((a/n: I have no excuse for being lazy af and not updating in a while oof-))
~~~
Shaela had enveloped Jaskier into an almost bone-crushing hug when he entered the mausoleum, relieved that he was okay. She checked him over for any other wounds other than the bruised eye which had already gotten a little less.
The two had agreed to stay in the mausoleum for the night at Regis' request, given that the vampire wanted to make sure that the stitches in her shoulder wouldn't open up during the night. And after the bandit attack, neither of them were against staying in a safer place where they both could get some much-needed sleep.
As morning rolled around, the three shared a breakfast and made some small talk before Shaela and Jaskier would be on their way again.
"Where are you two traveling to?" Regis asked as he glanced up at the female. He recieved a shrug in response as she swallowed down a mouthful of food.
"The lost woods," she responded nonchalantly, "you could come with us if you like. Your skills with herbs is very useful, and having some more company is always nice."
The vampire thought over the options of either staying in his mausoleum or to go along with Shaela and Jaskier. He settled for the latter, figuring that taking some time away from his home where he had been staying for who knows how long would do some good.
The trio finished up their breakfast before leaving, heading back in the direction the had come from the night before to get back on track towards the Lost Woods.
~~~
Shaela was somewhat surprised to find her horse still at the camp they had set up the night before, just casually grazing the grass as if nothing had happened.
"Loyal as ever" she commented as she grabbed the horse's reigns to bring him along.
~~~
They spent a good week tracking through forests, marches, and passing by a few small towns along the way before they made it to the Lost Woods.
True to its name, the Lost Wood was a huge, dense forest with trees towering many feet above them. There seemed to be no end no matter which direction they looked at.
"How are we going to find that place in here?" Jaskier asked to no one in particular, glancing from left to right in confusion.
Shaela knelt down by a small stone covered by moss beside one of the trees, removing some of the moss to read some strange symbols that seemed to be ingraved in the stone.
"Be wary to the unknown lest you get lost. Only those with true blood will find the path" she read softly, tracing her finger across a small symbol at the bottom of the others.
Jaskier and Regis stood behind her, giving the stone a confusing look.
"How can you read those symbols?" Jaskier asked while Regis kneeled beside the female to get a better look at it.
Shaela gave a shrug, mumbling a soft "dunno" under her breath as she stood up.
She looked around before walking over to another tree, pointing at the same symbol etched in the tree as was on the bottom of the stone.
"This way" Shaela spoke as she moved from tree to tree, following a path indicated by the same symbol from the stone.
The two males shared a look of confusion before following after her, not wanting to get lost within the dense forest.
"How do you even know where to go?" The bard grumbled as he nearly stumbled over a tree root sticking up from the ground.
"Just a hunch" Shaela responded from ahead, completely neglecting to mention the trail of symbols etched in the trees that she was following.
Jaskier let out a noise of confusion that went completely ignored while Regis simply followed along to see where she would end up leading them.
YOU ARE READING
The White Wolf and the Black Nightingale
הרפתקאותShaela had been raised by a Witcher couple after her home village was destroyed during a dragon attack when she was just a baby. Years later she recieves a letter her biological mother had writen for her describing part of her unique heritage. Joine...
