Chapter 71: Interception 1

Elania smiled as she set down a large blanket on the grass, the fabric unfurling in a gentle wave.

Shadow let out a playful growl and chased after a cluster of butterflies. His paws pounded against the earth as he bounced through the wildflowers.

Yolani approached, a basket hanging from the crook of her arm. She set it out on the center of the blanket, then helped straighten the fabric out. “This is nice,” she said, taking in the peaceful surroundings.

Nature embraced them, the chosen spot to the southeast of Contia offering a tranquil escape from the city’s bustle. Wildflowers bloomed in a vibrant array of colors, their petals dancing in the breeze that cut the heat enough to make it comfortable.

Elania called out. “Don’t go too far, Shadow!”

The darkwalker paused, his ears perking up at the sound of his name, before resuming his playful pursuit of the butterflies.

They both settled onto the fabric, the soft grass giving pleasantly underneath.

Reaching over to the basket Yolani had brought, Elania retrieved a thermos-style bottle. She unscrewed the cap and took a gulp of the fresh water, the cool liquid refreshing her throat.

Yolani rummaged through it as well. “Did you forget to bring the snacks?” she asked, glancing up at Elania.

“They’re somewhere,” Elania said.

Yolani continued her search, her hand emerging with a package of dried meat. “I can only find this,” she said, holding it up.

Elania nodded. “That is the snacks.”

Yolani stared at her, a look of disbelief on her face. “What about the sweet rolls?”

Elania raised an eyebrow. “We didn’t stop at the bakery.”

Yolani peered at her intently. “You’re telling me you didn’t get the sweet rolls?”

“Do you want me to fly back to the city to get the darned sweet rolls?” Elania asked while suppressing a smile.

Yolani pouted, her lower lip jutting out. “Dried meat then.”

“I’m sorry,” Elania said, rolling her eyes.

Yolani looked away, feigning offense. “This is a grave betrayal.”

Unable to hold back any longer, Elania broke into a grin. “Relax,” she said, reaching for another bag and plopping it between them. “Of course I didn’t forget the sweet rolls.”

Yolani’s eyes widened with excitement as she eagerly opened the bag and pulled out a sweet roll. “Yessss!” she exclaimed, holding the treat aloft like a prized possession.

Elania laughed, the sound carried by the gentle breeze as they settled into their picnic. Hopefully, no one started shooting arrows at them. She would hate to take an arrow to the knee.

They chatted idly, their conversation punctuated by the occasional laughter and the rustling of the grass as Shadow played in the field. High above, cirrus clouds wafted through the blue sky, their wispy tendrils stretching across the expanse.

After a while, Yolani stood up, brushing off her pants.

Elania looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. “What’s up?” she asked, tilting her head.

Yolani’s gaze drifted towards the nearby forest. “I want to take a walk,” she said, gesturing towards the trees.

Elania nodded, pushing herself up from the blanket. “I’ll come with you.”

Yolani shook her head, a gentle smile on her lips. “You don’t have to. I just want to look at the trees and things.”

Elania grinned, struggling to suppress a laugh. “Of course, trees are nice.”

Yolani pouted at her, her lower lip jutting out. “I never got a good look at them last time. They didn’t exist in Neftasu, and wood was super rare.”

Elania’s expression softened, and she reached out to take Yolani’s hand in her own. “That’s all true. So, let’s go look at trees.”

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As they headed towards the forest, a rustling in the bushes caught their attention. Shadow burst out, a small critter clenched between his jaws.

Yolani made an unhappy noise. “Ew.”

Elania squinted at the creature, trying to make sense of its appearance. It seemed to be some type of mix of squirrel and possum, its features blending together.

Shadow tossed the critter above his head, its broken carcass landing in his mouth before he swallowed it whole.

Yolani eyed Shadow warily. “You aren’t licking either of us for a long while,” she declared, pointing a finger.

Shadow merely stared back at them, his tongue darting out to lick his bloody paw, unconcerned.

Elania muttered under her breath. “Sometimes I forget he’s a darkwalker because he acts so much like a lazy house cat.”

Shadow darted ahead as they continued into the trees, clearing a path for them by startling a flurry of birds and small critters.

Elania cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted after him, “Don’t eat too many, or you’ll get fat!”

Shadow leaped onto a vine-covered rock and turned to face them, his expression indignant, as if the mere suggestion of him getting fat was an affront. Yolani giggled at the sight. They headed deeper.

As they walked, Elania took in the towering trees surrounding them, their ancient trunks stretching skyward.

“This reminds me of a really old-growth forest,” she mused, running her hand along the rough bark of a nearby tree. “Trees that haven’t ever been harvested or chopped down.”

