The climb up the hill's winding road was done in relative silence within the group, with only the sounds of the waking village below and nature to fill the lull. Alafred grimaced and his nose wrinkled as he stole a quick glance over his shoulder. Alun's feet dragged as he walked with his club knocking against rocks and leaving a trail in the dirt as it was drug alongside him, his head bobbing and eyes drooping. Red, on the other hand, walked tall with his shoulders squared and eyes trained forward on the path ahead of them. Once Alun neared him, his hand emerged from beneath his cloak to tap the boy's shoulder, spurring him into wakefulness. The corner of Alafred's lips twitched and he faced forward, the looming shadow of the house atop the hill made his insides twist and turn. He lowered his head, focusing on the beaten path and rested a hand on the hilt of his blade.

“So Red," he began, biting back a scathing remark of how ridiculous the name sounded in conversation, and ignoring the way Alun's head shot up. "How much about this mission of yours are you aware of?”

Red tilted his head, eyeing Alafred quietly, his gaze lingering on the hand perched atop the blade. Shifting his own hands beneath his cloak, he looked toward the house atop the hill as he spoke.

“A creature lurks in the forest surrounding the village of Blackborough, it’s been dubbed ‘The Beast’ and no one who has taken the mark has come back alive. Its first appearance was six years ago.”

Alafred hummed approvingly. “Then you know most of it. Or at least the basics.”

Red raised a brow at that and turned his gaze from the house to Alafred's back. From the corner of his eye, he could see Alun returning to wakefulness, seemingly interested in the conversation between the pair.

“The original sender of the request who then spread it to every tavern, inn, and guild within this side of the Tatnoch Strait, was he not the village chief?”

Shifting one of his hands from beneath his cloak, Red caught the boy's eyes and pointed to the ground before gesturing upwards. Alun's eyebrows knitting together before he glanced down at the club he'd been dragging and stifled a gasp, lifting it up and nodding.

"Heh, he was something alright. Wouldn’t call him the elder in anything but age, old fool ran off before the going got tough and left outsiders to do his dirty work and his old lady to pick up the slack. Didn’t stop to think about anybody but himself," Alafred grumbled, the tension in his shoulders easing and his hand falling away from his blade's hilt once the dragging ceased.

Red curled his fingers in, pointing his thumb to the sky before letting his hand slip beneath his cloak. Alun's smile was bright enough that he had to look away.

“Would you like to know what became of him?”

Alun's smile dissipated and Alafred slowed to a halt, only a few paces ahead of Red but close enough that he was certain if the older man swung his blade, he could cut him. Alafred's fingers curled into a fist and shook at his side. Alun clutched his club tighter and took a half-step backward as his grandfather slowly turned to meet Red's eyes. Beneath the elderly man's scathing glare and intense gaze, Red stood tall, searching Alafred's face for the carefully placed calm he'd had before. Narrowed eyes, brows furrowed, nose scrunched and lips pinched, his hands trembling at his sides, Alafred took in a shaky breath and exhaled through his nose.

"Not a chance," he demanded gruffly, and jabbed a finger through the air, pointing directly at Red's head. "And don’t you go spreading that around the village either. That fool brought us nothing but trouble, as long as you can do your job, nothin’ else matters.”

He turned sharply on his heel and resumed marching up the hill with Alun glancing between them with wide eyes and a pained grimace. Red tilted his head and hummed thoughtfully, letting the distance grow between them before he spoke up.

“I was under the impression that a village is a family.”

At his words, there was a slight stagger to Alafred's stride and the elderly man stopped. The trembling fist at his side loosened and his shoulders sagged as if a weight had been lifted off of them. He didn't look back nor did Alun move to run to his side, the boy staring up at his grandfather quietly as he took a few breaths then turned his head to speak over his shoulder.

“Yeah, well. Sorry to crush your spirits, but he’s not one of us," he grumbled, taking another ragged breath before steeling himself. "And don’t you go mentioning him in front of the chief, you got me?”

Red said nothing and Alafred made no move to go further up the hill. A stiff breeze swept past them, ruffling his hair and the beads wound around his plait clacked against one another. Red lifted a hand to hold the plait still, his fingers brushing against the beads as he tucked it behind his ear.

“Very well then."

