[ I would've made you do it anyway Aki I think it's important.
Anyway, Lucas has like, his regular strength. He does whatever damage to a tree he would normally do. Which is probably more than a dog would, honestly. So that's good! The forest behind the tree while he's looking there seems totally normal and inviting. It's like a storybook forest, honestly. So pleasant looking and colorful.
Meanwhile, in people who aren't weird, Uruha goes to talk to the wolf. The wolf does not look up from drinking his, apparently going by the amount of glasses on his table, sixth glass of grape juice. It smells a bit odd for grape juice, but that's what the label says! If Uruha stands there long enough he does snarl a bit. ]
[i like the implication that it's a people skill to be concerned about a snarling wolf. ALSO HE'S JUST A LITTLE TURBO DOG well this is fine.
After testing that out, Lucas makes his way back into the building acting like he didn't just leave to punch a singular tree and then return. He has no idea what part of the conversation they're at so he just moves to stand by Uruha quietly...]
My brother is dead. [ maybe the bear could've warned you guys about that, damn. the wolf slams back his grape juice. ] And you'll end up the same if you go after him.
[ a pause as he also notes that uruha is alone ]
Where's your friend? [ forces lucas to come sliding back towards this conversation Now ] What were you doing out there?
Lucas comes into this conversation just in time to hear Uruha be like WE'LL RISK DEATH ABOUT IT and you know what, fair. He'll just look apologetically toward Uruha and this angry juice alcoholic wolf.]
I wanted to see which direction the mountain lies in. I'd really rather leave as soon as possible, especially if those two left a day ago already... We really can't afford to lose even another moment.
You're fools. You don't even know the path you're headed to.
[ it's snarled again because the wolf is angy but uruha seems CONVINCED so. ]
My brother left behind some of his hunting knives. Might be able to spare a crossbow as well. That's as good as you'll get here. He hunted deer, rabbits, not... beasts. He had no chance. Neither will you.
[ for the record there are absolutely deer and rabbit people visible in the village. don't think too hard about it.
ANYWAY he will abruptly stand up and lead them to where the weapons are so you can pick what you want from the two options of knives or crossbow. there is also the option of like. a rabbit snare. if you want to be funny about it. he does not offer any other supplies; they can either try their luck around the village or leave with whatever they picked up from the wolf, who does have some parting words for them: ]
God won't have mercy on you. Not on this path.
[ lucas probably remembers that path having cute little butterflies and nice looking flowers. ]
[uruha will take a knife, and then look at lucas. does lucas know how to use a crossbow?? uruha feels like they should take the crossbow just in case they ever run into a situation where they need a long range weapon, but uruha is not an archer... are you an archer, lucas... (the answer is no so unless lucas wants it uruha will take the crossbow too.)
anyway, to the wolf, at his parting words:]
That's fine. Never counted on it to begin with.
[does lucas want to try their luck around the village or are they both feeling too restless for this.]
[He is definitely thinking about how lovely and picturesque and storybook-like that path was... But he'll still nod in gratitude toward this poor traumatized cute little wolf villager anyway.]
Thank you, regardless. We appreciate the kindness.
[Lucas is definitely too restless to stay and be smart and try to talk to other villagers, though. He'll pick up the hunting knife. If he can take a rabbit snare he will as well because i aki think the possibility of a future shitpost is rife, but he will prioritize knife. This is fine.
He'll also give the area like, a cursory sweeping glance just to make sure there's no one standing around who looks like they might be of obvious help, like a shady potions dealer wearing a cloak or something. But:]
The woods actually look quite lovely... But the path seems to be that way.
[ So, now that you have them, your new inventory for reference:
2 hunting knives, about 4 inches long blade wise. decent! made for skinning more than stabbing, but hey. beggars cannot be chooser. 1 crossbow. 2 bolts (reusable). 1 rabbit snare.
Anyway, there is no potions dealer wearing a cloak hidden away. The most obvious thing people seem to sell around here is food. Maybe if you went inside people's houses you could get some other supplies, but for some reason you don't want to beg strange animals to give you their stuff. To the mountain we go!
