The blizzard grew stronger as the time passed, the Wanderer stood with his back to the child, gun braced as the creature shot out of the blinding mass of white...

Chapter 1: Wanderer

It was a few days short of the High Dawn when a cloaked 'Kithadar', or wanderer, entered the village of Ravnholm. A small settlement at the base of the mountains with only a few buildings standing out amidst the hillside. A dilapidated chapel with remaining signs of damage, the village's storehouse and the ever present pub. All things that the Kithadar noted as he walked past the worried and concerned villagers working through the snowing midday, their work only halting to eye the newcomer.

The Kithadar stopped in front of the pub, reading the name 'The Scarlet Horn'. With a shake of his head, he entered the small building that stood out from the others by the table and benches set up outside it, though they remained empty at this time of the year.

The few patrons inside gave him a passing glance as he approached the bartender to find a place to stay in the village for the night. With a short exchange and handing off a small pouch, he was led to the backroom and shown the only accomodation in the village. A small room that hadn't been touched for a long time, set up at some point in the past for a previous traveler.

More of him was not seen until that evening, when he overheard the Elders being unsettled after one of the small ones came, saying they had seen large claw marks leading from the storehouse and out from the village. While the Elders spoke among themselves, the Kithadar listened and soon after left the pub. Heading for the storehouse, easily the largest building in the town, he managed to find it, and approached. It quickly became evident something wasn't right, the door to the storehouse was filled with claw marks, and as the Kithadar's eyes looked it over he noted for himself that not all were fresh.

Though his examination was short, as the elders arrived with a nervous glance to each other, they told him to leave and forbade him from coming near the storehouse again, their voices carrying a tone making it clear they were not to be questioned. So the Kithadar left without a word to the Elders, travelling towards the woods as he followed the tracks left from the creature, four large claws dragging themselves through the snow.

Chapter 2: The Woods

Wandering through the snowy woods, the claw marks started to become an increasingly common sight on both the snow and the trees. Soon he came to a clearing, a single set of tracks leading through it, and as he felt something being off, the Kithadar kept to the treeline and slowly made his way around it, until he found a suitable set of bushes and hid himself amongst them to watch the open area.

As he waited, the setting sun soon disappeared over the edge of the treetops, leaving the forest in darkness. Then, as the last drop of light faded, he heard something moving through the snow… Heavy footsteps dragged through the snow somewhere in the clearing, coming closer to where the Kithadar sat still, and then, silence…

An hour passed with the Kithadar slowly easing up as nothing happened, his every sense trying to discern even the faintest sign of the creature's presence, though it was gone as fast as it had appeared. Carefully he stood up, making sure he made as little sound as possible as he began to trace back his steps from earlier.

As he walked, a scream broke the silence, causing him to stop and listen for it, as the forest fell still once more. After it stopped, he set off with the snow kicking up after each step, branches breaking as he barely managed to avoid the trees in his rush, until he finally saw it. One of the elders, slumped against a tree, the side of his neck appeared to have been torn open.

Chapter 3: The Child

Little could be done about the elder, but as the Kithadar was about to step away, he felt a presence behind him. Turning around in an instant, he saw nothing but the faint shape of a child, hidden under the roots of a tree. He was surprised at seeing it was the same youngling from the pub before, the Kithadar calmed the terrified child and offered to bring them back to the village.

The few people still outside stared as he arrived at the village, whispering among each other when he walked past them to the pub. Safe from the darkness, he put the youngling down and stepped over to speak with the bartender, intent on discovering where the young one lived.

Reluctant at first, the bartender explained that the few children in the village were orphans due to the war, with the Elder taking care of them. Though as he explained, the Kithadar noted for himself as it was mentioned in passing, that the Elder often had to search for the kids when they go to the woods, having strictly forbidden them from going there which only seemed to encourage them. The bartender seemed equally surprised at the Elder not having returned yet.

The Kithadar thought long about the kid, who seemingly left the village yet remained unharmed by the beast that the villagers remained unwilling to speak of. He was pulled away from his thoughts as he noticed his sleeve had been stained red, and he surmised that he must have cut himself on something in his rush to get to the elder earlier. Unworried about the wound, he took care of it before resting for the night.

Chapter 4: Sorrowful Days

The mood in the village was eerie in the morning, people were quiet until around midday when the chapel called to service. A funeral was to be held for the elder who had been found in the woods earlier that day, yet as the Kithadar approached the chapel, he could see the door being shut as the last of the villagers entered, leaving him alone in the empty village.

As the Kithadar turned to head back to the pub, he spotted the young one from the previous night staring at him from behind one of the buildings. Seeing that he had spotted them, they disappeared behind the building, and the Kithadar decided to follow as something remained off. The footprints in the snow continued towards the forest again, and with a resigned sigh he made himself to follow, however the kid was nowhere in sight, but their footprints remained.

For him, it felt like hours passed as he followed the steps, yet the sun never moved in the sky. When he finally came to a spot where the snow had been stomped flat, the tracks came to a sudden halt. Confused at first, the Kithadar looked around, and it began to dawn upon him that he had seen the place before. The previous night, when he had found the elder, yet not a single drop of blood was to be seen, he turned to the hollow spot under the roots, but all he saw was the empty hole. With wariness, he stepped over and kneeled down beside the hole, examining it.

In the sunlight, a faint glimmer caught the eye of the Kithadar and he reached out, digging his claws into the dirt and pulling the object out. An old locket, rusted with age and wear. With some effort using his knife, he managed to flip it open, and within was a photo that was just barely recognizable through the damage it had sustained over the years. The photo depicted an old looking tajara, with a small kid on his lap, which to his astonishment looked exactly like the child he had been following into the forest.

Chapter 5: Past Truths

The Kithadar returned to the village, a light snowfall already having hidden the tracks from earlier, he arrived as the pyre for the elder was lit. The Elder’s face appeared calm as the fire began to spread across the wood like a pack of hungry Sham'tyr.

He waited in the pub, the bartender eventually returning, going silent as he saw the open locket. With a serious look, the bartender leaned on the counter, and in a hushed voice, he began to explain to the Kithadar. The man in the locket, the Elder who had passed, had lost the locket years ago in the woods, on the night his son had passed away. No one in the village knew about what had happened back then, beyond that the son had run away from home, but never returned. The Elder himself never spoke of it beyond returning to the woods each evening since that day.

The Kithadar thanked the bartender and got up, grabbing the locket and returning to his room. He packed his bag and grabbed it, leaving the pub soon after. Before leaving the village, he sought out the widow of the Elder, and without a word he gave her the locket, turning away before she could respond, then with determined, yet sorrowful steps, the Kithadar left the village once more...