Under cover of dark, and cover of Ivys spare cloak, the band attempted to sneak an honestly very compliant little bundle into the upper floor of the Bull’s Horn. This was where Patty rented out rooms to travelers and merchants. Marco was neither but he killed monsters so that earned him semi- permanent residence.

  Marco distracted the sleep deprived Patty with news of a job well done. All the while the other three performed the act of calm and collected to varying success. Patty hardly noticed. Marco and Heracles had fried his nerves for strange. He once saw Heracles try to eat a meal with only his “baby arms” as a challenge. Taking what looked like a bundle of sticks to his room while miming a lipless whistle was just to be expected.

  Once reaching the privacy of “the boys room” as Heracles said, the bug gently placed the bundle dead center. Ivy, Yesenia and Heracles took a few steps back from it and watched with mixes of curiosity and caution. The bundle began to stir, and crawling out from the cloak was nearly beyond words.

  The little monster tilted its head to the side like a curious puppy and spoke in that same willowy voice. “Is this part of joining?”

  Ivy thought for a moment then nodded politely. “Well… Yes! It is. Before you can join we need some more… information about you.”

  The creature’s tail began to sway behind it. “Okay! Ask me anything!”

  “What are you?” Heracles blurted out. Ivy elbowed him in the stomach.

  “What he meant to-“ Ivy started.

  “I’m Capreva!” The creature said joyfully.

  Ivy nodded and smiled. “Yes dear, we know. What Heracles means is more-“ Ivy gestured at her own body. “What are you.”

  The little bush goat mimicked Ivys movements, using its oddly lanky arms to wave over its entire physique. “I’m Capreva!”

  Yesenia groaned. “This isn’t getting us anywhere.” They painted a circle of flame in the air and aimed their finger at Capreva accusatorially. “What brought you to this town.”

  Ivy put her hand on the wizards shoulder. “Hey hey! That’s quite unnecessary, he seems harmless.”

  The flames in Caprevas eyes grew in wonder. They moved forward timidly and examined the magically sustained fire. “That’s amazing…”

  “Answer the question.” Yesenia said with enough ice to douse her own flames.

  Capreva looked up from the enchanting show of lights. “Oh! Sorry…” They backed up again resuming the position of a hostage. “I was told to come.”

  Ivy’s head whipped to the bone goat. “Told? By whom?”

  “A toad.”

  “A toad?” Heracles questioned.

  Capreva nodded firmly. “Mhm! A cool green one.”

  Ivy squinted. “A…toad, told you to come to this town.”

  “Nope! He told me to come to you guys!”

  Yesenias flames intensified along with their glare. “Why exactly did this toad want you to come to us?”

  Capreva looked up and their tail wagged again. “To join!”

  Ivy waved a crimson hand at the flames in an attempt to shoo them. “Join what exactly?”

  “Join you! To help you do your stuff! I wanna help save too! I want to help people.” Capreva rose to their feet again, standing arms pressed to their chest like an ancient raptor.

  Yesenias eye twitched and in a dismissive slap, the flames vanished. “By the- damn thing sounds just like you Ivy.”

  Ivy bristled. “And what is so wrong about sounding like me? Sounding like a hero you mean?”

  Before Yesenia could sling a rebuttal Marco entered the room. He pushed his way past the group, standing between them and Capreva.

  “Quit crowding the little thing!” He called as he pushed. He went to one knee and held a hand out to Capreva. “They didn’t hurt you right?”

  Capreva shook their skull. “Nope! They were funny!”

  Yesenia scoffed. “Marco, why are you having us entertain your little monster?”

  Heracles joined in. “Yeah! You’ve never let me bring monsters back to the room before! Not even that little cockatrice…”

  Marco looked back at them with a stern expression. “They aren’t a monster.”

  Ivy put an arm between Yesenia and Marco, sensing the wizards anger. “Then… Do you think you know what this creature is?”

  Marco nodded. “I think I do.” He looked back to the accused, who was absent mindedly patting Marcos hand with his boney digits. “I think Capreva was sent by The Elk.”

  A pregnant pause hung in the air. Probably accompanied by some musical sting. Like a violin whine or something.

  “No uh…. It was a toad.” Heracles said.

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  Yesenia glided towards the door. “Alright. I’ll be downstairs. Come find me when you primitives are done with your religious drivel.”

  Capreva watched them leave and their head sunk. “Aww… they made funny lights…”

  Ivy moved forward and knelt down with Marco. “Are you certain? This… creature seems to be a mite off from a herald of the Elk.”

  “Capreva just told us it was a toad, not a deer. And how is deer talk religious?” Heracles said.

  Ivy turned to him. “The Elk, is the patron god of hunters and the embodiment of nature Heracles darling.”

  Heracles’ jaws chittered then spoke after thinking long and hard. “But… If you hunt deer, does the elk like that? Or like, are deer off limits?”

  Marco gave Heracles a stern dad look. “Stop.”

  Heracles shrunk. “Yeah… sorry..”

