Chapter 9. A Quest.

  Arieo's master had cold flat eyes like the winds of a hurricane. Yes slightly grey with breaking blues, all while swirling in those small seas of white. Anyways those flat eyes held a glossy unfocused stare. Arieo watched with a blank expression while his master seemed to look back at him. The knuckle in his master’s throat bobbed, while his eyes came back to focus.

  “Ye gotta be shittin me.”

  “Haw?” Arieo bray with a concerned wavy mane.

  “Right now, of all the damned time we’ve spent out in these woods!” His master rolled his eyes, growling with irritation.

  Arieo tried to ask again with a louder bray and head bob.

  “Me doesn’t have a 2nd silver star anymores. Just a Tier 2 with a single damned star!” His master yelled at the sky, arm wide like he was waiting for a response.

  “Can’t get much further without thems, Lakora!”

  Arieo pulled his wagon a bit closer. Bumping into his master with that long nose. Handsome brown eyes full of wonder as he nudged with curiosity.

  “I’ve got a quest.” He answered low and rough, still stuck in a thought.

  “Haw-hee.” Arieo seemed excited about this news, he enjoyed the quests him and his master would complete. The rewards and loot were remarkable, especially the things he could eat. Arieo hoped there would be an apple in this quest.

  “Yeah a quest.” His master said again, he sounded uncertain about it though. Unaware of the leading walk he started.

  Arieo followed, watching his master in deep thought.

  He still held a fairly flat stare, while those beaver teeth rest over his lower lip. Hands fastened and unfastened many of those silver buttons.

  “It might not even be worth it Arieo. The Seven, ye know.” His master questioned himself, walking along slowly. Spinning a lovely ring, with a wonderful opal in the middle.

  Arieo watched that oval opal spin around his master’s thumb, while he talked and walked quietly amongst himself.

  “I mean, ...I can’t even recall the last time I seen a man-eater.” His master rubbed a brow thinking of such a time.

  “Haw.” The donkey bray acknowledging the conversation.

  “Man-eater oh, ..they were uh, well they were a fierce creature of beauty. Animals that eat meat. They could hunt mankind. Not easily scared ye know. Remarkable creatures that ruled these lands, massive pack-dogs called wolves. Giant, fat beasts with short faces called the bear. Even big wild cats’ way biggers than any we see with the gypsies.”

  “Hee-haw.” Arieo stopped walking, shaking his mane madly. Was his master crazy. Why the hell would they be roaming the forest then?

  “No, no no its all okay Arieo. Everything had been hunted centuries ago. Those creature are from an old world, the woods are fairly safe anymore.” The man assured his ungulate pal, peering in woods for his own assurance.

  The dangers from yesterday may be extinct, but that didn’t necessarily mean the threats of tomorrow didn’t linger in the forests today. Like that thing over there. What the hell was that?

  “Hee-haw.” Arieo added, taking quick short steps to keep with his master.

  “Arieo you did not see no damn wolf.” His master mocked him with exaggeration.

  The donkey retorted. Shaking that long nose, forcing a ripple over his neck causing an inflated wavy mane.

  “At best it be a fox, and even then ain’t no fox ever being considered a man-eater. They a finicky creature likes to stay out of sight, they dos be kind of clever actually.” His master added, while they continued at a slow pace.

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  “I don’t know though Arieo, I think it be a lost cause….” His master watched the sky for a few steps.

  “Look, out that ways. That be smoke.” He pointed.

  “This high in the mountains, I’m willing to give up a shard that Fannon’s legion cooks for his contributions.” His master added inspecting the smoky sky.

  “Hee-haw, haw.” The long round nose nudged his masters arm.

  “Oh, I be sures of it Arieo, lots of jennies. Maybe even ones for me, or twos, huh, whats ye think?” His master joked with a returning elbow nudge.

  “Haw!” Arieo lifted his head with a short remark.

  “Don’t be sick Arieo I was talking about a woman.”

  His master gave a little shove, pushing that long nose in a different direction. It was a playful motion his master did.

  It was how Arieo knew it was a good ‘verbal-jab’ as his master called them. He liked the banter between him and his master.

  “Seriously though Arieo, this quest be different from the little things we collect. It aint like the boards.” His master started.

