Blastoid-Gaiyut Expedition (Scouts)

Gaiyut- The Outskirts of Arete

Gaiyut approaches Sindar and Seidrik as they approach the scouts, who are readying to break camp and explore the Babylonian lands.
"I see you Seidrik, old friend! Who is this young lad you bring with you? Last I saw him, he was throwing rocks at the crabs!"

Seidrik stops several feet from his friend, Gaiyut, and places a hand on Sindar's shoulder, and beams a joking smile at Gaiyut. "This here is the best Rabbit poacher I know! He has the sharp mind needed to find a solution, and the patience to execute it. More importantly, he's young!"
Winking at Seidrik, Gaiyut shouts so The Blastoid can easily over hear the conversation. "So...what you're saying is he'll do all the dirty work for me, eh? Well, there's always room for a pack mu...errr young recruit!"

The older men all shared a private joke at his expense laughing almost like the men who enjoy their burning leaves too much at the inn of Arete. Sindar fixed Gaiyut with his most serious expression, his knuckles flashing white on his flint spear.

Gaiyut put his hands out in a placating gesture, "Seriously boy, Seidrik wouldn't have brought you here if he hadn't thought well of your qualities. Pay no mind to us veterans, you'll have your chance to prove yourself in good time."
"However, most pressing at the moment is The Blastoid over there needs some more cured horse hide that he loves to burn images on for his map making. It's probably the most important thing we scouts do, second only to meeting new people and villages. Old man Finnigan makes the best of it from specially cured horse hide. Take this letter to him with Prochon's signature on it. And hurry, Sindar, we leave shortly!"

With a harrumph, Sindar snatched the letter and ran down the hill toward Old man Finnigan's place.

Seidrik turned away from his watch of Sindar's rapid departure and turned back to Gaiyut, this time with a look of pride mixed with hope and sadness. "Take care Gaiyut! It's a wild land out there as you know better than I do. By the time you get back, Aretan may have changed drastically from the land you know now. Best of luck friend and good journeys."
Gaiyut would be glad to be away from the politics of Arete, but he would miss Seidrik and his barbeque. Raising his hand high with his palm toward Seidrik, Gaiyut said his farewells, and returned to The Blastoid and the final preparations for their expedition.

Seidrik watched his old friend turn away, then headed back to his home between the forest and the river, where he lived, and where he always stood, somewhere between the past and the future, between the wilderness his people had left and the modernity they now embraced.


The Blastoid - The desert where he was born

It was strange to see home again after so many years.

Out here past the Prochon Mountains the land turned dryer and hotter. No trees covered the staccato rocky peaks. These hills and plains were ruled by plump bulbous plants covered with spike. These sights were strange to the other Aretans and they recoiled in pain as they touched them and felt the sting of there poison spikes. But these plants were home to him.

With his spear he lopped a chunk of the nearest spike tree to the ground and carefully with his flint knife he cut the chunk in two and boring the flesh to his lips to drink the water. Tasting the slightly alkaline bitterness of the water on his lips and remembered his lips parched and desperate, the first time he had tasted this water nothing had tasted so sweat. He saw in his minds eye the memory, the thorn tree standing like sentinels, the sun beating down, his mind failing and the man and the snakes.

I can not think of it, not here, not now there is work to be done.

The Blastoid brought his eyes upward to the plain that lay below the great mountains. Out there it was so desolate that even the thorn trees do not grow. He saw the wind kicking up dust and pushing it across the empty plain. But there was one spot of dust that never shifted, always stayed the same. It was to the Northeast and as he focused on it he could tell that it was men, the glimpses he got when the dust swirled showed colorful robes, from Babylon. The Blastoid took his eye along there track and extended it to see where they were heading. There was a small spring at the base of a set of hills to the north, and there was a village.

The Blastoid knew what this must mean. The men were soldiers, meant to fight wars and hunt animals, they did not know how to treat with others, that and they were not Aretan. If they were to get there their warriors, hungry, tired and long away from women. Would steal, rape and pillage. They were a day’s ride out, they must get there first.

The Blastoid let out a howl and soon both Gaiyut and Sindar had joined him on the hill and Blastoid showed them the men and the village.

“Gaiyut, can we beat them there?”
Surveying the seen for a moment, Gaiyut spoke
“Yes, but just barely and only unencumbered by are belongings”

The Blastoid looked out again for a second and then spoke. “Two of us must run forward to warn the village” the third must stay with our animals and join us in those hills to the east of the village after we have led them to safety."

“I will run.” Sindar said bravely.

“And I will lead our animals and supplies.” Said Gaiyut.

“Very well” the Blastoid spoke ”We will meet again on that hill, the one with three peaks, like the three hills of arête.” The Blastoid pointed to a hill to the west of the village.

