A Forest full of Life

"So, this is the Endrosian Empire?", Teri asked before others got a chance. "Hehe, don't worry, that's just the border. Once you see the Great Forest, cities, towns or villages, you'll understand", I replied. "Right… Where do we go from here?", Dawn asked next. "I have a map, and a destination in mind already. Before that, we need to establish a few things", I said.

Human empire was of course different compared to the Great North. People had family names, whereas Northerners didn't. My friends needed fake family names, just in case someone ever asked them. "I'm not sure if you are aware, but my family name is Wintersteed. Therefore, I'm Anna Wintersteed. You'll need to make up your own names, or we can go with Wintersteed. Whichever you prefer", I explained.

"Hehe, why not. I'll go with Wintersteed. Sounds like we're real sisters", Dawn said. Tara and Teri decided to choose a new name for themselves, instead of copying Dawn. Before they chose anything, I described how family names worked. "Usually, family names involve two words. Take mine for example. Winter, which is basically a season. Then the word steed, which means a horse or a mount… I'll show you a horse once we get a chance. Anyway. you can combine animals, things and whatnot. Hehe, some family names are weird".

The two decided to use Strongarm as their family name, which wasn't that surprising. "Don't forget your family names. Formal introductions usually involve both the name and family name. Now, my dad assured me there shouldn't be any problems with our Tauruses. Most Humans don't know much about the North, and so don't know about Tauruses. They'll simply assume it's a type of mount they never saw", I explained.

Though we didn't have to worry about that, we couldn't tell people we were actually from the North. "Officially, we come from Savala Town. That's the place we'll head to next. You'll meet my family, and experience the first Human settlement", "That's easy. Family name, and Savala Town. What else do we need to know?", Teri asked.

"Auras. You know about Auras, but you can't have them. That's not an issue, you simply don't have one 'yet'. Dawn, your trait is a bit… Uncommon, to say the least. Make sure to only use it when necessary, or when no one's around. Tara and Teri should be fine in that regard… What else… Oh! The currency. Humans use copper, silver and gold coins as their currency. You'll get to see them later on, I'm sure. We'll need some money for our travels", I explained a few more things.

"Oh yea, one more thing. Just a reminder, the second skin isn't indestructible. Keep that in mind, because rips and tears will expose you to some degree. If one of the Formations is damaged, it can actually reveal your identity. That could be a disaster if we're inside a city, town or village", I added. "Right, family name, Savala Town, don't damage the second skin and currency. Can we go already?", Tara asked.

"Yes, let's go!". My friends were really green when it came to the Endrosian Empire. On our way, I tried to explain the creatures we saw, and describe a few other things that they asked about. Dawn also reminded me about training and proper assimilation of the Endrosian Empire. Tara was as always against practice, because she preferred to make money and laze around. She had little choice though, because Teri found the idea really nice.

'Hmmm, with our current pace and including training… We'll arrive at Savala Town in about one and half months. There's no need to rush anyway. Once we arrive at Ortava, we'll be able to take that Falcon thing, and fly to the Imperial City. Hehe, I'll keep this as a secret for now. They'll be really surprised', I figured.

During our third day, Tara pointed something out between the woods. "Hey, that bear looks different. It's not black or brown, but silver-ish", "Oh, right. There are variants, as my father calls them. In reality, that bear broke past its limits. The black bear is also a stronger variant of the brown bear. At our stage, silver bears don't pose any problems to us…", I explained, but then added, "That guy's after us. Anyone wants to hunt our dinner for today?".

Dawn was really eager to try her archery on the silver bear. We stopped our Tauruses, and let Dawn handle it. "This is interesting. The North is usually empty and whatnot, here? There are loads of trees, bushes and stuff. Aiming is a lot harder, and the bear isn't stupid. It's actually quite intelligent", Dawn commented while pouring a shower of arrows at the bear. A lot of them hit the tree, or missed the bear, but a lot of them hit the target too.

The bear didn't have any chances from the start, its death was pretty quick. Dawn collected her arrows, since she didn't have an unlimited amount of them, then cut the bear open. "... Now seriously… I know you don't mind raw meat, but don't do that in front of other Humans…", I said. "Don't… Chomp, chomp… Complain. We are alone here, so who.. Chomp, crack.. Cares? Anyway, this is good! Endrosians have access to such delicacies, I'm jealous", she replied while gobbling down the meat and bones.

'... I give up', "Guys, let's grab the meat before Dawn swallows everything", I proposed instead. Of course Dawn wouldn't be able to eat the whole bear, though from her way of eating, she wouldn't mind giving it a try. "Girl, you can eat. That boyfriend of yours must be rich, if he can feed you", "Shut up, Tara. Are you telling me this meat isn't great? Besides, I'm on a trip now, a few pounds one way or another won't change anything. I'll be training anyway". Dawn didn't seem to care that much, maybe her boyfriend didn't either.

Dawn decided to move around after such a huge meal. Of course forests were the perfect environment for an archer. Once she got used to all the obstacles, and adjusted her aim, Dawn's skills would surely improve. "What about you guys?", I asked Teri. "I'd like to move about as well", "You can go, I'll just rest for a while". Tara obviously didn't want to move about. "Hey, lardass. If you become any fatter, maybe Teri will find someone else, eh? Strongarm my ass, more like Flabbyarm", I provoked her.

"What!? Everyone's fat compared to your 'skin and bones' body. Teri's not gonna leave me, even if I'm fat, right?", Tara replied then looked at Teri for confirmation. "..Ehehe, yea, of course", "Pfff, he doesn't sound so convincing", I laughed. "Fine! You win, I'll go practice then. Come on Teri, let me kick your ass", Tara proclaimed. "Hey, watch out for the second skin, or I'll kick YOUR ass!", I exclaimed after them.

"Moo..", "What's up Turry, are you hungry as well? Look around you, there's loads of plants everywhere. This isn't North, this place is full of life", I said, but Turry shook his head. He didn't want to eat grass or ordinary plants, he wanted the good stuff. 'I don't have that much supply. We'll run out sooner or later, and he'll need to feed on whatever's in the environment…', just as my thoughts reach that point, I came up with an idea.

"I'll prepare something for you, alright? I'm sure you'll like it", "Moo!". The other three Tauruses weren't that spoiled though. They simply ate the grass and plants growing around. Of course I had to watch over them too, they could easily eat something poisonous or bad, and get sick.

My plan for Turry was simple. I had to mix in some common stuff with the herbs he liked so much. That would get him accustomed to the normal food, and slowly transition. Humans weren't different though. My father, who was at the Primal Limits stage, didn't require specific food to live. He ate the same thing as me or my mother. He could survive a lot longer without food compared to me, because his energy pool was so much bigger.

Turry and other Tauruses ate grass, plants or herbs. Thanks to these herbs and whatnot, Turry was able to break past his limits, but he didn't need to consume herbs only. He'd survive on grass and normal plants. 'Hmmm, I'm not sure whether Tauruses eat meat though… Never saw anyone feed meat to a Taurus. Maybe he'll get sick, so better stick with plants… And his portion is ready', "Come over, Turry. Here's your food", I invited him warmly.