Llynmere Lake Exp Bonus: Following the Footprint

Ollie was stuffing some trash into a bag when it he spotted it, something that would change the way he saw this land for good.

 

"Thanks, Landfall," he said, chuckling, crouching to pick up the pieces of trash she had so kindly deposited at his feet. By the time he rose, she had taken off again, leaping along the water's edge with carefree abandon, looking so terribly thrilled to be here.

 

She liked being out in the wilder parts of the world, he knew. The bustle of the city was a lot, and she didn't very much enjoy the constant noise of their portside neighborhood. The stimulus was a bit too much, too fast. And while she didn't spook at the sounds, Ollie could tell by the way her ears seemed to perk more naturally in the woods and by the ocean that she much preferred the countryside. He couldn't say the same for himself, but seeing her running about, feeling free to behave like a happy little puppy, warmed his heart.

 

"What next?" he said, shouldering his pack and going to her - and he was about to wade into the lake with her for fun when something caught his eye.

 

At first, he thought, prey tracks! And wondered if he and Landfall might try their hand at hunting on this expedition. But then, he dropped his gaze to the ground, and saw the strangest print he had ever seen, pressed into the mud.

 

It was massive, first of all, and shaped unlike any paw or hoofprint he had seen in his life. Right by the water's edge, it had sunk into the soft earth and the mud had formed around it.

 

Ollie crouched back down, touching a hand to the edge of the print gently, afraid to disturb it.

 

"What do you think it is?" he asked as Landfall came trotting back, sniffing at it with wide-eyed curiosity. She didn't seem terribly concerned, but neither did she grow excited in the same way as when she spotted the occasional duskrat lingering around town. She knew better than to try to hunt this thing.

 

Ollie gave her a gentle pat, caressing the top of her head with his palm as he took in the print, committing it to memory. If he didn't find another one, he wanted to be able to sketch it out for the expeditioners he had come with. Perhaps one of them would know more than he.

 

But for now... he thought... perhaps he ought to follow it? The print was angled away from the water, into the dark woods that surrounded the lake. In a moment of possible stupidity, possible bravery, he stood up and turned his body in the direction the print was pointing. Into the woods.

 

"Well, we might as well try to locate whatever made this print," he said, looking down at Landfall. "Right?"

 

He knew she couldn't reply, but her silence felt like vindication anyway, which was what Ollie preferred to feel. He wasn't one for deep thoughts and careful plans. He didn't think about the monstrous size of the beast that must have left that print. He didn't think for a second that it might be dangerous. All Ollie thought about was that he felt a deep, undeniable need to know what it was.

 

And so he went.

 

"Stay close, Landfall," he said, and the hound did, sticking to his side as they took off into the woods. It wasn't what they had come for, but surely this was more exciting than any groves of parsage they might be able to sniff out! Ollie felt his heart begin to pound, in that delicious way whenever he was about to do something knew, dive into the unknown. It made him feel alive, like there was a sudden clarity in his head, illuminating the world around him.

 

Maybe he chased that feeling on purpose, sometimes at the expense of his own safety. But he'd never know what else lay out there if he didn't try to seek it out. It was that same mentality that had driven him to Itona, that he had used to drag his brother with him across the ocean to this new and unknown place.

 

And now that he was here, now that they had landed on Itona, well. There was certainly no way that Ollie was going to stop chasing those mysteries. He grabbed the straps of his pack with with hands, hoisting the bag up toward his shoulders, took a breath, and followed the footprint into the woods.