A few hours later, a pair of figures whizzed through the air underneath the forest canopy, penetrating deeper into the confines of the Primeval Forest.

Strong River and Blue Ripple were now each carrying a couple cloth bundles wrapped in twine, the spoils of their expedition. Each of the beasts had been slain by River much in the same manner as that very first moss jackal had been and then carefully bundled by Blue Ripple before proceeding onward. As the sun's angle through the trees lowered, Blue Ripple decided that it was a good time to call an end to the day's hunting so River could have a quick look at the deeper interior of the forest.

"Right about here," Blue Ripple called out, and the pair made a final jump each to the forest floor. "Up ahead. You see the difference?"

River nodded. "It looks somehow... bluer?"

"Yeah. We're not exactly sure why," Blue Ripple admitted, "but the forest is layered in such a way that the light changes a bit in each deeper region. The real difference, of course, is that beyond here you're more likely to encounter initial fifth-grade beasts. The lesser beasts that live in this region tend to come in packs, as well."

"And then deeper--?"

"I've only gone further with a large group. The next layer after this has the light looking more purple. By the time you reach that edge, the beasts can be as strong as the later sixth grade. Beyond it... I have heard there is a place where the light becomes red, but other than the chief I don't think anybody in the clan has gotten anywhere close to there." Blue Ripple shook his head. "Anyway, that's about it for today's tour, I guess. Time to head back." Blue Ripple turned and sprang into the air back towards where they came, River following his lead.

"What is the deal with the forest, Mister Black?" River asked his inner occupant.

"Oh, that's easy enough to answer. The entire forest is a living being of its own," Mister Black explained, as though it were the most natural thing ever. "It isn't conscious, yet, but it cultivates essence like you will someday. The flow of essence attracts all kinds of beasts, the beasts grow stronger and hunt each other and deter humans from doing too much damage to the forest, and the forest grows stronger in turn. Barring a strong expert coming to interfere with its growth, it will keep doing that, overrunning all in its path, until it has cultivated to the point of developing intelligence. That should be in a mere thousand years or so at the current rate, give or take a few centuries."

"Wow." River thought of how it must be wonderful to casually consider such a timescale. "So then how deep does the forest actually go?"

"Currently? The deepest region of the forest should have peak Meridian Circulation beasts and be governed by a handful of middle Foundation Building beasts. If one of those beast hegemons decided to take a liking to human flesh, it could single-handedly wipe out your entire clan and the whole Dragon's Den together in one fell swoop. And yet to the future you, wielding the Blood Devouring Palm, they could be reduced to being mere tonics for advancing your cultivation."

"And the forest itself?"

Mister Black chuckled. "Ambitious. That would be quite an undertaking, but not impossible, young man. Of course, the greatest barrier to your rapid advancement is a lack of time. This forest is a treasure land for a cultivator with a technique like yours, and yet you would still need to spend a year or so here to have a glimmer of hope of facing the Dragon's Den."

River inwardly sighed. "And yet I only have days at a time, and at that, I have to find ways to avoid monitoring. How is that going, by the way?"

"Tomorrow night. Coaxing a beast of that kind out of the deeper layers without it running into one of your hunting parties prematurely takes finesse."

"Then tomorrow I'll take care to conserve my strength." River felt a small surge of mixed excitement and trepidation rise in his chest.

River and Blue Ripple reached the forest's outer edge without incident, Blue Ripple pointing out the stockade-rimmed camp under the ruddy descending sun. Entering the grassland, the pair's pace slowed as they caught their breath and walked back to the camp.

The rest of Blue Ripple's team returned to the camp within the next quarter hour, after which they were all laying out their hauls of beast carcasses and medicinal herbs.

"Man, Blue, you really were showing off for the newbie this time weren't you?" one of the warriors remarked, looking at their six beast corpses.

"Yeah, you really smacked those around, too," another chimed in.

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"Hey, hey, don't look at me," Blue Ripple replied, arms raised in mock protest, "I just watched. Brother River did all the fighting."

River concealed a small frown at Blue Ripple's frankness as he lowered his head bashfully. "I'm not good with any weapons, so I kind of just smacked them around, as far as that goes."

"Nice!" the first warrior exclaimed at that, flashing a thumbs up. "At least this way they come pre-tenderized, right?"

The other warriors laughed.

"So," River quickly interjected, moving to change the subject before he got too embarrassed, "how hard is it to learn about the herbs?"

"It's not all that hard, but it can be boring," one of the other warriors replied. "You have to go through some books and scrolls and memorize the plants, their properties, how to pick them..."

"Ah." River left the matter at that. He could not read, after all.