Well, it's the forest path first. As Lucas experienced briefly, the forest path is very nice. There's no overgrowth even as it winds between the trees, it's well lit, there's cute little flowers and mushrooms growing along it and the soft chirping of birds... The whole thing is like a soft picture book forest. And their walk matches it too! It's a trek, but it's honestly an enjoyable one. As they walk further in, they'll notice some things of course. For example, a sign that says MOUNTAIN AHEAD, some secret rabbit snares, a dead deer carcass in the middle of the path.
You know. Normal things.
The dead deer is missing a lot of skin and organs, but there's still enough left on that skeleton to make sure it's a deer! It is not wearing clothes, so probably it wasn't a person deer and just a regular deer. Right? It's ALSO right in front of a split path, which seems weird, because the sign seemed pretty sure there was only one path up ahead. There's also no sign to indicate which way is right, just a path that curves to the left and a path that curves to the right, but both are heading straight towards the mountain. ]
Well, this is fine. Their enjoyable little storybook nature walk had to come to an end at some point HE GUESSES!!!! While Uruha is looking at the corpse, Lucas will look toward the paths after giving its skinless organless state a concerned glance. Are they identical or are we dealing with a Robert Frost situation here?]
I thought there was only one way to get up there, as well... A split in the path this large seems like something someone should have noted?
[Maybe they would have if your dumb asses hadn't run off here so fast.]
[ Wow! Calm down! Some of its skin is still around.
The deer seems to have been eviscerated, frankly. Half of its face is missing, exposing bone and an empty eye socket. Its ribcage is exposed, as well as its spine, but there's still plenty of gore spilling out of it to note that not all of its organs are missing. Just like the skin. There's plenty of flesh at its back and its limbs are still present, if not intact. Maybe this was just a predator kill! It could pass as something that got eaten and then was abandoned. It's just weird there's nothing else trying to eat it right now and that the kill seems very fresh, sure, but why would you concern yourself with that. You have free deer right there. Food for the day!
The two paths honestly look identical. Though since Lucas is looking at the path and Uruha is looking at the deer, they can spot that the way the deer has been left, its face is pointed towards the mountain even if the rest of it spills towards the village. The skinless half is on the left and the skin part is on the right.
[Also frowning as he looks back down toward this deer... If this were anyone but Uruha and probably a small handful of others, he would insist on sticking together, but unfortunately Uruha has proven himself to be incredibly skilled, so.]
It looks like both still head toward the mountain. It might be faster if we split up and reconvene, then... I wouldn't want to risk missing them if they're still on the path and not at the mountain yet. The bartender said they'd only make it within a day if they were going quickly, yes?
[Though he'll also glance at their respective furry bodies and the fact that they only have KNIVES BASICALLY against whatever possibly mangled this fuckin deer. Thinking about how sweet Uruha doesn't know he's the fucking terminator.]
...Though it could be a risk if it's just one of us fighting off an unknown beast...
[the good news is that uruha knows lucas runs with marcoh, so he's aware that lucas is a jock. can presumably handle the knife, and is hopefully smart enough that he wouldn't suggest splitting up if he was defenceless...
it is a concerning risk, but uruha isn't wholly unused to the idea of splitting forces, so. hm.]
... I'll take left, you take right? If either of us runs into something, yell and try to regroup rather than fend it off alone.
[Imagine he wasn't smart enough, he was just a Scooby Doo character who's possessed by the urge to split the gang up regardless of whether or not it's a good idea. But he'll nod!]
That sounds like a good plan to me, though I'm not certain how far apart the paths travel... It's possible we may not be able to hear each other.
[But despite that potential flaw, he is fine with taking right.]
Interestingly enough, while going through both paths, you soon lose sight of each other, but you can hear each other in the distance still. Or at least you hear distant footsteps, which is close enough.
