As expected, dinner was fairly bland compared to what Niko had begun to grow used to after having lived in a city for so long. Even so, he didn’t dislike the meal, as he still had ample memories of the gruel he had to eat while he was undergoing chemotherapy in his last life. Still, it did remind him not to grow too complacent and take things for granted.

Niko continued to ponder such things while curling up, allowing Skye to rest against his side while he watched the embers of the flame crackle and pop, lending only a warm, low glow to the interior of the cave. It was more than enough for the low-light vision he had, though Ronald and Dachna certainly did not share in that. ‘On that note, do elves have good vision? Or gnomes? For some reason I just assumed they did…’ He paused, about to turn his question on Skye.

Then he noted an odd kind of feeling from her mental bridge, like a vague static in the background that he hadn’t heard until he focused on it. Niko found himself listening to the noise, which was comforting in a way. Reflexively, he examined his own thought process as much as he could, but when there was no sign of unnatural deviation in his thoughts, he simply continued to listen in.

For a few more seconds, it persisted, before waning, and Niko took his opportunity to gently prod Skye, “You okay?”

Skye jolted slightly, stirred from her own introspection, “What? Yes, I’m fine. Just meditating, why?”

“Ah,” Niko blinked, feeling somewhat silly then, “Nevermind then, I guess I was just hearing your… meditation, maybe?”

The half elf blinked at that, before saying, “Huh. What’d it sound like?”

“Like a lot of static, I guess?” Niko began, before realizing she might not exactly know what that would actually sound like, “Or, maybe a lot of little crinkling leaves? Yeah, that’s closer.”

She nodded at that thoughtfully, before settling herself back against Niko’s side, “That’s interesting to know…”

Niko trilled low in agreement, before saying, “Goodnight, Skye.”

“Goodnight, Niko,” Skye answered back tiredly but warmly, before the thought-bridge between them seemed to grow quieter, marking her uncanny ability to fall asleep seemingly instantly.

“I know I fall asleep quickly, but that’s just impressive.” Niko mumbled, before looking around the cave in idle curiosity. Sasha and Thokk were taking up the first watch at the mouth of the cave, whereas Ronald and Stella had volunteered to take the middle watch. Ronald was well used to it, and Stella, much like Skye, simply didn’t need as much sleep. The third, and shortest, watch would be taken by Dachna and Mithel. This time, with so many pairs of eyes and so safe of a campsite, Skye and Niko would sleep through the night and be the most awake and aware for the next day.

Niko had a feeling that they weren’t going to be running into anything really dangerous tomorrow, though. They were still too near to the hive’s previous hunting grounds for much to have moved in. And according to Sasha, they were nearly to the Riizen hunting grounds anyways, meaning that there shouldn’t be anything willing to attack her or Thokk. That protection would extend to the rest of them, but Niko wouldn’t completely lower his guard. He himself knew the value of a powerful surprise attack, and was entirely unwilling to subject himself to the same.

‘I wonder what Riizen city will be like?’ Niko thought to himself as he finally lay his head down, lids growing heavy as he gazed into the flickering firelight.

--------------------------

Only the dim light of dawn woke Niko, and he stubbornly shook off the dredges of sleepiness that lingered at the edges. After finding Skye no longer beside him, he stretched his body across the floor, letting his sapphire, garnet, and amethyst feathers fluff up in a ripple of shining color. He took a moment to admire himself, craning his neck to do so, before he began meticulously straightening a few of them.

“Good morning, Niko,” Skye called from a few meters away, tending to a newly coaxed cooking flame. She held up a fruit of some kind that Niko couldn’t identify before asking, “Hungry?”

Niko took a moment to answer, assessing his needs, before nodding, “I can eat.”

“You can always eat,” Dachna chuckled as he re-entered the cave beside Mithel, “I honestly think your legs are hollow, Drumstick.”

“Wanna find out?” Niko sharply cawed at him with faux offense.

Mithel snorted, “Not this early, guys. I need my morning coffee first.”

At that Stella was the one to speak up from beside Ronald, who sorted through food packs with consternation on his face, “No coffee in the packs, unfortunately.”

“Ack, how will I survive the day?” Mithel dramatically groused, before pulling out a little sack of herbs and gesturing to Dachna.

The dirty-blond haired man pulled up a rack of ground-dwelling creatures like moles and such ilk, “We have a plant that Mithel insists has caffeine in it, and some meat.”

Ronald looked up, before letting out a breath of relief, “So you guys were the ones who used the fruit rations.”

“Uhhh…” Dachna said with an open mouth, considering his response before settling on apologetic, “Yeah, that was me. Sorry, didn’t think to mention it.”

Ronald waved it off, “It’s fine, I wouldn’t even normally be concerned, but given Greenleaf’s state.”

The mood flagged somewhat at that, but before anyone could dwell on that, Skye gave a light whistle and tossed the fruit into the air. It arced towards Niko, who snatched it out of the air with his sharp beak. He pushed his tongue forward, grabbing the fruit and dragging it into his inner set of jaws to crunch it down.

“Bant’s arse, that’s still terrifying. You’re a bird, why do you have inner teeth?” Dachna shivered, “It’s not right.”

“At least I don’t have knives on my tongue.” Niko shrugged.

“A knife-like tongue, as you put it, is very useful to have,” Sasha amusedly defended herself, “Great for cleaning oneself or stripping meat off a bone.”

“I imagine,” Skye nodded after Niko translated. “So, we’re looking at hitting Riizen sometime in the mid afternoon?”

“Provided the pass is open, and we do not delay too harshly,” Thokk said, whilst setting an appraising eye at the large cookpot being set out and the smell the ingredients were already making, “Though, it is not as if we are in a particular rush.”

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” Ronald nodded sagely, receiving amused stares from everyone.

As well it was, Niko supposed, even with all of the cobbled together ingredients they had. It resembled a stir-fry with what little supply of butter they had on hand, though Niko guessed that they were going to be able to obtain a larger supply of foodstuffs in Riizen. Niko was coming around on the idea of pulling the cart, if for no other reason than having access to good food wherever they went.

“We need sausage,” Niko touted thoughtfully as they packed up the camp, “Maybe some kind of crackers and cheese, too.”

“Classic, I like it,” Mithel nodded, “Shame we’re nowhere near a gnomish merchant-way, we have some of the best cheese.”

“Do you guys even… you know, have cows down there?” Dachna asked, “Being underground and all.”

“No, not cows. Goats though, and durdens, which are kind of like cows if you made them a bit longer and shorter.” Mithel then stared off dramatically and said, “I really miss durden milk and cheese. It’s really no contest.”

“It doesn’t help that gnomes take their dairy enterprises much more seriously than most other folk,” Stella chuckled, “I’ve heard a rumor that clans have bickered over rivals stealing their herds or recipes.”

Mithel laughed, “Oh, yeah, that definitely happens. It never comes to violence, of course, but espionage is a big problem in gnomish industries.”

Ronald looked like he was about to speak before stopping and shaking his head.

“What’s up?” Niko asked, curious about what the man was going to say.

“Ah…” He looked briefly chagrined before repeating his previous gesture, “I almost asked what the big deal was, but realized that was incredibly naive of me.”

“About stealing someone else’s work?” Mithel asked with a toothy grin, “Yeah, good catch.”

Ronald shrugged good naturedly at the jab, “I personally don’t care if someone steals my recipes, but I’m not making a lot of money off of them. But, anyways, I’d like to try some of that cheese at some point.”

“I, too, would like some,” Thokk nodded heartily, “We don’t have many artisans interested in making cheese in Riizen, but I believe that is because of a lack of exposure. It is quite good.”

Niko nodded, “Maybe we’ll try to find someone selling it in Greenleaf. You know, when it’s operational again.”

“I’m certain that won’t be long,” Sasha proudly said, “Regardless of the other matters, Riizen would be happy to provide support to Greenleaf, even if it must come from my own family.”

“You said your family was the ruling family, right?” Dachna asked, “Are you all, like, especially wealthy or…?”

“Somewhat,” Sasha answered, tail flicking at the explanation, “We are not wealthy in the sense of a human merchant-lord, but we do have a great deal of resources at our disposal.”

As the group moved on from the cave, Stella set in with enthusiasm, “You guys mentioned artisans, is that similar to what we do in our towns?”

Sasha looked to Thokk at that, who nodded and began explaining, “While I have not examined your processes in detail, they are not excessively different. Some beasts wear armor, but it is generally better for us to receive sigils to defend ourselves, given our inborn ability to use essence. I’m afraid if you were looking for methods to create armor, you may be disappointed.”

Yet, contrary to looking disappointed, Niko noted, Stella still looked enthused, “Oh! That’s even better! I’d love to be able to see how sigaldry is made by a beast-smith. Do you know anyone that works the craft?”

Thokk, briefly taken aback by the exuberance, quickly recovered and gave a slow nod, “I… do know someone. I do not know if they would agree to display their craft openly, but perhaps if the cultural exchange is accepted, they could be persuaded.”

Stella giddily danced in place, and Niko couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Her energy was infectious, and while they moved through the forest, the group made consistent small talk with Sasha and Thokk. The pair opened up more and more throughout the venture, and Niko was glad to see that the two weren’t distancing themselves from the Wyldwalkers.

Hours later, the hilly terrain had further transformed into craggy mountain sides with plateaus riddled with hardy, thick trees. More than once, the group navigated up a steep slope with the help of winding, Thokk-thick roots that wove between trees that were much wider than Niko had seen below. They were squat towers of dark brown wood, stripes of gray breaking up the coloration of the bark. Whereas before there were far fewer sounds, there was now a much more normal level of noise. Bugs, small birds, and other critters scattered about through the trees.

Niko peered through the environment with his Aether Sight, appreciating the tint of essence in the plants and animals. The area around was far more robust than what was near the Hive, and even without Vol’s guiding hand, he believed that this area would recover in due time.

‘Wonder what would happen if it didn’t, though. Would it just be an essence dead zone?’ Niko pondered to himself, remembering the uneasy, strange feeling he’d gotten in such an area. It didn’t seem to have had any adverse effect on him after the fact, but Niko was in no hurry to experience a repeat of that.

Suddenly, Sasha asked, “Niko, do you still want to go hunting?”

Pleasantly surprised at the question, Niko answered hopefully, “Definitely. Is this area good for that?”

The sabrecat gave a noncommital shrug, “Perhaps. It depends on how much the Hornets invaded this region before they were defeated. We weren’t gone for long, though, and last I’d seen the area was plenty cared for.”

Niko was eager for a hunting trip, but an invasive thought grabbed his attention, “Ah, speaking of, did you guys not have defenses out here? I haven’t noticed any kind of sentry around us.”

“Somewhat,” Sasha gave a lukewarm answer, “Mmm… I do trust you, but that is somewhat sensitive information for the defense of Riizen.”

Niko nodded in understanding, though internally did really want to know what they were doing in terms of defense. Yet, before he could change the subject, Thokk spoke up, “I will at least say that my family monitors vibrations through the soil. Other methods exist, but those are not my place to say.”

“Arguably even that much may be excessive,” Sasha shook her head, “But I doubt Gorm would care overmuch about you telling them. He brags about it often enough.”

“Gorm?” Niko tilted his head, “Is he a bigshot?”

Sasha opened her mouth to speak, but an invigorated Thokk broke in, “He is one of the heads of my family. A tier five Frost Ursun, and longtime guardian of the mountain.”

“He’s also Thokk’s favorite uncle.” Sasha informed Niko quietly, “The Ursun are very tightly bonded with their family members.”

Niko gave a little chirp of acknowledgment, feeling approval for the sentiment. He could at least get behind the idea of a familial bond.

“In any case,” Sasha continued on, anticipation clear on her face, “Are you ready?”

The entire while, the rest of the Wyldwalkers, save for Stella, were able to read the conversation at least generally off of Niko’s replies. He turned to let the others know, only for Skye to say, “Bring back something nice. I can feel that there’s some good prey up here for you.”

‘Feel there’s some good prey up here, huh? That’s new,’ Niko blinked in thought, before trilling happily nonetheless. “Will do, see you all soon!” He said, ignoring the oddity in what Skye had said and trotting after Sasha. Thus far, the only place he’d ever hunted was in the lowland green forests at lower essence levels. But here, amidst a combination of deciduous and pine trees, Niko could taste the increase in ambient essence on his tongue. The lay of the land was less even, craggy in places, with many rises and uneven footings. He chased after Sasha, adjusting to the new environment as quickly as he could. While twisting an ankle would be much more difficult with his body strengthened as it was, he still didn’t want the embarrassment of losing prey by face planting into the ground. As he ran, Niko took a deep, refreshing breath of the dewey morning air before focusing himself. ‘I wonder what creatures live up here?’