FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

When he saw that Savan was approaching at last, Gorion smiled in relief. When he saw that the big gnoll was being supported by old Karan of the Oghma clergy, his smile changed to a confused frown. And when he saw the blood, the bandages, the dazed look in Savan's eye, he thought that his heart was going to stop.

He had been relaxing on a bench by Candlekeep's front gate. A traveler's pack with him, a book in his lap to pass the time although his thoughts had been wandering far afield. Wondering about what the future would hold in store for his son and worrying about him as he often did. A gnoll among humans, elves and dwarves...life would not be easy for him. But his train of thought had been derailed upon seeing Savan's approach. He leapt to his feet and bolted to the pair, his heart in his throat.

"What in the Realms happened?!" he gasped when he approached, looking between Savan and Karan and back again. And the old priest shook his head and sighed.

"I found the poor boy like this...in the bunk room for the temples" Karan, coaxing Savan over to Gorion to let him pull his son into a tight embrace. "There was blood everywhere. Most of it was Shank and Carbo's."

Gorion blinked and looked to the priest. "Shank and...? What happened?"

"As near as I can guess...the two of them cornered him in the bunk room and decided to have one more go at the boy before he left for good. And this time, they just pushed him too far."

"Pushed him too far?! What do you mean?"

"I wound up patching some stab wounds on your boy there. And there were bloody knives fallen to the floor." Karan shook his head and sighed gustily. "No matter how old I get, it never stops me from being disappointed in people.

In that moment Gorion went from fear to fury to fear in rapid succession.

Fear for Savan's safety. His son was large and strong, but a knife to the gut had killed men before... He didn't look to be dying right this moment. Karan certainly knew his work, and the old priest had bandaged the young gnoll up around the torso and shoulder. But the shellshocked look on Savan's face wrenched at Gorion's heart.

Fury at those who'd done this. In that moment Gorion wanted to grab a crossbow and track down Shank and Carbo. They'd never liked Savan... They'd bullied and pushed and prodded him ever since he was old enough to mingle with the other children in Candlekeep. They'd never quite gone this far before but he'd held Savan tenderly while the gnoll had sobbed after their bullying more than once. And now they'd crossed the line! He would see them cleaning out the stables and hauling the monastery's trash for this! Until they dropped dead from exhaustion!

...Then fear struck him again as Karan's words sunk in.

Gorion pulled back a bit and cupped the gnoll's muzzle, coaxing him up some and peering into his eyes. They were dazed. Shellshocked. Glazed over with pain. And they had turned from a soft brown to a bright and angry gold colour.

He closed his eyes and slowly squeezed Savan close. Taking just a few more seconds to cherish these last moments before his son's innocence was destroyed at last. Then he sighed and opened them again, turning to look solemnly at Karan.

"Thank you" he said, nodding his head. "I'll take care of him from here..."

"Hm. You see that you do." Karan nodded grimly and gave Savan a last sad look. "He's too young for this...we've all seen him grow. Here in Candlekeep, he's one of us and we love him as we would any other. But out there?" He reached out and patted the gnoll on the shoulder, feeling the shellshocked young man shudder under the touch. "I've been helping to tutor the young ones for a long time now. And it's only today that I fear that my lessons haven't been enough..."

There was nothing that Gorion could say to that. So he kept his silence when the old priest left the pair of them alone to have a bit of privacy. Sighing some, he held Savan close and rocked the gnoll against him. Thinking. Wishing. Fearing. Hoping.

It took a while for Savan to come out of his shocked state. And when he did, his ears twitched and his nose snuffled, and the large male whimpered and jerked spasmodically. He reflexively squeezed Gorion tightly. The mage winced a little but ignored the discomfort and hugged his son back. "Shhh shhh...it's okay Savan. It's okay. I'm here for you..."

"Fasher...?" Savan groaned and shook his head, blinking against the bleariness. "What...?" He hissed as memories hit him, and his ears folded back flat. "There wash...sho much blood..."

"Oh Savan..." Gorion sighed softly. "My poor son. I know you're frightened and confused. And I wish I could tell you everything. But there is no more time to tarry. We need to leave now..."

"Now? Fash...father... Where is Imoen? She was going to help me pack."