The right path, deeper in, has some flowering trees and more chirping birds singing a nice song. The mountain is just up ahead, so that seems alright. There's a cozy looking little wooden cabin once Lucas is around the bend. There's a laundry line with clothes set up to dry outside and a small garden growing some flowers. It's nice and peaceful. The door is closed, and investigating it will find that it's locked and no one answers. Though from the balcony, Lucas will be able to spot a rabbit trapped in a snare a bit in the woods behind the cabin. Well, that's probably fine. It's not wearing clothes. People gotta eat!
The rabbit moves and struggles like a normal bunny would in such a trap, moving a little more urgently when its little beady eyes focus on Lucas in the distance. It speaks in a thin, desperate voice: ]
Help me.
[ On the left path! Uruha, deeper in, will find that it has trees with leaves that are slowly turning more red as Uruha advances. Not with blood or anything, but as in it is now fall. There's mushrooms lining the ground. The mountain doesn't seem too far. There's a cozy little cabin on the way around the bend. There's stacks of woods on the outside in preparation for winter, and a vegetable garden near the back. The door is open, and there's even smoke coming out of the chimney like someone started a fire recently.
Both of them can always go back on the path and keep going. ]
[uruha isn't claude so he doesn't pause to randomly eat the mushrooms. he will, however, check out the cabin, by which i mean he peers in and knocks on the open door anyway because he's sometimes polite.]
Anyway this is horrific?? THE LACK OF CLOTHES DOESN'T NEGATE THAT THIS RABBIT IS TALKING. He should probably be more wary of talking naked rabbits caught in snare traps at the edge of the woods in this area where deers are just getting supermurdered for sport, but unfortunately, he is not. He just feels badly... People gotta eat, but do furries gotta eat other talking animals??
He'll make his way over to the snare.]
Hold still, little dear.
[So he can undo the snare and set the rabbit free!]
[ Imagine if he did eat the mushrooms, though. How fun would that be.
The inside of the cabin is as cozy as the outside! The entrance seems to lead to some kind of parlor, with a nice little sofa and armchair around the fireplace. There's something boiling in a pot over the fire. There are antlers on the walls for decoration and a knitted blanket on the couch. There's a voice calling from deeper in: ]
Oh, my! Come on in! I didn't think I'd have a visitor today. No one travels this way anymore. I'm in the kitchen.
[ Meanwhile, the small rabbit is shaking and still struggling in the snare. Honestly, it's caught pretty tightly, and the more it struggles the more the sharp wire cuts a little into its small neck. Lucas is going to have a time undoing the trap. ]
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I don't want to die, I just wanted to find my brother... I'm sorry...
[ It's quite frightened even of Lucas despite having asked for help. It flinches when he gets close. The rabbit sounds young. If Lucas looks around, he's sure to see some more snares set around the cabin. Maybe they're very protective of their garden?
Then again, that's an awfully sharp wire to have just to make sure your flowers don't get eaten. ]
[NOT THIS TINY SHAKING YOUNG RABBIT. Lucas' stupid bleeding heart hurts over this, and he holds both of his FUCKING FURRY PAWS up in a gentle gesture.]
Please stay still. I won't let you die, but I need you to stop moving so you don't injure yourself any further.
[If he can, he'll approach and cut the wire with his knife because we work smarter and not harder in this economy. At least that way it won't string any tighter, so he can try to get the wire from around the little rabbit's neck without it digging in further.
He notes the other traps but that's a future Lucas problem. This lil rabbit has his full attention for now, he's trying to be as soothing as possible as he works.]
Why don't you tell me a little about your brother?
In the kitchen, there's a lioness in a red stained apron busy with cooking. She's cutting vegetables currently. Her kitchen knife isn't nearly as cool as Uruha's hunting knife. She turns to greet him. ]
Oh, not to worry dear. My husband must have left the door open again, hasn't he? [ she sounds cheerful. chop chop chopping that carrot. ] I don't know that I've seen people in a while, but I'm a bit of a homebody. Maybe my husband has seen them on his hunts. Why don't you tell me who you're looking for while we wait for him to come back? He shouldn't be too long.
