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Morning arrived abruptly, the bustle of the small hamlet creating enough noise to rouse Gray from slumber. A quick glance around the elder's home confirmed he had already woke and headed out. Gray forced back a yawn, and rose from the pallet of furs he had used as a bed and stretched. After spying a basin of water he walked over and washed his face, then wiped himself down as best he could. It wasn't as nice as a hot shower, but it was better than nothing.

Walking out of the elder's house he was greeted by a two men carrying long spears, one of them was the tanner he had spent the previous afternoon with and upon seeing Gray he trotted over and handed Gray a large leather pack saying. "This was made from some of the materials you left yesterday, there is another present inside. Before she..." Kirst paused with a frown on his face, obviously thinking something unpleasant then continued. "Well Erivere left it for you, she said it was for thanks."

With a nod Gray accepted the pack, it was far larger than the satchel and looked rugged. It reminded him of the large packs he had seen hikers wear for long trips in the mountains, it would surely be useful. "Thanks Kirst, it looks really well made, you must have spent the whole night making it."

Kirst had a grin as he replied, "Not the whole night, but most of it. I had company though, so it wasn't too bad. Don't forget to check inside, Eri spent most of the night on her gift as well." Kirst gave him a slightly odd look and continued, "And, well to be blunt: its something you need."

Gray nodded again and shook Kirst's hand before he took his trotted off with the other hunter who had watched the exchange with an annoyed face. As they moved to leave Gray called out, "Where is Eri anyway? Haven't seen her since I got here and wanted to ask her something before leaving for Harshe."

Kirst winced, and the other man grinned as Kirst replied darkly, "I'm, sorry friend. She left after she finished that. I've not seen her since." Gray frowned slightly but nodded to Kirst again, he got the distinct impression they both knew exactly where she went but wouldn't or couldn't say. After they left he opened his new pack and found a Myrk leather tunic and leggings inside. He looked down at his bare chest and the baggy pants he had swiped off one of the monster corpses and sighed inwardly. He had been walking around with nothing covering his chest at all and little more than rags for pants.

He couldn't help but smile at the gift Eri had left him. Both pieces of clothing had the naturally dark coloring of the Myrk and would match nicely with his boots, though he wasn't crazy about dressing in all black leather. That had been the domain of some of societies oddballs in his old world, but beggars can't be choosers. He moved around till he found an area where nobody was present and quickly changed into his new clothes. He was rather impressed that Eri had managed to guess his sizes as accurately as she had, the pants were straight cut, but not baggy at all; providing just enough room for him to move freely and the shirt was sleeveless and form fitting. They felt like fitted clothing, something he had rarely worn even back on Earth. He would definitely have to thank her for this gift.

Thinking this to himself he began looking around for the village elder, and after a quick trip around the place found him near the fire speaking with several other older men in a hushed voice. When he saw Gray coming a sour look passed across his face and he bid farewell to the men whom he had been speaking with and walked to meet Gray with a tired look on his face saying, "What would you have of us now Traveler?"

Gray frowned, the previous evening they had gotten along well but the elder seemed to be annoyed with him for some reason. Gray let it pass though, as he was planning on leaving as soon as he thanked Eri for the gift. So he simply said, "I just wanted to thank your Granddaughter for the clothing. It was a kind gesture and both thoughtful and well made. If you can point me to her Ill do it and be away before you know it."

The elder frowned slightly, and spoke mostly to himself and barely audible, "So that was where she went last night..." The old man looked at Gray straight in the eye then and spoke with a gravely voice lacking any emotion. "She's dead Traveler; she went into the Myrkwood. Broke one of the only laws this place has." He motioned his arms around himself indicating the whole of the small village and continued speaking as a tear formed in his eye. "Endangered every life entrusted to me as elder. I banished her yesterday and she left before sunrise. For us regular folk being out on the plains in the darkness is the same as being dead."

