The Truth is Confusing

Evrah looked around, they were completely alone. Even the night creatures had quieted and stilled. She had no intention of entertaining this old man, as she was in no mood for parlor tricks today.

She assumed he must have been one of the many travelers and swindlers who came to town predicting they knew the future. They were all fools, and those who bought into it were bigger ones. They always drew a crowd, foretelling of woes with one hand and robbing folks blind with the other. She had never paid much attention to any of them, and she wasn't going to pay attention to this fool either.

“Death would a great favor at the present. Go away and leave me be.”

She dropped back into a sitting position only to be dragged back onto her feet, the old man's voice worried in her ear.

“Not now. We have no time. You must come with me now. You have about four seconds before the choice is made for you.”

She had planned to object but just then the old man pointed off into the dark, and she thought she spotted figures emerging from the thickness of the trees.

“We must go now. Those are lingering soldiers on the hunt for you. “

She wasn't given time to ask questions or object as in the next second, she was folded over this old man's shoulder as he raced away from a danger she could barely see. Today had been full of surprising devastation, it seemed chaos would torment her further. Alas, more torment was coming, she didn't know how much more she could take.

                                                                           * * * * *

They were hidden within the line of Dashingwood trees, and she just about fainted. She wasn't sure if this was some kind of dream or what, but she was not in the mindset to think things through. Fact or fiction, she couldn't tell but she found she welcomed the brief reprieve from the sorrow engulfing her soul.

Going with the whole, “why not”, philosophy, she played along. There in front of her, stood an old man and a huge furry mountain of a beast, just staring at her as if she had sprouted an extra head. She was way past confusion and fear at this point. She knew she could die no matter what she did and, in that moment, she was okay with it.

The old man had said soldiers were hunting for her. That made about as much sense as her trusting an old man and a beast not to do the same. Yet, here she was, alone with what seemed to be another bad joke from life. Her gaze went from the old man to the beast standing next to him. The Old man spoke.

“Her name is Foxfire. She will not hurt you. She is my companion and is here to help.”

A moment ago, she was ready to lay down and die, yet as she stared at what could potentially be a gruesome painful death, she found, she in fact, was not ready to greet death's reaper just yet.

She took a few steps back and glared at the old man.

“How do you know...” she threw her hands up in frustration, “...any of this? My name, that those soldiers were looking for me or where to find me? I didn't even know where I was, how did you?”

She watched the old man fold his hands in his sleeves before he paced and spoke.

“Let's start with introductions. You have met my companion, Foxfire...” he pointed to the beast, “...She is a Folkmare Wolf. Well, sort of...”

She didn't care but she had to ask, “Sort of? What does that mean?”

The old man waved her off and continued, “We'll get to that later. I am Albian Keystone...”

“Great, Albian Keystone, can we get the part where to tell me what in the blue blazes of Hell is going on and how you found me? Here's a better question, Why Me? I'm just a simple Forrest-Keeper.”

When he smiled, the blue in his eyes brightened a bit.

“Evrah, you are neither simple nor a Forrest-Keeper.”

Somehow, she knew the words were true but the why and how evaded her. After all that she had witnessed, she had been certain nothing else could shock her, yet here she stood, staggering as if someone had punched her in the gut. Her head swam as small stars blinked in and out of focus, slapping her with vertigo.

It lasted only a few seconds before the world shifted and she landed face down in the dirt.