Avira

  The group hurriedly packed what it could from the wagon. As it was meant to last a group of five at least a month, there was a lot leftover. Avira directed them to prioritize medicine and hard to find herbs and plants, but even then there was a lot left over.

  Hawke frowned as he looked at the wagon, full of things they'd surely need. They weren't even taking spare changes of clothes. "Are you sure this is necessary? Can't we figure something out?"

  Avira looked back, the doubt getting annoying. "Even if Mareth revived the horse, we can't pull a wagon with just one."

  "I knew we shouldn't have come here," Kalani muttered.

  Avira's ears twitched. "This is still our best route. We'll be out of the forest in a week. If we chose High-Kath it'd take a month. The tunnels would have been even longer and more dangerous, and god forbid we try to circle the mountains entirely and go through the Hardlands."

  "Yeah, that would have taken multiple months and we'd probably get snowed in partway through," Godart spoke up, "we should trust in Avira. Things always go wrong on these kinds of trips, not much we can do about that, but Avira is an expert about these things. Uh, right?" Godart looked back at Avira.

  Avira nodded, smiling in approval. "Right. As it is now, it's just a little bit of added danger we can avoid if we're smart. Besides, I think we're close to the tribe." She gazed into the woods.

  Kalani and Hawke relaxed, looking around. They didn't seem to understand what she was talking about, so Avira continued. "I can smell them. They might have been near our campsite last night. If we can get to them, they'll help a lot with turning the spirit's view of us back to positive."

  "So we're just going to hope they change the spirit's mind on us?" Hawke asked.

  "That's the gist of it. Now we should be on our way. I'll lead. Make sure you keep an eye on each other and don't stray from the group," Avira told everyone.

  "I'm glad my father liked to take me on forest walks, else I'd be completely hopeless right now," Suzie said, in surprisingly high spirits.

  "Good to hear. Oh, before we leave, dump any leftovers out of the wagon. The spirits might see it as an offering," Avira said, climbing in the wagon and helping to dump the baskets and crates inside. After the potatoes, cabbages, and all sorts of other produce was spilled, they were on their way.

  They passed many half sunken wagons on their way; travelers that had attempted the journey before them and sunken into the marsh. Avira and everyone else were lucky to have reached the Deadlands when they had. Not only was the ground not eating them, the cold kept the usual parasites hidden. Avira was especially happy about that. Some of them, particularly the bone devourer, were nasty. Thankfully she made sure to pack garlic just in case any of them got one.

  Even with the cold ground the heavy loads that everyone, especially Avira, was carrying made their feet sink into the ground a few inches every step, the dirt making a gross suction noise every time they pulled their foot out. Progress would be slow.

  Thankfully they weren't hearing any voices, and she didn't count anybody twice.

  #

  Hawke

  Hawke was always fond of adventure, but never much for these treks. He'd almost certainly have to throw these shoes out after the journey. Thankfully they'd held out so far; Mareth and Godart had gone through multiple pairs on this journey. Avira's shoes though, when she actually bothered to put them on, seemed very well made for something coming out of the tribes. It looked like it was made of tanned hide and rawhide, but had nice patterns stitched into them of grey, yellow, white, and black. Of course, none of them were better suited to the trek than Kalani, who didn't seem bothered at all as she easily found whatever hard ground she could. She flitted from a downed tree to a stray stone in the ground, keeping a careful watch on the group.

  Mareth and Godart were getting pretty winded, the whole group having to slow to help them up whenever they fell. Avira seemed to be doing well, but paused a lot to examine their surroundings. She seemed to be listening to something none of them could hear.

  The trek seemed uneventful, though Hawke wasn't sure how long they'd been walking when he noticed the ground underfoot getting more stable. What was mud became grass and the uneven earth flattened out. The trees seemed to have been deliberately culled out into a circle around the clearing. The remains of an old fire pit sat in the middle, marking a former campsite.

  "Wow," Hawke remarked, "lucky we found this place."

  "Not luck. The spirits have warmed up to us. At least for now." Avira gestured to the forest around them, then to herself. "Of course, it takes a lot of skill to be able to listen to them."

  "Alright, I get it. You have my thanks. When you say listen, do you mean literally?" Hawke asked.