  Marco breathed deep to clean off his anger. “Whether you believe it or not, I think it was sent to help us. I mean, little thing made of bones and leaf shows up right at the end of a hunt. If that aint a sign I don’t know what is.”

  Heracles shrugged. “I guess that’s… weird. Not the weirdest though.”

  “Seems… far too out of the ordinary to be a coincidence, I agree. And especially with what they have been saying to us” Ivy added.

  Marco gave Capreva his full attention again. Looking upon the creature, not as a half-broken skeleton wrapped in vine, but as a representation of nature. Death adorned in life given ability to roam the wild. Not quite animal, not quite plant, with the mannerisms of a human.

  Capreva was just happy to be there.

  Marco asked in a voice much softer than any present had ever heard. “Did the Elk send you Capreva.”

  Capreva looked up into the grizzled and world-weary eyes. They looked down, their flame eyes squinting. They scoured their mind for anything to please their new friends.

  “Maybe…. The toad gave me some mushrooms. And when I munched on them I saw these… pointy… long splitty things.”

  “Antlers?” Ivy asked.

  “Maybe!” Capreva cheered.

  “Did you guys not hear the part about shrooms?” Heracles said.

  Marco ignored him. “Then that settles it. You must have been sent to us for some reason.”

  Capreva wiggled their whole body, their bones clicking against their wood. “Does that mean I can join!?”

  Marco nodded. “Absolutely. You’re free to join us on hunts for as long as you’d like.”

  Capreva bounded and ran around the room in pure excitement. “Yes! We’re gonna save! We’re gonna help! I’ve never been able to help before!”

  Ivy stood and watched the little thing prance around like a child told they can have any candy they want. “Quite the excitable little sign wouldn’t you say.”

  Marco stood as well. “The Elks never been known to send clear omens.”

  “Does it even know how to fight?” Heracles asked.

  Marco thought for a moment, then stopped Capreva in their excited rampage with a firm hand on their shoulder. “Capreva.”

  “Yeah!?” They said still jittery.

  “Do you know how to.. hunt?” Marco asked

  “Hunt?” Capreva asked looking up at Marco.

  “Like.. what we did to the amphiptere. Can you do that?”

  “Oh! Yeah I think so!” Capreva said joyfully

  As devout as Marco was he was unconvinced. “How about tomorrow, I show you how to use my bow. You can stay safe from monsters that way.”

  “Sounds fun!! I can’t wait for tomorrow! You all are so nice!” Capreva hugged Marcos leg.

  Ivy chortled and have the little monster a head tussle between their horns. The feeling of bleached bone reminded them of Caprevas composition. “Well, if all of this is settled dears, I think I’m off to bed. Quite the day! Are we sharing this room, or…?”

  Marco produced a small key. “Already worked it out. You and Yesenia’s room is to the right.”

  Ivy took the key gratefully “Thank you Marco. I don’t mean to insult but this room smells… ripe, to say the least.”

  “…You’re welcome.” Marco said.

  Ivy chuckled as she left the room. Marco began helping Capreva create a little bed, even though the little thing insisted the floor was fine. Heracles watched and eventually turned and opened the door.

  “I’m uh… gonna go take a walk.” Heracles said as he stepped through.

  Marco spoke over his shoulder. “Alright.”

  Heracles walked down the dark hall. He could hear the thunk of metal on wood as Ivy doffed her armor, Heracles had never seen someone wear so much metal. The floorboards creaked under his heft as he walked pondering what gave the first soft skin the idea to forge metals. Maybe their gods really were looking out for them. Halfway down the rickety staircase Heracles turned to see a dim light. It was candlelight, and in it was Yesenia behind Pattys bar pouring themselves a drink.

  Heracles moved quickly and quietly, taking time to quiet his psychic voice “What are you doing?! Patty doesn’t let anyone back there he’ll kill you!”

  “Please.” Yesenia said smugly, pouring a mug of cider. “That big lug couldn’t lay a finger on me.”

  “But-“ The beetle began

  “Shhhh. It can be our secret.” Yesenia poured a second mug and pushed it towards Heracles.

  Heracles sighed and reluctantly took the mug, sitting in his usual herculean stool. “Fine… but I won’t take the blame.”

  “If anyone finds out we can just say Marco meant to pay for us.” Yesenia half smiled.

  “Well we wouldn’t have to pay either way, Patty just gets mad when people get behind his bar.” Heracles held the mug with both large hands.

  Yesenia paused mid sip and raised an eyebrow at Heracles. “We don’t have to pay? Is the cider that bad?”

  Heracles shook his head. “No not that. Well, it isn’t good but that’s not why. Marco has a deal with Memaw.”

  Yesenia nodded. “Is this the “deal” he added me and Ivy too.”

  “Yeah, he told me he always adds new people to it when they join his crew.” Heracles took a sip of his cider.

  Yesenia was confused at the geometry of Heracles’ sip but refrained from asking. “I wouldn’t really consider myself part of any crew, but what’s in this deal?”

  “Well, all of us get to eat and drink for free here. Its great! Memaw makes the best apple pie. And patty can make really good eggs and-“ Heracles seemed lost in telling of his favorite foods.

