Chapter 15: Belk
"What is this place..." Vagnis muttered under his breath. He pushed through the thick undergrowth, the sharp edges of leaves brushing against his arms. The forest here felt wrong, like it wasn’t just alive but watching him.
The ground was a mess of junk—broken metal, charred planks, and glass that crunched softly under his boots. Some of the pieces looked oddly complex, like they were part of something important once. Now discarded, forgotten and rotting in the damp air.
The smell of rust and mildew hung, making him wrinkle his nose at the pungent smell.
"Does Belk really spend time in a place like this?" he asked no one in particular, the unease creeping into his voice.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that the trees were too close together, their shadows pressing in, though it was no problem for him to navigate through.
"What’re you doing here?" a voice snapped from above from an area that held no noise before.
Vagnis startled, his hand instinctively going to the hilt of his dagger. His head shot up, and there, perched on a branch, was Belk.
The chief’s son looked every bit the part of someone who didn’t care what others thought of him. His dark red eyes glinted with annoyance, and his messy black hair fell into his face, giving him a perpetually defiant look. His deep blue skin stood out starkly against the black fur jacket he wore—a heavy, wild thing that seemed too warm for the weather but fit him somehow.
"The chief sent me to get you. We’re going on a mission, and—"
"I’m not going!" Belk cut him off, standing on the branch like it was solid ground. His fists clenched at his sides, his tail twitching sharply behind him.
"How many times do I have to tell you annoying apes? I’m not going to be a scout or a hunter. I’m staying here, and I’m working on my science."