by Scott
“By all the hells, what are you doing?” Saeter asked, sounding dumbfounded. A look of surprise and disgust was plastered on his face.
Blacknail was pretty sure he was in trouble. He gave his master a begging look and his best puppy eyes. “There were biting bugs…” he said in his most pitiful sounding voice.
Saeter gave him a light smack on his head and pulled him out of the mud by his ear. Blacknail had to lean into his master and hop rapidly to lessen the pain as Saeter pulled. When Blacknail had been dragged well out of the mud, Saeter looked him over angrily but then sighed in resignation and let him go.
The goblin winced at the pain in his ear and rubbed it carefully. It hadn't really hurt him that much though, so he expected further punishment. However, his master didn't seem so angry anymore. Instead of hitting him again, Saeter reached into a pouch at his side and withdrew some plant leaves.
“This is Flybane,” he told Blacknail as he handed several leaves to the goblin.
Blacknail sniffed them and sneezed as their strong, bitter smell invaded his nostrils. He managed to turn away so he didn’t cover his master in green goblin snot, and it shot out onto the ground instead. He had once seen a goblin beaten to death for doing that to a master. He wouldn’t make that mistake!
“The smell chases bugs away. Get some of that mud off and rub this on yourself instead,” Seter continued to explain.
Immediately, Blacknail dropped to the ground and rolled on a patch of grass to remove the mud. As Saeter watched, the edges of his mouth twitched again. Why did his new master’s face keep doing that?
When the goblin had removed most of the mud, he sat up and wiped the leaves against his skin. Soon he smelled like the plant and the swarm of bugs around him thinned out. The scent almost made him sneeze again, but he stifled it and gave Saeter a big, toothy smile.
“Thank you, master,” he said gratefully in his high voice.
Saeter just shook his head in vexation as he regarded the grinning but still dirty goblin. “I'd throw you in a bath, but I expect you'd just get dirty again right after.” He started to walk away.
Blacknail didn't know what a bath was, but he hoped it was a treat for being so smart. Maybe he could earn one later.
As they trudged on, the unfamiliar environment continued to make Blacknail anxious that something would sneak up or drop down on him from an overhead branch. He could just picture some monstrosity, like a giant cat, sitting up there hidden among the leaves and ready to pounce. He didn't think such a thing would be repelled by Flybane no matter how bad he smelled.
Peering up, he almost ran into Saeter before he realized his master had stopped moving. Saeter had crouched low and was examining something.
“Come here, Blacknail, and look,” Saeter called quietly.
The goblin scampered over a fallen log and moved up beside his master to see what he was looking at. Several animal tracks decorated the bare ground in front of them. They looked somewhat familiar to Blacknail, and they smelled familiar as well.
“Wolves. Avoid them, they're dangerous. These tracks are old though,” Saeter told Blacknail.
“Smells like doggies, master,” Blacknail replied.
“Yes, good goblin. Almost the same. Good nose,” Saeter said with a pleased tone.
He smiled at Blacknail before getting back up and continuing on. Blacknail felt a flash of happiness at the praise. He had been called good again! He followed Saeter and felt a little less afraid of the forest.
If dog-like things lived here, then it couldn't be so different from the sewers and alleys. Blacknail could deal with doggies. They couldn't climb or squeeze into tight places like goblins could. His tribe had had many good times luring doggies next to high places, then throwing stuff at them. Vicious biting doggies didn't like bricks to their faces much.
They walked on for a while when suddenly a whiff of scent drew Blacknail's attention. It was a familiar smell—the scent of a goblin. He took a deeper breath and realized it was a young male, a strange young male. Blacknail felt the urge to track it down and show it who was dominant. This was his territory now! Then just like that the scent vanished.
Saeter must have noticed something because he turned and regarded the goblin. “What is it?”
“Smell goblin, young,” Blacknail responded with a growl.
“Just one youngling? Then it's nothing to worry about. Come on,” Saeter said as he started walking again.