And from there they split and the Blastoid and Sindar ran like elk, crossing the desert plain.

They reached the village just before sundown. Here men were back from a hunt and joking and there woman were preparing the meat. Seeing there faces The Blastoid knew hew had seen close kin to these people before, the Sahashunas when he was with the warband. He spoke to them in their language and they understood.

The council elders conversed fervidly for a few minutes then gave the signal for the people to break down there village, which they did with a fluidity and quickness to be marveled. There buildings were actually tents, and every piece of the village was quickly folded and wrapped. Then the horses came, and as expected they burdened many of them with there tents and gear, but many of the young villagers jumped on there backs and started to ride around the camp. The Blastoid and Sindar stared in awe and disbelief.

The village elder named Clydus came back to The Blastoid.

“We thank you for the warning, the archers killed several of our best hunters several moons back, we hold no love for them, do you know where we can go”

So the Blastoid told them of the city of Arete, of the green fields and the rivers than flow in all seasons. The elder was fascinated and said that is where they would head.

“Then take this necklace of mine and show it to Shattered our enlightened one, he will welcome you to our city. Settle east of the city near the river, there you will find many wild horses to tame ands ride."


The Three Scouts - The Eastern Ocean

The Blastoid stares out at the great Eastern Ocean, its waters lapping gently at his feet. He unties his moccasins and wades into the gentle surf reveling in the cool water against his skin.

The squawk of the raven is faint but snaps the Blastoid to reality. Word has come from home, the trained ravens has worked. The raven comes down to the Blastoid's outstretched arm. There is a small rolled hide attached to its claws. The Blastoid removes it and unfurls it and stares at the symbols.


"Gaiyut, Sindar! Take down camp! We are on the move again!"


Sindar hastened towards The Blastoid, Bone spear on his back and the cured horse hide tight in his grip. He had been running for what felt like an eternity. He stopped, handed the Blastoid the hide. He excused, slowly walked out of The Blastoid's hearing range, behind a small bush. His heart was pounding and his chest was stinging with a sickening pain. He crouched, put his hand on the ground in the low water, and then, leant forward and threw up. The run had exhausted him. He cleaned his mouth and began to drink, when he heard the Blastoid yell again: Gaiyut! Sindar! Take down camp! We are on the move again! He quickly ran to the Blastoid, who was standing with a large, black raven on his arm, and a small message in the other hand. They quickly started towards the camp where Gaiyut was packing their furs and the like, as well as what few weapons they had.

The Blastoid came quickly into the camp, his strides short, with purpose and economy of energy. He sets upon packing the dried auroch meat and speaks to the others as they gather up the camp.

"We have word from Arete. The Triad has agreed to allow us to enter Babylonian lands. We are to assess there strength both as a people and as soldiers. We will move towards there capitol with the banner of peace and bring this hide to there leader Lincoln. It is an offer of free passage in our borders for there people if they agree to the same with us. “

“We are not to do anything threatening or rude to the Babylonians. They can be helpful to our cause. Neverless we need to know what resources they can draw upon if things change in the future.”

"Sindar. I know the pace of this travel has been hard, but the results have been essential to our civilization. We know the secrets of horseback riding; the others do not because of all of ours efforts and will. We will be able to rest a little soon, for today we are heading to the heart of Babylon and we will be feast on there bounty for a short time."

Once the tents have all been folded up and the provisions packed. They begin to head westward. With Gaiyut in the trees ahead looking for the first signs of the Babylon lands.



Gaiyut- Babylon

Babylon was a mighty city, not nearly as grand as Arete, and certainly did not benefit from the fresh morning sea breezes, but Gaiyut could tell that its destiny could one day rival that of Arete. It was well situated for an inland city, with hills that could one day be mined and farm land. It was a city that would be an excellent crossroads for a future empire. The Babylonians were proud and powerful. Their leader, Lincoln was as smart as he was charismatic, an orator whose words held greater power than these mysterious Babylonian recurved war bows.

The people also captivated Gaiyut. There were obvious physical differences, since they were darker skinned and their hair seemed coarser, and their beards more full along with more honeyed eyes and lighter brown eyes that many of his fellow kin. However, it was their personality and customs that impressed him most. The people were definitely mostly farmers, where as in Arete, the people were mostly fishermen and merchants. Here, the people seemed more relax, more content with their leaders, there didn't seem to be much political intrigue or conflict. Here, the people were just overly more content, and peaceful. The Bowmen walked around in small groups, but mostly just on their way to police the wilderness and monitor their borders, not many seemed to be on the job to police the streets. In contrast, groups of armed warriors patrolling the streets of Arete were a common occurrence.

The Babylonians were also very hospitable toward him, and claimed to harbor many of the negative sentiments that Aretans have toward Hatshepsut of Spain. These people, Gaiyut knew, would be great allies and would defend their lands as fiercely as the lions that populated the wilderness like weeds.