Imoen. He hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye to his only friend. Gorion's heart went out to the gnoll. But he had to stay strong for the two of them. He knew what was coming. Candlekeep was well protected, but it wasn't invulnerable. "She will understand. And you will see her again. But for now we must leave...or what happened with Shank and Carbo will only be the start."

That made Savan freeze. His eyes went wide and his ears pricked up. And his eyes, Gorion noted, had begun to fade back to their brown colour. And that gave him some absurd hope. Maybe it wasn't too late for him...

Taking Savan's hands in his, Gorion began to lead him towards the gate. And Savan didn't resist. He dragged his feet some. His ears were flat against his head and he whined quietly. But he went with him. And in the end, it was all too easy. There was no fan fair. No great production. No booming voice from the sky speaking out to proclaim the end of an era and marking Savan as having become a man at last. No, the two of them stepped through the arch of the gate. The shade of the old stone and mortar falling upon them as they went. And then they were through. Past the portcullis and out the other side with the wide, open world waiting for them.

It was enough to prod Savan out of his funk. At least for a moment. He lifted his head and peered about at the world beyond the walls. The world that...Shank and Carbo had tried to kill him over... The land outside of Candlekeep was lightly wooded, with the road winding its way among the trees. As the day was getting long, the sun flickered through the leaves as it pushed for the horizon, letting the light dapple across Savan's face and making him blink. Birds sang in the trees. Leaves rustled in the wind.

It was so typical. So...ordinary. The kind of scene that played out in a thousand sites all over the world.

Savan was floored.

It was...just trees. Just grass. Just some birds. But it was outside. There were no walls. In fact, the walls were behind him. Ahead there was...everything.

He'd heard stories from Jondalar and Hull and the other Candlekeep guards about what it was like out there beyond the walls. It was kind of strange...they were allowed to come and go as they pleased, on patrol and scout missions and so on. And the scholars were allowed to come and go as they sought out rare books for the archive. But for most others just stepping out the door got you locked out. It hardly seemed fair to a young gnoll, growing bigger by the day.

In time he would start to panic. Where would they go? What would they do? How would they survive out here? But for now...for now he tilted his head back and sniffed the air, swiveling his ears about to listen to the wind and the leaves...and he smiled. Just a little.

"Alright then. Before we go, there's something that I have for you."

Savan tore his eyes from watching some birds twitter in the trees and turned about to face Gorion who was rummaging through his pack. "Something?"

"Yes. We're going to be travelling through settled lands" the elder male explained. "Lands that are considered generally civilized. Lands that tend to have rather bad histories with other races. Goblins. Orcs. Ogres." He looked to Savan and nodded. "Gnolls." His tone put Savan in mind of Shank and Carbo and he felt his mood sour. His nose wrinkled and he hugged himself close as his father lifted something out into the open. A white clay mask.

Savan's ears twitched and he reached his hands out slowly as Gorion proffered it to him. He turned it over a couple of times. He raised it up before his face and peered through the eyeholes. Then he carefully set it upon his face, feeling its slight weight rest on his muzzle. "What is it?"

Gorion raised a small mirror and held it out. "Take a look and see."

Okay, now Savan's curiosity was piqued. He leaned in and took a close look into the mirror. A stranger looked back at him.

Neatly trimmed brown hair framed a face that was rugged and chiseled. Warm brown eyes peered back at Savan, and his teeth were bright white and neat. A lantern jaw just invited compliments and attention. And perched on his face was a white clay mask.

Comprehension dawned on Savan and he took the mask off, looking to his father. Gorion smiled and nodded. "It has some minor but potent illusion magic woven into it, and wearing it should help you blend in. Just keep it on when you want to hide yourself and the spells will activate naturally. No magic words needed."

A weight just seemed to lift off of Savan's shoulders. The gnoll smiled in relief, pricking his ears up. Tucked in his pants, his tail wagged from side to side. He stepped forward, reached out and wrapped his arms around Gorion, hugging him close.

"Thank you father..." he murred, his throat thick with emotion. "Thank you..."

"I love you Savan." Gorion hugged his son back tightly, closing his eyes and smiling. "If I had my way then you'd never have to hide who you are. This...it will just be for a little while. Once we get to our new home...meet up with some of my friends...well...that's getting ahead of things." He held the hug for another moment more before he loosened his hold and stepped back. Peering about, his eyes headed down the road among the trees and he nodded. "Are you ready to go?"

