We make it to the village proper, huddling in for warmth in the grocers store… along with half the rest of the village, Kara’s eyes filling with worry with how many people are cramped into such a tiny space.

>Just get what we need and get out
>Bakery’s got less people, let’s wait there for the crowd to thin

>>47549307
>>Just get what we need and get out
Glad to see this again.

>>47549299
>Just get what we need and get out
I completely forgot this was a thing

>>47549307
>Bakery’s got less people, let’s wait there for the crowd to thin

>>47549307
>Bakery’s got less people, let’s wait there for the crowd to thin

>>47549299
>>47549307
>Bakery's got less people, let's wait there for the crowd to thin

votes closed

...Shouldn’t risk her hood getting knocked off. I elbow her gently, “Come on, we’ll wait it out where it’s less crowded.” She nods, grateful as we trudge back outside.

“Ya know.” Alison comments loudly, “All these months, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen the top of your head girlie.” She points at Kara. “What is it you’re actually hiding under there?”

Kara tilts her head down, “Leon told you… a witch got me.”

Alison raises her eyebrows, “Well, yeah… but what’d she get ya with?”

“It’s private.” I cut in, “Alison, can we drop it?”

She shrugs, her breath steaming in front of her face, “Suit yaself.” She sighs, “Heavens forbid I learn something interesting.”

I hear a familiar whoof as we approach the bakery, Lance bounding up, the sheepdog we pulled out of the ruins of Tarlick, his tail wagging happily, his coat thick enough that he can shrug cold like this off… I have to admit, I’m a little jealous of that.

I pat his head, stepping inside, the warm heat of baking bread rolling over us, cutting the wind off. The baker looks up expectantly, “Mornin.” He greets, “Ya buying anything?”

I bounce the coin in my hand, we’ve got plenty… “Two… no three honey rolls, please. Hottest ones you’ve got.”

He nods, pulling them from a fresh tray, the heat glorious as I bite in… Alison slumps in a chair, stairing out a window. “Town’s even more boring for winter now that most of the idiots are off to war.” She bemoans, before leaning forwards, “So, you wanna keep up yer lessons?” She asks, “River’s half frozen, so I can’t even go fishing. Need something to do.”

>Need to focus on my studies, another time
>Actually, do you mind teaching Kara a few things?
>Sure

>>47550108
>Actually, do you mind teaching Kara a few things?

>>47550108
>Sure

>>47550108
>Sure

I could use a little more time practicing with my staff. “Sure, why not.”

She cracks a grin, “That’s the spirit boyo. Can’t have our precious monster slayer getting soft on us, can we?”

“I’m not a monster slayer.” I reply. “Just the one, and it was…” I think back to the catacombs under Oendal, “It was an extreme case.”

Alison rolls her eyes, clapping me between the shoulders, “Don’t be so bloody serious about everything!” She orders… “Say, you know those little fishy turtle guys we met, ya ever see them again?”

Come to think of it… “They haven’t shown. Your guess is as good as mine as to where they went.” Should look into that.

The bell over the door dingles merrily, Kara shrinking away from it as Aaron steps in, a spear held loose in his hand. He goes right to the counter, staring up hungrily, looking miserably cold as he dusts a little snow off his shoulders.

Guard work’s not so fun once winter rolls around, I’d assume.

He pats his pockets, coming up short on coin for anything but a few scraps of bread, grunting in annoyance.

>Offer to buy him something
>Good, bastard tried to drown me!

>>47550683
>Offer to buy him something

>>47550683
>Good, bastard tried to drown me!

>>47550683
>Offer to buy him something

Nothing pisses your enemies off like being nice to them.

God fucking dammit Chuckles I've missed this shit so bad

I step up to the counter, slapping down a few coins, “What do you want?” I ask.

He narrows his eyes, suspicious. “What’s the catch?”

I shrug, “The catch is human decency. What would you like?”

