A terrible sound blared from the bell tower at the center of Bickner Village. The residents dropped to the ground and curled up, covering their ears. One brave man dared a glance at the tower, and he wished he hadn't.
Most had assumed the worst, but this man confirmed the legendary Dreathtrudge had chosen their village as its next victim. As the screech dwindled, the man spared no moment in warning the residents. His voice could barely be heard while the villagers remained deafened by the call of the Dreathtrudge, but the man's motions were clear: Leave the village.
Everyone quickly grabbed what they could and shuffled out with their families. Before long the village stood motionless and empty. The man made for his own departure just as he saw the awful creature glide down from the bell tower. It shook the ground as it landed, and the man stared at it, dumbfounded. How could those dark wings lift such massive legs? He shook himself out of his fixation and ran.
As he passed the last structure, he heard a faint whimper. There was no time to turn back, though, destruction would soon be brought upon their home. But he had to stop. He turned back, and staying hidden from the invader's view, crept into the hut. A boy sat in the corner, his hand squeezed tight to his ears. The man tried to gently wave and get his attention, but the boy's eyes were shut tight.
The man couldn't leave the boy, but he faced a predicament. If he grabbed him outright, he'd surely scream and draw attention. There was little time for a conversation, though. So the man found a clay pot and a cloth. With his bag hung over his back, he peered out the window, and threw the pot as high and far as he could away from the building. He positioned himself next to the boy, tense, and listened for the pot.
A faint crash sounded on the other side of the village, and immediately the ground shook from the turning of the Dreathtrudge.
There.
The man grabbed the boy, covering his mouth with the cloth, and ran to exit the village. As he expected, the boy screamed, and the cloth only slightly muffled the noise. Still, it bought them time.
The man jumped from the road into the forest just in time to find cover and hide from the gaze of the Dreathtrudge. The landing seemed to have shaken the boy from his own despair, and the man stared at him with his finger over his mouth, indicating to remain quiet. From the brush they could see the dark, black and feathered face of the creature peer over the hut from which they'd run. It titled its head and squinted its eyes, clearly trying to find its escaped meal.
When it turned around, the man sighed in relief and gestured to the boy to follow. The two continued through the forest to try and find the rest of the community. When they were far enough away, the boy whispered "thank you."
The man replied "no problem" then looked at the boy.
"You're Embrina's boy, aren't you? Embret?"
"Y-yes sir. She must have left without me. I was out when the sound happened, and then I ran home to hide."
"Well. Hopefully you're the only one who ran back to the village instead of with everyone else... I'm Torrid, by the way."
"Hi. Are we almost back to my mom?"
Torrid laughed. "Not sure. I doubt it. We're off the path and left after everyone else" he said, glancing at the boy, who blushed at the remark. "Don't worry, we'll find everyone."
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