After the days spent in the seemingly gargantuan Indervel, the great city once more returned to the horizon as Misha and her companions departed. The cobble streets were replaced first by more grassland and hills, then after yet more days, by rocky terrain where greenery began to grow sparse. Now, rather than the buildings of the city, it was the northern mountains that were at last in reach.

In a way, Misha preferred the mountains to the plains, even despite the effort it took to traverse them. There were ledges and rocky outcroppings here, places where the land rose up into natural formations that provided shade and shelter. It was nothing that came close to the Orchard Forest, but Misha felt some comfort in knowing there were places to hide should it prove necessary. She was right at home having to climb up walls of rock or jump over rough ditches in the ground as well. Grey even proved helpful in ferrying her over any terrain that proved too difficult for Misha’s small form. Misha did all she could not to overuse the wolf’s generosity, however.

Aliana similarly had few complaints about the mountainous landscape, being accustomed to travel as she was. It was, as was becoming a running theme lately, Veldin that Misha watched most closely. Though Veldin lived in this region, he’d struggled enough while traveling through the forest and Misha expected this trip to be equally harsh on his body. She was pleased to find, however, that Veldin seemed to be faring much better these past few days. He was still easily the least dexterous and most unaccustomed to wilderness travel when it came to climbing, leaping, and the like. But he did not look to be on the verge of collapse. He had regained some energy and his skin had become a few shades closer to a healthy color. Whatever that medicine had been that Zel had provided, it had clearly done its job.

“Are we almost to Lady Elcevier’s home now?” Misha asked at one point while she and her companions had stopped to rest. She sat on a rock, flipping through pages of a large book she’d laid out in front of herself. With Aliana’s generosity, Misha had purchased it from the earthcraft apothecary in Indervel and made pleasant conversation with the mousefolk Latalia. Zel had been nowhere to be seen at the time, which Misha thought was for the best for now. She was not certain she would have had much to say to the spider-legged man, nor did she think it would be good for Aliana to learn much of why Misha had been there the first time.

“Another few days or so, depending on our pace,” Veldin answered. There was an unfamiliar tone in his voice that sounded pleased and almost eager. It was refreshing to hear after he had been so dour and unwell until recently.

Aliana knelt on the ground beside Grey who had made himself comfortable in a bed of dirt and rocks, and scratched behind his ears while she spoke. “Why does she live this far out here, anyway? I’m guessing by her title that she’s nobility, but what is there to be… noble… over? There’s barely even any animals here but tatzel wurms and rabbits.”

“That was not always the case. Lady Elcevier’s manor has been in her family for generations, and these lands were once far more verdant. There were once villages out here as well.” Veldin gestured out to the east from where he sat. “Were we to travel further in that direction, we would find the remaining structures of said settlements.”

“What happened to them, then?”

“That part is hard to say. According to the records that Lady Elcevier’s family has kept, there was once a plague that spread through this area and devastated most of the villages’ populations. That was a number of centuries ago. Then, though the details of the next part are unclear, the land began to whither and grow infertile.

“All vegetation died off from this place, which in turn meant many native animal species migrated elsewhere. Even fish have become scarce in the rivers here, and with food sources dwindling, the few people who remained here after the plague left. They’ve either retreated back to the south or further into the mountains where the effects of this unknown blight have not reached.”

Aliana’s reply was a face crinkled in thought and crossed arms. “Hrmph…”

The tale stirred up an anxiety in Misha as her hands traced the dark brown cover of her book. Her attention drifted over to the rocky hills and ledges, and to the few scraggly shrubs that sprung up from the dirt here. Only the strongest of plants seemed to survive. Was this what fate awaited the Orchard Forest? Her whiskers twitched, unease lingering in her mind. “Why does Lady Elcevier stay here, then? Why not move like the others?”

Veldin answered, “For one, her home is here, and has been in her family for generations. She is Lady Elcevier Fontaine, last of the Fontaine lineage, and she holds a deep respect for what her family has created. She has made it clear to me that she does not want to abandon that. But that aside, she and her ancestors have taken great measures to make the manor’s immediate land more hospitable. At the very least, the matter of food and supplies is resolved enough for her purposes.”

As that explanation went on, there was a frown that formed across Aliana’s face. “But there’s no one else out here… She’s isolated, isn’t she?”

“Lady Elcevier has me.” Veldin offered up those words readily. “It is to my understanding, however, that she prefers her home to be out here at any rate. She has a fondness for this place, even despite the land’s circumstances.”

“If you say so…” Aliana hardly sounded convinced.