He glowers, drumming his fingers on the haft of his spear a moment, before he mumbles out a few words, “Cinnamon knot.” He tells the baker.

He takes it quickly, scarfing it down, while standing close to the ovens, his clothes steaming a little, he eats in almost angry silence, before barking a quiet “Thanks.” In my direction, before he’s gone. I catch a glimpse of Sarah in the back, flour in her hair, looking harried.

“Rude.” Kara harrumphs, before catching sight of a crowd leaving the grocers, the owner kicking them out. “Should we go now?” She asks.

I nod, and we hurry back out into the snow, buying what we need quickly, before making our way back home, stepping out of the cold. Mr Johnson is sitting by the hearth, scribbling like always. “Full moon tonight.” He grumbles. “And my bones don’t much agree with the cold. Boy, you’re going to watch the bell tonight, understood?”

Well… that sounds like a miserable experience. But it’s not like I can disobey, can I?

>Yes I can, protest!
>Ask Kara to keep me warm, she’ll transform and her fur is warm
>Guess I’ll have to deal with it alone then

>>47551293
>Ask Kara to keep me warm, she’ll transform and her fur is warm

>>47551293
>Guess I’ll have to deal with it alone then

>>47551293
>Ask Kara to keep me warm, she’ll transform and her fur is warm

>>47551293
>>Ask Kara to keep me warm, she’ll transform and her fur is warm

>>47551293
>Guess I’ll have to deal with it alone then

So wait, nothing came from an entire goddamn town being completed wiped clean of life?

The Church can just go around, butchering entire villages like Tarlick, and the local nobles don't bat an eye at the loss of tax revenue, let alone the losses in skilled labor and spoilage of produce?

Is this war pulling the nobles' attention from the killing fields in their own back yards?

>>47551722
pretty much, no ones noticed it much yet

Mr Johnson sent a letter to the sheriff, but not much has come of it yet

>>47551743
>pretty much, no ones noticed it much yet
Okay, yeah, I can see how if the nobles and their levies are marched off to war, they won't know about the mass murders going on back home.

But oh man, when it comes round to tax season, and the lord that owned Tarlick is wondering where's his money, that's when I expect to see heads roll.

I nod quietly, heading upstairs, stopping Kara along the way.

“Would you mind… helping me stay warm tonight?” I ask her.

She cocks her head, “Down at the bell?” She asks. “Is that a good idea? I’d have to hide pretty quick if someone was approaching.”

I weight the risks, but… “You can hear them coming from miles away.” I assure her, “Please?”

She mulls it over, before she nods along. “Oh, alright.” She grins a little, “Just cos you said please.” She adds, hopping up and kissing my cheek. “When are you heading down?”

“Few hours.” I gripe, “And… thanks.” She winks, darting into her room.

I keep my studies up, diligently copying out my own version of a hundred page tome on the great witches of the three clans in Senschal, the hovel town close by overrun by witches. It’s weird to think that there’s an entire town of witches and it’s so close by…

I set the book aside when I’m done, taking an early dinner, before bundling myself up as much as possible, taking a chair down the road. Marmalade accompanies me a while, the cat’s tail swishing back and forth as she digs about for any hopes of dead bugs or rodents in the snow, but comes up with very little.

About an hour or so later, the moon rises, and the familiar giant form of Kara comes slinking down the lane, ears pressed flat against the back of her head. I do my best to clear a patch of snow on the ground, before curls up and lays flat, letting me lay bck against her stomach, her fur soft and warm, her belly rising and falling against my back.

She leans her head up, giving my cheek a soft lick, before letting her head droop, settling in and trying to get comfortable.

I pat her head softly, rubbing the area between her ears, which I’ve noticed she’s got quite the fondness for, her foot thumping in satisfaction, before she stops it, ducking her head in embarrassment.

No one comes for hours, and… my attention starts to slip.