[ Lucas is sooooo smart cutting the wire holding the rabbit before trying to free it. Good job!! The rabbit does seem to relax a bit at that, though the poor thing is still shaking as he tries to remove the wire from its neck. ]
My brother... He's nice. He always takes care of me. But he went to look for our parents, and he hasn't been back since. I came to find him, but--
[ the little rabbit's eyes dart to the cabin and its shaking intensifies ]
[well okay first uruha sneezes into his furry cat sleeve because he now has a COLD!!! from his mini-cyoa. but also he looks at this red stained apron... what does this red look like...]
Two travelers. A young sickly girl, and a swordsmith.
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holyspirits) wrote2025-03-09 08:53 pm
make your own memes actually
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Anyway, Lucas has like, his regular strength. He does whatever damage to a tree he would normally do. Which is probably more than a dog would, honestly. So that's good! The forest behind the tree while he's looking there seems totally normal and inviting. It's like a storybook forest, honestly. So pleasant looking and colorful.
Meanwhile, in people who aren't weird, Uruha goes to talk to the wolf. The wolf does not look up from drinking his, apparently going by the amount of glasses on his table, sixth glass of grape juice. It smells a bit odd for grape juice, but that's what the label says! If Uruha stands there long enough he does snarl a bit. ]
What.
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I heard your brother's a hunter. My friend and I are looking to go after the missing travelers.
[
a pause where he looks around for said friend but can't find him. lucas doko]
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After testing that out, Lucas makes his way back into the building acting like he didn't just leave to punch a singular tree and then return. He has no idea what part of the conversation they're at so he just moves to stand by Uruha quietly...]
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[ a pause as he also notes that uruha is alone ]
Where's your friend? [ forces lucas to come sliding back towards this conversation Now ] What were you doing out there?
[ SUSPICIOUS!!! ]
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[but he looks at lucas because what were you doing out there.]
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Lucas comes into this conversation just in time to hear Uruha be like WE'LL RISK DEATH ABOUT IT and you know what, fair. He'll just look apologetically toward Uruha and this angry juice alcoholic wolf.]
I wanted to see which direction the mountain lies in. I'd really rather leave as soon as possible, especially if those two left a day ago already... We really can't afford to lose even another moment.
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[ it's snarled again because the wolf is angy but uruha seems CONVINCED so. ]
My brother left behind some of his hunting knives. Might be able to spare a crossbow as well. That's as good as you'll get here. He hunted deer, rabbits, not... beasts. He had no chance. Neither will you.
[ for the record there are absolutely deer and rabbit people visible in the village. don't think too hard about it.
ANYWAY he will abruptly stand up and lead them to where the weapons are so you can pick what you want from the two options of knives or crossbow. there is also the option of like. a rabbit snare. if you want to be funny about it. he does not offer any other supplies; they can either try their luck around the village or leave with whatever they picked up from the wolf, who does have some parting words for them: ]
God won't have mercy on you. Not on this path.
[ lucas probably remembers that path having cute little butterflies and nice looking flowers. ]
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anyway, to the wolf, at his parting words:]
That's fine. Never counted on it to begin with.
[does lucas want to try their luck around the village or are they both feeling too restless for this.]
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Thank you, regardless. We appreciate the kindness.
[Lucas is definitely too restless to stay and be smart and try to talk to other villagers, though. He'll pick up the hunting knife. If he can take a rabbit snare he will as well because i aki think the possibility of a future shitpost is rife, but he will prioritize knife. This is fine.
He'll also give the area like, a cursory sweeping glance just to make sure there's no one standing around who looks like they might be of obvious help, like a shady potions dealer wearing a cloak or something. But:]
The woods actually look quite lovely... But the path seems to be that way.
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2 hunting knives, about 4 inches long blade wise. decent! made for skinning more than stabbing, but hey. beggars cannot be chooser.
1 crossbow. 2 bolts (reusable).
1 rabbit snare.
