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Kat looked at D, nodded and then looked to the bartender.
“What!? You will?!” He exclaimed,”Oh thank you... You can stay here and eat for
free as part of payment for your services. The villagers will also give you a handsome
payment I’m sure of it.”
D was silent and then asked,”Where did the last two go missing?”
The man pointed out the window as he said,”Over by the apple orchard. All the
children loved playing there.”
They glanced out the window and saw the orchard, blossoms falling as spring
melted into summer as the days passed.
“We should probably go look at it,”D said and Kat looked at him.
“Yeah,”she agreed as she pushed back her stool and stood up.
“Thank you,”the bartender said, looking at them both,”Very much.”
D stood and without any response they both walked out of the tavern, following
the path to the orchard. As they came to the orchard they saw a woman sitting against
one tree, hysterically sobbing. As they walked a bit furthur in Kat stopped and looked at
the woman, her head slightly tilted to one side. She glanced to D, who was looking at the
woman as well, unsure of whether to comfort the woman or keep her distance. As she
looked back to the woman she noted that the woman was looking at them.
“Who are you?” She asked, her eyes red from crying as she stood shakilly.
D glanced to Kat then to the woman again and the woman looked at him then Kat
them D again.
“Talk to her,”he said simply,”I’ll look around.”
Giving him a look that almost said ‘but but but but...’ she then turned to the
woman who launched her self at Kat, sobbing about her missing children. D walked
deeper into the grove, looking around at the ground, trees, and everything in sight. In the
background he heard Kat trying to calm the hysterical woman as she clung to Kat, still
sobbing. The ravings were incoherent and soon, the pale haired man from earlier came
and gently lead her home. As all this was going on D noticed a piece of cloth at the base
of the tree, and some claw marks on the bark itself.
Walking quickly to him she asked as she got to his side,”Find anything?”
He picked up the cloth and showed it to her saying simply,”This...”
D motioned to the marks and added,”And this.”
Examining the cloth in his hands she then knelt by the tree, examing the marks.
“Claw marks,”she said quietly, then looked up at him,”You think it was
werewolves?”
“Too small,”D said quietly,”Don’t know what it could be.”
“I guess you’re right,”she said looking at the marks again,”I have no idea
either....”
As her voice trailed off a muffled voice came from D’s left hand.
“Let me have a look at it..”
Remaining quiet D pulled his glove off and showed the symbiot the tree. It looked
around and sniffed a bit doing other things to try and determine what the marks were from
finally speaking up.
“It smells of oni.”
As D pulled his glove back on he said quietly,”Interesting.”
Kat nodded slightly and D continued,”Go to town, tell everyone to take all the
jade they have and carry it with them.”
“Ok,”she said as she stood,”Anything else?”
“Tell them to kill any children that come back.”