As they neared the hilltop, the path straightened and the home looming in the distance came into view. Red tilted his head back to admire the two-storied structure, its thatched roof sloping at the sides with a beam which had an oddly-colored bird perched atop of it snoozing in the morning sunlight, two tall dark-skinned young women dressed in identical beige tunics and khaki trousers tucked into worn black boots stood on either side of the steps leading onto the house's porch with spears in their opposite hands. 

Though their facial resemblance was similar and the shifting of their eyes toward one another was done in tandem, they were different. The one on the left lifted her head, her jaw clenched tightly and eyes narrowed as they neared, dark brown eyes flicking over Alafred and Alun before lingering on Red. While the one on the right tucked a stray lock of curly black hair behind her ear, her nose wrinkling as the group stopped a few inches from their post. 

“Good morning, Alafred. Alun," the sentry on the left spoke, a fondness warming her otherwise clipped tone as she looked between them. "You both are done with your watch, why are you here?”

The sentry on the right raised her left hand, her lips curving up into a smile that softened the thin scars along her jaw and her nose. 

“Be at ease, sister. There is no need to interrogate them but the question does stand, Alafred," she said kindly, her gaze shifting to Red momentarily before returning to Alafred.

The old man chuckled and shook his head. “Ernas, Urnorna," he said, looking first to the sentry on the left then the one on the right. "You both seem to be doing well. How’s your mother?”

Red was almost impressed by how he could tell the difference between them. Without their scrutinizing gazes appraising him, Red looked them over quietly.  

“Better after the medicine you gave her," Ernas smiled faintly. "She should be able to continue working on the next set of defenses for the village, even Karath couldn’t keep up with her when she’s like this.”

Urnorna laid her hand against the left side of her chest, momentarily switching her spear to her opposite hand as she bowed. “Thank you for that.”

Ernas bowed in turn and Alafred shook his head. 

“Don’t thank me, thank Alun. He’s gifted with herbs," Alafred said, laying a heavy hand on Alun's shoulder, the boy startling and looking down with a smile. "I don’t even know where he got it from. I can’t use a pestle to save my life.”

Red glanced at Alun who seemed to be trying to shy away from the praise as much as he could by taking a vested interest in the grass growing on the sides of the road. Slipping his hand from beneath his cloak, Red motioned upward and the boy looked at him before refocusing on the sentries who smiled at him appreciatively. 

“Nonetheless," Ernas said, looking to Alafred with a solemness to her tone. "So, why is it that you’ve come?”

Alafred grunted and jutted a thumb in Red's direction. “This guy," he said. "He’s here for the Beast.”

Urnorna looked at him and Ernas shut her eyes, the former muttering, “So another one has come…”

“Your clothing," Urnorna said, shifting her spear back to her right hand. "Are you from the South?”

Alafred glanced at Red and Alun looked up curiously, tugging his grandfather's sleeve and asking a question about what the South meant though the older man made no move to reply. Red tilted his head at the question then closed his eyes.

"No."

“How was it that you heard of our problem?”

Red huffed and set a hand on his hip while the other hung loosely beneath his cloak. “Alehouses are prime locations for gathering information of potential hunts. I merely listened, nothing more.”

“And what drives you?” Ernas interjected before her sister could get a word in edgewise, though Urnorna seemed to agree with the question in the way that she looked at Red pointedly. 

“Woah, wait a minute," Alafred said, raising a hand and breaking the eye contact between the three as they turned their attention to him. "What is this an interrogation? You two know something that we don’t?”

Urnorna and Ernas shared a glance while Red lowered his hand from his hip and folded his arms across his chest. At once, the sisters seemed to come to an understanding and looked to the old man.

“His eyes are odd, Alafred,” Urnorna said, Ernas nodding in tandem with her words.

“His eyes?" Alafred chuckled, waving a hand languidly through the air. "Heh, old Ippaura has two eyes whiter than the milk from a cow’s teats but you don’t go judging her every time she wanders up here.”

“Ippaura is one of us, Alafred,” Ernas said slowly, her tone almost mournful and a flicker of hurt made Alafred lower his eyes.

“Still—” the old man muttered almost helplessly and Alun looked at him sympathetically. 

“A promise," Red interjected, lowering his arms to his sides. "To protect the innocent from the monsters of this world.”

For a moment, nothing was said and he knew that he was being appraised. Ernas and Urnona looking him over quietly as if trying to ascertain the truth from his appearance more than anything else. Despite their scrutinizing gazes, Red did not turn away nor did he drop his head, instead holding it high and meeting their eyes when they looked from one another then back to him. 

