Chapter 17: No Man's Land

The sun crept up over the treetops, showering the woods in warm blanket of light. I sit up reluctantly, the lively sound of birds squawking and chirping dances through my ears. I get up to fetch a bun from our bags when I hear a peculiar rustling in the bushes. I turn slowly to peek at the source of the noise. The hairs on the back of my neck standing on edge. Maybe it was the Houndstooth guild or worse, another assassin. I clutch the bread in my hand, frozen and anticipating the worse. With loud series of rustling followed by a bark, a speckled dog appears from the bushes. I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. The dog yaps a few more times before trotting over to my boots and giving them a sniff.

"Where'd you come from?" I ask the dog as if it will respond. The dog whines, staring at the succulent honey bun in my hand. "We only have limited supplies dog, you'll have to find your own." I say, taking a large bite. The dog continues to stare at me, it's tail wagging rapidly. I cock my brow at it and in a flash of speckled fur the dog leaps up onto my chest, grappling the bun in it's jaws.

"Hey! Drop it!" I yell, I can hear Teddy behind me let out a whinny. The dog simply flashes me a guilty look before bolting back into the bush. In a blind fit of frustration I tear into the woods after it.

"Come back here!" I bellow again, the dog looks back at me and runs faster through the brush. I can feel my cloak getting snagged at the bracken that twines within most of the overgrowth. I grit my teeth in annoyance as the twigs and branches begin to nip at my skin the deeper I trudge into the entanglement. Eventually I draw my sword and begin slashing myself a path through the overgrowth in my way. The dog flies through everything effortlessly.

"I lose my breakfast to a dog? Come on!" I groan, flicking leaves and branches off my shoulders and carry on. The dog eventually reaches a clearing where it comes to a stop. I topple over myself exiting the dense brush after the dog.

"Ha! Tired out yet you nasty mutt!?" I laugh breathily, my chest heaving for air.

"She's not a nasty mutt." A tiny voice retorts with a scoff.

"Huh?" I begin to catch my breath as I glance upwards towards where the dog is now sitting and staring at me. Beside the dog is a small girl with long black hair.

"Is this your bread snatching dog?" I pant, seeing the girl clutching the bitten bun in her little hands.

"Well, not really but I guess... Kind of..." She mumbles. The dog wags its tail and sniffs the side of her face. "You can have your bun back if that's what you wanted."

I shake my head in confusion.

"What's a little kid doing here all by herself?" I ask her, dusting myself off.

"My cart got attacked by bandits and they..." She curls up into a fetal position, hiding her face in her scrawny knees. Her tights are ripped and she's covered in dirt and what appears to be blood. "They killed everyone and took everything." She whispers, shivering at her own words. The dog licks her cheek. I furrow my brows in concern, kneeling down beside the girl and patting her back like I would Emi in this situation.

"Why don't you and your dog come back to my camp and we can help you get where you need." I say gently. The girl sniffles, wiping her face with her dirtied attire before nodding silently. I help her to her feet and I head towards the path I cut chasing the dog here. The tiny girl clutches the bun in one hand and does a grabby motion with the other. I stare, utterly confused before she dashes up to my side and clutches my hand.

"Sister Edna always said to hold hands to stay safe." She says monotonously.

"Who is that?" I ask, leading her through the brush carefully as the dog circles around us yapping once in awhile.

"The lady that took care of us at the orphanage."

"Ah, orphanage?"

"My mommy and daddy were trying to escape Crestia when they were caught by the bad Houndstooth men and..." Her sullen expression doesn't waver. "They did bad things to them and I was brought to the orphanage."

"I'm sorry to hear that... What is your name?" I say, looking down at her.

"Stella. The dog is Lucy."

"Well then, it's nice to meet you Stella and Lucy." I laugh airily, Lucy barks at the mention of her name as she bounds over to my side excitedly. I give her a solid pat.

"Are you sure no one else survived in your group?" I ask cautiously, helping Stella over a tall log.

"I don't know. I was able to sneak away when they weren't looking. Lucy followed me." She shakes her head. "What are you doing in the woods?"

"We were heading to Crestia in hopes of finding a high elf village... or what's left of it."

"Who are you anyway? Are you a homeless bum?" Stella asks bluntly.

"Wha- No! I'm a hero actually. Hero Darwin to be precise. I'm from another world."

"I've heard about heroes. They never seemed to be there for Crestia though." She says sullenly.

"Well, we'll check the wreck site for anyone else if that sounds okay? I'll help you out I promise." I propose. Stella nods as we finally make it out of the brush. Cynthia is in the middle of brushing Teddy's mane. She peeks over at us with wide eyes.

"I was wondering where you went." She sighs, putting her brush down to come over to investigate. "Hi there, who are you?" She says to Stella with a little wave and a smile.

"I'm Stella." Her eyes light up slightly at the gesture, letting her grip loosen on my hand. "And that's Lucy." She peeps, pointing at the speckled spaniel who trots around our camp.

"You seem to sleep through anything, huh?" I mutter sarcastically to Cynthia who shoots me an icy glare.

"I just need my sleep." She retorts. "You know I didn't expect you to come back with a kid either."

"Alright alright, it's not my fault the dog stole my food."

"He's the one who chased Lucy all the way into the woods for a bun." Stella says dryly.

"I like this kid already." Cynthia says with a satisfied huff and a smirk. I roll my eyes. "As much as you are an old man in human years, Master Darwin you are quite a child." She says cockily before turning to Stella.

"Would you like to help brush our horse?" She asks innocently. Stella nods, shyly following Cynthia over to Teddy. I watch them both from a distance and begin packing up our other supplies. So this Houndstooth guild is more ruthless than I thought. I grow anxious at the idea. People so desperate to escape they'll risk their lives? That can't be a good thing.

"Are you guys ready to head out?" I belt towards the girls.

"Yeah, he's all pretty and ready to go!" Cynthia giggles as I turn around with an armful of our items. I hold in a laugh, registering that Teddy's mane and tail have been braided and flowers have been tied into his intricate hairstyle.

"Are you trying to embarrass the poor creature?" I chuckle, Lucy barks and hops around Teddy's hooves.

"Stella thought he should look extra nice today, right?" She grins sheepishly at the little girl who nods rapidly.

"Whatever," I sigh, rather humored as I tassel the last of our bags onto his saddle. "You two can ride him, I'll walk."

"Alright, come here Stella." Cynthia chimes, the girl skips up next to her. "Ever been on a horse before?"

Stella thinks for a moment. "Just a few times. I can't ride by myself yet." She admits.

"Well, that's alright since I'll be with you." Cynthia reassures her, leading the horse over to a stump. "Just get up on that stump and push yourself on." She smiles and watches the girl pull herself up before mounting herself.

"Let's hit the road you two." I say, patting Teddy on the flank as we leave the camp. Let's hope we don't come across any Houndstooth men.