Chapter 4 – Follow the trail

~Age 966~

Razan stepped outside of the guesthouse to clear his head. On the side of the building Hopper and Aero were sleeping, Aero leaning against his dog with a blanket thrown over him.

His dog is a decent tracker, right?

Razan squatted down and made quiet taps on his hand while clicking his tongue. He was trying to make enough noise to get Hopper's attention, without waking Aero. The dog's pointed ears perked up, and it looked in his direction.

Razan beckoned to the dog. Hopper's ears went back, and he promptly came to him. Aero slumped to the ground but was still fast asleep.

Good thing he's always been a heavy sleeper.

Razan led Hopper away from the guesthouse until he felt the coast was clear.

"You're going to help me find something bud." Razan jumped a few meters into the air onto the dog's back, and headed out into the green plains around them.

Fortunately, the place Razan had stowed the chest wasn't very far from Veena's property. It was still night when they found the wooded area. Hee tried to retrace his steps.

He recalled leaving it beside a small oak tree with red leaves. When he found the tree, he discovered it had doubled in size. At the base of the tree was a perfectly rectangular imprint on the ground.

"Hopper, here." Razan called. It came with its ears pointed back, appearing nervous. Usually, the dog was either feisty or aloof. It never seemed anxious like that. Razan reached up and rubbed Hopper's side. "It's okay bud. You're not in trouble or anything."

Hopper's ears immediately perked up. The dog nuzzled it's head against Razan. He couldn't help but laugh at how excited it got from simple praise.

Razan pointed to the imprint on the ground, "Look at this, bud."

Hopper's nose stooped to that point, and it began to sniff around. It began to trail around the forest until it traveled a straight line out of the woods heading northwest. It had found its scent. Razan mounted Hopper and they followed the trail.

They followed the scent through the night, and it took them to several towns, multiple caves, and a port town. Though no one could've known it, the chest had passed through many different people's hands over the decades. A group once hauled it to their village and failed to open it. They made a sport of gambling with every traveler to pass through their town, betting that they couldn't possibly open it. No one ever succeeded.

Eventually someone's greed got the better of them and they snuck into the village in the middle of the night and stole it away. Several locksmiths visited the impregnable chest. They had no such luck. The chest was traded, stolen, and lost by a roulette of owners.

Razan and Hopper followed the trail that the chest had followed all through the night.