  Avira had to think about that, looking around to the group as they set everything they'd been carrying down. "Don't get out of sight of each other by the way," she called, "but as for the spirits... it's more of another sense, if that's clear. You notice the ruffle of the leaves, the way the wind blows, and what you're feeling in your chest. Then you can sort of wing it. If I didn't know the spirits existed, I'd just call it a tribals instinct."

  "I see. I imagine having them on your side can be very beneficial," Hawke said.

  "Yeah. Take out your map and see for yourself," Avira said with a hint of a smirk.

  Hawke lifted an eyebrow but complied, dropping the sacks he was carrying and digging into his personal rucksack, pulling out the enchanted map and looking at it. He was surprised to see that they were dozens of miles into the forest already, much farther than they could have gotten in a single day even on horseback. "Is this broken?" he wondered aloud.

  Kalani heard him and looked over his shoulder, freezing as she located them on the map. "That's impossible. We weren't that fast."

  "I told you this kind of stuff happened. Spirit's blessing." Avira grinned.

  "It's almost like teleportation..." Hawke muttered.

  Mareth heard that word and hurried over to look at what Hawke and Kalani were crowded around. "Huh. Intriguing. And you say this just happens?" He looked at Avira.

  "As long as I and everyone else can remember." Avira shrugged.

  "I see... my theory would be that these forests being connected to your afterlife means we seamlessly stepped into some other dimension and then back into the forest without realizing it. Which would be similar to what was being attempted up in L'Rora," Mareth spoke. Analytical as ever.

  Avira shrugged. "Just don't tell any of your mage friends, alright?"

  "Don't worry about that," Mareth said, "research into teleportation is illegal."

  "Good," Avira replied, "don't need a bunch of bookworms trying to mess with the spirits."

  Hawke looked to Mareth, who seemed to be thinking about something as he walked away. He addressed Kalani, "I'm glad we made it this far at least." He smiled.

  "Like I'd ever let you get hurt." Kalani smiled back, Hawke finding his eyes locked to hers for a moment.

  Hawke lost his nerve and looked away, towards the treeline. "Uh, yeah. You're an excellent bodyguard."

  He thought he heard a sigh from Kalani. "Anyways, it's no wonder people vanish in these woods with how far we've gotten."

  "Why's that?" Hawke asked.

  "Well, just think. We were led this far without knowing. What happens when someone wants to get out and he ends up deeper in the forest without realizing it? It's already known to happen in normal forests, but when an array of spirits are trying to lead you astray? It's a recipe for disaster. Much less when it's a full marsh here. Ever see a fully armored knight vanish underground they thought was solid?"

  Hawke shivered. "You're right, that does sound dreadful. Thankfully we have a guide." He turned to where Avira had been standing before and saw nobody. Looking around, he saw everyone else milling about, but no Avira. "Where'd she go?"

  "Over here...." Avira's voice called from the nearby woods, a clear rasp punctuating it.

  #

  Avira

  Why had Avira wandered off from the group? Even she couldn't tell. As soon as she realized what she'd done, she turned to analyze her surroundings. Of course the campsite was out of view. Avira would probably be safe out here, but she was worried about Godart and the others. Had the spirits lured her out to allow them to be preyed upon?

  She offered a silent prayer for their well being and continued on, hoping to walk back into the camp. Hopefully the others didn't wander into the woods to look for her. At least Avira was free to travel as quickly as she wanted, sending more silent prayers all the while. The spirits weren't nearly this obstructive in The Wilds.

  Avira paused when she smelled something out of place. Cooked meat? The sounds of a fire and a gathering hit her ears too. She would have guessed it was her group if not for the music. Drums, flutes, and chanting. A grin slipped onto her face, tail wagging as she hurried for the source.

  #

  Godart

  Godart couldn't bring herself to look at the face of the thing that was currently wearing Avira's image. Her eyes were stuck to its bottom half, not daring to look up. The hide shoes had a subtly different pattern, her pants had a different color, the sash around her waist looked old and covered in mold, and her hands... her fingers were too long, with too many joints.

  "Godart... I need you..." it spoke, swaying slightly. It was starting to put some inflection into its impression now. Godart gulped, wondering if it would get better at mimicking them the longer they were in this forest.

