After finishing off the last man, Kyra went out of her way to make sure the others were dead too. She wasn’t going to waste time giving them any proper rites; let the wolves feast tonight. She took away their swords so that no other brigand could make use of their remains, and soon joined the others on the trip back to Greenest. Now with their pursues dead and gone Kyra could guide the party quickly back, using hidden hunting trails that provided a quick and safe route back home. As she moved through the forest Kyra couldn’t help but pray to Chauntae as she walked.
”Oh Great Mother, is this the path you have set for me? I would have been more than glad to… Continue leading Greenest in quiet peace, to spend my days in calm teaching the children and giving sermons to the old, toiling the fields along my father and kinfolk. I know that defending one’s hearth and home is also our duties, but please tell me, is this my path? Is this the way? To descend into the ways of beast and mad men, to cull them all for the sake of our prosperity?”
Kyra stopped for a moment to listen, not just for some sign of her goddess, but in case there were any pursuers. When it all seemed clean she continued to move and pray.
”Is it my divine duty, to protect my flock, to hunt the wolves? When beasts of destructions burns the land, do I take up the pail to quell the fire, or the blade to halt the dragon? Give me a sign oh Great Mother, so that I can temper this flame in my heart. I know the hate that I hold is a vile and corrupt thing, but I cannot stop it’s fury without some guidance. Should I continue to seek vengeance to right these wrong, or must I stay and heal the wounded? Please, Chauntae, give me a sign…”
And then they were home. Or at least Kyra was. Greenest; though damaged and scarred, it was recovering quickly. Or maybe it was just Kyra being so distracted by her anger that she didn’t realize something so very simple; Greenest can heal without her. It was a hard pill to swallow. She was just days before the formal inauguration to become the new Head Priestess of the church, where she had spent nearly all of her days preparing for. To guide and teach, to pray and protect. All it took was one day to throw that all away and yet… And yet Kyra felt more uncertain, now more than ever, and not because of anger but because of hope. Greenest would survive without her. Though it may be a tragedy, the people here were not so weak that they couldn’t heal from something as devastating as a raid. Indeed Chauntae’s many portfolios covered not just nature and agriculture, but healing and community. Instead of questioning if what she was doing was against Chauntae’s teachings, perhaps Kyra needed to witness the strength of her lessons.
Most of the party returned to the keep, but Kyra herself choose to return to her home. She wanted to check on her father and sure enough he was there, sitting on the wooden bench in front of their house drinking from a waterskin. ”Dad…” Kyra was only able to say that much before he came over to Kyra and embraced her in a hug. She hugged him back and looked to his face, seeing that it was red and puffy. He had been crying. “They told me you left two days ago. I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye. I… Don’t ever leave without telling me again!” Quietly, the two released each other and just looked, smiled, and chuckled. They were just happy to see one another.
That night Kyra and her father tried to have some semblance of a normal dinner. Compared to other homes, their house wasn’t too damaged; their door was kicked down, and they lost two barrels of arrows and two longbows belonging to Kyra’s father, but aside from that they didn’t seem to bother taking anything else and mostly just trashed the place, which Kyra’s father David already cleaned up. For dinner they had rabbit ragout, Kyra’s favorite meal. Over dinner Kyra spoke to her father about her doubts and thoughts, and he simply reminded her of what he told her a few days ago; among everyone in Greenest, Kyra was the only one who could afford leaving the village to fight this great evil. Greenest could take care of itself right now, but Kyra needed to do what must be done.
But what she needed to do, or what she thought was the right thing to do, was what Kyra was most confused about. Her naivety to war and bloodshed was most apparent here. Without the initial rage and anger that fueled her arrows before, she worried that she was losing herself to some sort of wild beast inside of her. And yet, to Kyra’s surprise, her father encouraged her to embrace this beast.
“Kyra, you should know that Chauntae, much like nature itself, is not just warm sunny days, flowers, and a bountiful harvest. Chauntae covers nature both beneficial and beastial, like the wolves who would hunt sheep or a storm that could tear down a house. And let’s face it; you can’t escape this anger inside of you. So you need to tame it. Control it. Use it, don’t let it use you.”
David stood up and grabbed one of his few remaining bows and arrows, motioning for Kyra to follow him. She did so and together they went off into the woods to hunt. But this wasn’t just a usual hunt; David wanted to teach his daughter what it really means to chase prey and be part of the land. These wasn’t new lessons to Kyra; her father had taught her these things before. But it was only how that they were truly starting to make sense to her; he had always been naive to the true nature of their world, even as enlighten as she was suppose to be. Learning from books could not beat learning through experience after all. For hours it felt like Kyra and her father trained in the woods, until they returned home to rest. David was tired, and Kyra knew she could easily rest and wake up before he would. As the two retired to their beds Kyra fell asleep mulling on these new thoughts, new lessons, with a new sense of purpose.
When Kyra woke up she immediately went into the usual routine; she went to fetch some water, start a fire on the stove, and made a light breakfast. They still had some supplies here; such as salt, cabbages, and a bit of game meat. It’ll be a very light breakfast for today. As Kyra was cooking she heard a knock on the door and went to go check it. One of the guards wanted Kyra to go speak to the governor. ”Sure, just let me finish making breakfast.” Kyra finished the soup and helped herself to a small bowl with a few slices of toasted bread before heading out to meet the governor. Not surprisingly, the others who went with her to the camp were also there. Brannor, Torus, Parum, and Orchid. What a strange group that has come to Greenest’s time of aid. Just like a classic tale of heroism and adventure.
The governor showered the party with praise and offered a meager reward for their efforts. Kyra of course was going to initially refuse, but she also knew that the people of Greenest weren’t simply going to let Kyra give back that money. They were far too prideful for that. ”Thank you, governor. I’ll make sure to spend this money responsibly.” Soon after one of the monks came and asked for the party to see Leosin. The priestess nodded; as much as she wanted to rest and heal this village, there was much work to be done. ”Alright, hopefully Leosin is doing well. He wasn’t in the best of shapes when we first found him.”
