Dawn sat in the communal area of New Haven, a pot of tea in front of her and enjoyed the tantalizing aromas in the air.

She was ravenous after the long hike back and the fight against the cliffcrabs. The residents of the village had welcomed their return with immense relief. Most had been overjoyed to hear of their victory over the demons, though the family and close friends of Nenya were dismayed and stricken with grief upon the news of her death.

A crowd had gathered around the returned hunters and a jumble of questions had flown around about their fight and their experiences on their excursion, until Halvar had let out a piercing whistle. As the crowd had quietened down somewhat, the village speaker had said simply.

“Please, just let the hunters rest for a while. They are certainly tired and hungry. Let’s all prepare a meal and ask our questions afterwards.”

Dawn had been grateful for his intervention, having been almost dead on her feet after the long day on the road. She wanted only to sit down, rest and eat and was not in the mood for answering heaps of questions.

Chaos and Echo were playing with the village’s children, who had been overjoyed to see the lynx cubs and were absolutely convinced that the two cubs were the best playmates ever. Ankou lay on the edge of the communal area and kept a watchful eye on their games.

Nuala had greeted Dawn with a joyful smile and an immense sigh of relief and was sitting next to her now, sharing the tea in thoughtful silence.

The village itself had changed in the short days of their absence. Three new huts had been built in the huge cave and apparently the cavern itself had grown. The stone singers must have been hard at work.

“I’m so glad to be back,” said Dawn. “After a while it gets really tiresome to constantly watch out for beasts on the trail. You know, they always told stories about the dangers of the wilderness in my village, but I really couldn’t imagine the extent of the threat until I encountered a few of those dangers myself. When I think back on my first days alone in my hidden valley, it is a wonder I survived.” She paused a moment and drank a mouthful of tea.

“Well, of course Ankou was there and without him I would have been killed by some beast wolves on my second day out of the village, but still. I’m very lucky to be alive.”

Nuala smiled. “That you are. You must have had a guardian spirit that watched over you.”

Next to her, Nathan’s voice added:

“And more luck than any one person should be allowed to have,” as he sat down on the bench opposite of them with a mug of tea in his hands.

“Imagine my surprise, when I was on my way through the wilderness and stumbled over a young girl, a Kharlin and a mountain lynx camping in the middle of nowhere. At first I was convinced I was seeing ghosts.” He said with a wry smile.

“And you surely were one of my guardian spirits,” replied Dawn. “Teaching us to fish and to set traps, hunting food for us, and most importantly setting Grinna and Teren on our trail. I don’t know what I would have done without them.”

Nathan smiled at her warmly.

“To be honest, I had a very bad feeling when I left you alone there in the wilderness. I was terribly afraid that you would die in short order. But I am a ranger and I needed to keep my promises and continue north. Did you never consider returning to your family, after all?” he asked with sincere concern.

“Even if I did want to return, they don’t want me back.” Dawn told him bitterly as her hands tightened on her mug. “Apparently I would be a bad influence on my younger brother and they quite thoroughly washed their hands of me.”

She sighed and rubbed her nose. “Grinna convinced me to write to them when I first returned with her and Teren to Atelang. She thought they would be happy to know that I was still alive. And that was their answer.”

Nathan winced and laid a hand on her arm in consolation.

“That must have hurt. I have some experience on that line as well. My family also disavowed me, you know.”

“Really? But why?” Dawn wanted to know.

“Well, you remember that I told you that I was a scholar in my youth?” he asked. “I was forced to choose that path according to the wishes of my family. I spent several years trying to make my peace with it, but in the end I couldn’t. And so, one day I snuck into the temple and petitioned the warrior for a new path. And I was granted one. My family didn’t take that very well, and so they cast me out.” He looked very sad for a moment.

“You can do that?” Dawn asked, amazed. “Change your path?”

“Yes, it is possible,” Nathan assured her. “But you have to give up all the progress in your old one, including your levels, skills and the stats, first. It’s not a thing to do lightly.”

“I can imagine.” Dawn said thoughtfully. “But it is interesting. I didn’t think that was an option. Not that I would ever want to give mine up.” She added decisively, shaking her head.

“And your family never contacted you again?” she wanted to know.

