The two questers continued walking through early bluewall. The terrain they were traveling through was dry prairie with the tough grass growing between clumps of gravel scattered amid a ground of rock-hard clay. The fast-growing grass was the only thing that would grow on the prairie, with the exception of some small bushes on which grew an intensely sour fruit that would make up for lack of water and cause horrible mouth ulcers if eaten too often. Nearer the villages, some cultivation had been done with success, but it took a lot of patience and work to get it to happen on the scale that was necessary for the communities to thrive. There were waterholes scattered throughout the prairie and a couple of rivers that didn't run dry except for the driest of periods. The locations of these were the first thing every child learned as they started exploring the land for themselves.
It was drier and more desolate in the southern Spine Mountains and most travelers avoided that route. There were plenty of routes to either side of the mountains where plenty of water and other necessities could be found until the great forest began. Unfortunately, for the two questers, the beginning was the first route that followed the spine of the mountains. It didn't mean the quest would be a foregone conclusion, but it did mean that it would be more of a challenge. It also meant that the route would be considered the path less taken by a long shot.
As bluewall fell, the two were at the top of one of the smaller foothills that slowly grew towards the Spine Mountains. It was a place they were both familiar with, having explored the area for years in preparation for the quest they were now on. There was a small spring that trickled at the back of the well defined camping area, a fire ring, and a fairly level place for them to lie down that was cleared of most of the stones and rocks that were everywhere. They'd be in familiar territory for approximately another day before moving into unfamiliar lands the way they were going. While Wing tore up some of the fibrous grass and twisted it together for fuel, Growler did a wide sweep of the area to make sure there wasn't anything about. There normally wasn't danger this close to the village and none of the People were particularly territorial, but it was wise to be on the lookout, just in case. Wild animals weren't often found this far south except for the small hand-sized ones that lived in small holes and dens in the ground and fed on the grass, the fruit, or each other. Every now and then, a guaran would make it this far south and it was wise to be prepared for them. They were normally docile but were also unpredictable and could become irritated very easily.
This eve, nothing was found out of the ordinary, which meant no watch need be set, and Wing made a hot cereal type thing from spring water and a couple of handfuls of grain dumped into the boiling water. It wasn't the best tasting thing in the world, but it was nourishing and would keep the hunger at bay for a long time. Before they ate, they both said a prayer to their respective totems. Totems weren't really gods, but kept things organized and kept a watch for the main gods and the Serpent God. They also lent their particular strengths to their followers, but also their weaknesses as well. They also had the disconcerting habit of wandering among their followers, or so it was told. Although such events seemingly occurred on a regular basis, no one ever knew anyone whom that had happened to.
After finishing meals and clean-up, the two let the fire go out. Most of the People had incredible night vision, and these two were no exception. Some of the People who lived closest to the tail, in the wilds, were said to almost glow in the dark from all the magic in them. Again, no one who spread the tale seemed to have first hand knowledge of it.
“We did pretty good for the first day,” Wing said, yawning a little as he watched the twinkling lights play up in the night sky. The legends surrounding what they were and why they shone at night were rampant and whole belief systems had been built around a particular glow in the sky and the way it twinkled and how shadows passed in front of it and when it might or might not show up in the sky at night.
“We could have done better,” Growler said as he fretted on the pace they'd made the first day.
“Sure we could have,” Wing agreed. “We could have run all the way and then we'd have been who knows how many paces back as we collapsed. It's too early to worry about pace and remember what the Quest Chief said about getting things done too fast.”
“Yeah, well... We don't want to get caught in the mountains in Whitelight. I don't want to have to depend on help from the spirit realm if something happens. You know what might happen then.”
“Don't worry. Whitelight is a long way off and there's no telling what's going to happen between now and then.”
“That's what scares me.”
This brought a laugh from Wing. “I know it would take more than that to scare you and that you always worry about stuff you don't know. It wouldn't be much of an adventure if you knew everything that was going to happen.”
Growler agreed, even as he thought about some of the possibilities that might occur as the quest went forward. For a moment he felt overwhelmed about all the things that could happen and how little experience he'd had in dealing with anything. “Still, if we weren't supposed to succeed, we wouldn't have been chosen to the Beginning, right?” There was no answer. “Yeah, I know,” he said aloud to his sleeping companion. “If I don't get to sleep you'll be sure to wake me up in one of those ways.” He curled up and fell asleep.