He wasn't... He really wasn't. But...Savan sighed and nodded. He'd been so eager before. And now, after what he'd done to Shank and Carbo he was scared to leave and do...other things to people. But too scared to stay. He turned back and looked at the walls of Candlekeep. The fortress monastery seemed so...forbidding from the outside looking in. All the warm and familiar sights that he knew were locked away inside. ...His only real friend was locked away inside too, waiting in his bedroom for him to come back so they could pack his favourite things. That...that was somehow even worse than tearing Carbo's face apart. Not even being able to say goodbye.

"I guess...I am" he relented at last. Reaching up, he took off the enchanted mask and tucked it away in his pack. Hefting his pack onto his shoulders, he folded his ears back and nodded to his father. "I...I'm going to...miss everything... You promise that we can come back...?"

"We will" Gorion promised. "One day, when it's safe again we can come back. You'll see Imoen again, and she'll forgive you for leaving like this, and you'll have all kinds of stories to tell her about how much you've learned since then."

Gorion smiled encouragingly. And he could feel his heart break when Savan tentatively smiled back. "Then...we should go" he said, "So we can get back sooner."

///////

"Listen carefully" Gorion explained, his boots crunching over small pebbles and dried leaves that littered the road. "If we ever become separated, then it's imperative that you make your way to the Friendly Arm Inn. Two of my old friends will be waiting for us. Their names are Khalid and Jaheira. You can trust them."

Savan nodded his assent, his eyes still flicking around the landscape. The wonder at his surroundings was still there. If anything, it got stronger with every step, but...it was becoming tempered with a certain...he wasn't sure what. The way the setting sun cast shadows across the landscape and among the trees sent a faint prickling feeling down his spine. It wasn't that he feared the dark, not when his gnoll eyes could cut through the gloom. It was more like...there could be anything lurking in the shadows. Behind the trees. Just waiting for him to get complacent. He shouldered his backpack uneasily and hurried after Gorion, picking up his pace some.

"Let's hurry, Savan" Gorion continued, patting the big male's shoulder. "The night can only get worse. We may have to seek shelter soon."

"Shouldn't we push on to the main road?" Savan suggested, tilting his head back and sniffed the air. What was that? An unusual scent drifted on the air. One that made him snort with distaste.

"I'd like to. But we may not have the chance..." Sensing his ward's trepidation, Gorion cast a friendly smile to him. "Don't worry son. I'll explain more once we get to safety."

"Mmhmm..." Savan snorted again and made a face. His ears prickled up involuntarily and he peered ahead through the darkness. "Father..."

Gorion caught the unease in his voice and his smile faded. Turning, he peered into the darkness, squinting. And when he detected what Savan had, a dark chill crept through him.

There were four of them. And they were making only a token effort to conceal themselves as they stalked through the woods. They must have been supremely confident to do this here and now, so close to Candlekeep... That no one could stop them.

Two were ogres. Towering brutes with thick arms and legs and barrel chests. Built for violence, they each hefted a heavy maul in one hand, and they eyed the old man and his son with a look of eager wickedness. A desire to tear them to shreds. A lust for violence shone from their piggy little eyes and sweat clung to their bodies, preceding them. Both were clearly eager to tear apart the man and his son. But they waited.

A third was small. Feminine. Slight of build. Clad in steel armour with their face enclosed in a helmet and mask. She spoke not a word as she approached, her hands empty but with a shield slung on her back and a flail at her hip. Her fingers moved steadily in practiced gestures, spells half forming as she stood. But she waited too.

It was the fourth figure that took the lead.

It was enormous. Taller than Savan. Clad in armour blacker than the night and studded with spikes, it stalked forward with a slow, unhurried gait. Something dark and predatory that feared nothing. Man shaped, but so much more. As he strode out of the darkness it seemed to Savan as though the very shadows fled from his step, near silent despite all the metal he wore. In fact, it seemed like he was all iron and spikes. A horned helmet made up his skull and the hilt of an enormous sword raised up over one shoulder. And looking at him...

...Looking at him Savan could feel his blood singing so loud that his ears perked up.

Kill.

Kill.

