Making way through the forest

Making my way through the forest, I tried to step carefully, fearing the possibility that someone might hear our steps and listening, at night the forest caused fear in which it was difficult to distinguish what was further than the tree opposite.

Taking a deep breath, I felt a pleasant smell that was saturated with the whole forest, while living in a castle or academy, I did not feel such a pleasant smell from trees and plants.

Slowly walking ahead of Keirin and the captive robber, I heard the chains in which the man was chained beat against the ground and the bushes through which we made our way.

Because of the tall trees, I did not really see the sky, thinking about where we should stop, I looked back at the robber.

During the time that we left the caravan, he did not utter a word it was not clear on his face that he feared for his life, continuing to look down with his eyes.

But when he felt my gaze, he raised his head and with eyes of complete humility with his fate, unlike me, it was difficult for him to consider me.

He may have had knowledge of a spell that would have helped him with night vision, but the chains on his arms would block any of his spells.

Keirin walked next to him, her face showed that she was listening to what was happening in the forest, unlike the dark elves who saw better at night, the light elves saw better than people, but still not as good as the dark elves.

I didn't want to stop in the forest at night next to the trees, which could be the habitat of both animals and monsters.

Having beckoned them with our hand, we continued our way through the night forest, sometimes feeling the dirt under my feet, I just shook my head.

Feeling how the dirt sticks to my shoes and trying to move more slowly and holding my hands on the branches of trees hoping that the neighboring branch will not turn out to be a tail or a monster after passing this section I noticed a small clearing.

This place opened the sky dotted with stars and the moon, the moonlight illuminated the clearing on which the grass was low and closer to the middle of the clearing on a hill stood a lonely tall tree.

The leaves covered the trunk of the tree, stopping and watching this picture, trying to remember all this, a smile unconsciously appeared on my face.

Next to me I heard the shuffling of chains on the ground, trying to move in the other direction, allowing others to see the beautiful place, I smelled the pleasant smell of Keirin and the less pleasant smell of the robber.

Turning her head towards her and looking into her eyes, looking from me back to the field, she thought about something and silently nodded. The first thing when we entered the forest, Keirin strictly forbade speaking loudly and only if something was urgent.

Walking across the field, I ran my hand over the grass, which was still wet from the recent rain, listening to the mud squelching under my feet, I tried to listen to what was happening next to us and observe our surroundings.

Remembering what kind of monsters live in these forests, I did not forget to look at the sky as any wyvern predators were nocturnal hunters, allowing the night to hide their silhouette in the night sky, they hunted their prey without fear.

Approaching the tree, we all felt a pleasant smell emanating from the tree, being close to it I had the opportunity to see the tree trunk and strange fruits hanging on the tree.

Intrigued by the strange fruit, I shifted my gaze to Keirin and the robber, unlike me, one lived in these forests for a long time, the other traveled for a long time.

But from their looks, I understood that they did not know anything about these fruits. Having lowered the chain that fettered the robber, Keirin began to take out the tents, trying not to make noise, we began to collect them together.

We were not afraid that the robber would try to escape, in his case it was uselessly chained and at night he could not hide from us.

Gathering the tents, Keirin went to the tents, catching the expectant gaze of the robber on herself, grinned and, entering the tent, closed the zipper behind her.

I looked at Pelori's drooping face with interest, I wondered if he really thought that Keirin would let him sleep with her in the tent?

After looking at him for a while, I shifted my gaze to the sky, closing my eyes and sitting on the wet grass with the earth.

I began to slowly inhale this pleasant smell of the air that was in the forest at some moments, an unusual feeling of kinship with this forest appeared, I was wondering if Keirin experienced a similar state now or No?

Slowly opening my eyes, rising from the wet ground and examining with interest the fruits hanging on the tree, I reached out my hand to one of the fruits. Running my fingers over the fetus, I felt its weight with my fingers.

Trying to carefully pick it to examine it, a crunch was heard and the fruit was in my hands.

Pulling it out into the moonlight, I began to examine it from the words of Keirin, it was dangerous what to eat in the forest if plants or fruits were unknown.

The fruit was elongated bottom had the shape of a circle and the remaining fruit had a pointed upwards its color was bright green bringing it to the nose and smelling it from it there was a pleasant soothing smell of the forest.

After a while, enjoying the smell, I carefully placed it in my vault, wondering what the professors would say about it when I returned to the academy.

After thinking for a while, having plucked another one for myself, I looked at the robber, who, as I understood, fell asleep.

Keirin and I agreed that we would take turns sleeping, but when I saw how tired she was, I decided that I would not disturb her sleep as well as make a fire.

It could attract both the monsters and the rogues we were hunting, thinking about our plan while looking at the sky I found problems in what Keirin and I were planning.

First, I did not think that the assignment from the mercenary guild would require the rescue of the kidnapped girls, I did not know in what conditions they kept them and how many there were in the bandit camp.

And this meant that Keirin and I could not immediately return to the city, otherwise we would need to return to the academy and we would not get into the ruins of the capital of the avels. There was a possibility but I didn't know how Keirin would react to my idea.

This robber was necessary for us until we find out the location of the remnants of the gang, after which he will die. I didn't feel sorry for him, he himself chose such a fate, which means he understood that he would not die of old age.

Continuing to listen to the night forest and enjoy the aroma and look at the sky dotted with stars and forgetting that I was sitting on wet ground, I smiled. Probably remaining the same person, I did not end up here and did not enjoy it all.

Listening to the night life of the forest, it was heard how some animal or monster was trying to escape from a predator not far from us, but they did not succeed, I could hear how the predator tore its prey.

Monsters and animals demonstrated how the world was arranged in which you are either a predator or prey, but for each predator there was a predator.

If I wanted to become one who would only be a predator, I should not stop in knowing my strength and the possibilities of its manifestation.

Remembering the mentoring lessons in the Empire of Cray for princes and princesses in which we were told that not everything can be achieved using only brute force, sometimes you need to show cunning. For those of us who were told that strength is valued above all in our empire, it was strange to hear such words.

But perhaps now I understood what the teacher was trying to explain to us then. You need to not only have great strength in the army, but also in the ability to think like your opponent and outplay him, first of all, on his own battlefield.

Looking over at the robber who was lying on the ground crouched, it was not cold, but perhaps due to the fact that he was in scraps and slept on the wet ground, he was cold and maybe afraid.