The sky has some clouds, the temperature is comfortable, Kermia was at the distance, far away already.

  A wagon is moving slowly, pulled by a horse, Hontel is south-west of Kermia, bordering the continent of Mailar, Kermia and Hontel are in the region of Klois. Mostly Human controlled, with some few Dwarven, Moirtens and Elfrenams cities.

  The wagon needs to go around the big forest of Maekathlul, The forest expand from north to east.

  There is lots of grass around the road, the forest is far away. The wind move the grass, the sun reflects the little puddles of water around, its comfortable.

  A woman is wearing a skirt and pants is resting on her stomach, she is using leather chest armor, the only cheap armor she could afford in the wagon. She is flat on the wagon, the only movement she feels is the vibration of the road. Is Haykel.

  Vildan in his black cape is reading a book while the wagon moves. Haykel lift her face from the wagon floor, her face is wet from saliva. She sits on the wagon and yawns.

  The driver is wearing a hat, he looks like 45-50 years old, he has a sword in his back, he has a brown beard, brow hair.

  She grabs her legs and looks down "Your dad wasn't there Vildan, you still mad at him?"

  Vildan doesn't look at Haykel "Yes, I will try to buy land on Hontel, so I can live comfortably"

  She plays with her fingers "I don't think is nice leaving your family just like that"

  "Stay on your own problems Haykel, I will fix that later" Vildan reads his book unfazed.

  "I'm sorry" She stretches her legs.

  An hour pass, the wagon vibrates a lot, Haykel butt is being damaged slowly.

  Vildan pulls what is a canteen made from cow stomach, its brown. He drinks from it, some red liquid enter his mouth.

  Haykel get curious "What are you drinking, is tasty? can I have some?"

  Vildan stops drinking. He looks Haykel in silence for a moment "This is cow blood, you won't like it"

  "That's... weird... Let me try anyway, can't be that bad" Haykel extend her hand.

  Vildan shrugs "Yeah sure" He passes the cow stomach to Haykel.

  She takes a sips. She coughs. Some blood fall off her mouth to the wagon "This is disgusting"

  "Let me..." She takes another sip. She coughs again.

  Vildan leans against the wagon wall "Are you okay?"

  Haykel looks Vildan in the eyes. She takes another sip, she coughs again "Eww, this might not be for me."

  She is about to pass the cow stomach back to Vildan, she takes another sip, she coughs "That was for the trip" She pulls her tongue trying to remove the texture from her mouth.

  Vildan grabs the cow stomach by strength "Stop wasting it. Such a baby" Vildan takes a sip. "Ah... That's the stuff"

  The only sound around was the whistle of the driver, the wagon crashing against rocks and the random birds making sounds around.

  The first day of the trip is uneventful, the sun starts going down slowly. It's getting cold.

  The driver from the wagon talks from the front "Its getting late! We need to set up the camp."

  Haykel falls to the floor of the wagon "It's has been a week yet?"

  The driver laughs "Is the first day lady! We need to enjoy the trip."

  Haykel groans "Uuugh"

  The wagon stops, is sunset and the wind is cold. Vildan is gathering branches while Haykel is moving rocks for the camp. The driver is inside the wagon moving boxes around, pulling some dried meat and bread for the travel.

  The forest is visible at the distance, the mountains behind them towers at the distance. The wind is getting colder, the night is here.

  Haykel sits near the fire "I'm sure I can find two tortoise shells and make them spark"

  Vildan cover his eyes with his hand "We already talked about this, stop being so stubborn, that's NOT real"

  "Is not false until is proved." Haykel looks to the side and up with a bad attitude.

  "Being this stubborn will only lead you to have problems in Hontel, grow up" Vildan yawns

  Haykel speak softly "I don't know, its makes sense."

  Vildan looks at the conductor "Did you heard that? Using tortoise shells to make fire?".

  The conductor laughs. "Oh yeah, I remember doing that 20 years ago."