KILL

Savan shook his head and bared his teeth. It was so loud... Pounding through his skull. Worse than it had been when he had...when Shank and Carbo had jumped him. He tried to focus. To keep his eyes on the armoured figure as it stalked forward. And his ears pricked up in surprise when he realized that the armoured figure's own eyes were locked on him. He hadn't seen them at first in the dark and with the tension running through him, but Savan found himself staring into two bright golden orbs that cut through the gloom and pinned him in place.

Him. The blood wanted to kill him. He didn't know why. He didn't understand what was going on. But Savan knew it as surely as he knew his own spots.

And he knew without any doubt, that the armoured figure wanted to kill him too.

Then Gorion pushed him back and stepped between Savan and the nightmare and the spell was broken. The gnoll stumbled back with a gasp and looked to his father. The wizard didn't look back...he kept his eyes locked firmly on the armoured man.

"Prepare yourself, Savan..." he murmured softly. "We are in an ambush."

"You're perceptive for an old man." The voice that came from the helmet was deep and strong, and utterly bereft of compassion or even interest. Those bright golden eyes were still locked on Savan. Gorion was barely even worth considering. And only then because he was in the way. "You know why I'm here. Hand over your ward and no one will be hurt. If you resist..." He let his words trail off meaningfully. Savan couldn't help a shudder.

Gorion reached up and adjusted his glasses with the edge of a finger. He didn't speak at first, his eyes flicking from the armoured figure to his soldiers. The ogres. The woman. As though he were measuring something. "You're a fool" he murmured at last, his voice low and level, "If you think that I would trust your benevolence. Leave now, and you and your lackeys will be unharmed."

Now the figure turned his gaze to Gorion. Now the old man was a threat. He reached up to his sword hilt and pulled it from the sheath, the metal rasping faintly. The blade gleamed in the lack of light, carrying a powerful enchantment that seemed to thirst for Gorion's flesh.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, old man..." he said.

And then it all started happening too fast.

///////

The cub's ears folded back against his skull as he cried out.

He thrashed in place, making his hand carved wooden crib rock back and forth, and he clung to his woolen blankets and stuffed fox tightly. Talismans against the darkness and the whispers that lurked within. They gave him some comfort, but his brown eyes still flicked around the room, pupils shrunk in terror.

There were monsters all around him... Hiding in the closet. The cub could hear their heavy, squashy bodies shifting around just out of sight. Lurking under the dresser. Faint movements, just barely unseen made his little ears twitch with fright. Underneath the crib. He could feel them click their claws against the wooden frame, and imagined that he could see their dark, misshapen faces leering at him.

It was so frightening. So scary. He was small and weak and alone. There was no fur of his siblings to keep him warm, nor the comforting cackle of his mother to drive the monsters away. There was only himself there in his crib. Easy prey for the kinds of creatures that would wait for him to sleep to steal him away. Yet he was too young to fight, too young to flee. And so there he lay. Frightened. With the whispers in the darkness that pulsed to the thrum of his own heartbeat his constant companions.

Footsteps! The door cracked open and something stepped inside! Reflexively, the cub bared his teeth and let out a raspy little growl, squeezing his stuffed fox tightly. Something big loomed over him. And then his nose twitched. The growl faded into a relieved whine at the familiar scent. A pair of arms wrapped around him and lifted him up in the air, cradling him protectively against a warm body.

"Some bad dreams?" the male said. The cub didn't understand the words...he was far too young for that. But he understood the tone, and he took some solace in the elder's solid frame and snuggled his face into the robed chest. "I can't say that I blame you... I still have nightmares from what we saw down there. A lot...of people died that night." The male sighed some and rubbed his fingers at the base of the cub's ears, coaxing happy sounds from him. "...It's alright" he said at length. "I'm here. I'll stay up all night with you, if you need me."

The whines from the cub faded, and he squeezed his eyes shut in relief. Seeing that they'd lost their chance, the monsters retreated into their dark corners. Clicking claws and shifting bodies were silenced, the fear fading away for the night. The dark whispers fell quiet, having lost their prey. For now, at least.

And in the arms of the elder male, clinging to his stuffed companion, the cub began to sleep again. Alone he may be, without brothers or sisters to comfort him, or his mother to watch over him, but for now at least the world was right.

///////

Savan grumbled quietly to himself as he scribbled on some sheets of parchment. Trying to keep the little numbers and symbols separate in his head. His ears laid back and his brown eyes narrowed as he focused as hard as he could.