“That’s brazen of you," Urnorna said, shaking her head. "Courageous and yet foolish.”

Red huffed and shook his head. “Courage is the will to do what must be done even in the face of fear and doubt," he explained, taking a sweeping gaze from the sentries to the pair who stood at his side looking at him with awe. "You all seem fearful and doubt my abilities, but it is only your chief’s permission that I need to begin and end what plagues Blackborough.”

Try as he might and though he believed that in some ways he had come to like Alun and his grandfather, the fact still stood clear. The people of Blackborough seemed to value their own over all other and the lack of success in understanding nor ridding the people of the Beast only seemed to justify their actions. Red looked from Urnorna and Ernas, ready to field the next set of questions they may have when a voice came from overhead. 

“Bold words, hunter.”

Red tilted his head back, finding a man standing on the porch with his arms tucked behind his back, a breeze sweeping by as Red looked him from head to toe. Dark brown hair barely coming past his ears was pulled back into a bun at the top held securely by two thin trails of colorful beads along twine which swayed as he came closer, his tunic was long, stretching past his knees, and a soft shade of green outlined with gold, his beige trousers were tapered off above his ankles and he wore no shoes. Looking down his broad upturned nose, dark brown eyes locked with Red's and the light of the sun illuminated his shapely features and warmed dark brown skin. 

“And who are you?” 

The man raised his chin and though his lips curved upward, it was a sneer moreso than a smile on his face. “My name to you as of now is no importance, but you will follow your guides as instructed," he said, glancing towards Alafred and Alun before he looked to Urnorna and Ernas. 

"Allow them to pass.”

Red's gaze lingered on him as he slowly turned away and slid the door open, disappearing into the hall while the sentries stepped aside and allowed them to pass. Alafred led the way and gave a curt nod to Urnorna and Ernas before climbing the steps and disappearing alongside them. Alun hurried after his grandfather and glanced back to Red who spared both women a fleeting glance then followed the pair up the steps. 

"By the Hendetheon, we hope that what you said is true."

Red looked over his shoulder, unsure of whether the words came from Ernas or Urnorna or perhaps they were speaking collectively but neither woman turned to look at him or acknowledged his presence. They stood resolutely, still as statues and Red turned away before disappearing inside and letting the door slide shut behind him. 

The entrance hall to what Red could only assume was the village chief's home was cleaned and the floors smelt freshly polished. Alun sitting on the divide between the small landing in front of the door and the inner hallway, removing his shoes and slipping on a pair of slippers as he made his way further inside. Red looked down at Alafred's sword propped up against the eastern wall with Alun's club laying beside it. Red's gaze flicked upward to find the man from before standing a further ways from them while Alafred stood a few paces away, greeting Alun, the pair turning back to look at Red expectantly. Making no move to remove his swords or his boots, Red stepped further inside and Alafred grimaced while Alun flinched, sparing a glance back at the man who stood at the far side of the hallway grimacing at Red's display.

Red narrowed his eyes at him, the two sharing a long battle of wills that ended when the man turned away and started down the hall. Alun falling into step beside Red as they continued on with Alafred being the median between them and their disgruntled guide. 

“Be careful, Red,” Alun warned in a low whisper. 

Red arched a brow and glanced between their guide and Alafred before asking, “Why?”

“When Braric gets like this, he talks for hours and hours and gets really scary when you fall asleep during,” Alun said, shuddering and rubbing his forearms.

Red huffed, rolling his eyes. “Sounds like a pain.”

“You have no idea," Alafred grumbled, glancing over his shoulder at them. "Be on your best behavior, you two.”

Alun nodded while Red shrugged. Alafred sighing and dropping his head with a grumble beneath his breath. Lead through winding hallways adorned with tapestry and pictures that Red couldn't quite make out, the group had fallen into an uneasy silence.

“Hey Red," Alun muttered. "Any chance I can wear you cloak to pretend like I’m listening during?”

Red shot him a look.

“N-Nevermind,” he said, clearing his throat and looking ahead.

“It’s too heavy.”

Alun looked at him. “Huh?”

“If I let you wear it, the weight would crush you,” Red said simply.

Alun's eyes widened as he asked, “W— What is it made out of? How can you even wear it?!”

"Alun."

"Sorry."