Yol'Zoel Ell-Thomiel sat perfectly still upon the flat top of a large rock. A slight breeze in the clearing caused the tall, dry grass to sway and dance before landing gently against her face. She flicked copper hair from her face and took in a deep breath. The air smelt of dew and the pollen swept inland from the fields surrounding the city. The shadows slowly receded, growing shorter as the sun broke over the forest horizon. Of all the time in the day, Zoel enjoyed the early morning more than any other.

This particular morning she was savouring it while she could. There was no doubt in her mind; she would be in a foul mood by the end of the day. Killing always left her feeling down. They would find the target of their hunt today, and tomorrow they will start the return trip to the city. The hunt would be bloody, as it always was with Agmagon.

Whatever her feelings, it was necessary violence. They had to do it every few years, the beasts she and the rest of the unit were hunting needed culling. Their numbers were unusually high this year, exceeding what this neck of the forest could support. Without culling, they would start moving further through the forest. This couldn't be allowed, lest they encroach upon the fields surrounding the city.

It wasn't that they posed any danger to the city itself, and it was unlikely they could harm anyone there. The culling would prevent them from upsetting the natural balance, stop them from damaging the land's yield and becoming a nuisance to those that chose to work it.

She squinted into the light as the sun finally crested the trees and fell upon her. She basked for a moment, eyes closed and with the sun's warmth on her face. Eventually, it became too much, and she turned away and reopened her eyes. Others were starting to move about the camp.

Sentries were emerging from their hiding spots in the tree, and the rest of the hunting unit were beginning to emerge from their tents, most rubbing sleep from bleary eyes. She enjoyed watching the sunrise and had awoken early to catch it. Some slightly more awake members were finding comfortable spots in the sun and beginning their day with their own spell of meditation.

She had already performed hers. Not having sentry duty or any duties the previous evening had allowed her to turn in early. This, in turn, awarded her with an early rise and the chance to watch the sunrise. A decision she was grateful to yesterday's self for.

The sun breached the tree line completely, and the sunrise ended. At this point, the camp was becoming increasingly active. Zoel resolved to start her tasks for the day, the first being packing up. She hopped off from atop her rock as graceful as a dancer. She went back to her tent. Her bedroll, tent, and other gear were easily repacked a pressed into the bottom of her travel pack. Her camping gear was dismantled and compressed to no more than the span of her hands. Sometimes she was impressed by the quality of the equipment her mother had given her. Her mother couldn't help but buy the best she could find, or atleast the best she could have in this zone.

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Not one to stand around doing nothing, she made her way to a centre of bustling activity. This gathering of people were preparing to cook the unit breakfast, and she'd decided to help out.

She didn't like being idle, and looking idle was always a good way to get given a job. The jobs given out to the idle were usually those no one else wanted to do. Hanju, her best and only real friend, had been doing the lavatory pit digging three days in a row at this point. Mostly for getting up late but at least partly for loitering around where he could be seen by the unit leader. Not that the unit leader didn't know what everyone was doing at any given time anyway.

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Breakfast was sizzling on the hot stones of an ancient shaokao. The clearing had been used for this exact purpose so many times over so many years it was inevitable that someone would have, at some point, built some permanent campfires. There was also a cairn that looked even older.

Everyone knew about these places. This one and many others like it had been around long before Zoel was born. It was unlikely there were still people in the city that remembered them being built. However, there were some who at least knew someone else who remembered.

Eggs, fried starchy vegetables, and thin slices of excessively seasoned meat; a time-honoured hunting tradition. Helping with breakfast was a highly sought-after job. Mainly because it gave early access to the food, a benefit, Zoel was liberally making use of. It also put those cooking and serving in the good graces of those receiving, whether or not they noticed the strategic socialising. Making good impressions was always beneficial; fortunately for her, the early rises had the advantage.

She was, however, begrudgingly, yet politely forced from the cooking and into the washing up. She hadn't been assigned to cook breakfast, and those who had been also wanted to make the most of the opportunity. It wasn't because her assistance wasn't appreciated, as the unit leader always assigned slightly fewer people than required to specific tasks.

There were always opportunities for little games to be played when someone knew where to find them. Zoel had at least managed to serve a few grateful people before being replaced. Even if one of them was Hanju, he didn't count, obviously.

With a good portion of cooking equipment washed, she grabbed her own breakfast. A small mountain of food had been left to one side for her, likely as thanks for the help. Plate in hand, she made her way to sit with her friend. He was still eating, even though most had already finished. No doubt a result of his inability to separate his head from his pillow.

"I see you won the battle against your blanket this morning."

"I see you managed to be an arse-kisser this morning." He replied, picking a rash of meat from her plate.

Zoel, not being discouraged, flicked a lump of vegetable at his face. She wasn't feeling that hungry anyway. Not after all the snacking she'd managed to do.

They finished their breakfast, all but the last to finish. With Hanju's help, both their plates were emptied.

"We better get moving Zoe. I hear it's your turn to lead our little group."