Kairui returned at nightfall. With two baskets full of herbs and minerals.

"We'll leave the herbs, minerals, and resources here in this tent if we have to return," she said as she stood fatigued.

Her hand rested on her waist as she debriefed everyone on their plans forward.

"By first light tomorrow we'll head back to the lake and prepare to race past the ravines, I did some reconnaissance the whole army, or most of it has now settled in your hometown. They marched through the canyons, like a stampede I must say. Heavily armed and prepared. Soon they'll start inspections and interrogations before they move on to the next city or town".

"Next city??" Ussu asked confused.

"Honey dearest, this is war" Kairui replied in a quirky manner.

"They already planned to kill and enslave you all. For now, they are recouping and fortifying the captured town. While gathering information on the lake but they won't find it" she explained.

"What makes you so sure? That, that's their plan of action" Quine interjected.

"Look Around!" Sannu said with his arms out, turning around.

Kairui smiled and giggled at his abrupt response.

"This is the real lake. The Sel'nijj!! This river stream connecting to it alone will throw them off. The booby traps from here within a mile radius will throw them off coincidently" she said.

Her arms were folded, and she tapped her head to motion them to think.

The group looked around aghast.

What did she mean this was the real Sel'nijj, blasphemy maybe or confusion. They couldn't tell.

"How do you know this is the Real lake?? How did you know its location, it's almost too easy for you…" I pursued with Shassii and Quine confirming my suspicions?

"Intuition" she easily replied.

"You expect us to believe that!? Really??..." Quine seconded.

Kairui shrugged her shoulders.

"Believe what you want to believe" she dismissed as she made her way to the cave behind the waterfall.

Me and Quine sprung up in refusal. We both caught wind of each other and knew what was up, the others were kind of shocked.

Quine nodded at me in understanding, to lead the conversation.

"HOLD ON!!!"

"You may have saved us from our town. But some of us have families and friends we abandoned. You can't expect us to just leave all that behind and settle down at a lake because you said so".

Kairui turned away surprised, her face was one of pride and showed she felt insulted.

"What's next after that? What we just follow you around like an orphan band" Quine chimed in.

"How exactly did you know how to find this lake? You're not local, you're not native or even neighbourly?" I backed her up.

"In other words, they mean how can we trust you??" Yannu interfered.

Ussu looked back at him dismayed, tugging his gown.

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"Yannu!!" she whispered…

"She saved us!!"

"What? It doesn't mean we can trust her… she looks just like those soldiers only a few shades darker and she's openly conversed with them like she speaks their language and ours too. We don't know where she's from!?" He suggested, in an aggressive manner.

Ussu gave up, looking down she started piecing things together.

Sannu was quiet, just admiring the conflict and suspicions arising. Eagerly awaiting Kairui's response.

Me and Quine caught onto Yannu's remarks as well.

"I can't help but agree. You look foreign, even in those clothes you were. Apart from that long cloak, you've been tugging along. I know that gear is from our neighbours past the realm" Quine remarked.

"But if I said the siren of the lake summoned me here. Would you all believe me?".

We all fell quiet, our arguments ceased, but I think the answer was clear. No one was sure.

Even Sannu her companion held a neutral face.

We had nothing to refute that possible conclusion, she had saved us after all and we were at her mercy.

It was now three SŚhinou to sunrise. The clouds were still dark blue and faint. The moon still visited us, providing us light where we needed.

Kairui had rushed the group to wake up. She had planned on us making our way to the lake, resupplying on gear and eventually racing past through the forest. Resting at the main lake and traversing the terrain of the open Gorges into the Steep Canyon of the drylands before we make it past into the endless sea of sand.

The white sands of Eein.

Truly a sight to behold. None of the living elders had ever ventured to it in our town or Village. Only legends of the council Śeinq in Rhein and Eein City had made it and lived back. It was forbidden for any of us from the small towns or villages to venture deep or past the canyons. Folklore and our religion forbid.

The Śeingtt were against. Tales of the vengeful Śeikl wisp spirits who would reap your soul were told to adults and young alike, forboding us away.

Kairui had urged and dismissed them as rumors.

Truth be told we all were scared but were willing to risk the journey in-case, the soldier's search unit returned to look for us. The threat of them searching for the lake was looming.