  Vildan is confused "What do you-" He covers his eyes "I'm surrounded by idiots."

  Haykel face shines "I TOLD YOU IT WAS REAL" she tries to calm down "If we see some tortoises tomorrow, we can try them"

  The conductor laughs "Oh yeah, I can check for them in the road"

  Vildan is annoyed "Please, focus on the road, stop thinking nonsense".

  The fire from the campfire is comfortable against the cold night, Haykel puts on a wool sweater and sits near Vildan. Vildan doesn't feel the cold.

  The conductors roast some meat in the fire, the smells fills Vildan and Haykel lungs, is tasty, Vildan know is not nutritious, but he can't stop himself to getting some of it. The bread gets toasted by the nearby fire. They share the bread.

  Haykel reach into her backpack, and pull a tomato to share in the camp, They slice it and put on the bread with some of the meat. The moon shines strongly, the crickets can be heard at the distance, the wind is softly moving the grass.

  After a nice dinner, they rest inside the wagon the 3 of them.

  The next day the weather was the same. This lack of change affected Haykel.

  Haykel is looking at the void, her eyes showed no sign of life, she is bored. She is looking through a tiny hole in the wagon waiting for anything to happen.

  A strange tortoise shaped rock is at the distance, Haykel feel the connections to her neurons to her eyes. She screams "IS THAT A" She sees the form clearly "Yep... is a rock" She falls lifeless on the floor.

  The vibrations on the wagon were the only thing moving his heart.

  Vildan is reading a book, the book looks new "You are not gonna find turtles in plain sight, you ignorant" Vildan flips a page.

  Haykel speaks from the floor "I want to believe, you, you..." She can't think on anything.

  The driver laughs "Don't worry lady, I will keep my eyes on the road searching for tortoises!"

  Vildan screams "JAVIER, LOOK AT THE GOD DAMM ROAD ONLY"

  A rock make the wagon jump violently. Haykel is shaken like a toy.

  A hour of travel pass, Haykel is trying to revive herself while looking at the hole in the wood of the wagon.

  Vildan closes his book with one hand "Do you know how is Hontel right?"

  Javier respond "Oh yeah, i have been there several times" He laughs.

  "IM NOT TALKING TO YOU JAVIER, EYES ON THE ROAD." Vildan try to clam himself down.

  Vildan kicks Haykel in the butt. Haykel speaks with her mouth looking at the floor "Stop harassing me"

  "You don't even know what that word means." Vildan open his book.

  Haykel flips onto her back "Tell me about Hontel, Vildan"

  Vildan stops reading "Hontel is a large town that has a ports, most people eat fish or crabs.... I remember, you have never see the ocean right?"

  Haykel rotates her head to see the hole again. "Yeah... Is just a big puddle... right?"

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  Vildan laughs "Kind of, but you will understand once you see it" He stops laughing "The biggest political power there is the King, and the lords, which control the economy of the whole town. Last time I got informed, there was 8 lords"

  Haykel sits on the wagon. "Do you mean I have 8 chances to get a job?"

  Vildan looks "Don't get involved with them, they got mud on their feet, is too much for a single minded woman like you."

  Haykel falls on the floor once again and turns "I don't understand what you mean, but I will get a job anyway."

  Vildan push Haykel with his feet "Just don't get involved with the lords, they are not good people."

  The hours past, Vildan explaining some other menial details about Hontel, Haykel fell a sleep and Vildan didn't noticed.

  The wagon stops, sunset. Haykel wakes up, she struggles to stand in her sleep. She ask not thinking "Do you know about how a tortoise fell into a man head and died?"

  Vildan is trying to organize his luggage for the camp "What are you even talking about? That seems impossible, tortoises don't fly Haykel"

  Javier laughs "I remember, 18 years ago I saw something similar happen, but this man didn't die, He got really damaged!"