“It’s impressive that her family has been able to treat the land with their magic, though,” Misha mused. “Can we do that sort of thing for the Orchard Forest?”

“The principal is sound,” Veldin said, “but the number of years and resources it would take for a region that large would dwarf how much time the forest actually has left. There is far more consideration that will need to be put into it if we take that method.”

“I see…”

Sudden movement overhead caught Misha's attention from the corner of her eye. She looked up into the sky but saw nothing. Most likely the movement had been a bird, one of the scavengers or birds of prey that ate the few animals here foraging for berry bushes and sparse grass. Still, that was enough of a reminder to Misha that they had best not remain in one place for too long. There were threats in the mountains, after all. She did not have to be an expert on these lands to know that fact. "We should be moving, I think," she said.

Continuing on, the pathways of the mountains were wholly unsteady, and Misha was beginning to regret her previous decision that she liked the mountains. She could already tell that she would be exhausted by nightfall.

"What is that?" Aliana asked suddenly, shielding her eyes from the setting sun as she pointed out at something in the distance. Misha followed with her eyes, trying to spot whatever it was that Aliana was pointing out. It took some searching, but she soon saw it. A humble shack of thatch and wood poked up from the land, almost hidden from sight where it stood beyond a rocky hill. But Misha could see the very corner of it peeking out into view, a river flowing a short distance beyond it.

"Likely it is a rest point once used by travelers," Veldin elaborated.

'Once' used seemed accurate, Misha surmised, as the building was dilapidated and uncared for. Planks of wood were rotted and had fallen off the sides. There were visible holes in the roof. Still, it could provide shelter for the evening. If nothing else, the river would be a good chance to resupply on fresh water. "We should take a look, shouldn't we?"

Aliana nodded, taking the lead towards the shack with Grey trotting alongside her. Upon reaching the poor, downtrodden building, she reached a hand up to the doorknob. Aliana stopped, however, when voices could suddenly be made out inside the building.

"We'll head west next. Make our way out to the path down to the coast." It was a male voice speaking.

A woman's voice spoke up next, "We should have gone there first, I told you that. This path's been a waste of time, no one comes up this way."

Misha looked up at her companions, each of them paused to listen to the voices. Aliana stared at the door, a look of thought apparent on her features. Misha took it upon herself to walk along the shack's exterior and to its sole window. It was fortunate enough to have proper glass panes built-in, but the glass was cracked and missing chunks. A few shards of glass lay on the ground below it, while the rest must have been lost to wind and time. Misha scrambled up onto a rock below the window and reached up to the windowsill, pulling herself up just enough to peer inside.

The building's interior was simple. It looked to be a single-room cabin with a few old bed frames of rotted wood lining one of the walls. Any bedding had long since been removed from them, however. A table was present with stone-carved stools rather than chairs. Sat around said table were the current occupant, a trio of harpies. One man and two women, one of whom had striking white feathers and blonde hair that contrasted the darker colors of her two companions.

Misha hopped down from the window and returned to Aliana and Veldin to report back. "There's some harpies in there," she said, keeping her voice low.

"Harpies?" Aliana asked. “All the way out here?”

Misha nodded. "Three of them..." She paused, suddenly remembering what Swift had said back in the harpy encampment. "And... And one has white feathers."

Aliana considered that. "White feathers... And blond hair? And the other two are a man and a woman with darker colors, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Something amiss with those details?" Veldin asked, having not been a part of that original conversation.

"They're bandits," Aliana said, her voice tense. "The drake attack at the harpy tribe was their fault."

"Then that sounds like we should continue moving. We have no business with them."

Aliana hesitated. Then she took a step back from the door. “You’re right. We should leave.”

Before she made it far, however, Grey let loose a growl as the cabin's door swung open. From the doorway, razor-sharp talons whipped out at Aliana. She tried to react, raising her arms up to protect herself in the split-second chance she was given. She moved just fast enough to block the brunt of the attack, but the talons still reached some of the protective leather on her forearm that the metal of her gauntlets did not cover, tearing through it and the skin beneath and drawing a long streak of blood down her arm.

From the doorway stood the harpy man, his facial features twisted with fury. He stood with one leg planted on the ground and the other raised in front of him, poised for another kick at a moment's notice. He stood with great posture and balance despite this combat stance. "So that's what I heard out here," he muttered through gritted teeth. "Mynah, Dove, we-"

The man, whom Misha assumed to be Hawk, was cut off as Grey leapt forward at him in retaliation of his strike against Aliana.