Sindar - Babylon

As the scouts entered the city, with Blastoid in front, after they had talked to Lincoln, Sindar looked around. The Babylonians were so different from his own people. Their tan was more brown, less the yellow color of the Aretans, and the men had large beards even before their hair began to become white. He was puzzled by this people who had developed a weapon as lethal as the War bow, yet they did not even possess the feat of writing. He looked around and saw that he had reached a small archery range, where three young men were practicing their skills against a couple of hay bales. He went over to them and talked to them. They did not understand a word, but handed him a bow and some arrows and pointed at the hay bales. Sindar tried to shoot, but failed miserably. The boys laughed at him and tried to show him what he had done wrong. He tried again. The arrow flew this time, but not long, and not closes to the hay bales. The boys laughed again before helping him...

This lasted for about an hour, until what Sindar concluded was the biggest of the boys' father called for them. They took the bow out of his hands and quickly ran towards the voice. Sindar was left back at the small square. He looked around and saw that the boys had forgotten a short bow, lying buried among some of the hay and a cracked flower pot. He picked it up, and then picked up what arrows he could find; when he felt that someone was looking at him. Had the boys come back?

No, it was someone behind him; the boys had not left in that direction. Slowly he turned around, to see a girl standing in a simple dress behind him. He could not tell how old she was, but he guessed that she was his age or, perhaps, a little older. His eyes automatically zoomed quickly from her face to her feet and back again. She was beautiful, with a tan that made his skin look like snow and her long hair hanging loose. She was about as tall as him, and rather slim. He realized how stupid it was, him just standing there looking at her. He began to slowly walk towards her until he was around four feet from her, before he pointed at his chest and said: "Sindar".

She smiled at him. She looked dazzling. Her teeth were blinding white and her eyes a nice, soft brown color. He pointed at her, then raised his shoulders in a gesture he hoped illustrated it was a question. Who are you?

She looked at him for a second before giggling. Then she said: "My name is Ymira, I am the daughter of the bowyer here in Babylon. One of the boys you played with is my little brother." Sindar looked at her as if stunned. "How come you can, I mean, speak, erhm, Aretan?" She smiled at him again. Simply breathtaking. "My mother speaks Aretan; she is from the same tribe as you. She taught me it when I was very young. She thought it might be good to be able to speak with ones' neighbors."
"Arh, I see. You said one of the boys was your brother? Who of them, the largest?"
He asked politely. She laughed again. "No, the stupidest. He is not too bright; he can hardly speak our own language." They both laughed. Sindar felt he had to ask her about something else. She was so nice to talk to. And it had been a long time since he had last seen a girl, more so slept with one. It was some time since they had left Arete, after all. "So, where were they going, your brother and the others?"
"Out to hunt with their fathers. They won't be back until sundown," she said, eyes sparkling. "Oh," Sindar said, completely stunned. She quickly asked him: "Do you want me to show you around the village?"
Yes!
"I'd love to", he replied after gathering himself.
His heart jolted as she took his hand and begun to walk down the street.


The Blastoid - Babylon
The Blastoid chose not to sit but to stand peering out over this strange city as he waited for the tyrant.

The man they called Lincoln had built his palace on a low plateau that deflected the mighty river from the sea. The ribbon of blue turned westward here in a great arc around a thick evergreen wood, turning ever so slowly around till it came back behind the city and entered the sea. Even in late autumn up here the trees help there green branches, unlike home where every winter the leaves fell. In the waters of the river there was fishing dingy, but unlike ours boats it had a tall mast with a sheet of woven reeds. They were trying to use the wind to power the boat instead of oars it seemed, though it was not going well. The boat crashed into the sandstone cliffs below causing the sailors to jump ship, curse and bring it back to shore to try again. Though there antics were amusing the Blastoid could see use in there endeavor. If such a vessel could be better controlled we could use it to travel along our coasts and along our great river.


“Foreigner! The master will see you!”

The two Bowmen who flanked the doors to Lincoln’s audience chamber moved to open its door. It was time to see what type of man ruled here.

The Blastoid entered the room, with sure stride of a man who has walked many miles. He bowed to the master in the custom he had seen the soldiers do before. “Master Lincoln It is good to meet you at last; I have come with a proposal of goodwill between our people.”

The master was a tall thin man, with dark hair and sunken, almost sullen eyes. For a second he did not speak just looked as if he was trying to peer into my very soul. “Well met, is it Blastoid? I am glad to hear again from your people. Come, let me hear your offer.”