  Vildan is upset "This people..." He goes down the wagon and start collecting branches for the campfire.

  Haykel goes down the wagon, her face has an imprint of the wagon floor. She starts collecting rocks and branches. She is yawning.

  The forest is really close today.

  The sun is almost set, the forest is close, a strange movement it's feel near, Haykel stands and listen. She says "A tortoise is nearby" while looking at Vildan.

  Vildan gets nervous "Its probably a wolf Haykel" Javier pulls a short sword. Vildan stops Javier with his hand "Let Haykel deal with this".

  Haykel walks slowly to the shrub. "Come on little tortoise, stay there, I will grab you." The shrubs is dense, the forest is full of them.

  A wolf jumps out of the shrub. "God dammit, it is a wolf" Haykel locks her claws.

  The wolf lunges towards Haykel, she moves away to the side. "I don't want to fight mister wolf, you can leave"

  The wolf growls and walks around Haykel. "I don't want to kill you dude, you maybe have little puppies waiting"

  The wolf lunges once more. "Fine" Haykel moves to the left of the wolf mid jump, she stabs the wolf in the stomach, a loud whimper sounds from the wolf, Haykel pulls her hand from the wolf entrails.

  The wolf falls into the ground, whimpering, and moving in pain. Haykel stabs his neck and the wolf stops moving. "Eww" She moves her hand rapidly to get the blood away. The air changes to a heavy scent of blood.

  She looks down the wolf "Damm... I don't like this, this is sad."

  Haykel moves her claws with great speed to get the blood off the edge.

  Javier screams "Bring it here! We can sell the skin!"

  "Uhhh" Haykel sheaths her claws, grabs the leg of the wolf, and pulls him near the campfire. The wolf let a blood trail in the grass.

  Vildan looks to the side. "Can I suck the blood out of that wolf first?"

  Haykel closes her eyes in surprise and opens them "That's weird, and maybe unhealthy, but I'm not your mom to tell you what to put in your body"

  Javier laughs "I remember doing that back 25 years ago. Fun times."

  Vildan bites the wolf, and he looks Javier with weird look. His eyes become red.

  The wolf slowly get dried. Vildan let the wolf go. He cleans his lip from the blood.

  Haykel sits near the fire. She looks at the fire intensely. Vildan notices "Are you okay?"

  She throws a branch inside the fire. The fire increases. "I don't know... The wolf just wanted to eat, and I just had to took him down. Still, doesn't feel nice, even if I killed dozen of animals at this point."

  The crickets sounds between the grass, the fire is peaceful

  "Don't think to hard about it" He licks his fangs "It's was him or us."

  Haykel gets inside her leather bag "I know" She is warm inside the bag.

  Javier says "Maybe some cheese will make you fell better"

  Haykel jumps out of her bag "Right, I haven't had dinner yet."

  A single cloud was following the wagon.

  Vildan is reading his book, Haykel lifeless body is on the wagon, there is a single fly moving around her head. Her saliva is dripping to the board of the wagon. Her eyes rotate from inside her brain into Vildan "What are you reading?"

  Vildan keeps reading "Story of Mailar and origin of the world by Martin Koyao"

  Haykel kicks Vildan on the leg "Something interesting in it?"

  Vildan flips a page "There is an on going theory from Teacher Martin about the origin of species, he assumes everyone comes from on single mimic creature."

  Haykel flips on her stomach "What creature"

  Vildan doesn't respond.

  Haykel kicks Vildan

  Vildan respond "Squids, through million years of evolution of course."

  Haykel flips on her back "You are so stupid Vildan, my mom is not a squid, neither yours"

  Vildan slow blinks "I'm done talking to you, you dopey"

  From outside a loud screams sounds "HELP!"

  Haykel stands up in a lighting fast reaction, flips out of the wagon, and runs toward the person screaming help.

  Vildan screams "STOP THE WAGON" The wagon stops, Vildan, grabs a short sword and runs behind Haykel slowly.

