The sight of the arrow didn't bother the boy as much as it probably should've, briefly noticing that the arrow was lodged only a few inches from where his head had been.
The thought was quickly pushed from his mind though, he had too many questions, and whoever that man was? He was long gone, obviously not coming back. Not for a Northerner like him.
Or whatever he was, Northie still didn't know if where he had woken up was considered north, or if that man had just seen his dirty clothes and assumed, but it was certainly better than having no name at all…
His name.
That's what he had forgotten, that's what had been pricking at his mind earlier, disturbing him to his core. That feeling like something was horribly wrong, that he was missing something important, that there was something he should be worried about…
"You're fun to watch kid."
Ah, yes, the other thing he was supposed to be worried about.
"Daddy got scared off and you're just here pacing, something on your mind?"
Dark shapes moved out of the corner of Northie's vision, closing in around him, slinking through the bushes under the cover of night. A few of the shapes stepped out, and with their forms no longer covered, Northie could easily see the bright glowing marks on each and every one of the bandits, like miniature stars.
One of them made a rustling sound, making movement the boy couldn't see as bright light filled the space, each of the men suddenly illuminated by the bright flame now flickering in his palm. It was right above his own glowing mark, one that Northie couldn't see through the light, but it was incredibly obvious what it was.
"You look like you could use some company, feeling lonely without your friend?
"Aww Ruben, look at his clothes, does he even have anything to steal?"
"Who cares you dimwit! Nobody leaves the town this late without packing supplies, if anything we can take his food."
"I thought we were stealing a wagon. Why are we robbing a kid Hank?"
"Because the wagon ran away and now there's this random kid here! We can't just let him go."
"…and why is that?"
"Because he's seen us! Do you want to have the city on alert for theives?"
The bandit demanding blood waved a knife around, his mark glowing from somewhere on his shoulder, hidding from the boy's sight.
Northie was confused by their bickering, wondering how he had ended up here in the first place. Obviously they had intended to rob the rider, not him, he had gathered that much from their conversation, but why they felt the need to harass him next was confusing… considering Northie wouldn't have known who shot the arrow if they had just stayed hidden.
One of the bandits stepped forward. He was taller and more grimey than the rest, his face covered in scars and fresh cuts that had started to scab over, and his hair was grey despite looking so young. His clothes were neater than his face, wearing a long worn coat over formal clothes, clothes obviously stolen from the corpse of an unfortunate noble.
"…You know, we wouldn't have needed to rob this kid if you hadn't missed."
When he spoke, the rest of the bandits froze, watching him pick his teeth with a long fingernail as he stepped closer, somehow feeling threatening despite his casual demeanor. The mark of this particular bandit was that of an animal tooth, long, sharp, and ready to kill as he got uncomfortably close to Northie.
The tall bandit suddenly leaned in, sniffing the boy like an animal detecting a scent, carefully studying him before finally standing up again, facing one of the bandits to the side with a grin.
"Ain't that right? We missed out on my goods because of you?"
'He's insane' Northie thought, unable to do anything other than look at the twisted smile of a psychopath on the bandit's face.
"…Oh well! No need to cry over spilled milk, not with a northern rat standing right in front of us. Say, you got a name kid?"
He quickly started stuttering a response, the words leaving his body out of fear. He didn't have a name! How was he supposed to answer a question like that?
With no other option, the boy gave the only answer he could think of.
"Uh— N-Northie, my name is Northie."
The tall bandit replied by laughing, it was a loud shuddering laugh, one that hopefully meant he was happy with his answer.
"Northie huh? A funny name for a funny kid. You don't make a lot of noise do you?"
Now that crazy smile was directed at him, those hungry eyes piercing right into his soul. Carefully the bandit brandished his right arm, his mark pulsing right underneath his wrist as his fingers elongated into talons, giving Northie one last horrifying sight.
"Well Northie… just die."
And in a flash, the bandit sunk his claws into the boy's stomach.