Blacknail waited a second and took another deep breath, but he could smell only leaves, dirt, and his master. With a touch of regret, he took off after Saeter.
After a while, Saetar stopped moving and moved into the bushes. There, he pulled a dead rabbit from where it was hanging from a sapling by something wrapped around its neck. Blacknail eyed the small tree suspiciously. He didn't know the forest well, but he was pretty sure rabbits didn't grow on trees.
“After you learn rope making, I will teach you how to set and check these snares. It's a lot easier to catch rabbits this way than by hand like feral goblins do,” Saeter explained as he hung the rabbit over his shoulder.
Oh, it was a trap set by his master. Blacknail felt a little dumb.
Saeter disassembled the trap and packed it into his bag. After he finished, he turned and headed off in a new direction. After a brief walk, he stopped to check another trap, but it was empty. He dissembled it as well before moving on to the next. This one had a rabbit caught in it. Saeter handed it to Blacknail to carry.
“No eating,” he warned the goblin.
Blacknail felt disappointment. For a second, he had thought his master was giving him a treat. Maybe if he was very good, he could taste the rabbit later, or maybe he could take some when Saeter was done with it.
All in all, they checked over a dozen traps, and got seven rabbits, before heading back to camp. Blacknail ended up carrying four. Being given so many meant that his master thought he was strong! He hoped he could earn a treat this way; he was getting kind of hungry.
As they were on their way, Saeter froze and drew his bow. Blacknail froze as well and scanned the woods for what his master had sensed. He had a sinking feeling that it would be dangerous. Pretty much everything was to a goblin.
The trees around them were a little thicker and let less light through than in the area they had just left. There were also fewer bushes, and instead of grass, short leafy plants grew. Blacknail nervously looked into the dense tree branches overhead, since there was little cover on the ground to hide anything approaching. Suddenly, a flash of movement drew his attention to a spot in the canopy.
His eyes widened in fright. Perched on a branch ahead of them was a… something. Blacknail had never seen anything like it. It was hard to tell at this distance, but it seemed to be slightly larger than a goblin but smaller than a human. It was more than big enough to be dangerous to both goblins and humans though, as it had knife-sized talons jutting from the ends of its feet.
Large brown and tan feathers covered its body and the long wings that jutted from its shoulders. However, unlike a bird, another set of dangerous-looking claws grew from the tips of its wings. Its head was crowned by a black feathery crest that stretched down its back and almost looked like a woman's long hair.
The creature’s chilling visage was completed by intense, intelligent eyes that stared at them from a disturbingly human-like face. It noticed Blacknail's attention and smiled at him, revealing a mouth stuffed full of long, sharp teeth obviously designed for tearing through flesh.
Blacknail shivered violently as fear overcame him. He instinctively looked around for a nice big bush or deep hole to hide in. Much to his dismay, the area around him was mostly full of tree trunks, roots, and tiny plants that only came up to his knees. There was no nearby shelter, so the goblin nervously glanced back at the grinning creature.
The thing had obviously seen them and knew that they could see it. That was way more intelligence than the goblin was comfortable seeing in something that clearly wa
nted to eat him. Their eyes met, and the creature locked gazes with him. It tilted its head with an almost delicate motion and made soft cooing noises, as if it was inviting him closer.
Blacknail felt a horrible urge to run away screaming. Before his fear overwhelmed him completely, Saeter drew his attention.
“Come, Blacknail. Come close to me,” Saeter commanded steadily and calmly as he stepped forward, between the goblin and the creature.
Blacknail thought that was a great idea! With a flash of panic, the goblin ducked down and scrambled up to his master's feet, barely remembering to pull the rabbits he had been carrying. Once he reached safety behind his master, the goblin's heartbeat settled a bit. True, the terrible winged creature was terrifying, but his master's calm voice reassured him somewhat. After all, Saeter was a giant and mighty warrior, even among humans!