  Haykel lock her claws, and runs through the grass at an explosive speed. She runs like the wind.

  Vildan can't catch up. Haykel extend her claws ready to cut, the grass gets cut on her path. She starts running, jogging, and then walking, until she stops, she sheaths her claws.

  "HELP"

  Vildan arrives, he is exhausted. Haykel is sitting on the floor, an Anthro-Animal is screaming for help. The Anthro-Animal is cougar shaped human, feminine body. Her fur is vanilla colored, she is slim.

  Vildan ask to Haykel "Go kill it what are you waiting?"

  Haykel looks at Vildan "We don't need to, you know those are just mimics. Is enough by teach them a new movement or word, so they can shut up."

  Haykel stand up and stretches.

  She approaches a safe distance from the creature, she still have her claws on. She does some dance movement with her hands, The Anthro-Animal sees her, she starts mimicking the movements. Haykel start doing other moves "Oh yeah, check my moves"

  Vildan steps backs "Don't get close, it will bite your face off"

  Haykel dance with the creature for 10 minutes, she is having fun.

  Haykel stops, "Enough dance, she will not scream again" She walks away. Vildan comments "You should kill it, still dangerous."

  She walks away "I don't want too, I'm lazy, you have a sword in hand, you do it." Haykel goes away.

  Vildan is standing there alone, watching the creature do bizarre dance moves. He walks back to the wagon with Haykel.

  Haykel is at the wagon, flat on the floor, Vildan enters the wagon and sit. He moves Haykel with his feet.

  Javier peeks his head in the wagon "So what was it?"

  Haykel responds on the floor "It was an Anthro-Animal"

  Javier laughs "I remember kissing one of those 19 years ago"

  Vildan grabs his book "You insane old man."

  The rest of the day is uneventful.

  It's a windy day, fresh air moved the grass, lots of clouds in the sky, the grass moves in unison, Haykel keeps looking for turtles through the hole of the wagon.

  At the distance there is a man playing a guitar, an acoustic guitar. He is using a leather armor, his leather shoulders are strange, they have a strange dark patch that looks really rough, His pants have metallic protection in the knees, he is using a backpack and a belt pouch, his jacket is green, has several pockets in it. He only have a single dagger in a holster.

  The man notices the wagon and waves his hand begging to stop. The wagon stops "What's the problem" Javier ask.

  "Can you get me to Hontel? I fell off my wagon! They forgot about me" He grabs his head and laughs. The man is clearly dirty, like he is been several days walking through the road.

  Javier laughs "Let me ask first" Javier peeks his head inside the wagon "Do we take more people here? Is your rented wagon after all."

  Vildan respond not looking "No"

  Haykel kicks Vildan several times.

  "OW. Okay fine. Yeah." Vildan tries to keep reading his book.

  Javier looks at the man "You heard them, jump back" He laughs.

  The man closes his fist on excitement "YESS" and runs to the back of the wagon.

  The man jumps inside the wagon, sits, and leans into the corner of the wagon. "Hi there I am Zilial, I like eggs, I work has a medic, I like songs, I have read until novel 4 of the sad giant, and I haven't washed myself for 2 weeks." Zilial moves from side to side.

  Vildan notices "Oh no..."

  Haykel turns and ask to the ceiling "Why you haven't washed in two weeks?"

  "Oh well, its pretty simple, I have been running for 2 weeks onto the road trying to find my wagon. Crazy, don't you think? I'm so lucky to have found you people, I was starting to feel lonely and start playing songs to keep my mood up."

  Vildan lowers his book in curiosity "Then, what have you been eating?"

  Zilial respond "Oh man, I been eating anything I can find, from bunnies to flowers. I'm not a picky eater. I'm actually a really good explorer. I can probably go to the forest find a tomb or even a tortoise."

  Haykel sits on the wagon "Oh, so you are good finding tortoises?"

