Ares kept an eye on Jorgan and Runar as they continued their trek up. They had travelled quite a few miles already, making a decent pace through the mountain. Apparently they should expect to get to the shrine at the end of the third day, though with all the fighting they had expected, a few more days would have been more prudent to expect. Yet… there was no fighting. None at all.

Even though Ares wasn’t quite as blood thirsty as Rob seemed to be, even he felt uncomfortable. He had expected much more of a struggle, and though he was glad he didn’t have to, he felt uncomfortable that this place was even more of an unknown element to him now. He had hoped that Marina’s expertise and knowledge would have been useful, but the change had thrown that into disorder. Though there may be a time later when her opinion would become useful.

Runar hadn’t changed much from her pale, pulsing form. Sometimes Ares would go back to Jargon, who was carrying her around his front in a giant cloth that wrapped around himself. He would place a hand on her forehead, checking to see if her temperature changed. She would go from hot to cold over time, alternating between the two. Whenever he touched her, she would stir for a moment, but then go back to being still. He would also let her sip the milk from the waterskin that he had kept in his ring, letting her drink a little until she was no longer able to, and repeated this a few times every hour.

Eventually they found themselves a clearing for the night and Runar was finally able to rest properly. Ares remained near her, and due to that, the witch and Lana were nearby too.

“Are you feeling well?” He asked Jorgan. “If you feel tired, let me know. I’d rather you’re at full strength. You’re looking after my daughter after all…” Ares thought about it for a second. “I’m not giving her to you though, she’s mine.” Ares said as he then picked her up and then held her in his arms.

Jorgan didn’t say anything, keeping to himself as he watched Ares dote and look after his daughter.

“Is she hungry?” Lana asked as she sat down beside Ares. She reached over and then very slowly brought her finger tips to touch Runar’s forehead. “She’s cold… some milk will warm her up.” Lana said as she pulled down her top to reveal her breasts.

Ares looked away. “I have enough milk in storage.”

“It’s better to save that if something ends up happening.” Lana replied as she pulled Runar away from his arms.

Ares sucked in air through his teeth but allowed Lana to feed Runar. “So… you’re already a mother?” Ares asked before wincing at how cringe his question was.

“No, not yet.” She replied back. “Why do you ask?”

Ares’ eyes went wide as he went into thought. ‘Do they lactate without getting pregnant… is that an oxfolk thing or is that a beastfo-… no, could it be a rule of this world? Right, I shouldn’t hold too much weight in the logic on my own world.’ “No, nothing… sorry.” Ares said as he continued to keep his awareness out there. Still, he couldn’t hear anything other than them. How eerie.

“See? She’s drinking a lot more.” Lana said as she fed Runar and then began to speak to the baby.

Ares left her with Runar, feeling a little too awkward. “I’m going for a walk.” He said as he then left the camp, walking around it, though keeping in mind that he shouldn’t go too far. He looked out towards the mountain that he had yet to truly conquer and then thought about Voshk, the elder that had tasked him with bringing the tribe to Dragon’s Spine.

‘What a fucking mission you gave me, huh? I should probably stop making promises like that…’ Then he recalled that if he didn’t conquer the mountain he’d have to face an entire tribe of wolffolk. ‘Fuck. I don’t plan on failing, but… that’s one hell of a load on my shoulders. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, huh? Is that because my head is so fucking dense?’ He sighed and then rubbed his forehead.

He returned back to the tribe and then went right to Runar who had fallen asleep in Lana’s arms. “Thank you.” Ares said as he then took Runar into his arms once more and then snuggled with her, going to a tree to sit down and then rest up.

The night had passed by with an eerie silence, though the crackling of the flame did accompany them. When they were awake in the morning, there seemed to be something… something else in the air.

Ares opened his eyes and then looked over to the mountain. There was a feeling in the air that they were now being watched. Ares narrowed his eyes towards the mountain and then took a sip of water, rinsing his mouth, and then spitting it out.

“Don’t worry. I won’t keep you waiting too long…” He said quietly before they continued onward.

The next day passed without too much of an issue either, everything was swallowed by an ominous silence that was heavy in the air. When they settled down for the night, everyone was on edge. Rob had become silent, his body twitchy and yet he sat on a log and stared down into the flames.

Ares’ ears twitched. “I’m going to go for a walk. I’ll be back in an hour.” He said as he left the people be. “Keep an eye out.” He warned them before he left.

He had left as casually as he could, but after a couple of minutes he bolted through the forest until he had appeared a few miles away. He was quicker than he had ever imagined, being able to leap dozens of metres in a single step.

When he had approached the clearing he noted there were four lizard creatures. Each was fairly large, about his height, yet they were bipedal lizard so they were much longer and wider than he, even after all his training. Their eyes darted towards him as he appeared from the clearing. The beasts were each a shade of red-brown, the larger ones becoming more vibrant.

“What a wonderful warm up.” Ares said with a soft smile across his face, cracking his knuckles.