Moving on
You slowly make your way up the stairs, sniffing the air and looking around cautiously. Before you make it to the top you decide to return the journal. It isn't of much use to you now anyway, and you figure that you could respect their memory by returning it to the man. You place it back into the clutches of the corpse but his remains give way and both their forms become dust and bones on the basement floor. The bewildering sight is instantly etched into your mind permanently. Your body goes numb as you stand again and leave up the stairs. Each step you take is cursed with searing pain, not only from the horror that you've just been through but also the glass which remains in your footpaws.
You stand at the top of the stairs and look around for a moment at the remains of the house. Insulation, wood, glass and clothes lay strewn across the floor. Little is left, aside from a corner wall section, and a meager foundation. Guessing that you can spare a moment to tend to your paws, you scrounge about in the wreckage until you find a pair of tweezers. A one in a million find and a welcome break for you considering the rest of your journey thus far. It takes until dark to fix yourself up and prepare to leave.
Your path now lies forward; into the woods once more. The trees stalk tall above your small sleek form. And the cool air, while not as cold as the previous night, hugs you tightly. Creatures call and plants rustle in the brisk wind. The green moons glow like omens in the sky whilst the forest buzzes with it's nightly excursions. A long narrow path winds through the thick trees and leads you on into the deep night.
Written by Lokor and Kire Kitsune on 20 November 2013