“Well my mother once tried to talk me into renouncing my new path and returning to my old one. She said they would accept me back under that condition and if I apologized to my father for my disrespect.” He sighed. “But that was never a true option for me.”

Now it was Dawn’s turn to wince.

“I can absolutely understand that. I am very sad that my family doesn’t want to see me again, of course. Especially my mother. But if they told me they’d welcome me back if I’d only give up my path and married Beran, then I would have to decline.” She said.

“I could never give up all my dreams, or Ankou and the cubs. Why are some people so convinced they know what is right for someone else? My parents can’t live my life for me, so why wouldn’t they let me make my own choice?”

“I can’t answer something that I don’t know myself,” said Nathan, shrugging.

“In the case of my father, he was always so very sure that he knew best and there was never any chance to argue with him.”

“He sounds like he needs to be in control all the time,” Nuala said. “In general, those kind of people are hard to deal with, if you have a mind of your own. And all the arguing in the world won’t convince them that they are wrong. They cannot admit any kind of fault, ever.”

“Sounds exactly like my father,” Nathan told her. “It is as if you had met him.”

Nuala laughed softly, her old eyes benign. “I am old. I have met a lot of people on my way. And in the end, I believe humans and Kharlins are not so very different when it comes to their emotions and their beliefs.”

“You may be right,” Nathan said. “But let us talk about more positive things. There’s no use in warming up old grievances. And in the end, I was lucky to find a new family among the rangers. I wouldn't exchange my friends and my path for all the riches in the world.”

"Yes," said Dawn. She brushed her hair out of her face and beamed at him. "I can certainly understand that."

Shortly afterwards, the meal was ready and everyone started to eat. It truly was a feast. Braised duck and tubers, together with lentils and cooked dried fruits.

Dawn was eating with gusto. After she had lived mostly on trail food during the last few days, she relished the excellent meal. She wasn’t the only one, however, who enjoyed the food. The rangers visibly appreciated the fare as well and tucked in with a will.

Finally, everyone was sated and the tables were cleared. Dawn was feeling pleasantly drowsy now, warm, full and safely behind walls. The same was true for Ankou and the cubs. They were lying in a knot on the outer edge of the communal area. She could feel Ankou’s contentment in the back of her mind.

But it was not yet time for sleeping. The Kharlins who had remained at the village had been very patient, but now the questions started to fly again.

Dermo stood up and started to report on their journey to the island and their subsequent fight with the spiderlings, Nenya’s death in battle and the arrival of Nathan. He mentioned Dawn’s episode with the Dreamkiller as well. And of course he told how they had been surprised by the cliffcrabs on the trail back and of Nathan’s nearly solitary battle against the horde of beasts.

After he had ended his report and the remaining questions had been asked and answered, Halvar stood and spoke up.

“I am glad you have returned victoriously. It was the right decision to seek the fight with the demons. You have killed many of them and made the future of our village safer for it. You have grown in your paths in the wake of the fight and that, too, will strengthen our village. We direly need the strength, for we have lost much during the last months. We have lost a big part of our fellow villagers and hunters. And so, the death of Nenya too, is a bitter blow for our community. Let the Vixen hold her soul close and keep the darkness away.”

For a short moment, silence fell, then Halvar continued.

“And let us all thank our human companions for the lives of our hunters. They would not have returned to us alive and well without them. The ranger Grinna has fought on the front line against the spiderlings with outstanding courage and talent. Teren’s arrows blinded and killed many of the enemies. And Nathan, another ranger the group met on the trail, saved all of them from the terrifying threat of the cliffcrabs, winning the battle against their horde almost on his own. And let’s not forget Dawn, who fought spiritedly against the demons and healed many of our hunters during and after the battle. Without her the list of the fallen would be longer.”

Approving murmurs could be heard from the villagers around them.

“So tonight let us celebrate the safe return of our friends and our family.” Halvar ended his speech on a positive note. And the Kharlins around him applauded, yipping.

A barrel of ale was rolled in, and several flasks of some spirit or other were distributed among the tables. A few Kharlins brought out pipes and drums and shortly after, soft music filled the cavern. The villagers started to drink, sing and dance. It was a celebration of life.