  Vildan speaks "Not this again." He covers his face.

  "Ahh... to be young again..." Javier smiles.

  Sound of running water drown the wagon a river nearby.

  The wagon pass over the bridge. Haykel screams "STOP!" The wagon stops.

  Haykel kicks Zilial. "Zilial go wash yourself. YOU STINK"

  "Do you think" He smells his armpit "Oh, that disgusting" He asks to Haykel "do you want to smell?"

  Haykel respond "No, I don't think I want to smell you now... Maybe I can smell you after you wash yourself"

  Zilial jumps out of the wagon and runs toward the river, he undresses himself completely, and soak himself, he uses some soap he has in his backpack.

  Vildan turns a page of his book "Now I understand why he was left behind"

  Haykel kicks Vildan "Don't be rude"

  Zilial runs back to the wagon, he smells like grass and flowers.

  Haykel smells from far away "Now you smell nice"

  Zilial face shines, the put his arms side of Haykel, like a bridge he is on top. "Thank you, I did the soap myself" He retreats and sit in the corner, moving from side to side.

  Haykel kicks Vildan.

  Vildan lowers his book "What is your problem now"

  Haykel doesn't respond.

  After a brief pause the wagon is moving again.

  Zilial moves happily in his corner "Well that was a fun stop."

  Vildan looks at Zilial "So, where do you work has a doctor?"

  "Oh yeah, its funny you mention that, I work in the Exploration Coven. The pay is not that good, but I need to say I really enjoy the nature and vibe. Especially since I don't know how to fight! My team always help me in all situations and I take care of them."

  Haykel turns on the wagon "So you got to explore new places?"

  Zilial respond "Is not that bad, the air is fresh, and there is not people actually screaming at you about the better prices or such. Is always a nice adventure to have, One day I need to show you my friends one of them is an explosive expert, she is very fun to have around. But lately we try to maintain the kingdom peace in the borders, avoiding monster expansion and such. Its fun you know?."

  Vildan turns a page "So... Do you work for the king?"

  Zilial moves form side to side "In a way, he does contracts and we respond them, but if someone can pay our contract we also do their job... We don't do assassinations tho" He moves his finger "That's forbidden"

  Vildan looks at Zilial "Can you get me an audience with the king?"

  Zilial smiles "I can try to get you an audience, the king is not that bad of a guy, I have see him fall flat on his face while walking, but don't tell anyone or" he does the gesture of neck cutting "If you understand me" he laughs.

  Vildan goes back to his book "Forget I asked anything."

  The winds runs along the grass, the forest moves with the wind, Zilial is moving from side to side, singing with his internal voice.

  Haykel turns on her back "Zilial, have you heard about the tortoise fire thing?"

  Vildan grabs the bridge of his nose "Not this again."

  Zilial moves from side to side "Oh no, I have not! Care to tell me what is that?"

  Haykel speaks at the ceiling "Well, there is a rumor where someone hit two tortoise shells to make fire, like a spark"

  Vildan lift his book "Okay, I'm ignoring you both"

  "Well that sounds funny. I have never heard of that, but count me in. Are we doing something?" Zilial laughs

  Haykel looks at Zilial "Oh yeah, so, we have been looking at the road for tortoises for days, but we haven't found one yet."

  Zilial gets happy "Of course you don't, you didn't have me!" He jumps out of the moving wagon and runs towards the forest.

  Haykel looks from the moving wagon and screams "Where are you going?".

  Vildan knocks on the wagon "Stop the wagon" the wagon stops.

  Zilial screams at the distance "Looking for tortoises of course"

  Zilial disappears onto the forest, Haykel looks confused.

  Vildan turns a page "Do you know that in the forest He can die? He is not a fighter He said."

  Haykel thinks for a second. She screams "OH GOD YOUR RIGHT" Haykel jumps out of the wagon and goes to follow Zilial