It can't be, Blanc thought to himself.
Step. Step.
It was no beast. A human. And only one of them. The steps were clear, but not heavy. Less likely to be a man. Perhaps a child or a woman.
"A human," Blanc whispered, pointing with his chin, "North-west of here, quite a bit of distance, probably a woman."
"What should we do?" Celine whispered back, "Should we go to her or just keep searching for the cave and ignore her?"
"What if she knows of the cave?" Blanc wondered, "We cannot risk it. I suggest we kill her after we question her."
"BLANC!" Kael spoke out loud, only for Blanc's hand to cover his mouth.
"Shh, you dumb little…" Blanc began whispering, but suddenly stopped.
Step. Step. Step. Step.
"Her walking quickened; she is going towards the mountain, west of here," Blanc muttered, beginning to run, "We follow."
So, the three followed after him, even though they did not have time to disagree. They hoped that there would be enough time to do so, in case it came to it.
Celine was the only one barely able to keep up with Blanc as he ran, but she held back, slowing down to the point that Kael and Lune would not lose sight of them.
Blanc ran like the wind. And by the Vita, he was fast.
His steps were barely audible even at that speed, where he did not care about where and on what he was stepping.
His bow was at the ready, an arrow already nocked on the string, ready to loose it at a moment's notice.
A few minutes later, after he had covered a fair bit of distance, he first spotted her.
And just as he guessed earlier, only after her steps, she was a woman, a tall, young, and fair woman at that, with dark hair tied in a ponytail.
She was well-built, her frame that of, if not a trained warrior, at least a seasoned survivor. Strength was obvious in her, even as she carried only a simple, handmade basket filled with mushrooms.
Yet no matter how strong she appeared, she could never match him.
"Hold, or I will make sure you can never run again," Blanc ordered as he came to a stop fifty feet away from her, bow drawn and ready.
The woman stopped, raising her arms in the air, a sign that she did not hold a weapon.
"What now?" she asked with her back facing towards him.
"That remains to be seen," said Blanc shortly after Celine, Kael, and Lune arrived as well. The twins were clearly out of breath.
"Quite the group," the woman said, completely calm.
"Quite the tongue," replied Celine, drawing her sword, "Who are you?"
"Who wants to know?" the woman asked. But a yelp soon left her lips as Blanc's arrow fell inches away from her feet.
"The next one will be in your neck. Reply to the question addressed to you. Now!" Blanc ordered.
"My name is Miyanna. I am just trying to survive," she replied.
"And why are you in the Golden Forest? Commoners are not allowed to enter it," Celine spoke, her tone serious.
"The same reason you are. Running from the war. But commoners? Wait, are you…" said the woman as she tried to turn around, only to stop midway as Blanc spoke.
"Keep your questions to yourself. And do not turn around. Start walking."
"To where?" Miyanna asked, confused.
"To where you live," Blanc replied.
"Why would I… Fine, fine. Follow me," Miyanna muttered, giving up. "And could you please, for the love of all that is good, stop pointing that arrow at me? It's uncomfortable."
Blanc laughed at her words, "Why the fuck would I-"
"My love…" Celine's interrupted, her gaze making him drop the arrow and agree to it.
"Very well, then."
"Thanks," muttered Miyanna, as she walked in front.
"Anybody else you live with?" Celine asked, curious.
Miyanna shook her head before offering a direct, cold reply, "No."
Silence stretched between them as they walked for the next few minutes. Blanc said nothing, unsure of what to ask next, and Miyanna stayed quiet, careful not to give them any reason to harm her.
It was clear that Blanc's group, including Blanc himself, had no idea who the woman leading them was.
And she had no intention of telling them. Not that she knew much about them either, though she had her own suspicions about who her new captors might be.
But after a while, just as the silence grew ever louder, they finally arrived at the place Miyanna found rest, coincidentally, the same place Blanc and the rest were looking for. The cave.
One would surely doubt that only one cave existed on the sides of a whole mountain, but this surely was the cave they were looking for, for one reason only.
On both sides of the cave's entrance, engraved in the rock of the mountain, stood the sigils of Blood Denegis, the slit-throated crow.
All four remained silent as they saw the sigils, pausing only briefly to study them, hoping that their lack of reaction wouldn't reveal anything to Miyanna, who led them there.
"Keep her here, and don't let her try anything," he instructed Celine and the others as he entered the cave, bow and arrow at the ready.
The cave's entrance was wide enough for all of them to enter comfortably, and its interior held more than Blanc ever expected. Even more so than Elion had let on.
Soft-glowing light artifacts shimmered in the corners of the entrance. To the left stood a wooden table surrounded by sturdy chairs, worn by time but still solid.
To the right, carved into the rock and partially hidden behind a massive wooden plank, was a built-in cabinet. Its shelves were neatly lined with wooden plates, spoons, forks, and stone mortars. A proper fireplace for cooking completed the setup, everything they may have needed to prepare and enjoy a meal.
And then there was something else.
A set of stairs, cleverly hidden between two cabinets, led downward to a pool of water.
The water was crystal clear and warm, not man-made like most of the cave, but natural, and strikingly beautiful.
A stone bench sat near the pool's edge, inviting one to sit and dip their feet into the warm, soothing waters. But Blanc didn't linger. Not yet.
He moved on to explore the rest of the cave above.
At the far end, carved into each corner of the back wall, were four short tunnels.
Each opened into a room containing a large bed and a closet. Just what Celine, Kael, and Lune would need to rest well. The sight made Blanc smile.
One of the rooms, however, looked lived-in. Most likely Miyanna's.
Not for long, Blanc thought as he stepped back out. Nothing in the room struck him as dangerous or out of place, and besides, his upbringing told him not to intrude where a lady had made a space her own.
And lastly, at the farthest reach of the cave, down the fourth, cramped tunnel, he found a single wooden toilet. The waste dropped straight into an underground river. A fact that thoroughly disgusted him.
Right then and there, Blanc made a silent vow. That from now on, they would boil every drop of water they intended to drink.
With that, he returned to the entrance, and looked at his captive, seeing her face for the first time, with her bronze eyes shining beautifully in the sun, before he turned towards Celine and the twins who were waiting expectedly.
"It's perfect," he smiled at them, before bowing, "I welcome you to our new home."