The Decision

The Decision

Skrie looked up at the lone cloud that covered the sun. Odd, a moment ago, the sky had been clear. The halfling continued walking through the alley, hands stuffed in her pockets, eyes on the ground, stepping around piles of filth. Deep in thought about the job she had taken for Master Hollan last night, she almost didn't hear the light thump of feet on wood. Looking up, she saw the cat sitting on a barrel at the far end of the narrow lane--and stopped short.

A shiver crawled up her spine. Gooseflesh rose on her arms as the cat looked up from cleaning its face. Skrie could swear it was the same animal she saw last night after leaving the manor. Born and raised in Blackford, she'd only seen a handful of the beasts this far from the pier. And now, she had seen the same damned cat twice in less than a day. Not a good sign.

She knew for sure it was time to leave. The girl turned and headed back to her tiny room at the temple. Grabbing her rucksack from the shelf, she gathered her small pile of belongings onto the pallet. She didn't have much--a broken mug handle, a tiny finger bone, a thumb-sized lump of metal, and the few clothes she managed to accumulate since the fire. Skrie rubbed the chunk of metal between her fingers--then stuffed everything into the bag.

An hour later, her small holy symbol showing prominently on the front of her tunic, Skrie Tripfoot left Blackford and never looked back.