Gray's eyes narrowed, and he felt irritation surge inside himself. He spoke slowly in a soft and low voice, "What? Say that again old bastard." His voice was dripping with anger now. "I could have sworn you just said you sent your own grand child, not even 16 years of age to her death."

The elder's face turned pale, fear lighting his eyes as he stumbled his reply, "Sh, she attacked you. Sh-sha-Surely you... you would have slaughtered us if she hadn't been punish..."

Grays eyes narrowed even further, barely slits now, the corded muscles in his neck bulged and his veins stood out as he spoke again, barely louder than a whisper he cut the old man off. "You cast her out for fear of me? Old bastard; if you have a god you'd best pray hard and fast that she yet lives. If you've put the blood of a decent girl on my hands... I promise you won't outlive her by long and you will beg for it before you follow her." The last words were a barely audible hiss.

The old mans knees buckled as his fear completely overwhelmed him, and he collapsed into a stuttering wreck. But this man had already ceased to exist in Gray's mind. He quickly went over his earlier conversation: Kirst had said they had been up all night working, and it was still relatively early in the morning. The sun was barely above the horizon, she could not have been gone more than two hours.

Gray broke into a trot and vaulted himself into the air, landing lightly on the edge of the elder's roof. He oriented himself in the direction Kirst had walked in and found him a few hundred paces off. Taking a deep breath he bellow at the top of his lungs, "KIRST!" Everyone nearby winced at the sheer volume of his voice, even the man in the distance jumped slightly, then turned around to face the sound. Sucking in another large breath he bellowed out a single word, "WHERE!?"

Kirst looked straight at the ground but slowly his arm lifted, pointing east. Gray understood now, she had probably made towards Harshe, same as he had planned to do. Now that he understood, there was no reason to delay. Gray leaned heavily forward allowing himself to begin to fall before kicking off the supporting wall with all his strength.

The wooden roof was pulverized by the force of his departure, but he didn't cast so much as a glance behind him. When he finally touched the ground at least forty paces from the smashed roof he was already at his top speed and heading straight east. He would move to the highest point he could see eastward; a small gently crested hill forty or so feet above the rest of the plain perhaps seven miles away, and then pause to try and find signs of her passage. He arrived in a little less than 15 minutes breathing heavily with a light sheen of sweat covering his body.

Gray began surveying the area further eastward carefully, if she had walked in the dark he estimated covering this distance would have taken her roughly an hour and a half, perhaps a bit more. As his breath returned he found what he was looking for. It was sheltered on one side by a large outcrop of limestone that jutted into the air like a bony finger; nearby was an area several dozen feet in diameter where the grass had been matted down and even kicked up in some areas. This was definitely an area where a fight had likely occurred. The area was another mile and a half or so away, so by Gray's estimation Eri had been in that area perhaps twenty minutes ago. By the time he arrived he was begining to feel tired, running for eight or nine miles in one go wasn't particularly challenging for him even in his old body, but he had been going at his top speed, not pacing himself at all and that was not something his body was familiar with. A tired sigh escaped his lips as he began closely inspecting the area.

Gray was no expert at tracking, and as he examined the site he quickly understood that there had been a scuffle here. But who or what or how many was beyond him to determine. He saw indication of one, presumably Eri arriving here, but he saw no evidence of anyone or anything leaving the area. Frowning he expanded the search area outside the matted grass and into the immediate surroundings. Finding nothing he leaned up against the limestone outcropping, resting his head against it and trying to think.

Suddenly he felt a slight vibration through the rock under his head, like someone had struck the opposite end of it that lay embedded in the ground. Gray frowned as he looked down at the earth below the rock. If Eri had come here, been attacked and not left. Then perhaps she was still here. Gray's frown transformed into a steely grin, with any luck she might even still be alive.

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Another short one guys, sorry. Having to put in overtime at the office the last few days and its cutting into my writing time. Hopefully this weekend I will have a chance to get some longer chapters down. No promises, but I'm hoping. As always comments, criticism, and reviews and ratings are always encouraged and welcome. And also thank you for reading.