Immaculate

Once everyone has made sure they had their full pack of supplies, Tavr leads the group off. He leads through the village a ways, cutting across the uppermost terraced farms heading southwest rather than going straight into the forest. Tavr explains that the western end of the valley gets more rain, so they are more lush.

Alunya gives an excited glance back at the village as the group reaches the very fringe of the forest, where the dirt footpaths that go to the edge of the cultivated fields end. Then, Alunya looks excitedly over at Antares, who shares his enthusiasm. But Tavr halts, and turns to address the two of them.

“Alright, you two. Your mother tells me you have a bad habit of running off without warning. Well, it should go without saying, but there will be none of that here, you will follow my lead and do exactly as I say, and anyone who thinks they’re above my rules will be getting the back of my hand. I am not about to lose you two in the forest after I took you in.” Tavr dictates.

Alunya stares up at the man, defiantly. It wasn’t that he was planning to run away, exactly, perhaps more that he isn’t used to being threatened. He has half a mind to run off then and there just to prove a point, but… He had promised his mother to be on extra-extra good behavior. Representing our family, remember? So with that thought, Alunya reluctantly stays put and nods affirmation while Tavr finishes his monologue.

Satisfied with Antares and Alunya’s rapt attention and nodded affirmation, Tavr turns on his heel again. “Alright, now stay close. We want to head up into the foothills, there's plenty of water but a bit less vegetation there so it will be easier to spot prey. But keep your eyes peeled. If you see any tracks, point them out to me.”

Steadily, the group forges their way into the forest. The vegetation is rather dense on this side of the valley, but Alunya and Antares’ slight frames and flexibility make it pretty easy for them to follow along making minimal noise, ducking below branches and stepping over ferns or other plants. The thickest trousers and boots that still fit the two also help, protecting the legs and feet from stinging plants or insects.

It isn’t long before the sound of rushing water is heard, and the group finds their way to the river. The spring had brought meltwaters pouring down the mountain slopes to join the winding river that cuts through the valley, forming rapids in some areas while others are relatively calm. The slope of the hill is still gentle, but as they head further uphill it picks up, eventually culminating in a waterfall where a cliff rises above in the distance.

Tavr glances back to make sure the two boys are still following along. “We follow along the river- every animal needs to drink, after all. If we find droppings or tracks, then we track our quarry. Otherwise, we’ll camp on the river bank come nightfall.” Tavr explains while they hike along after him. It has been easy enough to keep up so far, but only time will tell if the brothers will eventually grow tired.

“Why do you go hunting so often, sir?” Antares asks curiously. “I never see you at any of the festivals.”

Tavr snorts. “Bah, festivals. That's more my wife’s forte, I don’t need to see that smug bastard Gatrick or listen to the priest drone on. Rather be doing something productive with my day.”

“Hm? But don’t you find all the games fun? Oh, and what about the food!” Alunya asks, prancing along after Tavr by his side.

Vekt rolls his eyes behind him.”Hylicia, you’re such a kid. Do you ever think of anything other than playing?” Vekt asks, dramatically.

Alunya purses his lips for a moment, looking up as he thinks. “Uh-huh! But there's plenty of time to work the rest of the year. Not to say that I’m not happy to be here. I’ve never been this far in the woods before!” Alunya spreads his arms out and looks around the forest, enthralled by everything he sees.

“Hush now, you. You’re going to scare all the prey away.” Tavr snaps at the excitable boy. Alunya makes a zipping motion over his mouth, signaling his intent to stay quiet, and the group continues walking alongside the river up to the base of the waterfall

From here, it would be necessary to walk some ways away from the river to get up the cliff; it isn’t a particularly tall waterfall, maybe seven meters, but still enough to be well beyond comfortable climbing range.

The river pools out near the base of the waterfall, forming a pond with a rocky shore and a couple boulders scattered around. The lack of vegetation along the pond's sides and rocky cliffs make it the clearest section the group had walked on in some time, and the fine mist thrown up in the air by the waterfall feels pleasant to Alunya, even if it would probably make him cold if he stayed for long.

Alunya pauses to look back at the pretty scene, the light scattering of oak trees near the water's edge blessed with the pallid green of new sprouts. “Alunya, come on!” Antares calls out, quietly so as to not get Tavr’s attention.

Alunya turns back up toward Antares, who was climbing up the small rock shelf jutting out from the cliff wall, the first step up on the slope that runs parallel to the cliffside. Smiling, Alunya races up after him, practically sprinting up the treacherous rocky footing.

After climbing up the side of the wall, the group loops back around the upper side of the cliff to the river, heading towards the western bound of the mountain valley, where in the distance can be seen numerous smaller streams and tributaries. As they continue following the river, occasionally passing over small creeks or streams that join up with it, Antares sighs with consternation. They'd been walking for a long while now... He had thought that hunting would involve more action, somehow.

Instead they were mostly just... Hiking. After the small waterfall from a while ago, the terrain had leveled out a little bit, with steep slopes on both sides, and with how much the river wound around he sometimes feels like they are making negative progress, though looking around he can see that they are at a noticeably higher elevation than they had started. The terrain is rougher here, further from the heart of the valley.

