Rethusa split the group in two. Four of the girls formed the first group, the captain, Gabriel and a pointy-eared girl in the second.
"The wolves are starting to hunt towards the shores of the forest. They're attacking ignorant travelers and merchants. The guild has given us the task of gathering information on why they have come so close to the town and to get rid of them."
Once the instructions given, each group set off in two directions. The forest surrounded the west and south sides of Orario. Gabriel's team took care of the west. The house of the Artemis familia was near by. In just ten minutes, they entered the woods.
To his surprise, Gabriel managed to keep up with the captain's fast pace. Now that he was wearing only light leather armor, he felt lifted off the ground. Gabriel admitted it. The sight of this world without great human constructions soothed him. And it changed from being locked up behind bars 24 hours a day.
The elf who accompanied them, however, was the opposite. She was also the only one of the group to wear a simple white dress with floral motifs and a wooden stick with a tip resembling a snail's shell. While the two of them waited at the front for her to catch up, Rethusa explained to Gabriel.
Lante was a half elf with azure hair. Unlike her sisters, she practiced magic. Her ocean-blue, sweaty eyes made her look cute. Gabriel learned that she was only about fifteen years old.
They resumed their hunt once the young elf had joined them. The group quickly found wolf tracks and followed them. Rethusa amazed Gabriel by her tracking ability. She wasn't the captain of the hunting familia for nothing.
Soon, they stopped near a small pond. Water lilies surfed on the pond and light croaks floated in the air.
"That's strange."
Gabriel noticed the marked frown on Rethusa's face.
"What is it?"
"The tracks go in all directions from this point. It's as if the wolves..."
"-Were escaping from something."
Rethusa stood up and looked at Gabriel.
"Exactly."
The question was, what had they been running from? A pack of wolves are at the top of the food chain in a forest.
"Maybe it's a monster?"
Lante spoke as she tried to steady her breathing.
"Impossible. Monsters can't leave the tower. And even if they do, the adventurers will deal with them before they make a sound. But It's definitly bigger than a wolf."
Gabriel looked up at the sky. The sun was already getting ready to set.
"Are we going back?"
Rethusa shook her head at his question.
"The sun will be down before we get back and we might get lost. We'll sleep here for tonight."
Gabriel saw her glance at the half elf. She was worried about the half elf's condition and the possibility of returning.
Rethusa asked Gabriel and Lante to find some wood for a campfire. The captain would manage to draw back something to eat. Hunting predators on an empty stomach could prove fatal.
The duo brought back enough wood to make a nice combustion. When they rejoined, Rethusa was already on the ground. She had put stones together in circles. The most astonishing thing was the quantity of berries lying on a pile of leaves.
After placing the twigs and sticks, Lante crouched and held out both hands towards the hearth.
"What's she doing?"
Gabriel frowned.
"Magic."
Said Rethusa with a rare smile Gabriel had never seen before.
Lante breathed in, then recited a word in a strange language.
"Ignis."
A piece of light burst from the center of the fireplace. The next moment, a beautiful blaze emerged from the sticks.
The three ate the berries in front of the fire. The half elf was the first to go to bed. She wished the two of them a good night and fell asleep.
After a half hour, Rethusa disappeared into the forest. Gabriel wondered why she was leaving, but he saw her return with two large pieces of meat in her hands.
"Don't look at me like that. I hunted deer a little further on and as Lante doesn't like meat, I didn't want her to see it."
She placed each slice of meat on the tip of two chunks of woods and gave one to Gabriel.
A suffocating silence grew around the fire.
The white light of the stars in the sky swam on the surface of the water. Fireflies flew over the pond. Their glow faded from time to time, caught by the frogs and toads in the pond.
"What do you think of our familia?"
The young woman asked as she turned the wooden spit with her hands.
Gabriel looked at her for a moment before replying.
"Women that are determined to save those in need."
A sigh left Rethusa's mouth, apparently not amused by his answer.
"You're a dangerous person, Gabriel."
Gabriel opened his eyes.
"Why do you say that?"
"I felt it. Mistress Artemis felt it too. You have human blood on your hands. Mistress Artemis told me. After you stabbed the wolf in the skull with that strange knife, your eyes stayed listless."
"What are you getting at?"
"We're a familia of hunters. Mistress Artemis taught us everything we know, but you only have the determination of a hunter."
Rethusa turned her head towards Gabriel. Her red hair fluttered in the cool evening wind. The inside of her irises remained icy.
"You're nothing like a hunter. I wonder why she saved you."
Hearing no response from Gabriel, Rethusa withdrew the meat, which she placed in a leaf pack.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm no longer hungry."
She turned her back to him and fell asleep.
The man remained silent under the gaze of an impassive moon. No one could tell what he was thinking.