Thinking quickly, Kuna summoned up his magic as much as he could and tried to trip the husk with some vines, using his magical senses to do so while turning back to keep an eye on where he was running. It worked- sort of. The husk nimbly jumped over the first couple of attempts, but then tumbled over harshly when one vine managed to snag its ankle. However, it recovered almost immediately and continued chasing after them. He’d given them a little extra distance, but not much.

Still, just as they were both trying to figure out another way to slow the soulless hunter down, it suddenly stopped behind them. After noticing this, they both started slowing down and stopped to catch their breath when they realized it’d turned and started returning to its home. Kuna slumped to the ground and leaned on his walking stick, panting heavily as he wavered a little on the spot.

Lykou dropped down next to him and held him gently as he watched the husk stalk off. It was worrying how close it’d gotten to them, only to abruptly give up out of nowhere. Once upon a time, he wouldn’t have been one to question a stroke of luck, but paranoia had him look around to make sure there wasn’t some other, larger threat looming nearby. Fortunately, they seemed to be alone, other than a stray dark squirrel that they’d spooked into bolting off through the trees.

“F-fuck that was too close,” Kuna eventually muttered, clinging to the konuul as his vision swam a bit. The day was taking a definite toll on his still-recovering body, and he was so shaky he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stand again anytime soon.

“No kidding… although I think with my bracers I could’ve fought it off if I had to.”

Kuna grumbled a bit and rolled his eyes. “Perfect. Fighter. Remember?”

The konuul sighed. “Yeah, I know, I know… probably a lot tougher than he looked. Er, it.”

“Thank you for not trying,” Kuna said, then laid his head on the canid’s shoulder. “I s-still can’t believe it smelled the broth through the container. Did you m-maybe spill some on you?”

“A tiny bit yeah, but I made sure to wipe it off on its blanket before I left,” Lykou said, then scratched his head thoughtfully. “I wonder if it smelled my breath…”

Kuna froze for a moment, then slowly sat up and shot him a narrow-eyed look. “...why… would it matter… if it smelled… your breath?”

The konuul looked away sheepishly. “I… may have… tried a quick taste?”

“...you did WHAT.”

“Hey, it was just a tiny taste! I still had some in the spoon anyway and I was curious! How was I supposed to know he’d have such an insane sense of smell?” the konuul said, pulling back and crossing his arms defensively.

Kuna glared at him, the bottom of one eye twitching. “Y… you…”

“I know, I know... Here,” Lykou said, then smacked himself. “Better?”

The sereva continued to glare at him, clearly not amused. It was almost reminiscent of some of the looks he gave in the earlier days of their journey. Not only did he have to remind the canid not to try and fight off the supposed ‘perfect hunter’, but the whole reason they’d had to run off in the first place was quite possibly because he’d decided to sample the thing’s cooking before he left. After everything they’d been through lately, he was more than a little perturbed.

The konuul deflated under the look and rubbed his arm, looking away. “Right... Guess I just can’t stop fucking up today. Sorry…”

Slowly, Kuna’s glare melted, then he sighed and facepalmed. As annoyed as he was, he couldn’t stay mad at the guy. He supposed he couldn’t have expected it to be that big of an issue. I love you, but you are such a dumbass sometimes, he thought, then embraced the canid again. “Lykou, if I had the strength, I’d strangle you, I swear.”

“Yeah… don’t blame you,” Lykou said, then took a quick sip from his waterskin, only to realize it was just about empty. “...mm. Forgot to top this off last chance I had, too. Great.”

They both sat in silence for a few minutes, letting themselves- mostly Kuna- recover somewhat from their latest run-for-their-lives moment. Despite his more sullen shift in demeanor, Lykou kept his guard up and watched the forest around them for any signs of danger until the sereva could stand again.

“Here,” Kuna said, shoving his own water jug in Lykou’s hand after he’d finished taking a few big swigs himself. “Drink.”

Lykou folded his ears down and hesitated. “...you’re the one that really needs it.”

“I’ll be fine. Just had a bunch and there’s plenty enough for the both of us anyway.”

After a moment, the canid took it and mumbled a quiet ‘thanks’, then took a few sips. Kuna rested his head on the konuul’s shoulder and stared at him for a moment. “...hey.”

“Hmm?” Lykou asked, barely glancing at him before looking away again.

“It’s been a rough day. Rough couple days,” Kuna said, then gave him a weak squeeze around the middle. “You had a dumb moment. But we’re still alive, and that’s what’s important. ‘kay?”

Lykou looked at him for a moment, then back down at the ground with another heavy sigh. “I’ve had a lot of dumb moments lately. How long before it doesn’t work out so well?”

“...try not to think about it. Let’s… just get back to Algrytha’s, alright? Put this day behind us.”

“Yeah… yeah, sounds good,” Lykou replied, handing the water jug back. “Need help?”

Kuna tried to stand, but he got very shaky as he did so. “...yeah, I’m probably going to need to- gah!” he started to say, then stumbled a bit as he was trying to brace himself on the walking stick. He then gave the konuul a slightly sheepish smile. “-er, lean on you on the way back. Today took even m-more out of me than I thought.”

Lykou frowned and wrapped his arm around the sereva as he helped him along. “Of course. I can even try to carry you if you want.”