“The offer is to come to an agreement of movement of peoples, your people, military and civilian are allowed to cross Aretan land freely and without hindrance. We will also not interfere with any of your movements outside our borders, of future settlements that you might make. In turn you will give us the same rights. To be able to move within your borders without hindrance and you were not interfere with future settlements we might make. These words are written on this hide to make this agreement official and binding”

Again Master Lincoln pauses for a few seconds then speaks
“Scribbles on a hide? How strange? No matter. I agree that these provisions will be beneficial to both our people, but to me this hide is meaningless. Leave three of your party here as emissaries to us, we will do the same and send three of our people to your lands. If you break this agreement, the emissaries will be hung.”

“I must ask my men for volunteers, but I agree to this method of binding”

“It is agreed then.” Master Lincoln stops for a second again. “We will have a feast tonight for all of you and your men. Join us then with your three emissaries chosen and we will toast the fortunes of both our peoples. You may leave now”

The Blastoid bows again and turns to leave the room, the doors slamming shut behind.


Sindar - Babylon

Sindar's heart felt like it was going to break out of its' rib cage any minute. He and Ymira had walked around Babylon for several hours, speaking and seeing many interesting buildings. Their hands were still clenched together. For the last ten minutes, they had simply been walking hand in hand, without speaking. Sindar had strapped the bow he had found onto his back and stuck the arrows, tied together in a bundle, in his belt, near the left thigh. The sun was about two fingers over the horizon, in the far west, where he would soon be heading along with Gaiyut and Blastoid. Ymira stopped.

"What is it?", he asked. "This is my home," she replied, pointing at the building they were standing in front of. He could see hundreds of small slices of wood on the ground in front of the house, from the fathers' work. He looked at her. She smiled at him, then she let go of his hand and walked slowly towards the door. Sindar felt completely empty inside as she slowly entered the house. His brain could not come up with anything to say or yell to her. He looked up. She had gone inside, the entrance was dark as the night. Then it struck him. She had left the door standing open!

He quickly rushed inside, closed the door carefully and looked around. He was standing in what seemed to be the fathers' workshop. A bench with tools was up against the wall on one hand, several bows hang on the wall above it. He could see Ymira moving in the next room. He walked slowly towards the door, and opened it. The room was empty. Four bowls were lying on the floor, and several doorways led to other rooms. Only one of them was open, the one on the right hand. He looked through it, but there was almost no light in the next room, only a very small window that did not allow much sunlight inside this late. He tip-toed through the doorway and into the room. Inside, Ymira was standing beside her bed, completely naked with her back to him. He slowly paced towards her, placing his right hand at her waist. She turned around towards him, and stepped up to him. There was only a fingers’ width between them. She kissed him. Her lips tasted almost like honey, and her eyes shone as stars. He put the other hand around her as she dragged him towards the bed, still kissing him...




Sindar was fully awake, instantly. A small sliver of light slid through the window and illuminated the room a little. He got out of the bed and quickly put on his clothes and strapped the bow to his back. He looked at Ymira in the bed. She was still sleeping, curled together in a tight embrace with the sheet. He sat down on the bed and let his fingers slid over her skin, gently.

Why had he woken up so early, and so fast? Perhaps he had heard a sound, he was unsure of it, though. There were not yet many people in the Babylonian streets. He would need to find the Blastoid and Gaiyut soon. He realized Ymira was looking at him, smiling. "You'll have to go, my father will wake up soon," she said, still smiling. "But you'll come back, right?"

He couldn't resist the urge of smiling back at her. He didn't want to hurt her. "Yes, I'll come back. Someday, I'll come back."

They were interrupted by the sound of someone stepping on one of the bowls in the room just outside the door. Sindar quickly took the bundle of arrows, threw it out of the window, kissed Ymira on the cheek and then climbed out of the small window. He stood up outside, dusted his clothes off, looked inside to see Ymira, who had put her dress back on, talk to her brother. He quickly slid away from the window, took a small end of a rope from his belt and tied his hair in a ponytail before running down the streets to find the others...

Gaiyut - Babylon

Soon after entering Babylon, Gaiyut, Blastoid, and Sindar had all chosen to split up, figuring that was the best way to learn the most of the Babylonians in the short time they would have here. Blastoid went in search of people who might know more about the lands nearby to help with his maps, while Gaiyut decided to track down the information traders at a local tavern and the many farms nearby, while Sindar got the speech all older men give to a younger man, unaccustomed to strange situations. "...Stay away from the women...don't get in trouble...keep your eyes and ears open and flap your mouth less...just observe, fit in, act natural, meet back here in a day..."

