Avira

While no snow had fallen, Avira couldn't help but feel that winter was at their back. Frost clung to the grass as the wagon trudged along the stone brick road. The group of five chatted amongst each other, in their own cliques.

Mareth and Hawke were at the front, navigating and handling the wagon. Kalani stood at the back, perched on top of the wooden arches and above the white cover. Avira and Godart were the only ones in the wagon proper.

Avira had managed to convince Godart to let her hood down and was currently brushing her hair. The unkempt locks were hard to wrangle down, but Avira was being careful not to hurt her.

“It's a beautiful color, just need to brush it more,” Avira told her, looking at the light freckles on the back of Godart's neck.

“You think so?” Godart asked, sitting in front of the wolf girl, “it kind of just gets puffy a lot.”

“I get the same issue, trust me,” Avira said, “though some oil helps.”

“I've been meaning to ask how you get such a good shine. And the color too, is that natural?”

“Well, I use eggs for my hair... soap too of course. I can show you next time we find a bathhouse.”

Godart gripped her knees for a moment, then spoke nervously, “I, uh, think you getting naked in front of me once was enough.”

“Oh, has that been bothering you?” Avira chuckled, “sorry, it's not really that big a deal where I come from.”

Godart considered that. “I'd like to see more of your culture, y'know Not the naked people, just the culture.”

“Hmm, well I suppose if this trip goes well the whole no humans thing is out the door anyways. That is, if you'd want to go when there's war on the horizon. Probably happening now actually.”

“Well I am a medic, it sounds like the perfect chance to help some people. Not to mention I'd be able to learn all sorts of things. And uh... well, being able to hang out more would be nice.”

“Yeah, it would.” Avira couldn't help the smile sneaking on her face. “Oh, I believe you asked me about my hair color?”

“Oh yeah!” Godart exclaimed, glancing back at Avira's blonde locks.

“Well, it's natural. Apparently my mother was blonde despite the Driman, and grey hair is common on my dad's side. So I get a little of both.”

“That's pretty cool. I look pretty typical for someone coming from Inox, or rather its former vassal Hollyport.”

“The mask certainly makes you look unique. And you did have quite the interesting face, I noticed. Why do you hide it?”

Godart was silent for a moment. “I dunno. I don't really like the burns.”

“Are you kidding?” Avira patted her on the back. “What better mark of your ability than the scars of past experiments, displayed for all to see? Scars show that you're strong of spirit.”

“I haven't thought of them like that. It feels a little self-aggrandizing though...”

“Nothing wrong with being proud of who you are. I take pride in my muscles, you have a curious mind and kind heart.”

Godart didn't talk for a while after that, though a few sniffles escaped her. Avira continued to brush her hair. She understood the value of a good cry.

#

Hawke

Hawke held the reins, watching the road as the horses pulled them along. Kathan horses looked abnormal: large, long-haired, and with horns similar to a goat. Mareth, sitting next to him, noticed Hawke looking at them.

“You know, they're closer to oxen than horses,” Mareth spoke, the water-stained map in his hand.

“They also don't do well in the warm weather,” Hawke said, “one of the many reasons their invasion into Vakia was halted.”

“Too many factors in that to list...” Mareth looked to the road ahead, a fork splitting the path.

“Left, correct?” Hawke asked.

Mareth paused for a moment, looking into the space above them, “Apparently the road's blocked. Right path is better.”

Hawke directed the horses to the right, wagon creaking as it rode down the bumpy path, potholes shaking it now and then. The whole land was rocky, with little flat land. Trees were sparse, though groupings large enough to constitute a forest were sporadically placed in the landscape. Seemed like a hard place to farm unless you put a lot of effort into it. Likely much harder with how uneven the roads were.

“You'd think the Kathans would manage their roads better, considering how much they boast about them,” Hawke said, then started to contemplate something. Looking to the mage at his side he spoke, “so this might sound a little weird.”

“Considering my hobbies, weird is hard to come by.”

“Fair enough. I notice you're good at...” Hawke lowered his voice so the keen-eared passengers wouldn't hear, “conversing with the fairer sex.”

“Do I? You seem to do it just well enough.”

“Well I'm supposed to have a fake name, if you can remember. Yet every time a pretty woman asks me, I instinctively give them my real name and get nervous. Awkward, even.”

“You'd think a prince would be used to it by now.”

“Well, my father prefers me to be an adventurer more than a mainstay in the royal court. So I have some experience, but not much.”

“That's surprising considering how you carry yourself,” Mareth contemplated that, “I'm not sure though, I suppose I don't really mind what their gender may be.”

