Daki jumped and weaved, he dodged around buildings and other obstacles as they made their way through the city. Each footfall was like a cat… silent and calculating, they couldn’t afford to be seen by the terrible monster who had scared off all the rest. With dawn quickly approaching, they had no time for shenanigans.

“This way!” Taeo whispered from somewhere ahead. “We’re almost there!”

He watched as the hare leapt off of the building ahead and vanish behind the architecture. “Alright,” he shouted as he came to the edge and leapt off. He landed on his feet, with a quiet thump.

They were in a small courtyard, surrounded by buildings of different shapes and sizes. Small, thick skyscrapers, a warehouse and many commercial buildings. The one thing that caught his interest however, was the thin house, wedged in between two of the skyscrapers. There was a yard with the greenest grass he had ever seen. Even before the Scar, he had never seen plants so vibrant and full of life! And in the yard, there was a lone tree.

Taeo stood beside him, staring ahead at the home. He inhaled deeply. “This is it,” he said as he slowly walked forward and approached the door.

“A little… small,” Daki said.

Taeo turned, his glare digging deep into Daki’s soul. “Yeah? Your point?”

Daki shrugged and shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Jill and I,” Taeo said. “We built this ourselves.”

Daki nodded. He understood why, by his comment, his friend might be a little offended. What he had really meant though, was that although it was small, it was also very nice and cute. He smiled and stepped up beside Taeo.

Taeo stared for a moment, with a fist out, ready to knock.

“Do you really need to do that?” he asked.

Taeo shook his head. “It… seems like the right thing to do.” he rapped three times on the solid wood and then stepped back as he waited there for a response.

It didn’t take long as the sound of footfalls echoed from inside, the door knob turned and the door creaked open. A little hand clutched the handle and when Daki looked down, there was a miniature Taeo standing there. He looked up at his father expectantly. “Dad?”

For a moment, it seemed as if Taeo was frozen. He didn’t move or talk, he just stood there in a daze.

Daki nudged Taeo in the ribs, hoping he could get some kind of response. “Taeo,” he said.

Taeo blinked. “Oh uhh… Kein!” he opened his arms for the little hare.

“Dad!” Kein jumped into his father’s arms and the two held a very tight embrace.

Daki looked away. That was something he wished he had gotten from his own father, but the man had disappeared before his first birthday. That left Silas to look after both him and their alcoholic mother, a situation not good for any eleven year old.

“Taeo!”

This time it was a female hare who came through the door to greet them. She was almost Taeo’s identical, save for the white tufts of fur on the tips of her ears and her white face. She scowled at her husband and placed her hands on her hips. She tapped her foot in an annoyed manner. This female was someone whom he was sure he didn’t want to anger.

“J-J-Jill…” Taeo stuttered. “I-I’m sorry I cou-”

“Oh shove it!” she said as she reached out to take hold of their son. “You were supposed to check in hours ago!”

Reluctantly, Taeo placed Kein in her arms and stepped back. He bowed as low to the ground as he could while still standing. “I’m sorry!” Taeo shouted.

Daki winced. He had shouted so loud, Daki was sure the entire city could hear the apology.

“I’m sorry,” he said. This time the words were almost inaudible. Taeo shuttered and a single tear fell, splashing onto the paved steps.

Her expression softened. “Come in,” she said. She turned to walk in, but hesitated for a moment. Then she looks behind her shoulder, towards Daki. “Both of you.” Jill entered the house, a warm glow surrounding her.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“Let’s go,” Daki said to his friend. He did his best to keep his voice as gentle and as understanding as possible.

Taeo nodded.

Though the house was small and it appeared as if they didn’t have much, it was a cozy place. Daki thought that maybe it was the type of home he would enjoy growing up in or perhaps, raising his own family. He ducked as they entered into a thin hallway. Picture frames of the family adorned the wall. There was one with just Taeo, another with Kein and Jill and then the last one with a little girl leveret whom he had yet to meet. Jill led them through the entrance and into the dining room.

“What’s wrong Taeo?” Jill asked. “Why have you not returned until now?”

Daki stepped forward. “Because he was taking me to the Guild.”

Her eyes went wide and then after a moment, they narrowed. “How come? Didn’t you say that you’d never go back there?”