Gaiyut started the first day shadowing Sindar, and after watching him interact with the locals and learning about Archery and their war bows, Gaiyut decided that Sindar would be alright, and left to find some gossip. The villagers all greeted him as if he were one of them and for the most part just ignored him, unless he spoke to them or tried to speak to them directly. Many, although fewer than most, did remarkably know the language of Arete, but as the conversations began to evolve into details about the goings on and such, well, communications began to break down as some of the more complex words escaped most people, and it began to feel like reading through water...just too tiring to keep it up for very long. The farmers basically talked about the sun, and how they had to bring allot of water from nearby rivers to get crops going. Many loved the dry breezes and the cool nights but not many came out during the heat of the day. When Gaiyut had tired of talking, he headed to a Tavern. The sun had climbed past mid day, and the heat was really bearing down on Babylon. Inside, it was much darker, but with ample light and a huge breeze coming through slats near the roof line, and the main hall had high vaulted ceilings with a vent in the top. These Babylonians knew how to cope with their environment. And at the tables...near half of Babylon had to be in this tavern or so it seamed. People were packed at the tables talking and joking around. No one even looked up at him from their mugs.

Beautiful young lass met him at once wearing a short skirt and a sleeveless top. She lead him to a table, and with the flip of a copper coin from Gaiyut, she ran off to get him some of the local fair. Apparently, his coin went far in Babylon! She came back with a roasted small hen smothered in honey and spices, a side of some smoked orange root looking vegetable that tasted sweeter than a potato and some grainy bread. It wasn't the pork he knew and loved, but it was extremely good. The chef knew what he was doing.

Looking around, Gaiyut spied another weathered man at a table almost shrouded in darkness at the far side of the room. What caught Gaiyut's attention was that the man appeared to be studying him, while pretending to be studying a mug. The man saw Gaiyut's subtle observation and immediately got up, circling by the back side of the open bar and toward the exit. Gaiyut finished his meal and threw back the local brew and left in a disciplined haste so as not to draw too much attention to him or the coincidence of his departure near the same time as the other man's exit.

Outside, Gaiyut saw the man leaning against the wall of the tavern eyeing the exit from the corner of his eye. He was of average build, but carried himself with a grace that betrayed his youth and training. He also didn't look as nearly weathered as he had in the tavern. Gaiyut turned away from the man and made toward the opposite end of the Tavern. As he approached the end of the wall, the man was suddenly behind him, one hand on his shoulder and directing him into the alley.

Once in the alley, Gaiyut spun around and confronted the figure. "About time someone greeted an outsider to find out what he's about don't you think?"

The figure's face split into a wide toothy grin, "Of course...of course...and so, why are you here? You don't look like the Spanish, who came a while back. You don't walk around like your pride alone could make things right...so you must be from the lands of Arete, yes?"

Gaiyut shrugged his shoulders, "So this is Babylon?"

The man raised two hands palms up and partly away from his sides and tilted his head to one side. "I see Arete didn't send a common warrior to explore our lands. After the open borders agreement between our people, I had thought someone would be on their way. Our people are peaceful, but mark this well, our Bowmen is trained to strike a sparrow with a single shot even while it is still in flight. There are not too many rules here, except that our ruler, Lincoln, is to be obeyed at all times, and his speeches to the people are mandatory events. If you are staying much longer, you should go study the laws written on our monument in the middle of this fine city. I wouldn't want you or your two companions...to get hurt or wrongfully imprisoned..."

Gaiyut's hackles were not standing straight up, but he didn't want this man, who ever he was to see his anxiety. This man made one thing very clear...it was time to move on. Allies or no, someone here at least didn't take kindly to strangers...what had the Spanish done when they were here? "Trust that we are here only for a short while and your people will be respected and your values upheld and your laws followed. We are only here as travelers. We have heard so much about Babylon and the five of us traveled here only to see if the legends were true. Indeed Babylon is beautiful, and her hospitality is something we shall all share with our people back home.

The man raised an eyebrow at Gaiyut, then furrowed his brow and simply said, "Good, but don't stay overly long, the lions outside the city are particularly hungry this time of year." With that, the man walked past Gaiyut and exited the alley as if nothing had happened.

"Fierce allies and enemies indeed" Gaiyut thought. Time to find a place to rest for the night and get going the next morning.

Returning to their camp site outside of the main entrance, Gaiyut laid out his bag and slept or at least lay their staring into the night, wondering over the mysterious man's words and wondering where Blastoid and Sindar had gotten off to. Late in the night Blastoid stumbled into camp, holding rolls of goat hide, which were stained with charcoal. Indeed several charcoal smudges were on Blastoid's hands and clothes, even a few on his face and forehead...the man must have been making maps all day long.

"Oh, hello, Gaiyut, this was a fruitful visit! These Babylonians know so much about the lands near here. I can't wait to set out tomorrow and investigate some of the local sites I have marked on these maps here! Where's Sindar?"

"I don't know, Blastoid, but we have to find him first thing and leave here, I don't think we're wanted to stick around overly long."

At Blastoid's questioning look, Gaiyut explained about the mysterious man, to which Blastoid commented further on the maps, but agreed to stick to their travel plans without any detours.