“You're probably unique among men in that regard, then. Still, I wish I could have that mindset.”

“Well, is there any woman who doesn't make you feel that way?”

Hawke mulled it over, “Kalani I suppose. She's always been a good friend, I guess I don't really consider her a woman...”

“Excuse me?” the harpy in question spoke, perched right above them.

Hawke swore, “I didn't mean it in a bad way! I just meant I'm comfortable around you, unlike other alluring women.”

“Okay, I think that's my queue to leave before I'm a witness to murder.” Mareth quickly rolled the map up and receded back into the wagon.

Kalani's talons wrapped onto Hawke's head and he felt the other one digging into his shoulder hard, “I must have misheard you, huh?”

She was light, but on his shoulders Kalani felt oppressive. The sting of her claws hurt, and his mind was racing to apologize, “uh, I didn't mean it like you think!” It was hard to keep his head up.

“How did you mean it? Cause it sounds like you were saying I wasn't attractive, or a woman.”

He flinched as the harpy gave another squeeze. It felt like she was about to toss him into the air. “I just meant that I'm comfortable around you and I've never considered your looks before...” noticing that she hadn't let off yet, he added, “though I guess you're cute!”

Kalani let go of his head and gave him a swift kick. “Damn right,” she grumbled and hopped back onto the carriage covering.

Hawke touched the side of his head where it was now throbbing. looking back at Kalani, he could almost swear he saw a blush on her face as she shot him a glare with her piercing yellow eyes. He returned his view to the road and released a breath. She was quite cute, now that he thought about it.

#

Mareth

Mareth sat on the back of the wagon, letting his legs hang as he watched the road behind them. His amulet hung loosely from his arm, primed to suck up any stray spirits on the road. Whispering of all the trapped souls filled his head due to the silence, murmuring of hundreds merging into indistinguishable noise.

Valisa appearing next to him warded it away. Witness was floating behind the wagon, levitating over the road with a disinterested look. Mareth gazed at Valisa, who had a noticeable red tint to her slightly less translucent skin, “I don't usually do a favor for spirits, you know.”

“I'm thankful. You're stuck with me anyways, so it helps you too.” Valisa leaned backward, though she passed through the wood.

“Just don't pick up and throw anything from now on, and we'll be back at your home village in no time.”

“That gets the best reactions though, short of trying to give them hallucinations or something...” She crossed her arms.

“I'd rather you not become a fear daemon.” Mareth took out his book, in the mood for some light reading.

“Fear and anger are the coolest type, though!” Valisa complained, looking annoyed.

“Let's go for a balanced type, like Anne,” Mareth said, “maybe then you'll be pleasant to talk to.”

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She narrowed her eyes at him, “not my fault I had to get killed by some savage and tied to the most boring man alive. Doesn't get angry, is into corpses more than girls, are you even interested in sex?”

“Hardly your business, don't you think?” Mareth asked, his constant smile faltering. The public's obsession with sex was distasteful. He didn't see the appeal.

Valisa muttered a slur under her breath, though Mareth just ignored her.

#

Godart

Although her eyes were puffy under the mask, Godart was feeling very energetic and happy through the day, even if they were all cooped up in the wagon. The time passed slowly, everyone taking a shift steering the wagon.

Godart was up front when the sky took on an orange hue, the sun fleeing under the horizon. Aside from a few villages, some lone houses, and farmland on the way the land was unspoiled. They were near a forest when Hawke peeked his head out between them.

“Looks like it's getting dark. We should set up camp,” he told them.

“Yeah, I'm getting hungry,” Godart affirmed and found a clearing next to the road to bring the wagon into.

Once it was in place and the horses gave a last huff, everyone climbed out and Avira immediately took charge.

“Alright, if we're camping we're going to do this the classic way!” Avira was much more confident now than she wasn't on the boat or in the city. “Make a fire, dig a hole for shitting, get some food cooking! Kalani, you can collect sticks. Hawke, help her. Godart, get whatever you need to cook with from the wagon. Mareth, you get that hole dug. I'm going to get us some meat.”

“Oh!” Mareth exclaimed, “just a moment, I forgot to give you this.” He hopped back into the wagon and ruffled through his belongings and came out with a parchment. “Hunting permit, in case you come across any soldiers.”

“Ah, I didn't know I needed one of those.” Avira pocketed it. “Makes sense though, I suppose. Thanks.”

Kalani and Hawke shuffled off to the nearby woods to collect what they could, talking amongst each other on the way.