Blacknail peeked out from behind his master's rough dark brown cloak. The winged thing's eyes narrowed in annoyance as it regarded the now sheltered goblin. Blacknail stuck his tongue out at it and made a face. Ha, it was obviously too weak and afraid to come anywhere near Saeter!
Suddenly, the thing tilted its head up and whistled sharply. The sound echoed around them as it bounced through the forest.
Saeter went still. “Look around, Blacknail. Do you see any more?”
The goblin's heartbeat sped up again and pounded painfully. There was more than one of those freaks? He turned and furtively scanned the branches behind them for signs of another beast.
“You see any more? See any more?” cried the creature in a shrill, mocking version of Saeter's voice.
Blacknail shuddered at the creepy mimicry. Could the thing actually talk? “Nothing, master.” Fear made his voice unsteady, but Saeter nodded calmly.
“Off you go, harpy. You'll get no meat here, only arrows,” Saeter yelled in a roar-like tone that echoed through the forest.
The creature tilted its head as if in contemplation and regarded him for a few moments. Then it hissed angrily as it puffed up by fluffing its feathers and spreading its wings wide. It looked much bigger than a goblin now.
Saeter responded to the challenge quickly. He drew his bowstring back and let loose an arrow. But the creature was ready for it and hopped sideways along the branch to dodge the arrow. The harpy was too far away for a good shot. After missing, the arrow flew off into the woods.
Unexpectedly, from behind, the goblin heard a fluttering noise and the cracking of twigs. Blacknail twisted around just in time to see another harpy land on a branch behind them. Saeter swore colourfully. The goblin gulped in fear, and his stomach twisted. He definitely didn’t feel safe now.
“Only arrows. Only arrows.” The first harpy laughed in apparent amusement as it watched them with new anger in its eyes. It seemed quite happy to have reinforcements, and that made Blacknail unhappy.
“Another harpy,” the goblin whispered to his master.
Saeter grunted. He had already cast a quick glance over his shoulder and seen it.
The second harpy's long claws dug into the branch it had landed on and shredded the bark. It eyed them, then hissed hatefully as its feathers puffed up.
Both harpies moved with coordinated predatory grace. The first hopped along its branch then, with a quick flap of its wings, flew to another tree. The second dove to a lower branch on a tree in the opposite direction. Its flight brought it slightly closer to Saeter and Blacknail. The two predators circled the goblin and his master by hopping and gliding from branch to branch. Both of the harpies' eyes never left Saeter's bow.
Blacknail knew what they were doing, and he really didn’t like it. No matter how he turned his head or shifted his body, he couldn’t keep an eye on both harpies at the same time. One of them was always lurking out of sight behind him. The goblin shook uncontrollably. Not knowing what the beast behind him was doing filled him with a suffocating cold dread. Meanwhile, the harpies slowly circled ever closer.
“Fuck this!” Saeter exclaimed loudly. He spun around and shot an arrow toward the harpy behind him just as it rose into the air to move again.
The harpy twisted in the air but shrieked in pain as the arrow grazed it anyway. Wounded, it careened off into the woods.
The first harpy instantly took flight and dove at Blacknail, who was now cowering at his master's feet. Saeter was ready for it and spun around even as he drew another arrow. Seeing this, the harpy quickly aborted its attack, shifted its flight, and glided down behind a tree and out of sight.
From its cover behind the tree, the harpy let loose another shrill bird-like cry that echoed through the woods. The wounded harpy quickly joined in from wherever it was hiding in the bush.
Blacknail and his master winced at the loud, grating sound. The goblin's large ears twitched as the sound wore on them. Everything about harpies was unpleasant!
“Damn.” Saeter nocked another arrow and got ready to shoot again.
An answering harpy call echoed from off to the side. It sounded fairly far away, but it was hard to tell through the thick bush. Upon hearing the reply, the first harpy peeked out from behind the tree and gave Saeter and Blacknail a hateful look. It looked as though it was preparing to attack them again. Saeter grimaced and lined up another shot with his bow.