The next morning, they broke camp, and without sight of Sindar, they packed their horses and rode into Babylon. Just inside the gates, Gaiyut and Blastoid spied Sindar sprinting away from a residential area with a stupid grin on his face. Gaiyut smirked and looked over at Blastoid, who simply rolled his eyes. "Looks like one of us had some fun eh, Blastoid?" After a quick laugh, Blastoid lead Sindar's horse over toward Sindar and waited. "Never mind a report, Sindar, we can all readily guess what you got yourself into" said Blastoid with a beefy grin, which set Gaiyut to howling with laughter, while Sindar's face went beat red. The three of them turned their horses and road out of the gate.

His face red as a beat after the quick run and the embarrassment the two older scouts had put in him, Sindar quickly responded: "Hey, I did do some good! Look at this!"

With a feeling of pride he pulled the shortbow out of the bag once they were a safe distance from Babylon. "It's not as good as the War Bows, but I am sure we can use it.

No harm done, Sindar, we're just ribbing you a little. I'm sure she was worth it (with a wink), but that weapon looks interesting. We should try it out next time we get the jump on a lion.

With the two older scouts smiling and Sindar blushing, they ride on, westward. They spot the coast to their north and decide to stay in sight of it. They travel like this for some days, and eventually their horses tire and the terrain gets rougher, they decide to drag their steeds for a while, as they are in particular rough area, going slightly uphill with lots of trees and tall grass...


Sindar- The Northron Woods

They quickly packed the last of their equipment and went west. They travelled fast, with few and short breaks. They started to get used to the colder weather, and travelled with the coast just in sight. They finally had need of the furs they had dragged along. Sindar was walking in his own thoughts some steps behind the others, when Gaiyut cried out:
"look here, both of you!"
Sindar hurried to Gaiyut. He was standing and looking at a seemingly normal spot of grass. Sindar was about to ask him what this was about when Gaiyut continued:
"If you look closely, you will see that many of the grass leaves here are rough or broken. Several animals have been here lately, perhaps at the same time."
Gaiyut followed the track a couple of steps before kneeling down to wipe two fingers at a blade of grass. He stood up and showed his fingers to the others. They both had a slight trace of blood. Gaiyut carefully tasted the blood.
"It seems to be the blood of a deer or the like. It is not many hours since it was spilled. A predator might be in the area. Or, Babylonian hunters. We will find out if we follow the track of the wounded animal."
They advanced, at a slightly slower pace, led by Gaiyut, about half a mile or so, before finding the corpse of a deer. Heavy bites were taken out of it and it had been death almost since sunrise, several hours already. Gaiyut kneeled and looked at it. "Definitely a predators work... A tiger or lion, probably. We should be careful."
Just as Gaiyut spoke the last words, Sindar caught a glimpse of something moving in the grass, against the wind. He cried out while grabbing his own bone spear: "Gaiyut! Blastoid! Beware! Something in the grass!"
They grabbed their weapons and watched as the grass rumbled and a majestic female lion leapt towards Sindar. He threw himself to the ground and struck out, with little luck. The lion knocked him off his feet and its' claws were now in the process of trying to decimate his torso. Three lines of red blood already ran from it. It was aiming for his heart, he knew that. His left arm felt stunned and his bone spear was outside of range on his right side. If he could just reach it...

The lion moved its' jaws towards his neck. He closed his eyes and waited for the unbearable pain. Suddenly, the lion was brought out of focus and roared in a low and wounded tone. The Blastoid had thrown his spear and hit the lions' rear very well. The lion was distracted, and lifted its' head to look at the new threat. Sindar used the moment to seize his bone spear and puncture the lungs of the lion, before quickly rolling away from the predator, as it went into a rage before collapsing. Sindar stood up and looked at the others. They were all three sweating heavily. He looked at the dead predator in front of them.
"That was close", he managed to say in astonished relief. "I owe you one, Blastoid."
Gaiyut looked at them both. "We better continue west, quickly. Lions rarely hunt alone"...


The Blastoid - The Icy Shore

The hills swept below like mirrors of the waves of the salt water, like a war between earth and sea crashing on an icy shore. Men were stalking along the stony shore with long spears in hand striking strange brown shapes rolling in the sand.

Even up here the small of death and blood was present, bringing the felling of hunger of free meat for the taking. Circling down another man becomes apparent perched on a hill with an arms outstretched beckoning.

The Blastoid heard the flutter of wings for a second before the soft thump and grip of the talons was felt on his outstretched, leather covered hand. The raven had returned with another parchment. The Blastoid unfurled it and look at the directions, a setting sun and an arrow.

So we are still going west, through this cold and barren land.