“I'll do my best!” Godart assured Avira, who gave her a confident nod. Something about her swagger as she slipped on her gauntlets and walked into the forest made Godart's heart soar.

“Shame I can't just make another ball of heat for the campfire,” Mareth spoke, watching a shovel float away from the wagon and to a spot in the brush.

“You and I both know it'd make the food tasteless.” Godart pulled out some pots and pans as well as some of the vegetables she bought in the city. They were still fresh, and the cold had only preserved them better.

Hawke and Kalani were returning with the wood by the time she had everything set up.

“Hey Godart, you set up quick,” Hawke told her.

Godart didn't really acknowledge him. She still couldn't bring herself to talk to Vakian royalty, even if she'd spent time in the city with Kalani.

Hawke realized this, sharing a glance with Kalani, “Right. I'll get the fire set up.”

As Godart prepared the vegetables she spoke to Mareth, “How'd you get your hands on a hunting permit anyways? Pay for it?”

“Well, let's not discuss the legitimacy of the document and whether I did or did not pull off a heist to get it. What matters is we have it.” Mareth smiled, reading a book while his familiars did all his work.

“Uh, alright then,” Godart replied. Mareth was weird as ever.

“Really, Mareth? I gave you the easiest job, you could at least do it yourself,” Avira's voice rang out, the woman emerging from the woods with a haul.

She had a rabbit and two birds with her, all dead of course. She set up shop next to Godart, skinning and cleaning the meat while Hawke was finally getting the fire going.

“That was harder than I thought,” Hawke muttered, using a little puff of air to strengthen the fire.

“More dry kindling would have helped,” Avira told him, “but that's good enough.” She looked to Godart's preparations, sliced vegetables ready to cook. “Nice.”

Godart smiled to herself, watching Avira skillfully strip the carcasses of the useful meat. “Those birds are ptarmigan, right?”

“I believe so,” Avira shrugged.

“Also known as the thunder bird. I hear they love them in Zakath,” Mareth spoke up, peering over.

“Mareth, go dig a hole yourself already,” Avira told him.

The scholar's smile grew more strained. “Very well, if you wish to force me into manual labor I'll humor you.” He shuffled off to the brush where the latrine was already being dug.

“This is fun,” Godart said, “camping together. Never really done it before.”

“You're pretty good at it, considering.” Avira reached to pat Godart on the shoulder, but stopped as she saw how bloody her hands were. “Anyways, go get some spices and we'll have a meal before you know it.”

Working together, Avira and Godart finished cooking dinner and served it to everyone. Traveling together had worked up an appetite, so everyone was quick to finish their bowls.

“I'll take first watch,” Avira said, “the rest of you should get to sleep.”

“Sounds good. Make sure to feed the horses,” Hawke told her, laying on his cot.

“Goodnight then, everyone,” Godart said.

Everyone muttered something back. Their fur cloaks and the still roaring fire kept them all warm as they drifted off to sleep. The occasional crunch of leaves and howling of the wind resounded through the campsite all the while.

#

Avira

Avira woke with a start as a shriek rang out from next to her. She jumped out of her cot, looking to the source and seeing Godart's panicked face. She was up in bed, looking around frantically. Scanning the surroundings she saw everyone else getting up as well, but otherwise everything seemed to be normal.

That's when she realized what it was. She saw Godart's face.

“Don't look!” Avira told Hawke and Kalani, who were staring bewildered. Mareth already knew what was happening and was searching around.

“Someone took my mask!” Godart yelled, panicking. She pulled her hood over her head hard, trying to hide her face.

“Godart!” Avira told her, grabbing her by the shoulders, “calm down, I'll help you.”

She was breathing hard, stopping a moment to look Avira in the eyes. Her one blue and one cloudy eye were filled with panic. She quickly averted her gaze, breath slowed a little. Godart stood up and hurried to the carriage, and after searching for a moment she came out with a cloth mask over her mouth.

“Better?” Avira asked, only stealing a glance before looking towards the woods. Her scars were gnarly, but Avira didn't see why she was so panicked about her face being bare.

“A... a little,” Godart spoke, voice shaky, “we need to find my mask though.”

“I'm on it, don't worry,” Avira spoke, looking around.

“Who was on the last watch?” Mareth asked.

“Uh, me.” Hawke said.

Godart shot him an accusatory glare.

“I didn't take it! I must have missed whatever did.”

“It's not his fault, Witness was watching and didn't see anything either,” Mareth spoke up.

“Must have been stealthy, or small,” Avira spoke. She spotted something and knelt next to a puddle. Tracks. Small paw prints, bipedal. She had an inkling of what it was. “Godart!” she called her over.

