Chapter 58

Nibbling on an errant bit of shepherd's grass after a brutal predawn hike, Riley stretched in the light of the rising sun to her right.

The golden hues bathed her chilled fur with warmth. Grogginess drifted over her like a cozy blanket.

"Breakfast and a nap would be nice," She yawned, pausing in her grazing to stretch out paw over paw. Tobias plopped down beside her, pulling his cloak close with one hand, holding half eaten jerky in another.

Cid was just over the rise, gazing out on the misty forest they would soon descend towards, with Zorna beside him.

"Did I say it was break time?" He chuckled under his breath.

"He never turned his head!" Riley whispered conspiratorially.

"Magic," Tobias explained, swallowing his jerky down. "No sir, but you didn't say it wasn't either."

Riley regarded her sorcerer as if he had gone insane.

"Are you getting smart, boy?" Cid snapped.

"I hope so, Sir," Tobias' tone snapped in a perfect military manner.

"That's a good answer," Cid rubbed at his chin as if in thought, "We'll have

breakfast before we descend."

"It's a good place for it. There's water a bit further down," Riley said as if she had been to this place before.

"How can you tell?" Cid stifled a creeping smile, trying to hide his pride.

"It smells right, but beyond that, we're descending, and the woods are green and thicker ahead. There's also a distant roar I don't think you can hear, uh, sir," She explained awkwardly, reaching for the honorifics.

Try as she might, that kind of default respect wasn't a part of her like it was with Tobias.

"Is that a bad thing, though?" She muttered to herself. Mistrusting authority could be a survival tactic in its own right.

"Good, a ranger uses their senses and their sense; always know where you are, pay attention to what the land and the plants tell you. It will keep you alive," Cid instructed.

"With all due respect, I have no idea where I am, I haven't for months now," Riley admitted.

Cid shrugged, pausing to dismount, "There's knowing with your head and knowing with your heart. A place doesn't need a name for you to understand it. Tell me, are we far from Ashenvale?"

"Well, yeah, the air is thinner, we're up higher, and we've been moving north for the last couple months, except for that one time we veered west for two weeks to deal with the sand crabs," Riley paused to scratch at her ear with her left hindpaw, tilting her head into the soothing, rapid action.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"Five plants you can see?" Cid asked, his question shaped like a blunt demand.

"Sheperd's Grass, Faeries star, Jester's Vine, Kings pillow, Meadowwort," Riley replied.

Cid scratched at his long scar, "and you've already told me about the water. Tobias, how much light do we have left for the day?"

"Six or seven hours, depending on if we head down into that valley. I'd be more accurate, but it's cloudy," Tobias replied.

"So you both know the particulars of where you are." Cid shrugged and plopped beside Tobias, joining him in the contemplative chewing.

Riley returned to her patch of shepherd's grass, which had become a favorite, sweet, a little salty, and, when in bloom consisting of these tiny white balls of flower at its end, it was almost as good as clover.

Almost.

Just down the slope, the cockatrice was devouring her own breakfast.

"Does your mount have a name?" Riley asked.

"Zella," Cid replied absently.

"What is it with you and Z names?" She wondered.

Cid shrugged, "It sounded noble to me, and she's a good beast; she's been with me for about two years. Listens well, doesn't protest much, that puts her above some I've known."

"Hey!" Riley drummed her hindpaw in annoyance.

Tobias chuckled.

The place she found herself with Cid was as mysterious and nameless as the mountains she found herself on. At some point, things had boiled down, the training hadn't stopped, the persistent quizzing and challenging never ended, but there was a building camaraderie the last few weeks, after surviving monster assaults and grueling days of dragging rocks, or casting till she had a migraine.

Cid was definitely full of scary grandpa energy. Still, it had a purpose, and as much as she might deny it, it had a growing value within her mind.

Riley knew it would end soon, it had to, what else was there left to learn? She understood this world better in some ways than she had known her old one, or at least, it felt that way. Plants didn't solely have names but uses; the land offered clues she could navigate or find shelter by; every forest or plain now told a story.

Through the trial and the struggle of the last few months, Calaria was becoming... a home.

Riley's eyes widened at the errant thought, forcing her to swallow her grass in one titanic gulp.

"Wow," She marveled. When had that happened?

"Ok, enough butt warming, pack up and stand up!" Cid barked, falling into his drill instructor vibe.

As if in a subconscious motion, Riley found herself underway again, with Tobias beside her and Cid ahead, ranging carefully on his mount, as they descended towards the woods.

"You ok? Your ears are crooked," Tobias projected as he scanned around.

"Just up in my own head like usual, was thinking about how this was feeling like home," she replied.

Tobias nodded, "I never thought I'd enjoy being out here, but I admit I'm starting too."

"Yeah..." Riley trailed off, and a contemplative silence settled on them like the fog clinging to the base of trees. As the morning wore on, the roar of the water grew more intense, filling the forest with its song.

Up ahead, Riley could see more light filtering through the dense canopy, a sure sign that the forest was breaking into a meadow.

"Come on," she urged, falling into a quicker bound. Tobias moved up cutting a balance between stealth and motion, as Cid moved into the full light of day.

Riley skidded to a stop as she caught up to him, and Tobias let out a long, slow breath behind her.

They had crested a ridge, and below was a hidden valley with a roaring waterfall filling the air with the roar of cascading water. Up slope, perched on a ridge, towering upward was a strange art deco like tower, seemingly carved from rock whole.

Its stair step angles and impressive lines gave way to a flat roof. Riley could see a person atop it, standing next to a massive blue crystal floating, perfectly centered, far below, towering walls rose as if carved out of the same stone.

"Ranger central?" Riley wondered.

"Timbergarde, the farthest fiefdom of northern Ashenrealm. We'll be staying here a few days before heading on," Cid corrected.

Pulling at her map, Riley saw the entry update.

"Are we ever going to get there?" Riley projected towards Tobias, leaving Cid out of it.

"I'm beginning to wonder," He replied, falling in behind Cid.