  The glint of Hawke's sword hit the corner of her eye, the prince no doubt guarding Kalani. She saw Mareth with his book at the ready. Suzie was gripping her arm, which would have made Godart blush in better circumstances. Godart didn't want this to come down to a fight, but she wasn't sure when that thing was going to step into the clearing. She had to think fast.

  Godart fastened her mask and looked at her gloves, grabbing a flask of water from her rucksack and starting a spell. She focused her magic into the water, mask rumbling as she watched it take a more cloudy form. It'd been a while since she'd practiced alchemy.

  "Godart...?" the creature asked, taking a step into the area. Everyone tensed up. It felt like it could leap at any one of them at the blink of an eye,

  The instant Godart uncorked the flask and the foul chemical odor wafted out, it immediately stepped back. Gritting her teeth, Godart held the bottle towards it. "LEAVE!" she yelled, enraged now that this thing would take Avira's form.

  It stepped backward a few times, and she stomped towards it. "LEAVE!!" she yelled louder now, still avoiding looking at its face. Godart splattered some of the chemicals in it's direction, prompting it to dart back into the dark woods.

  Godart released a breath, and with it all the tension that had built up, looking to see that everyone was alright. Confirming that, she noticed a burning in her throat and corked the bottle, putting it at her side. "Uh, sorry for yelling," she said meagerly.

  Everyone looked at her, surprised at the courage she'd just shown. Mareth was the first to step up, patting her gently on the shoulder. "That was great coming from you, Godart." Mareth grinned.

  "No kidding." Hawke grasped his chest and calmed himself down. "That was quick thinking. What's in that flask? It smells like urine."

  "It—it's a component in pee. I don't have a name for it," Godart said. She was only now noticing how hard her heart was beating. "I need to sit down, sorry..."

  "No worry. We'll keep watch. Probably shouldn't go looking for Avira in any case. Not sure we should even leave this clearing to get some firewood." Hawke said, taking stock of his surroundings.

  "Cooking is going to be a challenge with the magic orb Mareth makes," Suzie said, nervously looking towards the woods, "what was that thing?"

  "It looked like Avira, right?" Hawke asked.

  "Yeah," Mareth confirmed. "Except the face... something about the eyes wasn't right."

  "Th—the hands..." Godart said, shivering. She could feel tears welling up.

  "We know what we're dealing with now at least. If it has a physical form and is deterred by smell, we can deal with it and kill it if need be," Hawke said.

  "If it doesn't pick us off one by one first," Kalani muttered.

  "That's not a productive mindset," Mareth said.

  Suzie almost spoke, but froze and swerved to the woods behind her. "Something's coming."

  "Not again..." Kalani spoke, this time stepping in front of Hawke and flapping her wings, ready to lunge at any attackers.

  Whoever they were, they weren't trying to be quiet as they walked towards the group, leaves and twigs crunching under their feet. It sounded like multiple people.

  "Godart?" Avira's voice called. It sounded authentic this time. Avira burst through the brush, looking a bit scratched up but... normal. Her face didn't seem odd at all, and Godart noticed the others relaxing.

  "Avira? Is that you?" Godart asked, still on edge.

  Avira paused, glancing back as a number of other tribals entered the clearing. "You saw it, huh? Don't worry, they don't hunt in packs," she said, "this is the Feral tribe."

  That was enough confirmation for Godart to run towards Avira, wrapping her arms around the hybrid tightly. "Don't do that again!"

  Avira hugged her back. "Sorry... I don't know what got over me honestly. I was worried about you though."

  "You should have seen the way she went off on that thing," Mareth said, "screamed right at it."

  "And warded it off with some foul smelling liquid," Kalani added.

  Avira pulled Godart back to look her in the eyes. "That true?"

  Godart was suddenly flushed with embarrassment. "Uh, I mean, I guess..."

  Avira laughed and pulled her in for another hug. "That's great! I'm proud of you."

  "I see the reunion's gone well," a badger hybrid spoke up. He was short, more so than Avira. He had small round ears and black hair with a white streak down the middle. His forearms were covered in black fur and ended with long claws, his calves and feet doing the same. He also had a small black tail. "Welcome to the Deadlands, everyone. My name is Honhom."

