Her Beasts

Traveling

Iris felt exhausted as she climbed out of bed and then proceeded to climb out from under the tent. It was drizzling lightly this morning as clouds peeked out from behind the clouds. Iris frowned as she knew she would not be able to eat a proper breakfast this morning either.

Basil offered Iris a cute yet sleepy smile as he stretched his limbs out. It had already been a week of traveling and everyone was in rough shape. Due to the strain of constantly being at a slow but steady run, Caspian and Basil were very exhausted every night.

Thankfully, Ember was able to maintain his strength and he often helped with the hunting so the others could rest when they finally stopped for the night. Caspian and Basil would always work in tandem to set the beds, tents, and campfire up each night. Of course, it often rained so cooking was impossible without a proper shelter to block out the rain.

Very rarely, Ember would spot a cave from his high up vantage point, but seldom was it at the right time of day to stop their travel. Thus, the males would sneak off to eat their prey raw before chewing mint leaves so Iris wouldn't be as bothered by their breath. Luckily, Iris had fresh carrots, spinach, and jerky to munch on during rainy days so she wouldn't starve even if cooking wasn't possible.

Ember had spent the night with Iris tonight, but he had gone out to catch prey already. Ember didn't need it, but he knew Caspian and Basil would. Caspian was even still sleeping as the trek had been especially hard on him. He had less stamina than Basil and Ember due to his lower combat level; it was really only his elemental abilities that usually gave him an edge up in battle.

Iris worried for Basil and Caspian as they were losing quite a bit of weight throughout the trip. However, every time she mentioned it, they would shrug it off saying it was good training. Caspian honestly felt ashamed of his lack of strength to carry on as Basil did and knew the only way to get better stamina was through pushing himself past his limits.

When Ember returned, he kicked Caspian out of bed and told him to "Go eat." Then, he helped Basil disassemble everything so Iris could pack it away. Once packed, Basil went off to eat before they took off again.

Iris was starting to feel less afraid of flying on Ember's back now. He had never come close to dropping her and he always flew so steadily even despite the wind blowing against them. Iris struggled to see much from where she rested on Ember's back so she could only relax until they flew down for a break.

When Ember landed, Iris would still always need a minute to get her land legs back, having been disoriented by the change in air pressure and constant wind. Afterwards, though, Iris would rest on an animal skin as she checked her map and had a brief snack.

Since the map had no real land marks it was impossible to tell where tribes, cities, caves, or anything else were. Thus, Iris could only fly in the straightest path towards their destination and she was constantly redirecting the others as they went. When Basil and Caspian caught up, Iris would feed them a few mouths full of water and hug them as she showered them in praise. Then they'd be off again and wouldn't stop for another couple hours.

Luckily, this time they managed to find a cave a bit before sunset. Ember dropped Iris off after checking the vicinity for wild animals or other beastmen. Then he went off to warn the others of the change of path before returning to Iris's side. Ember was still worried about leaving Iris alone for too long after the trouble with Ivy.

Iris offered to Ember

"Come, sit. I'll rub your back for a while. It must be sore from carrying me all day."

Ember chuckled as he responded

"You aren't that heavy, love."

However, Ember wasn't one to refuse Iris's offers of affection. Iris's hands were soft and light on Ember's broad, muscular back. They weren't enough to loosen the tensed up muscles in his back, but the cool feeling of Iris's hands felt nice. If Ember were a cat beastman rather than a bird, he'd likely be purring in content.

When Basil and Caspian finally reached the cave, Caspian practically collapsed at the entrance. This worried Iris to no end as she rushed to his side. Iris stroked Caspian's face as she whispered reassurances to him that it would be alright. To

Ember left after saying he'd bring back food. He couldn't do anything about how weak his family members were, but food would help them replenish their energy reserves. Since they found a cave for the night, they'd also be able to cook their food. Ember hoped this would mean the other two would feel happier and revitalized enough to continue the trip the next day.

Basil checked Caspian over and found nothing inherently wrong with him. He figured it was likely just due to fatigue. Wolves, after all, were not inherently meant to travel quickly over long distances. They naturally were more geared to be endurance hunters who hunted in packs and slowly brought their prey down. Stamina was normal, but not for running full speed twelve hours a day.

Basil took the items to build a bed and campfire from Iris and quickly got to work assembling them while Iris attended to Caspian. She fed him some water and rubbed his back, hoping he would catch his breath and feel better soon.

When Basil came over to Iris, he gently offered

"Let me make us some tea for fatigue. I'll also get him moved over to the bed when Ember gets back. I'm sure he'll feel better after a night of rest."

Iris nodded as she handed Basil her bag. No one but Iris and her mates could get anything out of the bag. Iris had previously tested the theory by asking Holly to get something from it for her. When Holly returned empty handed and said the bag was empty, Iris played it off as having forgotten she moved the item elsewhere the night before.

Ember brought home two large antelopes that has been cleaned. Basil accepted the meat and got to work roasting it over a spit. He had to dig out holes to jam the support sticks into the ground of the cave. Since the ground was not made of soft soil, the sticks would not naturally go in so easily.

Iris did not feel bothered with cooking tonight as she was too worried for Caspian. However, her worries we're unecessary as he began to perk up after slowly being fed the tea and roast. He still looked exhausted, but he would hopefully do well after a night's rest.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Want to support the author? Check out my Patreon! For $5 / month you can get full access to my works including early access to the newest chapters, ad-free reading of previously posted chapters, and the author's notes.

patreon.com/AutumnPlunkett