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The evening has now arrived after an eternal day of walking, we are finally at our first stop of a grand total of three before we finally reach the manor. This part of the journey is often one of the hardest and the most boring, but at least we still have the excitement of the future gold to keep us going. Something that some people seem to need much more than others.

Sorda and Sortor have been groaning for the vast majority of the trip about the weather being too cold or the wind being too strong. I'm not so surprised about Sorda. He talks so much that I would have been really surprised if he had stopped while we were walking, but that was a new one for Sortor. Having not really talked or interacted last night, I would have thought he would have just said nothing for the rest of the trip, but no. He's talking more now. Negatively, but more none the least. It's a start at least, maybe by the end he'll talk enough for me to have something interesting to write about him for once.

The one who impressed me the more along the way was the little rabbit, Irlen. She is still very excited and full of energy despite the long walk. She didn't comment about the weather once. Mostly commenting on the unique scenery of the cold region. Things like the vegetation is much less dense than in her home village and so on. She is obviously very happy to be here, on an adventure. We took the opportunity to talk a bit more on the way. Mostly about where she came from.

For what she tells me, she comes from the village of Agros near the city of Claus. From what she told me about Agros, it is an agricultural village south of the lonely tower. It has almost just farms that are mostly operated by herbivores like her. Although it has a few carnivores like me, they are a minority and are often just passing visitors. The city of Claus is the only one that is led by a herbivore, a mouse to be precise. All the others are led by carnivores. She also told me that she did not have a hundred brothers and sisters like the rumor, but four. Three sisters and one brother. She told me that when she left. Her older sister, Durna Tardy, had already left to help people of other races all across the land. Her brother, Orlo will take over the family farm in a few years. Dirna and Dorn, the two little sisters who are still too young to go off and make a life for themselves, are simply helping on the farm. At first glance, it seems like a nice place to visit some day.

Having mentioned her birthplace, she took the opportunity to ask about mine. She was surprised when I told her that I was from Saltus. She didn't believe me because the village was burnt down during a bandit raid. Indeed, it was burnt to the ground about fifteen years ago now. It didn't take her long to realize that I was young when it was looted. She asked me how the looting had happened and how did I get out alive. But, sadly, I couldn't tell her the truth. I tell her that I was not in the village at the time. I was collecting wild berries and mushrooms for the soup. After the looting, it was left abandoned for about seven years. People were afraid of the group of bandits operating not far from the village, taking advantage of the fact that this territory does not belong to anyone... Now it is a small and growing village of about twenty inhabitants.

As for Serenna, I have to say that she is doing exactly what I thought she would do. She doesn't care at all and just wants to get her paid and get on with the next one. She didn't talk much and only let out sight of discouragement or raise her eye to the sky when we wanted to take a break to rest or eat. On the other hand, I must admit that her resistance to cold is quite amazing. She didn't put a coat on her plate armor and didn’t seem to care about it. I would have thought that she had something more to keep her warm. Something like a coat or a cape, but no. I would have been afraid of getting very cold with all that metal on, but I guess it must be very warm, because she showed no signs of hypothermia during the trip

We decided to walk for about six hours before stopping for the night. It was better that way. It gave us a little more time to hunt and fish for our supper. The others could also collect wood and set up camp with some sun left.

The tasks were divided as follows: I had to go fishing, Irlen had to go hunting. She is the only one with a bow after all, and Serenna was to fetch wood with the only axe we brought while Sortor and Sorda set up camp.

But when I returned at nightfall. Unfortunately, empty-handed, it was just Irlen and Serrena by the fire. The other two had already gone to bed. Irlen told me that after setting up everyone's tents, they just ate one of their rations before going to rest. They had obviously fallen asleep, as they had not yet returned to the fire. That walk really knocked them down.

As Serrena was silently chopping wood for the fire and Irlen was removing the meat from her catch, I was able to take a few moments to write all this down in my book and also to talk a little with Irlen, again. After all, she was the only one I could talk to now that the other two were in bed and that Serrena would trow me log if I would dare to talk to her now.

So I took the opportunity to talk to her about the rabbit she had caught and killed and was now removing the fur from. I asked her if she didn't find it strange to prepare the meat of a species like hers. Her answer was as surprising as her attitude during the day. She simply smiled at me and said that this small rabbit was not the same species as hers, it was natural to eat what we need to survive. She adds that, it is not just because she herself doesn't eat meat, that all other species should do the same. She learned that philosophy at her parent farm. As she was growing older, she wanted to help the family but wasn’t interested with the farm or housework, so she decides to gather from the around forest until one day, she heard a merchant complaining that the price of the meat in the tavern was too high. That give her the idea to hunt to sell her catch, as nobody in the village was willing to kill and work the meat. At that time, what was served in the taverns was always imported meat and therefore very expensive and not fresh. So she started to hunt game, big and small. Then she sold the products of these hunts at a good profit to the many taverns in the area. She made a lot of money this way, most of which she left to her parents, and the rest of which she used to equip herself for the adventure of her life. As for cooking, she learned slowly over time, just by travelling and meeting people.

Obviously, this person is make for this. She was born to live a life of adventure. Long or short, it doesn't matter. She obviously wants the flame of her life to shine brightly, illuminating everything and everyone around her.

After we depart after the well, I should visit her to she what she will grow up to

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