Morning came once again, slowly waking up the creatures of the world with its light, some of them more grateful than others.
'Fuckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk! It is TOO early for this shit.'
With an annoyed grunt Kristen rolled away from the sun, not realising that she was on the end of her nest already.
THUD!
'whyyyyyyyy.'
She rubbed her head painfully and picked herself up. Stepping quietly toward the pool of water she took a drink, watching her reflection ripple across the surface.
For a brief moment, she saw herself as she had been weeks ago. Surviving, wandering, alone. Basically a total loser.
That version felt pretty distant now as instead of an average, regular raven she had become a total hottie when she evolved.
Turning around, she came face to face with the massive figure that is Lucia and jumped away in fright.
"Hahaha~
You're up earlier, I take it means that you ready to start your training?"
It was actually because she rolled off her nest when trying to sleep in, but of course, she wasn't gonna say that so instead she just nodded hurriedly.
Lucia snorted in response and told her to eat breakfast first. They walked over to the sitting circle and found Olivia with ruffled feathers everywhere, looking like she had just survived a nuclear bomb.
She nodded at the two approaching and went back to eating the measly dried meat in front of her. It seemed like the meat they ate was always dried so as to preserve longer, a stupid thing to do in Kristens eyes as it just made it taste worse.
Sitting down on the surprisingly warm ground she grabbed some and munched on it for a while before swallowing.
'Nothing.
I taste literally nothing good. Hmph!
Olivia and Lucia were doing the same.
"Umm not to be rude but...why are you guys teaching me if we all have one beast core, how can you guys make me stronger if you're the same strength as me?"
Kristen blurted out a bunch of words at once, confusing the other two before they processed what she had said.
"Well, you've had a beast core for about 2 months while me and Olivia have had it for over 2 years. And although its impressive that you managed to form one so soon it doesn't mean you're as good as us heheheeee~
We have the experience and training of over a hundred missions completed."
Lucia's expression turned into one mocking while saying this while Kristens turned pale as she realised the difference between them. Somewhere deep inside of her she vowed that she would be as good as her two friends someday.
The job that they completed last night showed that while she could keep up with the other two, it was still hard to do.
Looking away, she shoved her breakfast down her throat and waited patiently for them to finish.
After a few minutes of chewing all of the food disappeared and Lucia, without even bothering to explain, led the two of them past a corner Kristen didn't know existed and down deeper through the cave into a narrower tunnel.
The passage opened up into a wider but still small chamber with uneven ground and jagged edges on the walls.
"In human cities, you will often find your movements restricted by the tight spaces, meaning you need to be able to move fast and accurately," Lucia's voice echoed off the walls as she spoke.
"There will also be enemies that can restrict your strength with their talismans and techniques."
She demonstrated first with short bursts, silent landings, controlled wingbeats that didn't stir dust from the floor. Olivia followed after with intimidating accuracy.
Kristen stepped forward. Her first attempt was pretty clumsy, emphasis on clumsy.
CRASH!
When Kristen tried to imitate what Lucia had demonstrated she somehow managed to do it in reverse and then hit the wall like a boulder.
"Again," Lucia said calmly.
Picking herself up gruffly, she internally screamed curses but complied on the outside and failed again and again.
They repeated the drill until her breathing turned heavy, hours passed until it was night outside and Lucia finally let her go.
The day's training had left a lingering heat in the stone, and the two of them tiredly walked back towards the main cave. They walked in silence, Kristen preferred it like this as it meant she wouldn't have to answer on how badly she did today.
When they finally got back they were met with the sight of Olivia cooking food on a small fire made of twigs.
She had left just before the end of the training to go somewhere, probably to make the dinner.
It released the delicious aroma that instantly made Kristens mouth wet with drool. Looking at the average-sized chicken on the fireplace made her even more hungry.
It wasn't a grand meal, but it sure was a lot more than Kristen was used to.
Lucia arranged the food on a flat stretch of rock near the shallow pool. There was no fire — smoke would give away their location — but the freshly cooked meat was enough. Olivia divided it evenly without being asked, pushing one portion toward Kristen.
"You are really dedicated, if you keep this up then soon you'll become even stronger," she said warmly.
Kristen bowed her head in gratitude. The praise felt like a reward for all the hard work she had done.
They ate quietly at the start.
The cave echoed softly with the sound of tearing meat and the steady drip of water in the background. It was a comfortable silence.
After a while, Lucia spoke. "The south district will be unsettled tonight."
Olivia gave a faint hum of agreement. "They'll blame rival sects before they consider beasts."
Kristen swallowed a bite. "Will we go back?"
"Eventually," Lucia replied. "Not to the same place. Patterns will get you killed."
Kristen nodded slowly, absorbing the small lesson.
For the first time, dinner didn't feel like survival alone. It felt like she was part of team, she had never known feeling that before, not even on earth.
When the meal was finished, Olivia pushed the last of the yummy meat toward Kristen. "You're still growing, so eat."
Kristen was about to devour the rest anyway, but this comment helped her seem like less of a big back.
The cave settled into its familiar quiet again.
After they finished eating, Lucia shifted closer to the little stone circle that had been designated as the planning space.
"Tomorrow we won't return to the city," Lucia began. "They'll be alert for at least a week."
Olivia nodded. "Increased patrols. Sweeps along the rooftops. Possibly even contracted cultivators scanning for unusual movement."
Kristen tilted her head in confusement. "So we stay here?"
"For part of the day," Lucia said. "Training continues either way but by afternoon, we will scout."
'Ughhhhhhhhhh.'
Kristen internally groaned at Lucia's words before hearing the last part of her sentence.
"Scout what?" Kristen asked curiously.
"The northern trade road," Olivia replied. "Bandits have been intercepting caravans there. If we track their movement, we can decide whether they're worth targeting."
Kristen frowned slightly. "Aren't they dangerous?"
"Yes," Lucia answered. "But they're disorganised making them easier to dismantle. And they hoard supplies without proper defenses, prime pickings if I've ever seen it."
Olivia moved her head thoughtfully. "If we intercept them before they reach their hideout, we avoid the little fortification they would have."
Kristen deduced what that meant. "So tomorrow is just watching."
The two older birds nodded in response.
The cave was quiet except for the steady drip of water. Outside, wind brushed faintly against the mountain slope.
With that, Lucia left the circle and went to her nest, declaring dinner over by her actions. Olivia and Kristen followed closely behind and went to get some rest as well.