Scouting For Romance

Entry 33, Back At The Barracks

Day 1, Month 18, Year 572

Today was fun.

Tytus and I woke with a start and immediately got to work dismantling our camp. As all of it was made of branches, sticks, and leaves, it was easy to rip it apart and toss the pieces out into the forest. From there, we grabbed our swords and went east.

Our bodies were sore from the activity yesterday, but we made good pace. My stomach rumbled so, as we ran, I tore off branches and ate them. Tytus wasn't too hungry, he was still full from last night. We stumbled and dropped our swords a few times, it was always rough picking them up. We had a good laugh about how heavy they were, and the clang sound they made when they hit anything.

Before long, we reached a part of the forest covered in mist. The plants were wet, the air humid, the ground muddy. Water droplets gave the glowing blue forest a beautiful sparkle.

But suddenly, Tytus grabbed my shoulder and threw me against a tree. I dropped my sword and it sunk deep into the mud, then Tytus closed the distance, pinning me against the trunk with his full body. My face was mashed against his chest, his forearm pressed against the tree just to the right of my head, and as I looked up, his ears were alert, and he carefully watched the forest.

"Tyt-?" He put a finger to my lips.

He waited a moment longer, then bent down to whisper in my ear, "did you hear anything?"

With his finger blocking my mouth, I shook my head.

"I think we're being followed."

My brain went through the small list of people I knew. Tytus pulled his hand away but still loomed over me. "Katarzyna?"

"I don't know. Why would she follow us though?" He narrowed his brow and peaked around the tree for a moment before returning to me. "You think Jovaisa sent an attendant to watch us?"

"Why?"

"Maybe this is a test." He scratched his bearded chin. "On Basugio there should be a lot of natives who know the land better than us. They'll be able to track us through the forests, so... maybe Jovaisa had someone simulate that?"

"You are saying we should tread carefully and not leave tracks."

He nodded. "And keep an eye out for traps or ambushes."

He pulled away slightly and our eyes met, we were in agreement. No talking, no ripping off branches, no stomping through mud, no disturbing the forest.

It was slow from there, creeping across the land. We didn't walk in a straight path to the volcano anymore, and a few times we intentionally left a trail only to double back on ourselves and go a separate way. Tytus was the clear leader here. We've known each other for so long that I could understand his intent with just a look and a gesture, so him giving me orders was silent.

When I needed to talk, I had to tap his shoulder, stop his pace, lean into his ear, cup my hands around us, and whisper as quietly as possible. A waste of time, and dangerous.

At one point, Tytus blinked, wiggled his ears, pointed up, then opened his mouth. I figured that meant he wanted me to watch the branches overhead for signs of anyone, and if I spot someone, I should say something.

We continued like this for hours, and my stomach started rumbling. A loud, deep growl that sounded like some kind of beast. Tytus, with a panicked look in his eyes, turned to me and put a finger over his lips, but it's not like I could help it! I didn't do it intentionally.

Tytus placed his sword down, as did I, and I held my stomach tight to muffle the noise. He looked around, trying to find something, but there was no good options. Crunching branches would make a sound and leave a trace, eating leaves would too. Then his eyes went wide as he sunk his fingers into the ground and pulled out a handful of moist black dirt and grass, with roots and a few bugs mixed between.