Yolani tilted her head. “Why would that make them special? Aren’t there a lot of trees like this on Earth?”

Elania sighed. “Most of the forests on Earth have been chopped for resources. Enough that old-growth forests and the like aren’t super common anymore.”

Yolani frowned. “Earth must be smaller than I thought.”

Elania smiled, shaking her head. “No, it’s big. It’s just that there are a lot of people on it. Billions of people.”

Yolani fell silent for a moment. “That’s a hard number to try to envision.”

Elania nodded in agreement as they approached a particularly thick tree. Yolani attempted to wrap her arms around its girth, but her fingers couldn’t quite meet. Elania tried as well, but she couldn’t fully encircle the massive trunk either.

Yolani gazed up at the tree, a hint of wonder in her eyes. “This tree would have fetched thousands of gold coins in Neftasu after it was cut, lumbered, polished, and stained…”

Elania nodded. “Some things are worth more in other places simply due to their scarcity.”

As they continued through the underbrush, following a path that seemed clearer than the rest, a large four-legged creature suddenly burst out of a nearby bush and bolted away from them. Shadow immediately leaped after it, his instincts taking over.

“Shadow, no!” Elania shouted.

Shadow skidded to a stop, glaring back at her with a disgruntled expression.

Elania shook her head. “You don’t need to kill it. You’re not starving, and I don’t want to deal with a carcass during our picnic.”

Shadow let out a low growl, his displeasure evident.

Yolani reached into her bag and pulled out a piece of dried meat. She tossed it towards him, and he deftly caught it with his jaws.

“Don’t be mad,” Yolani said. “We’re playing, not hunting.”

Shadow plopped down on the forest floor and began chewing on the jerky, his frustration seemingly appeased by the tasty treat.

Elania smiled as the three of them continued through the trees, the lush foliage surrounding them in a vibrant embrace. She reached out and took Yolani’s hand in her own, giving it a gentle squeeze. The warmth of Yolani’s skin against hers sent a pleasant tingle through her body.

“I wish it could be like this every day,” Elania said as she gazed at the tranquil beauty of the forest.

Yolani nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Maybe if we can protect Contia, it could be.”

Elania laughed, the sound carrying through the trees. “Maybe a weekly thing,” she suggested. “There’s a lot of work to do, and we’ll be needed even without the war.”

Yolani frowned. “Let’s forget about that,” she said. “At least until this afternoon.”

Elania’s own frown mirrored Yolani’s, and she nodded in agreement. They continued walking, the soft crunch of leaves beneath their feet the only sound accompanying their footsteps.

As they ventured further into the forest, Elania’s gaze fell upon a dead, dry tree, its branches bare and lifeless. An idea sparked, and she turned to Yolani with a smile.

“Do you want to have a campfire?”

Yolani blinked, confusion etched on her face. “Why? It’s already hot,” she pointed out, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow.

Elania grinned. “Just for fun.”

Yolani’s frown deepened, and she shook her head. “That doesn’t sound fun,” she countered. “I spend half my time working over a furnace.”

“Maybe when it’s cooler out, we can cook hotdogs or whatever the Contia equivalent is,” Elania said.

Yolani eyed her. “If there was a lake, we could take a swim.”

“Lake Astum is off-limits,” she said, shaking her head. “We’d be too obvious, and there aren’t many other good places.”

Yolani tilted her head. “What about the river?”

“The river is dirty,” Elania said, “and that only leaves ponds that aren’t... appealing to swim in.”

Yolani’s eyes lit up. “The beach sounds like it would be nice.”

Elania felt a little thrill at the thought, her mind conjuring up images of Yolani in a bathing suit, the sun glinting off her skin. She nodded, a grin spreading across her face. “I wish we were closer,” she admitted, “but it’s on the top of my list now.”

Yolani’s expression turned thoughtful, and she looked away, her gaze drifting towards the trees. “I’m not really sure what to expect,” she confessed. “Neftasu’s abyssal lakes weren’t really visible.”

Elania blinked. She reached out and took Yolani’s hand in her own, giving it a gentle squeeze. “All the water in Lake Astum has nothing on the ocean.”

Yolani’s eyes widened, and she shook her head in disbelief. “Lake Astum is already more water than I can imagine,” she said, “and I’ve seen it several times already!”

Elania smiled. “It would be nice to travel around and explore the world together.”

Yolani returned her smile, nodding in agreement. “That would be amazing.”

Shadow let out a meow, drawing their attention. The darkwalker sat at their feet, his tail twitching impatiently.

Elania and Yolani laughed, realizing they had forgotten him for a moment.

“You’re so needy, it’s silly,” Elania said.

They crouched down, their hands reaching out to rub his ears, eliciting a contented series of purrs.