My chin jerks up, hearing a tree branch snapping somewhere nearby to the left, Kara jolting awake with me. The moon’s gone, hidden behind thick clouds, the night pitch black as I stare around the dead trees.

>Kara, get Mr Johnson
>It's nothing, I shouldn't be startled so easily
>Let's take a look around, the both of us
>Kara, go hide, I'll look into it

>>47551941
>>Let's take a look around, the both of us

>>47551941
>Kara, go hide, I'll look into it

>>47551941
>Kara, go hide, I'll look into it
>Be ready to get Mr. Johnson and Marmalade.

>>47551941
>Kara, go hide, I'll look into it

I grip my staff tighter, pushing to my feet. The cold almost feels like it intensifies around me, cold knives in my lungs. “Kara… go hide. I’m gonna look into this.”

She makes a whine of concern, but hurries off onto the far side of the road, away from the noise.

I head into the trees, pulling my hood down to hear better, ears pricked.

I spin as I walk, peering into the dark. “Who’s there?” I call.

Silence…

I stalk deeper into the woods, avoiding snapping branches of my own, my eyes slowly adjusting to the dark, just in time for me to practically walk into a young woman clad entirely in black, a belt of knives strapped over her chest, undrawn.

“Hello, little spook.” She greets with an almost playful voice. “How brave, to leave your pet rabbit behind while you look for me.”

She grins, her teeth filed to a point, the air around her even colder… a witch, she’s got to be a witch, right?

>Jab her with the staff
>Who are you?
>RUN! Get the spook!

>>47552274
>Who are you?

>>47552274
>>Who are you?

>>47552274
>Who are you?

I take a few steps backwards, holding my staff tight, “Wh-Who are you?” I demand.

She laughs, high and clear, “Such authority in your voice.” She comments, a mocking edge to her voice. She brushes past me with long steps. “And the question you should be asking, little spook, is not who I am, but if I am a threat.” She turns her head back, still walking. “And clearly you don’t think I’m much of a threat, of you’d have already tried to jab me with your stick.”

The wood creaks under my fingers, I was gripping it so tight. “That’s not an answer.” I retort. “Tell me who you are, or get lost.”

She smiles, plucking a knife from her belt, and casually slits her palm open, a shallow cut, but she turns her palm down, letting a few drops shake into the snow below. “An insane woman, probably.” She replies.

She tosses the knife in the air, straight up, a short caw cut off, as a raven comes crashing into the snow between us. “The witches of the Milldwin clan of Senschal were spying on you and yours boy.” She comments. “I thought I’d take care of that.”

The raven squawks pathetically, trying to take to the air, even with a broken wing, before the mysterious woman marches forwards and stamps on it’s back, cutting the caws off quietly. “There, no more spy.” She nods. I keep my distance, eyeing the blood she dropped in the snow. “This is the part where you say thank you. Didn’t your mummy teach you manners?”

>Thank you
>At least tell me your name
>Does Mr Johnson know you’re here?
>Write in

>>47552823
>>At least tell me your name
>>Does Mr Johnson know you’re here?

>>47552823
>Thank you
>At least tell me your name
>Does Mr Johnson know you’re here?
>Other
"Ma'am, we both know that just because you are an enemy of my enemy, just means you're my enemy's enemy, not necessarily a friend."
A trusting Spook is a dead Spook.

>>47552823
>>At least tell me your name
>>Does Mr Johnson know you’re here?

Yeah, we have no idea if she can be trusted.

“Does Mr Johnson know you’re here?” I ask.

She smirks, stooping to pull the knife out of the bird. “If he doesn’t, I’m sure he will once you go running home with your tail between your legs.” She replies.

She leaps suddenly, grabbing an overhead branch and twirling up to sit on it, like an acrobat, seconds before Kara comes crashing through the trees, trying to tackle her, spinning around to face the woman in black.

“Relax.” The woman calls down, “Your precious human boy is intact, I merely killed a nasty little bird.”