  Godart looked at him, then to the group of hybrids behind them. There didn't seem to be a cohesive style in their clothes or shoes, but they were all wearing green sashes somewhere on their body. Honhom was wearing it as an armband. "Oh, uh, it's good to meet you." Godart gave a short bow. "Sorry, I don't know the customs."

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  Honhom laughed, "well when Avira said she had a group of humans I didn't believe it, but here you are. It's a wonder the spirits let you get so far. I guess half of your group being hybrids helped."

  A few grumbles emerged from the hybrids behind him and Godart saw some of them glaring her way. Avira and Honhom exchanged looks and nodded.

  "Well for customs... generally you just give your name out here. No other real greeting rituals in this tribe. Not that it's much of a tribe..." Honhom explained.

  "I see... I'm Godart." Godart nodded.

  "Mareth." Mareth raised a hand.

  "Hawke."

  "Kalani."

  "And I've already met Avira," Honhom said, "hello, all. Have you eaten yet?"

  "Uh, no, we haven't even started a fire yet." Godart gestured to the twigs that were haphazardly tossed onto the old scorched spot.

  "Come on then, we'll take you to get some food. And get rid of what's chasing you," Honhom said, "stay the night and you can leave the forest in just a few days." There was some disdain in that last part.

  "On the Vakia border? I thought it'd take a few weeks!" Hawke exclaimed.

  "We'll get you a proper guide," Honhom said.

  "Ahem," Avira cleared her throat.

  "A proper local guide." Honhom looked at her. "You haven't been here since you were a child, right?"

  "Yeah, but I know how these forests work." Avira crossed her arms.

  "Even still, a local is better suited. I'm sure you'd be better in the Wilds." Honhom smiled.

  "I suppose so..." Avira said.

  Honhom turned back to the group. "That solves that then. Now everyone, let's go."

  #

  Avira

  They were sitting around the fire in less than five minutes, music playing as members of the tribe sat around the fire with them. It looked to be around ten at the fire with them, with thirty others working on various things in the village. Honhom sat with them as well.

  A pot with food simmered in the middle, full of all sorts of meat and vegetables. They were all handed a bowl of the stew, which Avira happily slurped down like it was a drink. Wiping her mouth, she looked to Honhom. "Feel free to take some of the food we've got with us to replace what we've taken," she said.

  "If you insist," Honhom agreed, "now that everything's calmed down though, may I ask what you're doing here specifically? This goes for all of you."

  Avira looked at the others, hoping they'd talk first..

  "Ah, yes," Hawke spoke up first, "me and my guard Kalani were intending to go to Vakia when the Drima border closed. Thus I met the group here and Avira talked us into traveling through the woods."

  "My answer's the same. I'm a wandering scholar though, so any chance to gather information about mythical locations nobody has gone through without surviving is appealing."

  Honhom narrowed his eyes at that, but focused on Suzie next.

  "I, uh..." Suzie spoke, having been quiet for a while. "I fled my village."

  "I see. Well we can offer help for that," Honhom replied, "and what about the one wearing the mask?"

  "Me? Oh!" Godart sat up, feeling the eyes on her. "I, uh, guess I was traveling with Avira and the rest as well. And I was interested in the prospect of tribal medicine, so I wanted to come to see the herbs and plants in the area and stuff."

  "Hm. I suppose you'll be talking to the medicine man anyways, so that should work out. Avira?" Honhom settled his eyes on the wolf girl.

  "Well to clarify, I wasn't sent here yet." She pointed to her green sash. "I was actually also on the way to Vakia."

  "Why would a Sentry be going to Vakia?" he asked.

  Avira pondered how to answer that. Being hybrids, they should know what was happening. It seemed too important to just be telling over the fire though. "I think that's a matter for the chief. "

  Honhom pointed towards a nearby building. "She should be in that longhouse. Eat first," he said, then looked to Godart who was facing away from the group now. "Is she okay?"

  Avira glanced back, noticing that Godart had her mask off so she could eat. "She just doesn't like people seeing her face. Don't mind her, she's not trying to be rude."

  "Sorry..." Godart muttered. Avira rubbed her back.

  Mareth spoke next, "anyways, I imagine you all have your own roles in communities like these? What do you do, Honhom?"