With an angry-sounding cry, the winged beast hopped onto the tree trunk, using both sets of claws to climb, then scrambled up the tree and out of sight.
Blacknail gazed into the dark green foliage above them but couldn't see anything. Saeter sighed in frustrated relief and let his bow go loose.
“If it was going to attack again, it would have called more of its ilk. It was just looking to snatch a rabbit or two from us when its friend showed up and they decided to mess with our heads. Bloody harpies,” Saeter explained half to himself and half to Blacknail.
Blacknail stared at his master. He was still more than a little stunned, but he was glad his master had prevented the harpies from “messing with his head.” That sounded bad. He needed his head.
Saeter met Blacknail's trembling gaze. “Harpies rarely attack men or even goblins, but sometimes they will if a flock gets hungry enough. They can be dangerous though. The clever ones use their voices to lure prey into traps or falls. Don't believe everything you hear out in the forest.” He gave the still-shaking Blacknail an appraising look. “Calm down. Fear will only get you killed out here.”
Blacknail blinked in confusion and concern. His master obviously wasn't good at calming people down. Saeter shrugged and resumed walking while keeping an eye on the trees above them. Blacknail shadowed him closely.
The green maze of the forest seemed far more sinister after their encounter with the harpies. Even the joyful birdsong sounded hollow and malevolent to the goblin. Maybe what he thought was birdsong was actually harpies calling to each other as they gathered. Blacknail could imagine their vicious toothy smiles as they took dark joy in fooling his master and him with such a simple trick.
“We need to get going before something actually dangerous decides to investigate all the noise,” Saeter said casually as they moved.
Blacknail’s eyes widened in alarm. There were things more dangerous than harpies and wolf dogs? Blacknail didn't even want to think about it.
Why did the humans live out here if the forest was stuffed full of murder beasts? More importantly, why did he have to serve humans who lived in a forest stuffed full of murder beasts? Blacknail really wanted to go home.
As they made the journey back to camp, Blacknail's imagination ran wild and filled his head with an endless stream of images of menacing creatures. Every shadow cast by every bush or tree they passed contained a worse monster than the last.
What was worse than giant clawed birds and dogs? Was he right about the giant tree cats? No, that was stupid; cats wouldn't be more dangerous than dogs.
“Doggies chase cats who eat birdies,” mumbled Blacknail before he gave a nervous giggle.
Saeter turned around for a second and gave him an odd look
before raising his finger to his mouth and hushing him. Blacknail shut up. He wasn't sure what the finger gesture meant, but it seemed like a painful threat.
They soon arrived in an area that Blacknail remembered passing through on their way out. That meant they were close to the camp, and Blacknail had come to the conclusion that he was far less likely to die in the camp than in the forest.
A few minutes later, Blacknail followed Saeter as through the bushes at the forest's edge and stepped into the clearing they had started from. With a squeal of joy, Blacknail dashed into the camp and ecstatically ran a few circles around an amused-looking Saeter before collapsing onto the grass.
Safety at last! He had never been so happy to see so many hostile-looking, heavily armed human giants! He almost felt like hugging some of them, but he was sure they wouldn't like it and might even kill him for it.
With a content sigh, the goblin relaxed in the tall trampled grass and let the warm sun shine down on him. He was happy to be back.
Chapter 5
“Up, Blacknail, come on,” Saeter called as he made his way back to his tent.
Blacknail climbed to his feet with a sigh and followed his master. He wanted to enjoy lying on the soft grass under the sun some more.
As they crossed the bandit camp, Blacknail felt his earlier fear and joy fade as he calmed down. The sky was clear and blue, so there was no place for those dreadful harpies or the worse things that filled his imagination to perch. However, he soon noticed that the camp had changed. While the camp had been almost empty when he left earlier, it now contained over two dozen loitering bandits.
Several of them looked over as Saeter and Blacknail approached. Some of them immediately lost interest and looked away, but others threw Blacknail disbelieving or even outright hostile looks.
