Her first day of searching proved fruitless. The caves along the coast were all empty, spare for a lone burrow of ratkel. The slippery little creatures had made their way into a cave system and populated its nooks and crannies. Dozens of the little rodents ran to and fro throughout the caves and the surrounding forest, a veritable city of fur and teeth. She snagged a couple of the more adventurous explorers of the main cave, and returned to her home base to rest.

I will have to make my way northeast tomorrow, and work inland Talwen thought as she snacked on a ratkel back in her temporary home. Winter is nearing, I expected to find at least one bear hunkering down. This is troubling.

She laid her head down and attempted to sleep but dreams of her darling Ranta plagued her through the night. …his scent, so comforting on hunts like this… he was so brave, dashing head long into danger…

Talwen awoke before the sun rose and climbed back through the cave to welcome the new day. Clouds had begun to form out at sea, but they were far from the coast. She drank in the warming rays of the new morning, and felt her mana respond. Ranta always believed in the sun invigorating us, giving us strength. I feel that today. It will be a good day to hunt. She waited until the sun had fully crested the horizon, then set off to continue her search.

To the east of the Spine, the mountains became shorter and more sparse. Where the Spine stood tall and sharp, offering few opportunities for ascent without wings, the eastern mountains were more rounded. They were plump, and offered more opportunities for the forest to grow and obscure her view.

Still well north of the human village, Talwen risked more of a grounded approach to her search. She prowled through hidden glades and forgotten grottos, even stumbling upon a pristine lake that glittered strangely in the sunlight. All without sign of a predator, or even any large prey.

Something must be out here, she thought, as she prowled up to the latest cave. Wildlife doesn’t just disappear without cause.

As she approached, Talwen noticed movement within the cave. It was midafternoon by this point, and while her scales were tarnished and dirty, she still stood out amongst the trees. She carefully slithered into a thicket of brambles, and attempted to cover herself with as much foliage as she could manage without attracting attention. Satisfied that her scales wouldn’t give her away, she waited.

Maybe I’m just seeing what I want to see, she thought as the minutes turned into hours. Finally, as dusk fell, she saw the movement again. Within the cave, stood a great Böser wolf. Mottled gray and black fur blended with the shadows nearly perfectly but she could just make out its size. Eight feet tall, and several hundred pounds, the wolf was nearly as tall and large as she was.

It howled once before moving deeper into the cave, and the forest around her erupted in return. Talwen snaked from her hiding spot and returned to the skies, hoping she hadn’t been detected. She circled the cave as night fell, and watched as two dozen smaller Böser wolves entered the cave. Most returned without prey, but a few carried small rabbits and ratkel in their jaws.

That must be what has taken over my forest. The pack hunts for the leader and has cleared out everything from the area that couldn’t escape. I must prepare for this, I cannot plunge in head first and make it out unscathed.

She circled overhead for a while longer, watching the pack. The smaller wolves all deposited their meager bounty within, to the sounds of more howling. Whimpering followed, and the smallest wolves were removed from the den, forced to find their own food. Shortly after, the larger wolves left as well, and Talwen watched as they dispersed through the forest again.

They hunt endlessly. The leader takes the largest portion, and the remnants aren’t enough for the pack. They have over hunted, but until the leader begins to starve, they won’t leave.

She watched for the rest of the night, seeing the pack move through the forest unperturbed. The wolves had grown complacent, not even bothering to hide their presence. Nothing had challenged their dominance in the forest, so there was no need to hide their strength. The warren of ratkel went still and quiet as two of the wolves passed through the area. Birds stayed roosted in their trees until the danger passed.

When the night neared its end, Talwen returned to her base to plan and rest. Taking on the pack will be tough, so I will thin them out first. They think themselves the peak of the world here and I will take advantage of their arrogance. A smirk crept across her face as she lay her head down to rest. This time, she slept perched near the top of the mountain. Her mana swelled throughout the day as the sun shone upon her.

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Enzo spent the next day honing his routine. As the sun rose, he began by gathering water and berries with the egg safe and warm in the pack on his back. It seemed to grow by the day now, and was becoming noticeably heavy. Might just use this setup to do some strength training, he thought as his legs and back began to tire.

After gathering his basics from the forest, he set the egg in the sun near the entrance to their cave. Next, he took up his bow and arrows and continued firing shots into his makeshift target. He was a bit better today, and was managing to hit the target about as often as he missed. At midday, when his arms could take no more exertion, Enzo returned the bow and quiver to their place in the cave and stretched.

Not a bad time to check the snares. Hopefully I can add some protein to this forest foraging diet. The sun on his back felt warm, and he stripped his shirt to embrace the heat. The nights grew quite cold now, but the midday sun still managed to warm the forest and brighten his mood.

He hummed as he checked the traps, undeterred as he found each one set, berries still in place. The last one however, one of the snares near the stream, had markings around it and the berries had been stolen. Enzo carefully looked at the tracks, and found that the berries had been sniped by a bird rather than a ratkel. He adjusted the trap, setting the trigger to snap at the slightest touch and replaced the berries.

It might go off with a strong breeze, but if I can catch my bait thief, the risk is worth it. He returned to the cave empty handed, but in a good mood nonetheless and carried the egg inside.

Yesterday’s practice with fireballs was interesting and fun, but it was draining. Think today I’ll take it a bit easier and practice some control. He set the egg in the firepit and ignited a small flame. He then willed the flame into the vortex he’d used on the night of the storm, and watched as the flames danced around the egg. The spiral was tight this time without the distraction of the storm.

Satisfied, he began attempting to make other shapes in the flames. Sometimes he’d succeed, and the egg would be completely covered in a perfect box of fire. Other times, the fire would sputter and die. Enzo tried to create an image of a dragon in the flames, but that fell apart too.

I’m sure Talwen could do stuff like this. I bet if I can master it, I can make all sorts of illusions. Might come in handy one day.

Darkness began to fall, and he set to making his fire for the night. While he waited for the logs to catch, he pulled the sword from its scabbard. A straight steel sword, with a basic hilt. Nothing flashy, the weapon extended about an arm’s length from his hand. He stood and gave it a few practice swings, attempting to find balance with it.

I wonder how hard it would be to find a teacher, he thought as he swung the sword again aimlessly. As it is, I could probably fight off an animal but that’s about it. He returned the sword to its sheath and leaned it back against the wall of the cave. The fire now burned brightly, the wood giving off an enticing smell that filled the area. Enzo leaned back on his cushions of ratkel and drifted to sleep again.