The Blastoid looked around him at the barren bluish hills, ridge after ridge were lined up like waves, crashing against the northern sea. Some ridges were white and jagged rocks ripped into the sky like bones of forgotten beasts others were round black, smelling of rotten earth. These hills against the sea were blue and the streams that ran between them were speckled with white gold. There were trees up here, only wind, some snow and ice.
They had rushed upon these frozen hills after the attack of the lions which almost claimed Sindar’s life. Unfortunately these barren hills proved to have no game and it was not until they came upon the strange sea cows of the northern sea that they could feed on food better than grass again. Gaiyut and Sindar were slaughtering more of these sea cows now. If they stayed close to sea, it would, as it always was for Aretans, be kind to them.

The Blastoid turned his gaze back to the charcoaled hides he had before him looking at the seas of hills and forest they had crossed. He pulled one hide out, with a map of the Babylonian lands, rolled it and tied it to the Ravens leg and set it to flight.

His duty done the Blastoid chose to close his eyes for a few hours before moving back to camp to begin preparations for moving westward. With a weak feeble sun trying to warm his skin, he fell asleep


He circles higher and higher. He knows his duty to go south, to the city by the sweet sea. But first he smelled blood and death. He circled down again a few miles east and landed upon a brown husk of flesh ripped open by men, and feasted.



Sindar - The Northern Woods

Sindar ran quickly along the shore, the water barely covering his feet. He chased the strange, brown seacow across the low water. Suddenly, it turned out towards the deep sea. It was now or never. Sindar jumped sideways and pierced the animal with his bone spear. He landed in the salt water, and the three wounds on his chest hurt immensely as it came into contact with the salty water. He quickly stood up and saw the wounded seacow wriggling in spasms in a small pool of it's own blood. He quickly reached down and broke it's neck before picking it up and walking back towards the camp. Gaiyut had already left the shore and was some distance ahead of him.

It had been almost a month since they had left Babylon now. Sindar still had the small bow he had taken from Ymira's brother. He had not had another chance to be with Ymira after that one night... He still missed her and wondered if he would ever see her again...


It was some days since they had left the coast to the north, and although it was still in sight, they were definitely headed inland. It was late, and they had set up camp on a small, barren hill. Gaiyut had caught a well-sized deer, which they had prepared over the campfire. There had been enough to make them all three content, there was even some meat left, which they packed in tight packages of hides, with a small rim of salt to keep the meat from getting rotten. The campfire had burned out and was now merely ambers, and they had put the packages in the ashes, after soaking the hides, to keep them warm for the next day. They were all three lying in the tent. Sindar could hear Gaiyuts' monotone breathing - he was fast asleep. Blastoid made no sounds at all. Sindar did not have the slightest idea if Blastoid was sleeping, or even if he was still in the tent, for that matter.

He was thinking about the latest happenings on their expedition. He still had three grim scars from the lioness' paw, and his affair with Ymira in Babylon was still clear in his mind... Mei would kill him if she ever found out - which he had no intend that she ever would. He smiled for himself and decided to take a stroll outside, to get some fresh air for his thoughts. He stood up, put his clothes on, and exited the tent.

Behind him, Blastoid was shaking his head. Sindar might be young and full of energy, but everyone needed to sleep at night when he was travelling at this tempo.

Sindar took his bone spear and used it as a walking stick, as he walked around on the outskirts of the camp. He was looking out for snakes and other animals the best he could, while walking in his own thoughts.

Blastoid decided to go out and get Sindar back to the camp so he would have a chance to get some sleep. He quietly stood up, and walked out of the tent. Picking up his own spear, he was about to leave the camp when he heard a loud howl. Not one of their signal howls, but the real thing. A wolf was nearby.

Sindar heard the howl as well. He quickly changed his grip on the spear and ran for the camp. Alone in the dark he would be relatively easy picking for a couple of wolves, and they needed to protect their food in the camp. He realized, even though it was a dark night, he knew exactly in which direction the camp was.

Gaiyut was fully awake. A loud howl had rung through the night. He quickly put on some clothes and went outside, picking up a spear and a small hand axe. "Where is Sindar?", he asked Blastoid, who was already outside, fully dressed and spear in hand.

"Out walking, maybe taking a leak," he said, not wanting to embarrass the boy further. Gaiyut was just about to ask why one would possibly bring ones' spear when taking a leak, when they saw Sindar heading towards the camp.

They heard another howl this time. It was coming from the opposite direction of the wind. The wolf had caught the scent of their camp and their food. They would have to fight it.

Sindar entered the small camp and looked in the direction the howl had come. It was dark as a deep lake, he could only see the contours of the nearby trees.

Suddenly, they saw something moving. They all three noticed it. Something was heading towards the camp in short, quick sprints of movement. They knew a wolf could move like that, and hold the pace for hours.

