The sun had only just risen, still coloring the sky in the east with shades of orange.

At the entrance to the village stood Jyl, dressed in her grey furs, with a pack slung over her shoulders and her spear in hand. Her quiver and bow were tied to her back in a way they were ready to be used anytime.

Her three travel companions hadn't arrived yet, but they were already on their way. She had seen them exiting their temporary homes on her way here. In the meantime she said goodbye in her own way to the village she had spent over twenty years of her life.

She recalled her days strolling through the streets, she remembered the homes of every single one of her friends and acquaintances, and of course the forest surrounding it, which she knew like her own spear.

This would be the last time she would ever see those sights after all. It wasn't like she never expected to return to her village, but by then they would have moved, and everything would be different. This feeling, she could have never even imagined this a couple months ago.

It just went to show you could never take something for granted, a sentiment she thought to have accepted long ago.

She was shaken out of her thoughts when she noticed her friends, old and new, walking towards her. Arick acknowledged her presence with a slight nod, before continuing his conversation with Aiden.

It had struck her as odd how quickly the eldest grandson of the chief elder had taken to the demons. But at the same time, Aiden's curiosity towards the outside world was nothing new.

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On Arick's other side walked Alcaeus, for once not in the midst of talking. Which was quite the rare occurrence. She didn't deny he was charismatic, but the way he wormed his way into conversations with ease, and always deemed it necessary to add his own input, though usually quite interesting, made her want to avoid him more often than not. She wasn't one for long dialogues.

Lyall was missing. It didn't surprise her, as he had come to say goodbye earlier in the morning. He had pulled her into an awkward hug, told her to take care of herself, pushed a gift into her hand, before turning around and practically running away. He was probably trying to keep himself from asking her to stay. It was endearing in its own way.

Rina had decided to come as well, which was both surprising, and not all that strange. Jyl had never made much of an effort to befriend to cheery girl, especially since Rina tended to join larger hunting groups, while Jyl preferred only one or two companions she knew well, when she wasn't allowed to go alone. But at the same time, the were around the same age, and had often trained together, so they were more than just 'acquaintances'.

Evelyn and Solon walked in the back of the group, not that she expected anything else. The silent rearguard and her tree-dwelling shadow might be a bit older than of the rest of the group, but they had often hunted together. When up against a more challenging beast, there was no one better to watch your back, and their calm companionship was pleasant during extended travels.

The other two demons followed behind Arick silently. Mirus rummaging through his pack, checking if he hadn't left something, while Cecile was eagerly facing forward, probably happy to be going home. She had gotten to know them a bit better during their stay in the village, which would be a good thing once they arrived, since everything there would be foreign to her.

Chief elder Daren and her grandfather were of course also present, walking up to the group from a different direction.

Goodbyes and well wishes were quickly exchanged, as most of that had already been done yesterday, and the four prepared to go on their way.

Arick and Cecile opened their wings, each grabbing a passenger, before ascending up into the sky.