Kara glances around, spotting me and shrinking on herself awkwardly, ears pressing back against her body. “Nnn.” She whines in apology. I wave her off, looking upwards. “At least tell us your name?” I ask.

She leans on a hand, flipping another knife out and cleaning under her fingernails with it. “I could, but where would be the fun in that.” Kara and I stare up at her silently, and she tuts her tongue loudly. “Oh, very well. My name is-” She stops speaking as the bell on the road clangs loudly.

“Oi! Spook! We fink we founnus a wayawolf!” A man bellows drunkenly.

“Malkin.” The woman finishes simply. “Now, it seems you have work to do, little spook.” She leaps down from the tree, landing so lightly, moving across the snow without leaving a footstep, she picks up the dead raven and leaves silently.

>After her, don’t want to lose track of someone like that
>Tell the customer to get lost, go tell Mr Johnson
>Go deal with the customer’s ‘weyawolf’ problem.

>>47553261
>Go deal with the customer’s ‘weyawolf’ problem.

>>47553261
>Go deal with the customer’s ‘weyawolf’ problem
>Other: have Kara hide

>>47553261
>>Go deal with the customer’s ‘weyawolf’ problem.

I watch her retreat, crunching atop the snow… then I let out a slow sigh. “Kara, go hide, I’ll deal with the customer.”

She nods, hurrying off through the trees in the opposite direction of Malkin, as I return to the road. “Stop… just stop ringing the bell.” I call, stepping out of the trees.

The man startles a little as I emerge from the dark. “Blimey, boy, youd give me a heart attack if ya weren’t so short.”

I yawn, “You’ve seen a werewolf, have you?” I ask.

He nods hurriedly, ‘Yer, down the pub, just past Anthony’s, theres…” He trails off, trying to focus on enunciating his words, “There’s this big black fucker, dancing in the breeze.”

I sigh, almost definitely a false call.

>Call out fee is twenty goil coin, pay up first
>Sir, go home
>Just go check it out, he can pay later

>>47553653
>Just go check it out, he can pay later

>>47553653
>Just go check it out, he can pay later

>>47553653
>Just go check it out, he can pay later
>Note who he is, get a name and receipt first.

I inhale through my nose, pulling my hood back up, as fresh snow starts to fall. “Just lead the way.” I sigh.

He nods, stumbling over his own feet a bit as we trudge downhill. I ask him his name, and assure him that he’ll be paying once he’s sober, scribbling it down on a scrap of paper. Alan, Aaron’s father.

He leads through Arling, past the bakery, past Alison’s house, past the grocer, even past the sawmill, all the way to the pub at the far end of town, the cold numbing my fingers even through my gloves…

Wish I could bring Kara along, rest my hands on her side, her nice, fluffy coat… Is that okay to think about? She is… naked, after a sort. I feel my face heat up, as much as it can, as I put that thought out of my head.

“There!” He hisses, sputtering spit through his teeth as he points.

I follow his finger, to… “Sir, that’s a fur jacket on a clothesline.” I sigh. “Why they’d leave it out in this snow is beyond me, but that’s all it is.”

He shakes his head, “Nah! Not that!” He repeats, pointing at the trees beyond it. “In tha woodsh. Saw this little feller turn into a bloody beast!” He sprays over my face.

>Sir, go to bed
>Go check it out
>I'm charging double as of now

>>47553995
>Go check it out

>>47553995
>Go check it out

>>47553995
>Find out what they looked like.
>Go check it out

I give him a long look, but my good nature gets the better of me. I hop the fence and crunch through the yard, hopping the back fence too, I ready my staff, just in case.

I step into the woods beyond, glancing left and right, the dark less severe here, as the clouds over the moon drift away.

There was…. Something here. Something large, that disturbed the bushes and snapped some branches….

I squat down, looking for tracks and- oh….