He tried to think of it in terms of cookies. Bunches of cookies coming together from the oven to make a proper platter. Warm and gooey and filled with chopped nuts, or perhaps chocolate. That was how it worked, right? You added cookies together...and how many of them did you have when you were finished?

He sighed and thumped his forehead onto the table. It was no use! The numbers made his head swim! He was too dumb to learn math! Day after day in the classroom was wasted because his brain was too fuzzy to grasp what ten plus five meant, how it all worked, and why he should care! He was too little and energetic to be cooped up inside on a bright and sunny day like this!

"Savan?"

Gorion stepped back into the small classroom, carrying a tray with him. Cups of tea and cookies. Somehow, he always knew everything.

"Is everything okay?" he asked with a smile.

"Yesh fasher." Savan nodded and pushed a smile onto his muzzle. "Ish alright. I...am...fine." He struggled to form the words...they didn't come to him so easily as his barks and yelps, but people didn't like it when he spoke like that. And they never understood him either.

Gorion seemed to understand, and he set down the tray on his desk. "Why don't we take a bit of a break for now?" he suggested, reaching out to pull a chair closer. Settling himself down next to the cub. "Let your mind rest some before tackling addition again."

"Mmm..." Savan mumbled noncommittally. Frankly, he didn't think it would help. But his father knew best. And cookies always helped. He looked up to Gorion and waited for the nod before he reached out and plucked up a cookie, popping it into his mouth and chewing away happily. A happy growl rumbled in his throat.

"I never liked mathematics either" Gorion admitted. He reached for a cup and took a sip, sighing in reminiscence. "I much preferred to read about histories and great works of literature. The arts of numbers were always difficult to wrap my head around.

"Fhey make my head hurf..." Savan mumbled, reaching slowly for another. Then paused when Gorion set a hand on his head and ruffled his hair.

"I know it's hard. And it makes your head swim. And you'd just rather go lie in the sun, or read a book, or play with Imoen. But..." And here the wizard smiled encouragingly. "You'll be better off knowing your numbers and how to put them together. One day you'll need to know these things. Say you need to travel somewhere. How many people will you go with? How many horses? How much feed for them and food for you? How many cookies will you need to bring? How much water? How much will you eat and drink every day?"

Father was right, of course. Savan understood what he meant. Even if it was hard for him to do. But...it was the faith that he showed in him more than the need that made him put down the cookie and nod. "Yesh fasher" he said, resolution in his young face.

And Gorion's proud smile encouraged him. He gave the pup another pat on the head, then said "Alright. When you're ready, show me your books. Let's go over your numbers again."

///////

Left. Right. Left. Right. Left, right, left, right. Up down, up down. One, two, three four. Legs pumping as his feet raced across the grounds. Breath coming in puffs of steam through the cool air.

Savan was about halfway through a twenty-lap run around the curtain wall of Candlekeep. Give or take a bit. His mane was tied back in a thick tail and he was dressed in loose grey trousers and a matching tunic, suitable for physical exertion. And exerting, he was! His legs burned with the effort and he sucked in breaths of air every step that he took.

He was getting used to the exertion. He could feel it. The first time that Captain Jondalar had got to work with him, Savan had been so nervous about what to expect...and by the time they'd finished, the gnoll boy had been so exhausted that he'd pitched over onto his front and stayed put until Imoen had come to fetch him. It had been...a year now, of his boot covered feet eating up the dirt, and every day it got a little easier on him.

Maybe he should do another twenty laps? Just to say that he could do it? That he could tame his animal instinct and put his strength and endurance to good use?

"Keep it up you spotted skull muncher! If I see you flagging then you'll be scrubbing the barracks floor!"

...Or maybe he should just keep from falling behind while the veteran guard captain was hot on his heels. Folding his ears back, Savan ducked his head and threw himself into his running, scampering like a madman from the grizzled old soldier.

On through the monastery they ran. Past old Phydia as she bumbled about the stables, no doubt looking for a missing book. Past the temple where old Karan was preaching to his flock.

On past the Candlekeep Inn, where Winthrop was idly sweeping off the front stoop. Savan could see him peer in his direction and smile. Though he was gone before the older human could wave to him.