  "I'm something of a scout, I suppose. I keep an eye on the wood. Hence why I was the one who found you."

  "Speaking of the tribe though," Kalani spoke up this time, "this is the Feral tribe right? You people don't seem that wild."

  "We do get rowdy sometimes." Honhom shrugged. "We manage our natures for the most part."

  "Hm." Godart had her mask on now, interested in the conversation as she held her empty bowl. "How often would you say one of your tribe mates loses themselves to the condition?"

  Honhom thought about that. "I can't remember, honestly. It hasn't been a widespread problem for a while. Whenever we see someone slipping we stick 'em in the fight circle and let them work it off."

  "I remember the fight circle! Good times." Avira smiled.

  An older tribe member spoke, a wolf man, "Oh, right! You tried to challenge a grown man to a fight. Was kinda funny watching that."

  "I got some good hits in," Avira chuckled, "wonder if he still has the scar from when I bit him."

  Another tribal recalled something and spoke up, "that's where Namid got that scar from? It's gotta be him, he hates being asked about it."

  "I think that was the name," the wolf man said.

  "Yeah? Where's he now?" Avira asked.

  "I think he's a few villages over." The wolf man shrugged.

  "Hm. Well anyways, thank you very much for the meal. I should be getting to business. Hawke and Kalani, you should probably join me." Avira stood up, watching the tribals stand as she did.

  "I knew I wasn't going to be able to relax." Hawke stood with a smirk, Kalani right behind him.

  "I'll visit the doctor here, then." Godart bolted up.

  "I see you're excited, Godart. I should go as well," Mareth said, making to follow her.

  Suzie watched the group as they left, wondering where to go. Honhom stood and held a hand towards her. "I can give you a tour if you like."

  "Oh, alright, that would be nice." Suzie smiled at Honhom and followed him towards other parts of the settlement.

  Avira and Godart exchanged a nod, their hands meeting as they passed each other. Avira took it for a moment, but let it go as she walked to the chief's tent.

  "Why did I need to come, now? I know I'm a politician, but tribal politics aren't my specialty," Hawke asked.

  "Or most other forms of politics." Kalani smirked.

  "I'm perfectly aware of that, thank you," Hawke chuckled.

  "Yeah, well... I'm about to ask the chief something that will involve you," Avira said, "so I'd like your input when the time comes."

  "Very well. Carry on," Hawke replied.

  Avira nodded and turned to the longhouse. The building was big. It was made primarily of wood poles with bark intersected which formed an arcing roof. Combine that with hides and fabric and you had a durable, weather proof house that could shelter a large number of people. Longhouses were usually also tall enough to have plenty of storage space with shelves above the beds. The chief's longhouse was smaller than what was typical for most tribes, the buildings around it much larger.

  She entered the door and walked in, greeted with a dark interior that had one lonely fireplace in the middle. In the very back of the structure was someone hanging upside-down from the roof, wrapping bright yellow bat wings around themselves "Hello Avira Gray-Wolf," a female voice came from the bat woman, "Kalani Sky-Peak and Hawke Eteri as well."

  "How'd you know our last names?" Hawke asked.

  She laughed, "let's just say I have good ears. My name is Kameki. I'm the tribe's chief."

  "Aren't chiefs usually men?" Avira asked.

  "The Wolf tribe has a female chief, does it not?" Kameki smiled.

  "Yeah, though that's a unique situation..." Avira said.

  "As is this," Kameki replied, "though it's not technically a tribe, so typical rules don't apply."

  "How large is the population in this forest, if I may ask?" Hawke inquired.

  "That's a dangerous question for a human to be asking. Let's just say there's many villages just like this one spread through the Deadlands," Kameki said.

  "My apologies if that seemed like I was prodding, simply curious is all." Hawke scratched his head nervously.

  "No matter." Kameki turned to Avira. "You need something from the tribe, yes?"

  "... Yes." Avira nodded. "Are you aware of the situation happening in the Wilds?"

  "Unfortunately my ears don't reach that far," Kameki said.

  "Well... basically, Argokath has decided to invade and conquer the Wilds. My father didn't believe the tribes would be able to unite in time to drive them back, so he sent me to seek aid from Vakia. However, since I'm here..." She trailed off, having to calm her beating chest. This was an immense taboo to ask. "I wanted to ask the tribe here to come back with me to help the tribes of The Wilds."

