New Oath
I diligently followed the direction my mother had shown me three hours ago. The thought that a monstrous being was trying to lure me to my death often crossed my mind. But why hadn't such a creature attacked me directly? I had no suitable weapon for defense, and the only weapon I vaguely mastered was a hunting bow. I wouldn't find such a bow lying on the ground.
Lost in thought, I stumbled repeatedly over branches, stones, and roots. However, I made sure not to encounter a large animal again, eager to revel in the sight of my blood.
I made a wide detour around the footprints I had discovered an hour ago. They could be from a wild boar and reminded me of the tracks I often saw as a child when dealing with pigs.
Every rustle startled me, but this time, I paused, refraining from immediately throwing my spear. I realized it was a mistake, as I needed the weapon for defense against wild animals.
After another thirty minutes, I reached a clearing between the trees. Was this what my mother wanted to show me? I could hardly believe it, although the clearing with its berry-bearing bushes was very beautiful.
In the middle of the clearing, resembling a hole in the forest, stood a hut. Without hesitation, I sprinted towards it, tearing my pants and scraping my skin on thorns along the way.
When I finally arrived at the hut, I called out to the inhabitants, hoping to encounter people at last.
"Is anyone there? If so, I come in peace. I'm just looking for shelter for a night and the direction to the nearest village. I've lost my way in this forest."
"Hello! Is anyone there?" I called with diminishing hope. I approached the door, which seemed to be made of oak, and opened it with a round metal ring hanging down before I grabbed it.
The door opened with a loud creak, as if being torn from its anchoring, as the wooden nails securing the hinges seemed to be rotten. Now I could finally glimpse inside the hut, and there was nothing – simply nothing. No bed, table, or any furnishings one would expect in such a house. The hut was empty.
From a distance, I should have noticed that this hut was uninhabited. Now I saw the holes in the walls and roof. Most of the wood seemed to be decayed, but I thought it might hold up for one or two storms, as it evidently had before.
As I looked around outside, I couldn't see any traces of the previous owners. It was as if any evidence of their existence had been erased from this world. Near inhabited areas, there are usually well-trodden paths, but their absence led me to believe that the house had been empty for a long time.
At the back of the hut, I found a woodpile already split, likely the wood supply of the previous owner. Nearby was a collapsed smaller hut, probably serving as a food or tool storage.
As it slowly grew dark, I looked at the sky where Nocturna, the Goddess of the Night, was already visible.
Therefore, I entered the hut and prepared everything to ignite a fire on the floor. I wasn't concerned about the smoke harming me, as the roof had enough holes for it to escape.
The floor of the house was made of compacted earth, and I kindled my campfire on it. The strips of rabbit became my dinner. After a while, the outline of a person interrupted my meal.
I immediately jumped up and tried to address the person. With my improvised spear in hand, silence enveloped me as no response came. Thoughts raced through my mind, and cautiously, I prodded with my stick. The person's head detached and rolled over the ground to my feet. The empty eye sockets stared at me.
After my fright subsided, I took a burning piece of wood and approached the corner where the outline of a person was. The rest of the body was like the head, just a skeleton without flesh. Around the ribcage, it wore a leather jacket, and on the feet were lined leather boots.
If I were to guess, I would conclude that the person had cut their veins, as the skeleton still held the knife, and I could find no injuries on the bones.
I looked around the room again; my gaze swept through the hut. Eventually, I hypothesized that the person had been abandoned.
I vowed to bury them once the light filtered through the holes in the hut. Slowly, I bent down to them after retrieving the head and placed it back on the skeleton's vertebrae.
"You died like a warrior; at least you achieved more than I have," I said with a cold demeanor, swearing to the gods to take care of the warrior's remains.
After swearing it to myself and the gods, following the custom of Silverthorn, the place where I am located. I placed my upper garment near the fire in the corner of the room. I would use it as a pillow. Next to me, I laid down my spear, keeping it within easy reach, and placed my torch back into the fire. Finally, I lay down, closed my eyes, and hoped that nothing more would happen tonight, while in the background, a faint howling of wolves could be heard.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone