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Ten days have passed since that night, Ezer takes off the bandages on his shoulder for the last time. At first he can't convince her, but after seeing that his arm was really in good condition, the next day, she decides to leave in two days. Long enough to gather supplies, plan a route, and give Ezer a little more time.

A bronze plate reflects the scars on his shoulder, the marks of the teeth and the irregular joints of the skin that had a different hue from the rest. This didn't bother Ezer, he had just accepted it and was grateful to have survive.

"It doesn't look too bad, it's your marks of experience." She checked the cave again for anything she might have missed.

They planned to travel for a long time and there were things that simply cannot be left out in the open without any protection. Getting the equipment and supplies had been more expensive than Lyaria thought, especially now that it was two people instead of one.

Although doing it with a companion gave her more security in the face of any unforeseen event and would allow her to go further than before, the gains were worth the losses. However, Lyaria cries inside knowing that she no longer has any coins other than to buy a couple of loaves.

“I already checked all the surrounding areas and didn't find a single flower. So we'll head even further north, we'll search for a month, if we don't find anything, we'll come back.” Lyria waits for Ezer at the entrance of the cave, observing the branches with fewer and fewer leaves, autumn was already over their heads.

“A month is quite a long time and I would feel comfortable if I had some melee weapon other than a simple dagger.” Ezer had his bow slung across his back and some arrows stored in his quiver.

“Yes, that's why I prepared… this.” She unwraps a cloth that held a sword and then tosses it to Ezer who grabs it out of the air by the hilt.

Instead of a gleaming blade with an impeccable edge, what he receive is a chipped sword with worn leather on the hilt. Ezer practices a few moves and thinks that at least it will work for peeling fruit.

Actually, the experience he had with swords was almost nil, it is the first time he wields one without his arms falling to the ground due to its weight. He continues to make some movements and then hangs it on his belt.

"Thank you, it will be very helpful." Ezer doesn't mention the state it's in, he knows this was the best she could get.

"I also have some arrows... Where are they...?" It takes a while to find them among the equipment she was carrying and hands them over.

Thanks to this, Ezer's quiver is once again full and ready for any need. In addition to that, he also had the violet-tipped arrows saved for an emergency.

"Well, let's go if you have everything ready." Lyaria ties her hair up into a ponytail giving her a different air and making Ezer stare at her for a few seconds.

They left at sunrise and that day was completely calm, they focused more on not being seen by anyone other than the beasts. They took little-used trails and headed north.

Neither has a problem camping at night and they rotate equal waking shifts, allowing Lyaria to rest without having to climb trees and have light rest like before.

Three days after leaving, they decide to eat something other than dry food by trying to catch something.

Behind a mound of dirt and leaves, Ezer kneels down and lines up his shot aiming at the rabbit. Or what could be called a rabbit since it had an elongated size like that of a medium dog and its hind legs had almost disproportionate dimensions.

The strangest thing was the claws on its front legs that were designed to tear flesh. Lyaria said he only had one shot, and if missed, that thing would attack them in revenge.

Ezer concentrates against the wind knowing that this is not the first time he has tried something like this. He normalizes his breathing and releases the arrow aiming at the beast's neck.

He doesn't use magic, wanting to know the limits of his own body for future reference. The shot embeds into the beast's flesh, but it doesn't die instantly and takes a few steps before falling lifeless.

“It was a perfect shot and yet it didn't die instantly. It has a surprising vitality, if I had missed hitting it elsewhere, I don't think it would have affected it much.” Ezer breathes a sigh of relief and stands up, taking a step off the mound.

But before he could even take another step, a hand grabs his mouth, bringing him back to the ground suddenly and with a force clearly greater than his own.

"Shh …" Lyaria releases the strength of her hand and points her eyes forward.

Confused, Ezer follows her gaze to the dead rabbit, not noticing anything unusual. Before he could say anything, an animal falls from the sky and grabs the rabbit in its mouth, then climbs up a tree after sending a threatening glare directly at them.

Ezer follows him on his way and sees how he moves skillfully through the treetops, he had the shape of a cat with a considerable size and used his long tail to balance himself on the branches. This beast meets two more overhead and then speeds away with the rabbit between its teeth.

“They are opportunists, one alone does not represent much danger, but if they are in a group things are different. Although I didn't expect there to be only a total of three, I'm confident that we could drive them away with just that number.” Lyaria is a little irritated as she grabs her gear and continues walking.

Ezer sighs and remembers that this is not the first time this has happened to him and, from experience, he knows that it is better to remain calm and not succumb to the desire to pursue what was stolen from him.

For a second he wonders what will have become of that cunning fox and those angry goats, he smiles a little as remembers the past.