  Avira held her breath as that prompted Kameki to drop from the ceiling, landing on her feet. "Asking dangerous questions seems to be a theme with your group," she said, unfolding her wings from her body. Her body was covered with fur. She wasn't wearing clothes either. Kameki stared into Avira's eyes for a full minute in silence, Hawke and Kalani standing there awkwardly.

  Finally, Kameki broke the tension by straightening back up and smiling, "You're lucky that your father's a friend of mine, but you can't just lean on that when you ask for assistance you know. My people have no reason to uproot their lives for a group that spat them out. Though I can see why you'd be interested in bringing us back." She reached out with the fingers that protruded from the 'wrist' of her wing, running Avira's green sash between them.

  "You're right." Avira looked away. "Still... don't you all want to go back?"

  "Back where? Most people living in the Deadlands were born here. I came here by choice, as my former tribe doesn't shun our kind. Even if the people who made the trek joined you, what guarantee would they have that they'd be accepted back? Do you think them fighting in war is going to prove to the rest of the tribes that they aren't violent savages?"

  Avira sighed. Kameki was right, of course. Still, she couldn't just leave with nothing. She had to take a stand, not just to Kameki but for her people, including the people of this tribe and all of the other sentries back home. "I... I'm going to ensure there's a place for them."

  Kameki raised an eyebrow. "And how will you do that?"

  Avira had to think about that. "We'll... we'll form a new tribe. Like this one. We'll take in all the outcasts from the other tribes and form a new community."

  Kameki laughed, "I like the passion you have, at least. Even if I don't think you'd truly be willing to tie yourself down like that. There's just one more issue. How do we get there? A lone tribal is one thing, a warband traveling through Vakia or Argokath isn't going to work out, and Drima isn't an option with the border closing."

  "Ah, I presume that's where I come in?" Hawke finally spoke, taking a step forward. "I'd be happy to help with that if it means less hostility from the Deadlands."

  Kameki scoffed. "Hostility from us? We get hundreds of vakian 'explorers' trying to claim the land."

  "You're right, wrong choice of words." Hawke did a small bow, "I'd be willing to help transport you through Vakia with an escort of knights."

  "A human escort won't do. Too much hostility between our people." Kameki said.

  "Harpy soldiers could do the job then," Kalani said.

  "Harpies, huh...?" Kameki scratched her chin. "Very well. I'll spread the word that any hybrid willing to go back and fight in The Wilds has the opportunity to do so. It will take some time to get the word out and get people mobilized though." She turned to the wall, seeking out something in the darkness. She found it and pulled it off the hook it was hanging on, turning and giving it to Hawke. "Once the escort is ready, they can stand at the edge of the wood and blow this. The war party will appear and follow."

  Avira breathed a massive sigh of relief, a huge weight taken off her chest. She found herself wrapping her arms around the chief in an embrace. "Thank you!"

  Kameki laughed again, "reminds me of when you were a tiny little thing. Well, not that you've grown much." She wrapped her wings around Avira to return the hug. "Tell your father I said hello, alright? And remember that you're always welcome here."

  "Thank you thank you thank you!" Avira repeated it, voice cracking as she did. She took a moment to compose herself before breaking the hug and standing back. "Sorry. It's been an honor," Avira said.

  "Same here." Hawke did another bow. "You're clearly a very wise woman."

  "Alright, enough flattery," Kameki laughed once again, "be on your way. Kalani and Hawke, make sure you visit the medicine man to get that smell off you."

  Avira looked at Hawke and Kalani. She didn't smell anything unusual on them. She shrugged and left, almost bumping into Godart on her way out the door.

  "Oh! Sorry!" Godart said, backing up quickly. "I heard you were in there and..."

  "I understand," Avira grinned. "How'd your visit to the medicine man go?"

  Even though she was wearing her mask, Avira could swear Godart's eyes brightened after being asked that. "It was great! He had so much knowledge to share and let me have a bunch of native plants to use!"

  Avira could feel Godart's passion coming off her and it uplifted the wolf girl's soul. "That's great, Godart. He do anything else?"

