Ona came up to him from his left and chirped inquisitively. She too seemed to be asking him when they were going to reach their destination.
Stop asking me. There’s not far to go, but we aren’t there yet, he replied, without much hope that his two frisky companions would stop pestering him. The village of Olsentagh is just a bit further on, he told them as he took his cloak off and shook it to air it. The material was excellent, and neither rain nor snow soaked it or penetrated it. He would not have changed his Ranger cloaks for anything else, especially amid forests and mountains.
Ona gave a small growl of acceptance and went to dance with Camu. Looking at his two fellow-adventurers, Lasgol smiled. He had to admit, even if he might grumble at times, that he was very lucky. The fact that that these two beautiful animals were his companions, giving him protection and friendship, was both priceless and amazing. He valued this friendship as the greatest of treasures, and he gave thanks to the Ice Gods for being able to enjoy it. For a moment he felt like leaping off Trotter and starting to dance with them in the middle of the damp road. Luckily he was too tired to do anything of the sort. It would look ridiculous in the extreme if some passing peasant or trader were to see him on all fours, waggling his bottom and flexing his arms and legs. He had done it before, and he had the feeling that he would be doing it again someday.
Mission catch bandit? Camu asked suddenly.
No, this time we’re not catching a bandit.
Catching bandit fun.
Catching bandits is no fun at all, it’s dangerous, and I’ve been telling you this for ages. Let’s see if you can pay attention to me for once.
I good. I pay attention.
When we’re faced with bandits and thieves and scoundrels and people like that, you need to be very, very careful, because they’re very dangerous. One slip and something terrible could happen.
Bandits stupid.
Lasgol put his hand to his forehead and shook his head in despair. What did I just tell you?
I careful, Camu transmitted with an air of innocence. Lasgol was beginning to find it easier to recognize the little fellow’s expressions, even if the process was complicated by the fact that his face was always smiling, which did not make it easy to tell one expression from another. He had to focus on the tiniest details to do so. But little by little he was beginning to read those expressions, and this gave him a deep satisfaction, because it represented another step forward in their relationship.
Don’t put on that innocent expression and do what I say.
I do, Camu promised.
Good. If I tell you it’s dangerous, it’s for a reason. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you or Ona or Trotter. We’re a family, and we’ve got to look after one another. Always.
I understand. I look after.
You promise?
I promise.
You know if you promise something you’ve got to see it through, right? We’ve talked about it several times already.
I promise. I see through, Camu transmitted, nodding.
Lasgol was surprised to see his little friend nodding, which was not something he had ever seen him do before. It showed that he was still maturing and imitating human gestures. Would he be capable of assimilating other gestures like denials, or even more complicated ones like the expression of deep feelings? It was too soon for that, but Lasgol was hopeful that one day he would be able to.
The breeze touched his face with a cool breath, and he detected something more in the touch of the Gods’ breath: the characteristic smell of burnt wood. He snapped his head in the direction the breeze was coming from and took a deep breath, filling his lungs. There was no doubt that something was burning. He stared at the forest, and in the distance he saw a column of smoke rising to the now-clearing skies. Perhaps it was some peasant burning stubble, but at once he dismissed the idea. The cloud of smoke was too large for that. Something equally large was on fire. As he was some way away, he decided to use his Hawk’s Sight skill to try and see more. When he concentrated and sought his inner energy, he found it lying in his chest like a quiet blue pool, which was how his mind visualized his magic power. A blue flash ran through his head as the skill was activated. Now he could make out what was going on far away. He could see a clearing in the forest and a building which seemed to be the origin of that column of smoke.
We’re going to see what’s happening with that smoke, he transmitted to his three partners.
Fun, Camu sent back.
Ona gave a moan. She did not like smoke. Trotter shook his head. He felt the same.
We’ll take care and stay alert as we go on. I have a bad feeling about this.
The vegetation of the forest was not very thick, so that Trotter was able to move through the firs and beeches without too much difficulty. Lasgol always felt safer, more relaxed and better protected when he was amid vegetation. Open roads and wide expanses left him feeling unprotected and vulnerable. The Path taught that Rangers ought always to move under cover of the forests, and after a few missions he had come to understand why. It was not that there were no dangers hidden in a forest, because there certainly were, and some of them were very hard to spot. But the trees and bushes gave a certain protection which