At least Alunya is having a good time. Antares notes, smiling faintly watching his little brother, captivated by the sights all around. They had come across a nice, open glade just past a bend in the river, where the water is wide and shallow, with several large logs or branches having apparently fallen into it.

"Alright, this looks like a good spot for a break." Tavr announces, stopping in his tracks. "Let's eat a small lunch then get on our way." Vekt was already plopping down on a fallen log and getting snacks out by the time Tavr finishes the instructions.

Antares works up the courage to go up to Tavr, fidgeting a little anxiously. "Um, sir?" Antares asks in an oddly formal tone.

"Yeah? Something the matter, kid?" Tavr responds, sinking his teeth into a wafer of hard, dry cornbread.

"So, um, how long does it take for us to start... you know, hunting?" Antares asks, earnestly. "We've just been walking so far." He didn't want to say it but his are sore; He was fit for his age, but this is rough territory to hike through with no paths, and he hadn't ever come this far from the village before.

Tavr shakes his head. "We are hunting. There's been no tracks yet. Not particularly unusual, there's plenty of days where we don't find hide nor hair of anything. If we don't find anything by nightfall then we'll set up camp and head back in the morning."

Antares wilts with disappointment. He had hoped to have something to brag about when he got back, but instead it looks like he might not even see anything. Suddenly, his nose catches a whiff of a strong, acrid smell that almost makes him gag, as the potent smell of home-brewed corn whiskey reaches his nostrils, drawing his gaze down to the flask in Tavr’s hands which he had just uncorked.

"What's the matter, never smelled a proper drink before?" Tavr asks, a little sardonically. Just for a moment, a little more of the family resemblance between him and his son stands out, at least behaviorally.

"Um, not up close, really. Mom doesn't have time to make any of that, so we just drink water at home." Antares reports. Tavr raises a brow in surprise.

"Are you serious? That's just sad. Nothing like some firewater to put some hair on your chest." Tavr shoves the drink into Antares's hands. "Here, try some."

Antares eyes the flask uncertainly. It smells far from appetizing, but with Vekt and Tavr watching him he is eager to please. So, he holds his breath to avoid the strong smell burning his nostrils, places the flask to his lips, and leans it backwards.

"Firewater" feels like an appropriate name for the concoction, given that as soon as it touches his tongue it feels like it’s burning. Antares tries to force it down, but he can’t help but start coughing and sputtering, spewing out the drink on the ground. Had he swallowed any of it..? He can’t tell, but his throat feels like it is on fire, so… probably?

Tavr just laughs and claps him on his back. "Haha, can't hold your liquor, eh? Guess you need something a bit weaker to start with." Tavr takes his flask back while Antares scrapes his tongue with his teeth; there was a horrible, lingering bitter aftertaste. How in Hylicia's name did anyone enjoy that swill?

Vekt was snickering at him from where he was munching on his sandwich. "Ha, you're such a kid! I could drink liquor when I was half your age!" Vekt mocks. Antares can feel his cheeks burn as he turns away.

"Whatever. I need something more refreshing." Antares mumbles, wishing he had a better excuse, as he gets up and walks over to the riverside, taking a few gulps of cold river water to help wash out the bitter taste.

As he leans back from the river, having at least mostly gotten the bitter aftertaste out, Antares notices Alunya standing up on a rock by the shoreline, staring out at the water with rapt attention. “Something the matter, Alunya?” Antares calls out, questioningly.

Alunya nods. "What's up with those trees?" Alunya points at the wood in the river, where they had apparently snapped off and formed a pile up in the middle of the water, bottling up a small lake or pond behind them and only letting out a limited amount of water. There sure are alot of them.

"What do you mean...? They must have snapped off in a windstorm, or maybe the snowstorm last winter, and..." Antares trails off and he frowns. Now that he looks at them, Alunya is right, they are rather odd, arranged in some kind of organized pattern

"No, no! They didn't snap off! Look, it looks like tooth marks-" Alunya points at the place where they had snapped off, then in a hushed and awed tone continues "...Do you think it was a dragon? Do dragons eat trees? Only the stumps, though, I guess..."

The conversation had gotten Tavr's notice now, who strolls over and casts his hand over his eyes looking out at the bundle of branches, twigs, and logs. "Not a dragon. Beavers. Good eye catching that." Tavr announces, sounding satisfied.

Alunya blinks up at Tavr in keen interest. What kind of a monster is a beaver, that it can bite through a solid tree like that? "What's a... 'Bee-furs'?" Alunya asks wondrously, pronouncing the unfamiliar word unsurely.

"Why don't I just show you? C'mon, Vekt. We should set up an ambush." Tavr motions for his son, but then turns to Alunya and Antares. "Alright, you two. Beavers can be dangerous, they're very territorial. So Vekt and I will handle this. We'll find you a good place to hide, so you can sit there and watch, but don't you even think of coming out. Understood?"

Antares pouts in deep frustration. They were finally going to find something, and he isn’t even allowed to participate? But Reia's message—that he is here representing his family, that he has to follow Tavr's instructions precisely— is drilled into his mind, and he reluctantly nods his head. "Yeah, I get it." He replies, perhaps a little sullenly, thoughTavr doesn’t seem to notice.