I know what shape well by now, the paw prints of a lapine are pressed lightly into the snow, bounding off deeper into the woods. I peer into the dark, but there’s no sign of any giant rabbit people from here, just a few strands of loose fur caught on bushes, a trail that soon goes cold, no fur, no tracks, no anything.

How the hell did a giant rabbit person move across snow without leaving any tracks?

I return to Alan, glancing over my shoulder. “Well?” He sputters, “Didja seeit?” He asks, eyeing the woods with fear, the first hint of dawn purpling the sky.

>You’re drunk, there was nothing
>I did, but it’s long gone. Nothing to worry about
>Write in

>Go get Kara, she might be able to track them.
>Nothing for it, call it a night

>>47554215
We should probably go tell Mr Johnson about this

>>47554215
>I did, but it’s long gone. Nothing to worry about

>>47554215
>I did, but it’s long gone. Nothing to worry about
>Nothing for it, call it a night
Tell Kara about it though

“Well, there was something there, but don’t get worried too much.” I tell him. “Whatever it was, it’s long gone now.”

He gulps, a bit of fear on his face now that he’s been validated. “I-it was real?” He stammers.

“Yes, but it’s not a threat.” I assure him, “Just, you know, keep an ear open and let me know if you see it again, or anyone else says they do.”

He nods, staring out at the woods. “R-right.” He grimaces, stumbling the rest of the way home.

I head back home, scratching my head. “Another lapine?” I ask myself. “One that disappears without a trace, on the same night as that Malkin woman… whatever she is.”

Kara comes scurrying out of the woods, pressed low to the ground, head cocked, a silent question. “His werewolf… followed back to where he saw it, found a lapine print.”

Her eyes widen in shock, her foot thumping nervously as she spins around, looking back down the road. “It’s… well, maybe not fine, but what little tracks they left, they were heading away from the village. They’re not coming back this way.”

She shakes, under her fur, her jaw jittering for a moment.

>Hug her neck, calm her down
>You should stick close to the house, in case it’s Letuh again
>Wanna help track them down tomorrow?

>>47554555
>Hug her neck, calm her down
>You should stick close to the house, in case it’s Letuh again

going for dinner, cant wait to return to two more votes

>>47554555
>Hug her neck, calm her down

>>47554692
It's harder to samefag here than on akun.

>>47554555
>Hug her neck, calm her down
>You should stick close to the house, in case it’s Letuh again

>>47554555
>Hug her neck, calm her down

I wrap my arms around her neck, patting her under the chin softly… it’s almost easier to get closer to her when she’s like this, makes me less nervous…
Nervous, right.

I stroke her chin softly, her nervous foot thumping slowing down a bit, “Kara… just in case, I want you to stick close to the house for the next few days.”

She looks back at me, confused. “Nnn?”

“Because it could be Letuh again, and I’m worried. I don’t want him transforming and getting hold of you again.” I tell her, understanding her question.

She nods, opening her mouth, “Nnnnn… okay.” She squeaks the word out, her voice high pitched and quiet, unused to using her vocal chords in this form.

I rub her face softly, “Thanks, Kara.” I pat her head, “I’ll do my best to clear this up as soon as possible, okay?”

She nods, turning back towards the house, before nudging me with her head. She squats low, head lowered, nodding me in her direction, up onto her shoulders. “You… want me to ride you?”

She nods, and I do my best to clamber up, resting between her front and back legs, uncertainly grabbing handfuls of hair, as she pads the rest of the way up the hill… I yawn, my eyes closing.

I slump down on her back, hugging my arms around her. “Kara?” I ask.

“Nnnn?”

“Can I fall asleep here?”

“Nnn.” A noise that I’m 90% sure is confirmation… Cool.

“G’night…” I yawn, closing my eyes, as the sun cracks over the horizon. Strange night.

>End of Spook Quest 16

>>47554555
hug her you fag

>>47555033
Thanks for the thread, even if it was a little quiet in here.

>>47555033
Thnaks for running chuckles.