Godart knelt next to her and looked at the ground, tilting her head, “some kind of dog?”

“Yeah. A truffle pup, or lesser dryad. Smart buggers. Part mushroom too.”

“Those steal things all the time, don't they?” Godart asked.

“Yeah. He probably has a loot stash nearby. Shouldn't be too hard to find.”

Godart sighed with relief, “alright.”

The tracks led across the trail and into the woods. Godart nervously followed behind her as Avira pushed aside branches for her. The pup was small, probably up to Avira's waist. It didn't leave much of a trail, but her trained senses could track anything.

“You're really good at this,” Godart spoke in a hushed tone as Avira knelt to examine some droppings.

“Dad taught me some of it, I learned the rest,” Avira spoke. Still warm, so it shouldn't be too far. Their talking probably wasn't a concern, as the truffle pups chose to hide instead of run from things.

“What's your dad like?”

“Umm... he's big, very protective but let me have the freedom to make mistakes. We're close.”

Godart was quiet for a moment.” Sounds nice. My dad was pretty cool too. Got me into alchemy. I was young then too, so I made a lot of mistakes.”

“That where the burns come from?”

“Um, yeah.” She was more anxious when talking about those. Avira didn't push it.

“We're close,” Avira said.

Avira flipped a mental switch, going from a tracker to a hunter. Prowling through the brush, she glided through it as quiet as a phantom. Godart stayed behind, trying not to make noise.

She followed her nose to a secluded clearing. Large mushrooms dotted the grass. Staying on the edge, a glimmer from one of the trees caught her eye. Tucked into a hole in the bark was a treasure trove of trinkets and random accessories. Rings, necklaces, hats, as well as other things like silverware and plates. Truffle pups stole a wide variety of valuables when they weren't munching on crops along with bunny worms.

While they were smart, that intelligence didn't lend itself to their ability to hide themselves from smarter people. Their red mushroom cap looked just like the real thing, but had two pointed wolf ears coming from it. That, and the fact that it was three times larger than any other mushroom cap.

Of course, the fact that an eared, giant mushroom was in the clearing was telling enough. What really tipped her off was the fact that it had Godart's mask sticking out of it.

She rolled her eyes, then bolted from the brush directly at it. The pup startled and jumped up from the hole it was buried in. It wasn't quick enough to avoid Avira, though. She hooked her fingers under the mushroom brim and grabbed the mask beak.

Chirping and yelping, the pup flailed in her grasp, its tubby body in a panic. Avira quickly unfastened the sloppily secured straps from his head and let him drop, holding the mask.

He was mad. It looked like he was yelling at her, jumping and shaking its paw at her. Avira tilted her head as she looked at the critter. It had a small, globular head under the mushroom cap with a canine snout. It was covered in brown fur, with white on its stomach. its body could be called humanoid, tail aside.

She heard Godart making her way over, stumbling through the flora. She was nervous as she approached, but looked relieved when Avira held up the mask for her.

Quickly strapping it on and pulling up her head, she gave a heavy breath. “It's cuter than I thought.” Godart looked to the pup, who was standing there with its arms crossed with an annoyed look.

“They make terrible pets, don't even try it. They don't like people who take their treasures, either,” Avira said.

“Ah,” Godart muttered. She put a hand to her chin, thinking a moment before kneeling down in front of the critter. Digging in her pockets, she pulled out a shiny silver coin.

“I don't think they understand the value of money...”

The pup looked at the coin a moment, moving his head so he could see how it glinted in the light. He snatched it in his paws and scurried over to his loot hole, dropping the coin in. Turning back to the two, he gave a chirp and flicked his tail before walking away.

“Huh. That was good.” Avira was impressed.

“I'm glad that worked. I'd hate for such a cute little thing to come after me for revenge.”

“Oh yeah, they're known for that,” Avira chuckled, “I knew a guy that got his clothes stolen after a bath. Found them stained with berry juice an hour away.”

Godart laughed, “that's funny. Would rather that not happen to me though.”

Avira turned to go, waiting until Godart started to follow before retracing their steps back, “With all the chemicals you mess with, he'd probably accidentally blow himself up stealing something.”

“Possible. I actually had that happen to a thief before. Trying to score a healing potion I think.”

“Serves him right for trying to steal a potion instead of going for some actual medicine.”

“You've got that right...”

Avira intentionally slowed her pace down while she led Godart back so they could speak for longer. It was refreshing to have someone around that was fun to converse with.