Anyway, there is no potions dealer wearing a cloak hidden away. The most obvious thing people seem to sell around here is food. Maybe if you went inside people's houses you could get some other supplies, but for some reason you don't want to beg strange animals to give you their stuff. To the mountain we go!
Well, it's the forest path first. As Lucas experienced briefly, the forest path is very nice. There's no overgrowth even as it winds between the trees, it's well lit, there's cute little flowers and mushrooms growing along it and the soft chirping of birds... The whole thing is like a soft picture book forest. And their walk matches it too! It's a trek, but it's honestly an enjoyable one. As they walk further in, they'll notice some things of course. For example, a sign that says MOUNTAIN AHEAD, some secret rabbit snares, a dead deer carcass in the middle of the path.
You know. Normal things.
The dead deer is missing a lot of skin and organs, but there's still enough left on that skeleton to make sure it's a deer! It is not wearing clothes, so probably it wasn't a person deer and just a regular deer. Right? It's ALSO right in front of a split path, which seems weird, because the sign seemed pretty sure there was only one path up ahead. There's also no sign to indicate which way is right, just a path that curves to the left and a path that curves to the right, but both are heading straight towards the mountain. ]
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uruha is going to crouch down to see if he can examine this deer's corpse and get an idea of what killed it.]
Off to an ominous start already...
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Well, this is fine. Their enjoyable little storybook nature walk had to come to an end at some point HE GUESSES!!!! While Uruha is looking at the corpse, Lucas will look toward the paths after giving its skinless organless state a concerned glance. Are they identical or are we dealing with a Robert Frost situation here?]
I thought there was only one way to get up there, as well... A split in the path this large seems like something someone should have noted?
[Maybe they would have if your dumb asses hadn't run off here so fast.]
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The deer seems to have been eviscerated, frankly. Half of its face is missing, exposing bone and an empty eye socket. Its ribcage is exposed, as well as its spine, but there's still plenty of gore spilling out of it to note that not all of its organs are missing. Just like the skin. There's plenty of flesh at its back and its limbs are still present, if not intact. Maybe this was just a predator kill! It could pass as something that got eaten and then was abandoned. It's just weird there's nothing else trying to eat it right now and that the kill seems very fresh, sure, but why would you concern yourself with that. You have free deer right there. Food for the day!
The two paths honestly look identical. Though since Lucas is looking at the path and Uruha is looking at the deer, they can spot that the way the deer has been left, its face is pointed towards the mountain even if the rest of it spills towards the village. The skinless half is on the left and the skin part is on the right.
That probably doesn't mean anything though. ]
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[looks over this deer, frowning.]
This kill seems fresh, so be careful. Whatever attacked it might still be around. [he looks up at the paths.] Which way should we go?
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It looks like both still head toward the mountain. It might be faster if we split up and reconvene, then... I wouldn't want to risk missing them if they're still on the path and not at the mountain yet. The bartender said they'd only make it within a day if they were going quickly, yes?
[Though he'll also glance at their respective furry bodies and the fact that they only have KNIVES BASICALLY against whatever possibly mangled this fuckin deer. Thinking about how sweet Uruha doesn't know he's the fucking terminator.]
...Though it could be a risk if it's just one of us fighting off an unknown beast...
[makes jan decide this time]
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it is a concerning risk, but uruha isn't wholly unused to the idea of splitting forces, so. hm.]
... I'll take left, you take right? If either of us runs into something, yell and try to regroup rather than fend it off alone.
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That sounds like a good plan to me, though I'm not certain how far apart the paths travel... It's possible we may not be able to hear each other.
[But despite that potential flaw, he is fine with taking right.]
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Interestingly enough, while going through both paths, you soon lose sight of each other, but you can hear each other in the distance still. Or at least you hear distant footsteps, which is close enough.
The right path, deeper in, has some flowering trees and more chirping birds singing a nice song. The mountain is just up ahead, so that seems alright. There's a cozy looking little wooden cabin once Lucas is around the bend. There's a laundry line with clothes set up to dry outside and a small garden growing some flowers. It's nice and peaceful. The door is closed, and investigating it will find that it's locked and no one answers. Though from the balcony, Lucas will be able to spot a rabbit trapped in a snare a bit in the woods behind the cabin. Well, that's probably fine. It's not wearing clothes. People gotta eat!