“N-nah, not with all our stuff. Besides, I don’t think we’re that f-far away now, after that run,” Kuna pointed out, leaning heavily on the konuul as they started hiking slowly back towards the aberrant garden. “Early dinner and s-sleep sounds good tonight, though.”

*****

Once they were back in Algrytha’s hut, Kuna wasted no time practically collapsing on their makeshift bed after setting his things down. He just laid there on his back, staring up at the ceiling with blurry vision for a few minutes, not wanting to move a muscle. A few moments later, Lykou joined him after handing over the container full of broth and speaking briefly with the witch. Seeing as how they wouldn’t be going back out anywhere until the next morning anyway, she opted to start with dinner and some tea before working on the potion. After thanking her profusely, Lykou walked over and sat down, leaning against the wall with a glum demeanor.

“How’s your shoulder doing?” he eventually asked the sereva quietly.

“Made of pain,” Kuna said, wincing briefly. “But it’s a dull pain. I’ll be alright. I’ve never felt weaker, though.”

With a guilty expression, Lykou looked away and rubbed his arm self-consciously. “H-hope you feel better soon. Anything I can do for you?”

Kuna thought for a moment, then smirked faintly. “Get your butt over here and join me. Getting chilly on this mat without you.”

Lykou frowned and looked around, then grabbed the blanket and draped it over him. “Here. Better if I stay over here right now. Wouldn’t want to accidentally bump your shoulder and make it worse.”

There was a long, awkward silence. Kuna stared at the moody konuul while he tried to avoid looking the sereva in the eyes.

Eventually, Kuna sighed and sat up. After steadying himself, he crawled over and into the konuul’s lap. Then leaned forward, pressing their heads together, and looked him in the eye, albeit at a slightly awkward angle.

Taken a bit by surprise, the canid fidgeted a little anxiously. “Uh-”

“Listen. I know that ‘I’m a fuck up, I just want to crawl into a hole and stay there forever’ look. I’m... intimately familiar with that feeling,” Kuna said, then gently lifted his still slightly-shaky hands and gently held the konuul’s muzzle in them. “So listen to me. Like I said before, it’s been a seriously fucked up couple of days. We’re both… well, way beyond stressed. The last thing I’d want you to do now is make it worse on yourself.”

“I’m going to get us killed if I don’t start using my damn brain more, Ku,” the canid replied, looking down again. “I very well could have today just because some damn broth smelled good.”

“And yet somehow you’ve not only not done that, but you’ve actively saved our lives multiple times now,” the sereva reminded him. “Sure, you take unnecessary risks sometimes. You definitely have your… less-than-brilliant moments that occasionally make me wanna smack the fuck out of you. But…” he trailed off for a moment as thoughts ran through his head, then took a deep breath. But I love you anyway, you big dummy, he thought. Part of him badly wanted to just blurt it out already, but he knew it wasn’t the time or place for such a thing- assuming he’d ever find the guts to actually vocalize such a thought anyway. He was still coming to grips with it as it was. “...I wouldn’t want to change who you are for anything in the world.”

“Hm. I dunno, you might be onto something. Maybe with a big enough stick, you might be able to smack the stupid out,” Lykou replied sardonically.

Kuna couldn’t help but snort slightly in response. “Hush. Seriously, stop beating yourself up. I know there’s a lot on your mind.”

“That’s no excuse f-”

“You had to yield to the revenant despite putting up the best fight he’s probably ever seen, you’re missing home like crazy, everything seems bleak and depressing, and you feel bad for making dumb mistakes and taking unnecessary risks. Oh, and we’re still stuck in a creepy, fucked up forest full of undead things because apparently the world likes making us suffer,” Kuna listed off, then wrapped his arms around the konuul and gave him a soft squeeze. “That’s a fucking lot to deal with. When it comes down to it, it’s no wonder you let your stomach take over your thinking for a moment back there.”

Lykou bit his lip for a moment, then returned the embrace. “I… guess…” he mumbled, then closed his eyes and sighed, resting his head on the sereva’s good shoulder. “I still feel stupid, though…”

Kuna leaned back and smirked at him. “Yeah, well, maybe you should, a bit. But stealing a taste of a soulless freak’s dinner is hardly the riskiest thing you’ve done and we’re both still here. So don’t let it overwhelm you.” He then tickled the canid’s sides a little, making him squirm and grin a little in spite of himself. “Okay?”

“...alright,” Lykou replied quietly, then laid his head on the sereva’s good shoulder and hugged him tightly. “Thanks, Ku…”

“Hey, what we both need, more than anything right now, is to just take it easy for the evening,” the sereva continued, then turned around and slid down, settling into their usual cuddle position. He then pulled the blanket over and wrapped it around the both of them, smiling back up at the canid. “Here or on the bed, your choice. But you owe m- no, you owe both of us this.”

“Thanks, but I don’t know him like that,” Algrytha interjected with a smirk as she approached the two with a couple cups of tea. “Not really my thing anyway. You can keep ‘im to yerself.”

Kuna flushed and sputtered a bit. “B- y- w-wait, I-I meant-!”

Finally, Lykou burst into a small snickering fit. “She’s just messing with you, Ku,” he said, then took the tea and thanked her.

“Iknowthat!” the sereva quickly spat out with a playfully annoyed expression as he took his own cup, then held it up to his face to mask his embarrassment a little.