  "Oh, yeah. He performed a ritual on me. I didn't really understand that much. Something about driving away evil spirits."

  "You already seem to be an expert at that judging by what happened while I was gone," Avira remarked.

  Godart fidgeted at that, looking away. "It wasn't really that big a deal..."

  Avira hugged her tightly. "I'm just saying you're capable is all."

  "Oh. Thanks." Godart exhaled, hugging her back.

  Avira got an idea as she pulled back, looking around. "Hmm, I wonder..." she muttered.

  Godart tilted her head. It was very cute. "Wonder about what?"

  An idea came to Avira's head. "It should be around here. I know where we're staying tonight." She grinned. "Stay here a moment."

  Avira hurried off, collecting some bedding and other supplies and returning. "I know a good place to spend the night. There should be a footpath there, no way we'll get lost. Alright?" she asked Godart.

  Godart seemed nervous, but calmed down upon looking at how excited Avira was. "Alright."

  Avira smiled wide and led Godart away from the village. "This was a place I stayed at a lot whenever my dad took me here," she explained to Godart, making sure to keep a close eye on the girl.

  "Oh yeah? You sure wandered with your dad a lot," Godart observed.

  "Yeah, I did. Some of the best years of my life," Avira reminisced.

  "You've got a lot of years ahead of you to make even better, though," Godart said.

  "Correct as always, Godart," Avira replied.

  They reached the destination quickly. It was a long abandoned tower made of metal and stone, tall enough to peer over the treeline.

  "Whoa!" Godart said, looking up, "did the tribe build this?"

  "Not that anyone alive in it knows of. It's always been around. You can find a lot of old buildings in the Deadlands if the Spirits favor you. Though this tower's probably the most well preserved."

  "I can see that..." Godart said, "isn't it cold up at the top though?"

  "It can be if there's a breeze, but well, it's easier to show you than explain to you. Come on. Might have to crouch under the doorway," Avira told her, opening the replacement wooden door some member of the tribe had put onto the tower. It creaked as it revealed a large, spiral staircase.

  Godart ducked under the low doorway after Avira entered first, taking in the sight of the tower. The stone underfoot was warm. The walls had faded dark blue paint on them, with protruding glowing material that both doubled as a dim light source and mimicked the look of stars. Godart couldn't do much else but gasp as the beautiful mystique of the place. "There's so many questions here!" she said, "Mareth would get a kick out of this place."

  "This isn't our destination, though. Let's go up to the top." Avira told Godart, climbing the stairs. Godart eagerly followed behind, though she was out of breath by the time they reached the door to the roof.

  They had a domed metal roof over their heads, a perfectly cut out ovular hole in it having been patched over with bark. There were windows all over, though most had long been broken and replaced with more bark. The actual room wasn't that notable, though it looked like it had more in it a long time ago. As is, it had some old bedding crumpled in a corner and empty baskets along one wall. Despite the height, the stone also retained its warmth.

  "What was this for?" Godart wondered aloud, looking around. "And what's the stone made out of? Was this built by hybrids of the past or someone else?"

  "I knew you'd like it." Avira smiled, putting an arm around her. "I want to show you something else." The wolf girl said and took her to a window with bark plastered over it. "I might be afraid of heights, but I never felt it here. Whenever I got stressed out, or depressed, or I didn't win a fight, I'd come here and look out this window."

  Avira peeled the bark away to show the view outside. Before them was a view of the Deadlands, the village very close and glowing light. In the distance, they could see the light glowing from another village. They dotted the forest, in each light a community. The woods didn't look threatening or deadly from here. It looked beautiful, blue bark and red leaves painting a gorgeous mural.

  It took Avira's breath away every time she saw it. She glanced over to Godart, who had taken her mask off to look at it better. The way her orange hair and pale skin glinted in the moonlight took Avira attention off the landscape entirely.

  "I see why you like this view so much, Avira," Godart said, then she looked over to the wolf girl staring at her. "Avira?" She blushed.

  Avira couldn't hold back any longer. She pulled Godart in close, standing on the tips of her toes to kiss her deeply.

  "Mm!" Godart was taken aback for a moment, but her eyes closed and she quickly leaned into Avira, wrapping her arms around the wolf girl as they embraced in the moonlight.