“Yes,” Taeo said. He averted his gaze.

“Then why?” she said as she put Kein back on the floor.

“It was… my job to patrol the streets,” he said. “T-to make sure everyone is safe but… but then I met Daki.”

“Oh? Then it is your fault,” she said.

Daki nodded.

It was in fact, sort of his fault if they counted the fact that Taeo had to escort him to the hall to hand over the letter he was to deliver. They spoke with Matthias and were forced into a fight with those two, Daemonic dogs.

“I’m sorry,” Daki said. “But we don’t have much time.”

Jill sighed and shook her head.

“Wait,” Taeo said. “Where is Rose?”

“She…” Jill hesitated before looking into his eyes. “Taeo, she wants so much to be like you… her father that she…”

“She what?”

“She went to look for you because… she wants you to teach her how to fight those things.”

Taeo stood up from the seat he had taken earlier. His chair fell over. “And you didn’t stop her?” he asked. There was an undertone of fury in his voice. It was clear he would do anything to keep his family safe, even if that meant keeping them from fulfilling their passion. In this case… Taeo was justified.

“I tried,” Jill said. “But you know how she is? She’s a stubborn teenager.”

A loud wail shook the ground and the walls around them. Daki froze despite his body telling him to move. Never in all the time the Scar had been opened, had he felt like this. Even his time on the streets were not filled with so much fear and dread. What kind of creature were they trying to avoid on their way to Taeo’s home. What creature could make a noise like that?

“D-Daki,” Taeo said. His eyes were wide and he was visibly shaking. “C-can you h-he-hel”

Daki nodded. Even his voice was frozen as that was the only action he could take. But they had to hurry. Not only was Taeo’s daughter at risk, but their own lives were as well. No matter what, they ‘had’ to return to the guild within the time limit.

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. One breath… two breaths… three… four… It was a calming technique Margie had taught him as he was learning to wield magic. A technique meant to help clear the mind, body and soul of any uncertainty. Though it was slow in acting, soon Daki was able to move. His body stopped shaking and he was ready to go.

“I’m ready!” Taeo said to Daki, then he turned to Jill. “If we find Rose, we won’t have enough time to bring her back. Instead, she will have to come here on her own.”

“Just… be careful!”

“Of course!” Taeo said. “Didn’t you know, Careful is my middle name!”

She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. “I always thought your middle name was Theo.”

Taeo opened his arms and the two embraced. “Yeah well… can’t we just pretend for right now?” he let go and backed up to where Daki was standing, waiting.

“It was nice to meet you,” Daki said. “I hope we meet again.”

Another wail shook the house, louder than the last one.

“We have to go Jill,” Taeo said as he turned around. “I don’t want to leave but… Maybe this is for the best. We ‘are’ going to look for a way across the Scar after all. Maybe we can find a way to heal the planet on the other side, to close the planet’s wound.”

She nodded, though all of them, Taeo included, knew that scenario wasn’t very likely. Thousands of crevice climbers had died while trying to explore the enormous gap in the earth and thousands more were still unaccounted for. The climbers who were able to return were not people who had gone very deep. They were merely just treasure hunters who explored dungeons much closer to the surface.

Daki led the way out of the tiny, cute house and into the haze that was the approaching dawn. Though the sun could not yet be seen on the horizon, the sky was a dull, dark blue, lighter than before. The acrid stench was still permeating the air, but the cool breeze was refreshing.

“Do you think… if the sun comes up, that creature will go back to where it came from?”

“I don’t know,” Taeo said. “But chances are, even if it does… unless it is defeated… killed somehow, it will be back tomorrow night and the night after that and the night after that. It will keep returning as long as it has a food source. Daki…” he looked up. “We have to kill that thing, you know that, right?”

“Yes,” he said. “Let’s go find that thing!”

Another loud wail sounded from somewhere nearby. Taeo was immediately on guard, with his spear at the ready and Daki looked around them to see if he could see the creature. Someone shrieked. A shrill scream that sent shivers down his spine. They didn’t have much time, they had to move, they had to find that thing! There was no hesitation in his limbs when he leapt forward. It was close, all they had to do, was follow the sounds it made.