Sindar was clutching his right hand around the spear. This was perhaps the largest wolf he had ever seen, or maybe his eyes were playing tricks with him in the darkness. It seemed to him as if the wolf had large, red eyes, and was looking straight at him. Eyes empty of emotion, except for hate. He realized he was sweating. "Is it going to attack?", he asked. Even the most demonic wolf would consider the three scouts a serious obstacle. "I don't know", Gaiyut replied. "That depends on how hungry it is. If it starving, it might take the chance."

The wolf was prowling nearer, only around forty feet from them now. A wolf can cover that distance in a matter of seconds, and Sindar knew that. And this wolf was looking really mean. Out of the edge of his vision, he saw Gaiyut changing his grip on his spear to prepare for a throw. "Be ready," Gaiyut said. The wolf was standing still, around thirty feet away. It showed teeth. Sindar lifted his spear to cover his own chest and head from any sudden leaping attacks and he saw Blastoid do the same.

Gaiyut threw the spear. It was a fine throw, but the wolf was too fast. As soon as Gaiyut moved, the wolf paced straight towards the other two scouts, and Gaiyuts' spear slid out of sight. Sindar made a move to the left, away from Blastoid and the wolfs' path, and thrusted his spear towards the path of the wolf, with both hands. He nearly hit the wolf, but only inches from his spear, it danced left and out of range. He realized his right side was exposed, but fortunately, Blastoid had the wolfs' full attention. He quickly pulled backwards and kneeled, the point of his spear just in front of his own chest. And impassable obstacle for the wolf, which paced further right to avoid the painful clash with the spear point. It danced right past Gaiyut, who used the chance to strike with the small handaxe in his left hand, directly down on the rear part of the wolfs' spine. The axe cut through the skin easily, and the pelt of the wolf was reddened by its' own blood, but the spine did not break. The wolf quickly ran half a circle around Gaiyut before striking from his back. Gaiyut threw himself to the ground to take off some of the speed of the wolfs' attack, and the wolf landed on top of him. Its' claws cut through his skin on his left arm, just below the shoulder.

The wolf readied for another attack, lifting its' right paw to strike. This move exposed its' chest, and Blastoid quickly thrusted his spear directly towards the exposed spot, effectively breaching the chest of the wolf. Sindar ran past the wolf and struck, with the blunt end of his spear, towards the wolfs' head, twice. He felt the bump as the spear broke some of the wolfs' teeth. The second blow dented the top of the skull of the wolf. Its' eyes became unclear and dizzy, and Gaiyut rolled around, effectively throwing off the wolf. He quickly hammered a fist at the wolfs' throat, effectively breaking several of the spines and breathing veins in it, before The Blastoid impaled the wolf, thrusting his spear just below the ribcage, deep into the left lung and the heart. The fire in the wolfs' eyes died out, and it collapsed.

They looked at each other for while, silent, before dragging the wolf corpse out of the camp, in the direction of the wind, and hanging it on a tree to warn other wolves nearby. They then went back to sleep...


The Blastoid - The Ocean of Sunsets

We were approaching the shore again when we heard the howl. Both The Blastoid and Sindar reached back to pull their long spears out, and waited for a second howl.

None came.

One Howl means “come to this spot” Sindar spoke “let us see what Gaiyut has found”

Sindar trotted ahead moving up a short grass covered hill. A boy as green as spring grass when they had set off, Sindar was a man now. He had started to change in Babylon and the attacks they had fended off in the wilderness had finished molding him into the fine warrior he was now.

When the Blastoid crested the hill he saw the ocean filling the horizon. Unlike the northern ice cluttered shores they had seen last, the shore hear faced westward and the water was a piercing green. The land has warmed since they had last seen the sea, and here was game and trees again, the plenty of hunting had made eating well again.

Far below was a gentle sandy beach, there was Gaiyut sitting on some rocks, Sindar was already half way down the hill striding confidently towards him.


When the Blastoid finally had reached the beach he discovered that Gaiyut's rocks were not rock at all. They were pieces of wood, strewn across the beach as if tossed by a mad Auroch Bull. They are splintered by some hide pained sides of white and red.

“What is this?” The Blastoid asked

“It must have been a boat” Gaiyut replied holding up the ragged, torn rope. But look at the fibers; I have never seen anything like it.

The Blastoid took it and stared at the rope. “I do not recognize it either. It is some type of reed, but thicker and stronger than those I have seen before.”

“Look at this?” Sindar spoke pulling up a broken plank; one side was painted with a brilliant sub inscribed with an Eye.

“This is no symbol of ours, is it Spanish or Babylonian?” The Blastoid Spoke.

“No, It must be a new people then, one we have not met” Spoke Gaiyut. “We must send word to Arete at once.”

“You are right; I will send a picture of this symbol with the raven, when it returns to us.”

And with that three three scouts moved in different directions along the beach, looking for other remants of this strange people