The rabbit moves and struggles like a normal bunny would in such a trap, moving a little more urgently when its little beady eyes focus on Lucas in the distance. It speaks in a thin, desperate voice: ]
Help me.
[ On the left path! Uruha, deeper in, will find that it has trees with leaves that are slowly turning more red as Uruha advances. Not with blood or anything, but as in it is now fall. There's mushrooms lining the ground. The mountain doesn't seem too far. There's a cozy little cabin on the way around the bend. There's stacks of woods on the outside in preparation for winter, and a vegetable garden near the back. The door is open, and there's even smoke coming out of the chimney like someone started a fire recently.
Both of them can always go back on the path and keep going. ]
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Hello?
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Anyway this is horrific?? THE LACK OF CLOTHES DOESN'T NEGATE THAT THIS RABBIT IS TALKING. He should probably be more wary of talking naked rabbits caught in snare traps at the edge of the woods in this area where deers are just getting supermurdered for sport, but unfortunately, he is not. He just feels badly... People gotta eat, but do furries gotta eat other talking animals??
He'll make his way over to the snare.]
Hold still, little dear.
[So he can undo the snare and set the rabbit free!]
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The inside of the cabin is as cozy as the outside! The entrance seems to lead to some kind of parlor, with a nice little sofa and armchair around the fireplace. There's something boiling in a pot over the fire. There are antlers on the walls for decoration and a knitted blanket on the couch. There's a voice calling from deeper in: ]
Oh, my! Come on in! I didn't think I'd have a visitor today. No one travels this way anymore. I'm in the kitchen.
[ Meanwhile, the small rabbit is shaking and still struggling in the snare. Honestly, it's caught pretty tightly, and the more it struggles the more the sharp wire cuts a little into its small neck. Lucas is going to have a time undoing the trap. ]
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I don't want to die, I just wanted to find my brother... I'm sorry...
[ It's quite frightened even of Lucas despite having asked for help. It flinches when he gets close. The rabbit sounds young. If Lucas looks around, he's sure to see some more snares set around the cabin. Maybe they're very protective of their garden?
Then again, that's an awfully sharp wire to have just to make sure your flowers don't get eaten. ]
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he walks into the kitchen.]
Sorry for the bother... I'm looking for a few people?
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Please stay still. I won't let you die, but I need you to stop moving so you don't injure yourself any further.
[If he can, he'll approach and cut the wire with his knife because we work smarter and not harder in this economy. At least that way it won't string any tighter, so he can try to get the wire from around the little rabbit's neck without it digging in further.
He notes the other traps but that's a future Lucas problem. This lil rabbit has his full attention for now, he's trying to be as soothing as possible as he works.]
Why don't you tell me a little about your brother?
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In the kitchen, there's a lioness in a red stained apron busy with cooking. She's cutting vegetables currently. Her kitchen knife isn't nearly as cool as Uruha's hunting knife. She turns to greet him. ]
Oh, not to worry dear. My husband must have left the door open again, hasn't he? [ she sounds cheerful. chop chop chopping that carrot. ] I don't know that I've seen people in a while, but I'm a bit of a homebody. Maybe my husband has seen them on his hunts. Why don't you tell me who you're looking for while we wait for him to come back? He shouldn't be too long.
[ Lucas is sooooo smart cutting the wire holding the rabbit before trying to free it. Good job!! The rabbit does seem to relax a bit at that, though the poor thing is still shaking as he tries to remove the wire from its neck. ]
My brother... He's nice. He always takes care of me. But he went to look for our parents, and he hasn't been back since. I came to find him, but--
[ the little rabbit's eyes dart to the cabin and its shaking intensifies ]
We shouldn't be here.
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Two travelers. A young sickly girl, and a swordsmith.
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