The men took their dinner as they went about the business of processing the carcasses with practiced expertise. River now saw employed many of the techniques that Blue Ripple had explained to him earlier. He helped out when asked and where he could, but for the most part, he aimed to stay out of everybody else's way and not interfere with the efficient handling of their individual tasks, just learning what tricks of the trade he could from the experienced men.

As the beast corpses became piles of furs, bundles of bones, and slabs of meat, the sun met the earth in the distance. The men who had the first watch readied themselves while the others prepared for their slumber.

"Hey," Blue Ripple called out to River, seeing that he too was cleaning up his area, "Not so fast."

"Hm? There something else, bro?" River replied.

"Yeah. You have to choose a skin, right?" Blue Ripple gestured to the six hides laid out in front of them, all from the beasts River had slain that day. "It's how we do things out here. Now you're really one of us." Blue Ripple grinned.

River fought down a surge of emotion that erupted. He had been so preoccupied with trying to be helpful while also mentally preparing for the following days, and so the matter of his earning a warrior's beast skin cloak had slipped his mind.

Which one to choose, though? The moss jackal was his first beast, but its lichen-like coloration turned him off. He could only imagine comments about him being "Moldy River" cropping up after that, and he had already had a lifetime's worth of derision heaped on him. Each of the following beasts had not put up any more significant a fight, and so there was no meaningful story to any of the hides.

In the ruddy light of the sunset that washed over them, everything took on a tinge of crimson. This set off an idea in River's imagination and, inspired, he then knew which skin was the right one.

"This one." He pointed. The fur was a mottled deep red and black and drank in the sun's vermilion glare. River's strength came from the blood of his foes; this hide, in his mind, captured this essence.

Blue Ripple nodded, picking it up. "There's some treatment it'll need before you wear it. It's something for me to do during the watch. By the time we're ready to leave and return to the clan, you'll have yourself a fine new cloak." Blue Ripple grinned.

"Thanks, bro." River felt a clench in the pit of his stomach. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Seeya!" Blue Ripple threw the hide over his shoulder and turned to go about his business.

River returned to their tent with that feeling still weighing in his stomach. Blue Ripple would undoubtedly be more occupied around tomorrow night, and then for the next few nights after that...

He undid the ties of the blanket that held together his belongings. Picking through the items, he weighed what would be useful, as well as what he wouldn't want anybody finding. Chief among these were the dagger and coins he had looted from the bandits and which he had brought with him. The small pot of medicinal salve was less incriminating but could come in handy, and so it too went on the list. Most everything else -- utensils, a couple changes of clothes -- could remain here.

He wrapped the chosen items in cloth to make them less conspicuous and bound them around his thighs under his breeches. He'd probably get a couple bruises sleeping that way, but it was his only opportunity for smuggling the items out in the current circumstances.

"So," Mister Black chimed in, "how do you see this happening now?"

"Tomorrow's camp group is going to be Soaring Wave's. When the beast is spotted, I'll get sent back. The stronger members of each group will have to coordinate to deal with it, and that is when a bit of thinking on my feet starts. One way or another, whether it's by his plan or something I have to come up with, Soaring Wave and I will end up separated from the camp. That's when the fun begins. You think you can have a couple not-so-threatening beasts make some noise if necessary?"

"Oh, I see," Mister Black commented with mock indignation, "I come from beyond the stars and offer amazing cultivation techniques and profound knowledge, but my actual use to you is as a beast whisperer."

"Huh?" River transmitted a strong sense of confusion.

"Never mind." Mister Black sighed. "Of course I can arrange for it. You're going to pin it all on some more beasts, then?"

"No, they're just an excuse for Soaring Wave and me to have for going out. I'll have something much more threatening to tell them about after a couple harrowing days in the Primeval Forest doing my best to avoid getting killed by it. It wouldn't be too strange for some kind of devilish master to be training here and deciding to kill a few brats that got in the way, right?"

Mister Black laughed. "Which also explains any other inconvenient beast corpses, if anybody investigates the area."

"See, Mister Black? I'm not totally hopeless."

"For the level that you are at, it's as good as any could plan for, I agree. So then how long will your harrowing sojourn be?"

"Three days. I'll be relying on water skins, and I can't exactly sneak back for refills. There's no doubt some creeks and springs in the forest, but since it changes and I don't have time to investigate, I'll have to assume I won't find any."

"Well then. If there's nothing else," Mister Black replied, "I have some last bits of cat-herding to attend to. Get your rest now, you won't be having much for a while." With that, Mister Black's presence again vanished as he went about his work.

River laid down and bundled himself up in his blanket. "Good night, Mister Black," he whispered.