And there, past the front gate of the keep where his father waited. Savan smiled, his heart swelling at the sight of Gorion. The mage waved to him and stepped forward towards the path, holding out a basket. It would have sandwiches in it, or perhaps some fruit or dried meats. A pot of tea or a canteen full of water. No matter how many laps that Savan had to run, Gorion was always there for him. And knowing that his father was there made the burn in his legs just a little easier to bear.

Savan steered himself towards the edge of the path, his footsteps taking him closer to Gorion. The wizard smiled to him as he snatched at the basket. Their eyes met for just a second. Long enough to exchange the affection there. And then the gnoll was off again, dashing down the path while Jondalar pursued him, curses flying. Tucking the basket under his arm, he redoubled his pace, the weight of the world lifting off his shoulders.

///////

It was choir practice in the temple of Oghma. Karan led the priests in a solemn and serious hymn to the Lord of Knowledge, praising his name and the wisdom that he brought. And although it was not an especially busy day, there were always those who had business with the temple. Business to be done, concerns of the soul to be looked after. That sort of thing.

So there were always at least a few people stopping nearby to watch and listen to the young men and women of Candlekeep lift their voices in joyous harmony. More or less.

And Savan was right there in the middle of them. All dressed up in choral robes, fidgeting in place and waiting for his turn,

Several of them were slated to sing one of Alaundo's prophecies. Karan had decided these verses called for a more baritone singing voice, and Savan just happened to fit that bill. So here he was, fidgeting in place and with his ears folded back. He was being nervous, he knew. And it was making his fellows nervous in turn. If he wasn't careful, he could ruin the choir practice. Which was just making him more nervous altogether.

In fact, if it wasn't for his father there Savan might have just fled by now.

He could see Gorion there, lounging off to the side. Staying out of the way, chewing on a biscuit. Minding his own business while he watched the children go through practice. Now and then he would nod and smile to someone who greeted him. He was quite well liked in the temple, after all. But for the most part he just watched his son. And smiled encouragingly whenever Savan looked his way.

Somehow it was always enough to soothe the gnoll, and his laid his ears back. Smiling to his father, he turned his attention to Karan. The elder priest was gesturing to the section of children. Their time was coming up.

Sucking in a breath, Savan held it in and twitched his tail. He could feel the excitement from the other children, and he straightened himself up to deliver his best performance. And all together they would chant, in almost unison. About what you could expect from children, after all.

The Lord of Murder shall perish, but in his doom he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny. Chaos will be sewn from their passage. So sayeth the wise Alaundo.

///////

"Run, child!" Gorion shouted, "Get out of here!" Sparks flew from his fingertips as the ogres advanced, weapons raised. Light flared. A bolt of lightning arced from the mage's fingers and struck one of the brutes in the chest just as it began to charge. The ogre fell in a heap, the stench of charred flesh rising from it even as the other let out a bestial roar. The second advanced more slowly however, the sudden death of its companion making it cautious.

It all happened so fast. Savan froze! He dithered, poised to flee but his feet would not move!

Pain! He clutched his arm, feeling blood well up from his bicep. Who...? The woman! She'd done something...cast a spell. Even now steam traced from her fingers as she pulled her flail from her belt.

"Savan, RUN!!!" Gorion turned his attention to the woman, hands tracing patterns through the air. Fire formed, flickered into the shape of an arrow and screamed out to her. It crashed into her steel breastplate and punched a hole through, drawing an explosive hiss of pain from behind her helmet. Reeling, she stumbled back from her wound.

The second ogre saw an opening and rushed for the old man! His maul rose high in the air before swinging down to strike the ground with great force. Savan thought he could feel the earth shake under his feet...if his father hadn't lunged to the side at the last second... Somehow he kept chanting, his fingers flickering out. More lightning crackled and the ogre bellowed in pain.

For a split second it seemed like there was hope.

Then the armoured man charged.

That enormous blade swung out, forcing Gorion to stumble back. A gauntlet struck him in the chest, backhanding the wizard to the side. Golden eyes locked on to Savan again and this time they burned with a fierce light. A desire for him.

And Savan turned and fled.