Aliana drew her sword and Misha her bow. From the corner of her vision, she could see the shapes of another harpy, the woman Mynah with dark feathers, emerge from a hole in the dilapidated roof. In the building itself, the white-feathered woman Dove lashed her talons at Grey, cutting through the top skin of his snout and causing him to reel back with a yelp as blood droplets flew through the air. Aliana charged into the building to aid Grey.

Misha knocked an arrow to her bow and she heard the sounds of Veldin conjuring a spell. Before the effects of any magic could take place, however, Mynah had leapt from the rooftop. She nimbly flew over the incoming arrow Misha had released and dived from the air towards the pair outside. In that instant, she tackled into Veldin, knocking him off his feet and onto the ground. Mynah landed upright, talons on Veldin's chest to hold him down.

"Veldin!" Misha shouted, reaching for another bow from her quiver.

Mynah tossed her head back with a wide, sharp-toothed grin directed at Misha. She shifted one foot, resting a talon by Veldin’s neck. "Easy, now. I'll slit your friend's throat if you try anything. If you'd prefer, though, I can take you for a trip into the sky instead, little rat."

In the doorway of the building, Aliana faltered as she saw the scene outside. Hawk took the opportunity, gripping her by the throat and slamming her back into the wall nearest wall. She tried to pull the man's hand away, a strangled noise escaping her throat.

"Much better," Hawk said, eyeing the Moonlight sword in Aliana's hand. "Dove, Mynah, search them for valuables." He reached down, gripping part of the sword's hilt. Aliana struggled to keep her grip, choking back an attempt at words as Grey stood where he was, threatening the harpies with fierce snarling.

"Easy there, little lady," Hawk said, a malicious smugness behind his words. "We already established that you don't want your friend there getting hurt, right?"

After a moment of reluctance, Aliana's grip loosened on the sword and Hawk held it up in his free hand to examine it. Grey's growling continued but he did not dare move, understanding the position everyone was in. Mynah stepped off of Veldin and dragged him up from the ground roughly by the collar of his coat, searching through his pockets but still making it very clear who was in control of the situation. Dove, meanwhile, stepped out of the cabin and towards Misha.

"Don't do this," Misha said, glaring at the approaching woman.

Dove sat on a rock beside Misha, leaning down towards the mousefolk. "Don't do what? Earn our keep of food for the next while?"

"If you're after a meal, you should be hunting."

"Think of this as hunting. We don't have to follow anyone's orders out here, but we also have to get food on our own as well.”

"And you've come all the way out here just to steal from people?"

"'All the way?'" Dove stretched out one of her winged arms, showing off her feathers. "You should see how fast we can get from place to place." She slipped a hand into Misha's belt pouch, rifling around.

"I have nothing of value."

"Mm-hm, we'll see about that."

Meanwhile, Mynah's hands came away from Veldin's coat with his coin purse slipped over her wrist by the drawstring, and something else in her hand wrapped in white cloth. The scale shard. "What is this?" Mynah wondered aloud, pulling some of the cloth back. Misha’s blood ran cold at the sight of it in Mynah’s hand.

"Leave that be," Veldin hissed back at her.

"Hush, sweet pea. I don't want to scar up your pretty face. Now what is this, some sort of gemstone?” In the open sunlight, though the white of the shard was dull and marred with mottled purples and black shades, there was still the slightest glint of light reflected off its edges. “It’s quite ugly.”

"Please, don't–" Misha began, ready to bargain for the shard.

Veldin interrupted, demanding more loudly, "I said leave it be."

Mynah held up the shard for Dove and Hawk to see. "What do you two make of–“

Mynah's words were cut off then. Veldin, a sudden rage overcoming his features, gripped Mynah’s feathered wrist with a sudden strength he had never displayed before as evident by the sudden cracking sound accompanied by Mynah's shrill, pained shriek.

"Mynah!" The shout was from both Dove, who bolted up from her rock seat, and Hawk who turned in horror, unintentionally loosening his grip on Aliana. Aliana took the chance to reach out for Moonlight but stopped before she could grab it. All present froze as Veldin lunged forward with a deep, inhuman growl in his throat and, aiming for Mynah's neck, bit down into her flesh like a furious animal. Mynah recoiled just quickly enough for Veldin to only reach her shoulder, however, but she screamed once more in horrible agony as blood spilled out down the front of her body.

Hawk was the first to react, forgetting about Aliana and dropping Moonlight to the ground in favor of running towards Veldin and Mynah. Dove moved to join but was intercepted as Grey leapt in front of her, blood still covering his snout in three lines where the harpy woman's talons had wounded him.

"Ve... Veldin!" Misha shouted, running to the scene once she understood what she had just witnessed. Hawk had pulled Veldin away from Mynah, who scrambled away in terror with her good hand clutching her bleeding shoulder. In her panic, the scale shard clattered onto the ground.