  Yesenia held a hand up. “Stop. I don’t wanna be talking about eggs till morning. What’s in it for Memaw? Seems like an awfully lopsided deal.”

  “Oh yeah. Sorry.” Heracles shrugged. “Nothing to do with us. Only thing is Memaw just keeps Marcos share when we hunt.”

  Yesenia looked shocked. “Marco doesn’t get paid?”

  “Mhm. I asked him about it. He said he just liked hunting.” Heracles took another sip.

  “And just how many people has he brought into this crew?”

  “I don’t really know. He tells stories about people he worked with, but usually it’s a different name every time.” Heracles thought hard. “I think the one before me was a guy called Manny, but he wasn’t here when I got here.”

  “That’s infuriating.” Yesenia took a long drink of their cider and slammed down the mug.

  Heracles jumped at the loud noise. “Sorry! I’ll uh try to remember more!”

  Yesenia closed their eyes and pinched the bridge of their nose. “No Heracles, not you. Marco is infuriating.”

  “Oh.”

  Yesenia continued. “He trusts perfect strangers enough to let us join this “crew” he has going on, but doesn’t trust me to do my magic right? If he was going to micromanage me, he should have just told me I couldn’t join.”

  “Well… He tried to say no…”

  “That’s besides the point.”

  “Well…I guess I feel the same.” Heracles admitted

  “Oh really?”

  Heracles shrugged. “I dunno, I just… I don’t get why he’s trusting Capreva. I mean we’ve killed stuff that looks just like it. He’s not bringing griffins home, he’s not going all goo goo eyed over roach hounds.”

  Yesenia laughed with a smile that never reached their eyes. “There isn’t a god that looks like a griffin. I’m sure if there was, he’d be as protective of them as of this “Capreva”.”

  Heracles crossed his bulky arms and laid his head on them. His horn nearly in Yesenias face. “I just don’t get it. How can some deer send a twig monster to us.”

  “Pfft. The Elk isn’t “some deer” he was far more than that.” Yesenia explained.

  Heracles looked up squinting, “So now you believe in him too.”

  Yesenia chuckled smugly. “Of course not. The man Breged calls “The Elk” was a real man. Wapiti Elche. Grand huntsmen and elf of the wild. His tales of heroism were eventually exaggerated to such drastic scale that now the people of Breged believe him a god. And a deer.”

  Heracles sat up. “How do you know all that, but Marco doesn’t?”

  “Emond Valor keeps better records. Elves also are the ones doing the record keeping. Mr. Elche died around three thousand years ago.” Yesenia closed their eyes and thought for a brief moment. “That’s around one hundred and ten human generations. But only thirty for elves.”

  “Jeez. Elves must know everything.” Heracles said.

  “We know most things, yes.” Yesenia smiled at the thought. “It’s the same story for their Bear, Hound and other menagerie of deities. Just ancient heroes and villains turned to godhood by mortal imagination coupled with time.”

  “Do you know anything about “He who Roars”. “ Heracles asked his voice growing more quiet.

  Yesenia thought then shook their head. “No. Is this a desert god?”

  Heracles nodded. “He’s our only god. Just wondering if maybe he isn’t real either…”

  Yesenia chuckled. “Ah. Happy the tower doesn’t have any dirt on your deity of choice.”

  Heracles slowly shook his head and laid it back down on his forearms. His massive frame and indestructible look faded away in Yesenias eyes. He just looked like a child sulking. Yesenia really didn’t know anything about He who Roars or much about the desert at all, aside from anatomy of its residents. They knew about sulking children though. From experience.

  Yesenia spoke with a shrug. “Probably not real though.”

  Heracles looked up.

  Yesenia continued. “It sounds like the same thing here. He who Roars? That could be nearly any animal. At least Breged named theirs.”

  Heracles let out a little laugh. “Yeah..”

  “Whats he even the god of?” Yesenia asked

  Heracles shrugged. “Everything I think… He gave us the gift, then told us how to live in the desert.”

  Yesenia shook their head. “Listen, anyone who gives you one gift then wants to be worshiped, isn’t even worth it. Even if this guy is real he sounds like a bitten con man.”

  Heracles sat up and nodded. “Yeah… Yeah he does!”

  Yesenia reached over and pat Heracles on his shoulder. “That’s right you big… you big you! Screw this guy.”

  Heracles laughed and chittered. “Screw he who roars!”

  Yesenia smiled like a sunbeam on fresh snow and raised their mug. “To no gods!”

  Heracles stood and slammed his mug against the wizards. “To no gods!!”

  They both began to drink. With renewed joy and vigor. Celebrating the reign of logic and reason over petty gods and superstition. I am not saying any view is wrong or right. That isn’t my job. My job is to recollect events and thoughts and give them to you. And there was an event neither of our heroes heard over their merriment. One could call it a coincidence, another an omen. Call it what you will.

  This event was a crack of lightning, in a cloudless night sky. A crack so loud and drawn out, it could be mistaken for a roar.

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