  “Bah. Never minds doesn’t matters anyway, we work for shards. Not bullshit and faith for the Gods ain’t that right buddy.” His master ruffled and scritch the between of those tall ears, he liked that.

  “Besides all that, it’s a pointless pursuit what’s a Bear-King without his bears, right?” His master tried to talk himself out from doing what it was he did best. Collecting.

  “No bears to conduct, plus I won’t be raising no damn baby until its strong and grown. That be the last thing on our list huh buddy.” His master laughed.

  “First bell since Tyriell me don’t know what kind of game Lakora be playing Arieo but she took too long, if the Seven haven’t found that bell, ….well It’d be a miracle if we gets to it first.” His master had a remorseful look.

  “Arieo we should just let the Sevens seek and collect on their own.” The two walked along slowly together while the sun drifted closer.

  Arieo listened to his master debate against his own words.

  A debate that always ended the same. His master was going to go collect. And he was going to pull the cart that his master keeps these treasures in. They would then travel to a settlement his master was registered with, and he would return the relic to the church. The priest would reward some shards, and his master would be able to see for another journey.

  Although his master said they had to retrieve a—what did he call it, …a Bear-King. They never collected one of those before. This would be a new challenge and adventure. Arieo lay his ears one over the other, attempting to block that darn squeaky wheel, a wheel that was extra squeaky that evening.

  His master stopped his debate and rubbed hands together before giving them a single clap.

  “Alright Arieo get ready for an adventure, we still be in this damned game!” His master gave him a vicious smile and dashed ahead.

  Big brown eyes swelled with anticipation.

  “Come on Arieo, lemme see that speed wagon roll.”

  “Hee-haw!” That funny shaped mahogany head jerked, accepting such a challenge.

  Arieo’s little legs became a fluid motion. A motion so fast and steady his legs seemed to hold still.

  The still stance of a mid-gallop pose. The sound of hooves beat madly. That stand still gallop came zooming for his master. Arieo lifted his head with an excited bob and whinny.

  His master timed the most precise, and balanced jump to date. A beautiful leap kicking a backward flip before he landed. His master looked up from his dramatic pose. Half kneeling, half steering the wagon. He gripped the wagon railing with one hand and gestured to the mountain’s edge with the other.

  “Let’s check that smoke first, looks promising for trade.” His master called from the wagon.

  “We gets another shard or twos, and we will be the ones to finds him first. Me just knows it” His master said, there was a hint of determination.

  It was a pure push of willpower. Arieo hadn’t felt his master’s want for a relic like this in a long time.

  “Haw!” bold nostrils widened, and Arieo dropped his head gaining speed.

  He was a quick little donkey as is, but when his master gave him that bitter resin—well you better watch out.

  Not only that but his master also told him he was pulling the speediest little speed wagon in the lands when he ran like this, and Arieo liked hearing that. The side effects from the shard were not nearly as intense as his master’s though. No, Arieo would just feel sluggish, and lazy, not wanting to walk a step.

  That handsome little mahogany donkey quickly dashed through the forest. The tree barks lifted from the trunks as that little speed wagon blazed by.

  Zooming from the clearing and into a field of clover. Oh my, this clover looked delicious too. Arieo was most definitely going to argue with his master until they returned to this clover field. Arieo was this close to stopping for a quick taste.

  Continuing his dash, Arieo weaved through trees and over a river.

  Yes when Arieo got this little boost from his master shard powder, he was quick enough to ignore water. That dashing donkey held that quick stand still galloping motion for maybe twelve heartbeats, before his master raised a hand, a taught lesson to ease.

  “Hold it Arieo.” His master called from behind.

  Arieo came to a slow, and his master jumped from the wagon. He waved his silky mane and gave a soft chomp at his master arm. He didn’t want to stop being speedy. Why did they stop. The smoke was—oh it actually wasn’t to far away now.

  “That.” His master answered, pointing through the thick of trees, just off the path they had been.

  Trees became flattened, some splintered to bits. The ground looked trampled and disturbed. Clearly looking at destruction, it was hard to tell whose legion it could have been. The reason being was because there was absolutely nothing left behind, just the wreckage of trees.