"Don't touch her!" Hawk threw Veldin to the ground. He raised a taloned leg but stopped. Misha had drawn an arrow to her bow and aimed it directly at him.

"Get away from us! From all of us!" Misha yelled at the man. She did not want to kill him if she did not have to. But she hoped to make it clear she would not hesitate if it were necessary.

There was a tense silence for moments after that. Hawk's gaze drifted from Veldin on the ground, to Misha and her bow. To Grey snarling at Dove and daring her to move or to try to take off into the sky before he lunged for her. To Aliana who now stood speechless with Moonlight in her hand. And to Mynah who had hurried to her unsteady feet. Then, finally, Hawk said, "Let us go. This isn't worth it."

"Go, then," Misha commanded.

"M... Mynah, can… can you fly?" Dove spoke cautiously, her voice barely above a whisper as her eyes flicked from Grey to Mynah. Mynah shook her head, and Dove began to walk, holding her arms up to make it clear to Grey she was not going to try anything. Everyone, save for Veldin, watched as Dove stood next to Mynah, gripping her companion around the waist and beginning to guide her away with small steps. Hawk began to walk as well, his eyes locked on Misha the whole while. Finally, after what felt like minutes or even longer, the three harpies had walked far enough to disappear from sight around the rocks and hills of the terrain.

Aliana’s attention remained fixed on Veldin, who still lay on the ground breathing heavily. He trembled slightly and raised a hand to his face, feeling where blood coated his lips and chin, down his neck onto the front of his clothes. He wiped off some of the blood onto the fingers of his gloves, staring at it. Grey continued to growl and snarl, now with an anger directed at Veldin.

Misha did not know what to say. Finally, she forced out the first question to come to mind. "Are... Are you alright, Veldin?"

Veldin took time to answer. He moved, slowly, forcing himself up from the ground. His limbs still trembled as he did, and he made no eye contact. "No. No, I am not, Misha." His words barely held any energy to them, lifeless and exhausted.

Misha asked her second question. "What is wrong with you?"

"I… have no answers for that, Misha.”

“You don’t know?”

“No. No, I do not." Veldin snapped out these words with a returning fierce tone and Aliana flinched. Grey barked, coming to stand protectively in front of Misha. Veldin knelt down to pick up the shard from the ground and inspecting it before wrapping it back in its cloth. He continued, “ I have no answers for you, and I will not ask you to trust me. But I need to continue on. Do what you will."

Misha watched Veldin. She did not know what to say. She instead settled for running a hand through the fur of Grey's side and gently saying to him, "It's alright, Grey. It's alright."

Though the shard was collected, there was no sign of the coin purse that Mynah had taken, with it likely still on her wrist in the chaos that had happened. Veldin seemed unconcerned, however, not even sparing a glance to look for it. He tucked the shard back into his coat and said, “You are still bleeding, if you had not noticed. You had best stop that.”

Aliana held her wounded arm close to her chest when she realized Veldin was speaking to her, but she did not answer him.

“Give us a moment, Veldin,” Misha said. She checked her belt pouch for bandages and hurried to Aliana’s side.

Aliana knelt down. She removed her gauntlet and held her arm out to let Misha get to work. “You’re… Are you still thinking of going with him?” Aliana asked quietly. “After… after that? Misha, that wasn’t normal.”

Misha focused her attention on the bandages and Aliana’s arm as she worked. "I have to."

"But, he–"

"I have no choice, Aliana… How does your arm feel? Do you think you can still wield Moonlight if anything else happens?"

Aliana took a deep breath, tentatively flexing the joints in her arm and hand to check. “I’ll be fine,” she said softly.

“That’s good… Aliana. You can find another way if you’d like. I want to help you, but I won’t force you to stay with us.”

Aliana said nothing to that. No one said anything further as Misha finished with the bandages and pressed a bundle of elthorne leaves to Grey’s snout for his wounds. The damage was only skin deep, and Grey’s focus had not once shifted away from Veldin. Eventually, Misha knew she needed to break that silence.

“I’m ready to keep moving, Veldin,” she said. She stepped towards him, then looked back. Grey let out a displeased whine but walked to keep pace with Misha. She patted the wolf’s leg. “Thank you.”

Veldin, standing where he’d been all this time, looked in Aliana’s direction. “You do not need to keep us waiting. If you intend to leave us, do it.”

Aliana’s hand ran over Moonlight’s hilt. “N… No,” she said, reluctantly adding, “I still need your help… I’ll come with you.”