Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 145: A Twig Snaps ()

Darkness had already blanketed the skies when Neveah and Menarx finally arrived at their destination after a long day’s ride.

"Here." Menarx called out to Neveah, Neveah stirred her horse to a stop, the sudden tug resulted in slight protest from her horse and nearly caused Neveah to be thrown of.

Neveah was only able to ease her mount since she was already accustomed to riding horses and knew just how to soothe them.

"Shhh... it’s okay, it’s all okay..." Neveah assured the horse as she stroked it’s side soothingly.

The horse soon calmed and Neveah passed a glare to Menarx who had also stilled his horse and now quietly watched her as she eased her horse.

"This is the closest mountain in the human settlement. But the path beyond this is known to be steep, we will need to tread carefully." Menarx explained his sudden actions.

"Could you have maybe hinted at that much sooner? We have been riding at that speed for almost half a day." Neveah asked with a blank tone and Menarx shook his head.

"My bad." Menarx accepted though he did not appear to be all that regretful of his action.

"The moon is high in the sky, at least six hours has gone by since we left the keep." Neveah murmured thoughtfully as she stirred her horse to a slow trot.

Menarx and Neveah rode non stop since departing the keep and Menarx led them through a path of the human settlement that was less frequented.

It was a short distance away from the settlement itself and closer to the forest line so the humans did not venture this way to often.

Especially at such late hours, the two rode through with ease, encountering only a few passerby and no suspicion was raised.

"Seven, to be exact." Menarx supplied, his eyes scanning the woods cautiously even as they ventured in.

"We took the fastest route, it provides us enough time to find the herb." Menarx added.

"We hardly encountered any humans, if there was a route like this, it would have been okay for Xenon to bring me." Neveah said, the words on her mind slipping out unconsciously.

Menarx passed a glance to Neveah over his shoulder and it was only then she recalled what her words implied while at the same time, she mentally reprimanded herself for letting her thoughts stray to Xenon.

"I mean, not that I do not enjoy your riveting company..." Neveah began to explain but Menarx shook his head.

"You are more familiar with Xenon than you are with the rest of us and for good reason, he is the reason you were brought here in the first place." Menarx dismissed calmly.

"It is okay to find his presence preferable to mine...at least for now." Menarx added before he moved his gaze away.

’For now?... What does that even mean?’ Neveah mouthed to herself in bafflement.

’Who knows?’ Neveah’s wolf thought back to her.

"Can you tell where exactly the flower could bloom?" Menarx asked, interrupting Neveah’s thoughts.

Neveah frowned slightly as she glanced around the unfamiliar forest that stretched ahead of them.

"It would take a moment." Neveah replied as she got off her horse and walked ahead for a short distance before she crouched down.

Taking off her glove, Neveah placed her palm flat on the ground, her eyes fluttering closed as she let her wolf rise to the surface.

With the presence of Neveah’s wolf on the surface, her senses grew even more heightened, her sense of smell was more precise too.

Neveah sifted through the scents, if she knew anything about the Ubrith flower, it was the fact that it grew in a damp place.

Though this forest was unfamiliar to Neveah, her keen senses could guide her through and she trusted her senses completely.

"I cannot tell exactly, but I can point us in the general direction, once we get close enough, I should know." Neveah replied as she got back up to her feet and pointed in the direction.

Before Menarx could speak, the rumbling of Neveah’s stomach sounded.

Neveah’s hand moved to her stomach, it was only then she finally recalled just how hungry she was.

"Hungry?" Menarx asked with a raised brow.

"I was in a cell for an entire day and kneeling in the courtyard for another day... I can’t recall the last time I had something to eat."

" Just because you dragons hardly need food does not mean everyone is as fortunate." Neveah murmured as she headed back to her horse.

"I have been neglectful... I will get you something right away." Menarx said in a guilty tone as he made to dismount his horse.

Neveah frowned at Menarx’s odd reaction but quickly stopped him.

"It is fine. We should just hurry and get the flower so we can return, Lord Everon awaits us." Neveah dismissed.

"Are you sure?" Menarx asked doubtfully and Neveah nodded.

"I’m fine Menarx." Neveah assured, shaking her head.

"But I’m not..." Menarx murmured as he dismounted his horse.

"We arrived much sooner than expected, there is time enough. You will need your strength if you hope to find the flower, the task is important...so are you."

"Just wait right here, I will return in just a moment." Menarx assured Neveah.

"But..." Neveah began to protest but could not get her words out as Menarx walked over to her and handed her the reins of his horse.

"Wait for me, I will be back soon." Menarx said again before he headed down a path leading into the forest, to the left of where they were meant to go.

"But I said I was fine..." Neveah grumbled as she also dismounted her horse.

She really did not want to be the reason their task was delayed but Menarx’s words also gave her pause and so she sighed heavily.

"You know I am not familiar with this forest... leaving me out here like this, you truly have such a one track mind." Neveah grumbled though there was a tinge of amusement in her tone.

Neveah did not know Menarx all that well, but she did know he was not someone who was easily distracted from an important task.

Initially, Menarx was even unwilling to keep an eye on Neveah back at the Asvarian Beacon, as he had considered it a waste of his time.

"It has been such a short time, he acts so different now..." Neveah murmured to herself.

’I believe this has always been the original personality of the red dragon, it is only that he considered us outsiders then...but now...’ Neveah’s wolf began knowledgeably but trailed off at the end of her statement.

"But now...you also are not certain what he considers us." Neveah completed for her wolf.

’I cannot begin to predict the thoughts of these dragons, Veah. I do not know what is the truth and what is not with them... and that is what unsettles me.’ Neveah’s wolf thought back to her.

Neveah hummed in response as she took a seat on a log after securing the reins of the horses to a tree.

"For now, we only need to find a way to live...as long as we are living, we will get to figure things out." Neveah murmured to her wolf.

"True words." Neveah’s wolf replied and a small smile settled on Neveah’s lips.

’Are you certain the herb can save the rider?’ Neveah’s wolf asked her.

"It would take a lot more than that, the herb has it’s part to play, as long as that is ensured." Neveah replied to her wolf.

As Neveah sat there, her moment of quiet was interrupted when her ears picked up the sound of a twig snapping.

"That was quick..." Neveah began but trailed off when she caught wind of a strange and unfamiliar and unbelievably horrible stench.

One that most definitely had nothing to do with Menarx whose pleasant scent Neveah was already quite familiar with.

Neveah swallowed down any words she had to say and slowly got up to her feet, her movement completely soundless.

The stench was not close by just yet, but Neveah knew for sure that it was headed in her way, along with whoever the stench was attributed to.

What was more, the stench was neither that of dragon, human or fairy which Neveah had taken note of,

It was something else entirely, something Neveah was not certain she wanted to figure out.

In fact, Neveah did not believe anything could smell so horrible.

It smelled quite like a decaying corpse, or even worse if there was anything worse than that and as much as Neveah wanted to believe the wind just carried the scent her way,

That distant snapping of a twig made it apparent to her that there was truly something out there,

Menarx would never be clumsy enough to snap twigs as he moved, he was an excellent warrior with centuries worth of training... so who or what exactly was headed her way?