Gorion watched him go. Despite the pain in his chest (he thought he'd cracked some ribs) he smiled with relief and formed his fingers into another arcane pattern while chanting the spidery language of magic. And as the man in black armour sought to follow hundreds, no thousands of strands of spiderwebs filled the forest clearing! They stuck to the man's armour, anchored to the trees and the ground, sticking that enormous sword to his hand. Trapping him in place. No matter how he snarled and thrashed, he could make no progress and could only watch with impotent rage as Savan's tail disappeared into the night.

The armoured man let out a roar of frustrated fury that ripped through the night! Then he turned his gaze on Gorion. "You won't keep him from me, old man." That moment of rage expended, his voice projected a controlled fury as he began to wade through the spiderwebs. "I will be the last..."

Gorion didn't answer. He'd given his son time to escape. Now he had to delay. He glanced around for something that might help. There wasn't much... The ogres were dead in the clearing, and the woman had fallen back. The webbing that he'd conjured spread out over the clearing, anchoring between trees and trapping him and the armoured man here. There was little in the environment that he could turn to his advantage. And the same webbing that kept his foeman trapped here also bound him to the forest floor as well. Perhaps given time he could tear free of the webbing or climb a tree, or perhaps fashion some sort of trap. But with each slash of his greatsword, the armoured man cut his way closer and closer to him.

He'd been in some tough spots over the years. This one looked to be the worst.

A grim smile touched Gorion's face and he took a deep breath. 'My son' he thought to himself. He looked into the woods where Savan had escaped. 'I'm sorry I couldn't be with you. Live well. Be strong. I love you.'

Now the armoured warrior was almost upon him, with scraps of webbing fluttering through the air. Up close, he towered over Gorion, a veritable titan of darkness. "I will be the last" he repeated, hefting his sword up. "And you will go first!"

That massive sword swung down. But Gorion had already made a decision and his hands flew into the arcane motions. He rushed the spell, chanting the words a split second before that enormous blade came down and took him in the shoulder, hacking through bone and carving deep into the old man's chest. But it was too late, and fire flew from his fingertips. The armoured figure was bathed in flame. The spiderwebs that draped the clearing were set ablaze. And in an instant, all was fire.

///////

Savan ran.

He ran and he ran, charging through the underbrush. Branches snapping against his body, whipping against his face. Deeper and deeper into the forest he went, the roars of the man with the golden eyes and the whooshing of magic filling the air behind him. Off the beaten path and into the darkness where wild things dwelled. Things that kept out of the light and away from armed men and women, but who were all too happy to stalk and prey upon lone wanderers. Especially ones that were half mad with fear. Patrols from Candlekeep kept them off of the road, but they could not reach every nook and cranny. And as Savan bulled and trampled through the underbrush they began to converge on his position, chittering growls of hunger and malice beginning to sound through the darkness. Calls to arms crying out that supper was served.

Savan didn't care. He couldn't hear them. All that he heard was Gorion's voice, telling him to run. And the whispers. Calling him a coward. A faithless boy who'd fled and left his father behind to die...

He couldn't deny it. He could only run and run through the forest. Sobbing as he went. Or was he laughing? Or snarling? It was impossible for him to say.

He couldn't think. He didn't WANT to think. Because if he did, then he'd hear his father's voice again. Telling him to run while he fought the monsters. His fault. His fault. If he were stronger...if he'd listened...if he'd followed his instinct...

Something struck him hard enough for stars to burst in his skull. A tree. Shaking his head and blinking sudden blood from his eyes, Savan whirled around, poised to flee again. But paused at the sight before him. The darkness had teeth. Yellow eyes in the dark closed in around him. Gibbers and chitters of spite and hunger promised violence, and a gruesome end.

He just...didn't know what to think in the moment. Somehow everything had gone wrong.

'Weakling. Get out of the way!'

His head hurt. He couldn't think. And in the moment, Savan just wanted it all to go away.

His eyes squeezed shut. He gripped his mane and squeezed his head tightly.

And when his eyes opened again they gleamed gold in the dark, his pupils shrunk to narrow slits. His lips peeled back and he growled. A sound that shook through the trees and made the gibbering beasts pause and draw back, alarmed perhaps at this sudden change in the atmosphere and ferocity in their prey. But it was too late. The monster was already moving, pushing off from the tree and charging into the would-be hunters. The sounds of screams began to echo in the forest, bone breaking and flesh tearing. A harsh and brutal music to underscore the singing in Savan's blood. Exultant. Free. Free at last.

And now the song would never end.