"Listen guys we have to beat the sun if we stand a chance to throw them off our tail! Keep up the Mo… mentum" she instructed racing across the now shadowy everglades.

We all followed behind. Leaving Sannu to tend to the needs of the group. It was agreed he would prepare herbs, sharpen gear, and craft arrows and defence traps so we could fend off an attack. There was also a welcome party Kairui had told us as we rushed this morning.

Unsure of what she meant and tired from the early start, no one had time to question her.

Quine dashed from side to side. Leaping over rocks, her movement was similar to the dears. Her body moved gracefully through the tall grass leaving us behind. We saw her long dark hair flaunt itself, swaying in the wind.

"But if….. the men are there... before..... us?? Or find our wagon!?" She asked gasping for air as she ran alongside Kairui.

Kairui smiled looking at her as she danced past the trees of the forest. Quine entered after disappearing in front of our view. We caught up as the two maintained a steady pace together, matching each other's motions like two rivers eloping together.

"We kill them!!" Kairui finally responded.

Quine was unfazed by her nonchalant answer.

"What makes you so sure? It's a number of men we can handle!?"

"A hunch!" her response this time was faster as she griped a tree trunk swinging round.

Aya and the rest of the click raced past her, Quine turning back to see what she was doing.

In an acrobatic volley, she latched onto a stem, digging into its roots before swinging around the trunk, launching herself forward, flying past us all like a thrown spear.

Her landing upon the ground was met with a tumble and roll. Kairui refigured her body taking the lead again, her pace untampered and her adrenaline replenished. Her force in her strides doubled, stretching out like a cheetah as she now pranced from tree to tree like a cat.

Dodging the array of obstacles, with each tree she met. You would think she was related to monkeys. A kick was met which left a mark cutting and etching itself into the tree trunk.

I stopped to examine one, surprised at her movements. We all were taken back. The force that propelled her around, was splitting the tree skin, leaving some of them broken.

We'd never seen anyone move like this. She was like a monkey unleashed.

The more trees she met in the lush forest, the more she worked up more and more speed.

This time she achieved height with each thrust.

One powerful thrust propelled her past a fifteen meter wide riverway pass.

She giggled as her body floated over landing into the trees on the other side.

Catching up to her was impossible now.

We simply listened out to the rustles in the tree and followed the broken branches inspected and littered on the forest floor.

Her method was fast but inefficient, it left behind a trail anyone could follow.

Ussu and Yannu were shocked. Their heads volleyed around, hearing out the next rustle of leaves. Kairui would pop out from time to time from the branches to yell out.

"Here!"

And we'd humbly follow. Jaws dropped and all.

At one point we found her swinging from vines, latching on tightly as the bark gave into her weight.

Birds flocked out their nests, as she awoke the forest with her movements.

Her flexibility was unparalleled. Looking at a fifty-meter drop she wrapped the vine to her ankle as she swung, letting go and catching an oak tree branch. Before snapping herself free.

"Hmph, hmph, hmph".

Kairui stood atop, perfectly balanced. Her stamina was drained and her fingers and ankles ached. She turned round to see in wake broken vines, branches, and a plethora of fallen leaves.

Leaving the forest floor muddied like a scene after a stampede.

We caught up to her again. Panting as we stopped to get our bearings.

"Good job. We're near…"

The figure on the tree looked cool to all of us. Shassii and Quine were in awe.

Yannu was speechless as his jaw met the ground once again.

He latched his knees together, slumping his body.

His sweat glided off his forehead as Ussu lodged herself on top of him.

"Damn, she's soo cool. But she's too fast…." Ussu spoke aloud.

"Sloppy!" Quine said in a worn-out manner.

Eyeing her and the outlook of the forest.

Kairui smiled at the class and criticism.

Leaping off in a Sauter fashion, front flipping to the ground. She landed her feet parallel and arms stretched out. Lifting her head, closing her eyes in a pompous prompt.

We all look amazed, questioning whether she was in fact human. The way she traversed was not at all. Maybe the Śiekl was with her. Maybe she was sent to us...

One thing for sure was, we were better off with her than in the town.

"Hmph show off".