(Early fiction for Canyons)
The realization coincided with the reaction. From his vantage point at the lookout station, Thedigan identified the approaching creature that emerged from the forest. It was a Nock, clearly turned, but what was it doing up here? As he stood up and stepped back to take aim with his musket, he heard them. Two cracks. One, high-pitched from the stick beneath his foot and the second deep and booming from the weapon in his hands. His trigger finger had jumped into action prior to receiving the message from his brain to hold. Having not yet readied his stance to fire, Thedigan found himself on the wooden floor of the platform, a dull pain to his chest, ears ringing. Frantically, he began searching for signs of the animal as the black smoke began to clear.
“What ya be doing up there, Thed!?” Hestra yelled, moving into defensive ranks with Glent.
“Nock, forest’s edge, can you see it?” Thedigan shouted down to them. Coughing, he scrambled to reload.
Spear in hand, Hestra studied the terrain. Glent pulled an arrow from his quiver, thumbing its feathers. “There.” Glent pointed with his arrow, moving quietly around her to find a shot.
“This one’s gonna need more than a couple arrows, Glent.” Hestra cautioned, fixing her eyes on the threat.
“That’s where you come in…” Glent’s arrow found its target at the neck of the beast. Expecting the animal to recoil, his second shot missed and his third only grazed the creature’s back as it maintained its speed and path towards the wind chime.
“Thed! Your shot ready?” Hestra called up.
Thedigan answered with another heavy crack and bellowing explosion. The sulphuric smell lingered as the dark cloud once again dissipated. A significant blow was dealt to the Nock’s right shoulder, effectively slowing its movement. Hestra narrowed her eyes.“Glent, get me another shot to that right shoulder, let’s collapse this thing.”
“I’ve got three more, you tell me where you want the last two.” Glent’s arrow hit the wounded shoulder, causing a tremor in its front leg that refused to collapse despite its weakened state.
“Left leg, joint.” Hestra commanded as she moved in towards the threat. Glent obeyed. With both sides compromised, the creature’s legs began to buckle. Hestra took the chance, lunging at it with her spear, Glent’s arrows paving the way for easy entry at the creature’s neck. The blow stilled the Nock.
Thedigan climbed down. “Everybody good?”
“I’m good.” Glent began retrieving and inspecting his arrows.
“Good here.” Hestra wiped off her spear, keeping firm eyes on the animal.
“Alright, well, that misfire is my story to tell. I can spin it in a way to make Jem laugh. You’ll let me have that, right?” Thedigan begged.
“All yours, my friend.” Hestra gave his back a hard clap as she walked by, still energized by their encounter. “Don’t usually see one of those above ground.”
Returning to his post, Glent reflected, “Why do you suppose it targeted the wind chime? I could tell it wasn’t right, thing was obviously twisted, but how did it know?”
“Did it?” Thedigan wondered, cleaning his musket. “I saw it didn’t look well but this thing’s a bit of a process, lost eyes on the target for a bit.”
Hestra liked an opening. “It certainly appeared determined, but who knows, maybe Jemanna is dumping her magic compost there and the thing liked the smell. Someone’s got to.”
Thedigan gave her enough of a look to satisfy his commitment, and the three sat back, passing around a bottle of fermented juniper. “Happy to discover what we can salvage from that thing tomorrow. Know it’s gonna stink more, but I’m thinking there’s nothing there that we should be eating. At least until we know a bit more.”
“I’m good with that.” Glent sighed, leaning back on to his pack.
“Good here.” Hestra closed her eyes, limbs letting go of the threat.
Thedigan stood and climbed back up to his post, taking his spot at the edge of the platform. Words began to form for the story he’d tell Jemanna. Eyes on the perimeter, he went back to cleaning his musket. Always hard to sleep with her smile in his mind.