Circumstantial

The cold of winter curled it’s way through the lycan’s thick fur to nip at her skin, sending shivers up her spine as she made her way up the mountain path. The sky was covered in a thick layer of clouds while large snowflakes lazily fell to the ground. Around her the peaks reached upwards with jagged fingers of stone. The few trees that grew at this altitude were devoid of leaves.

Goth paused to catch her breath. Her ears flicked towards every sound while tendrils of shadow-like fire flicked around her teeth with each exhale. It was still, for a moment, before the loud crack of a snapping branch echoed through the sparse trees.

The lycan whirled around to face the direction it came from, tense and ready to flee if needed. It was then a dirt brown corva tumbled out from the treeline. He skid a few feet before stopping in front of Goth. The two stryx stared at each other before the corva jumped up with a big grin.

“Hello! Pleasant surprise to see someone else on the mountain today,” The corva’s tail wagged as he spoke. There were twigs sticking up from his feathers in haphazard directions.

“It sure is, what were you doing just now?” Goth couldn’t help the concern in her voice. It wasn’t often that someone could catch her off guard.

“Just scavenging, looking to see if there’s anything worthwhile. The usual, you know?”

“Right, are you sure you’re okay? Didn’t bump your head on the way down? That looked nasty, whatever it was.”

“Perfectly fine, not a scratch on me.” Hob twirled on the tip of his claws as if to prove his point. The bag slung across his chest swayed, whatever was inside clattering and clinking.

“Well, I’m on my way to investigate some old ruins. Want to come along? I claim first pickings of whatever we find but you can have the rest.” She didn’t need the help, but it would be nice to have someone else do most of the labor.

“That sounds like a lot of fun! My name’s Hob by the way.”

“Call me Goth.” ~~ In the short time the two of them had been traveling together, Goth had learned that Hob liked to talk. No, ramble was a better way to describe it. The corva seemed to just say whatever was on his mind at any given moment. It hadn’t taken long for the lycan to start butting in with her own commentary, poking fun when she could. Hob genuinely didn’t seem bothered by it though.

As they crested over the hill, Goth finally spotted what she had been looking for. They were religious ruins, long abandoned by whoever had last called this place home. The derelict structures were tucked underneath a shelf in the cliffs. Holes carved in the ceiling allowed light to filter in.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Goth gave a wink at Hob before continuing. “There’s not much known about it from what my rider told me.”

“And you decided to explore it for yourself?”

“Of course. How cool would it be to come back with some long lost treasure of an ancient group.” The lycan held her tongue at mentioning that Wolfgang would likely appreciate it as well. Returning such treasure to their community would go much further than anything they might sell.

“I guess you’re right,” Hob tilted his head from one side to the other. “I just hope there’s no traps.”

The pair stepped onto the carved stone pathway, eyes wandering over the intricate pillars and crumbling benches. Hob began picking at the herbs and rubble found along the walls. The corva pocketed the plants and chittered happily to himself each time he found an old trinket. Goth moved towards what was left of the pulpit.

The stone was crumbling and cracked, ivy growing up and around it. Glass lay scattered around in a colorful array, likely having fallen from its frame set high into the rock. There were tattered books weathered from years in the outdoors tucked carefully in the lectern. The lycan scooped them up and deposited them in her own bag before collecting the glass shards that caught her eye.

Neither were sure how much time had passed before they decided to share what they had found. Hob had a pile of discolored coins and rusted trinkets while Goth had a collection of vibrant fragments in different material and size. After spending a minute to trade, Goth taking some of the more eye catching relics, they packed away their discoveries with care and began the journey back home.