On the Road Again!

The hike through the tall grass is, to your relief, a peaceful one. The ground is still damp from the previous day's storm, making the earth a bit too unstable to easily traverse. It's a minor inconvenience for one with your dexterous movements and honed scouting skills, though it may explain the lack of other pokemon, hostile or otherwise. The 15 or so minute respite becomes one of reflection, with recent events being analyzed and cataloged. You’d been run ragged by a crazed pyromaniac, battered by the storm of the decade, and very narrowly avoided becoming dinner not once, but twice.

“Thanks Arro…” You mutter as the memory of those golden eyes drawn up into a predatory leer upon your first meeting. For a few moments there, you had felt like a fly caught in a Spinarak's web as the odd Vaporeon likely allowed his mind to wander at the best way to get his Sneasel snack inside of him. There was also the distressing reaction his parting words had caused in you. Even now, having calmed yourself with the brisk nature hike, you yet felt the faintest of grazes at the small of your back, almost as if his hand was still there… You could only hope that the sensation would fade with time.

An **** shudder whips the unpleasant worries from your mind and it thankfully turns to brighter things. Despite everything, you’d made out alright. You pat your trusty traveling satchel, finding the thin clay jar that Arro had gifted you right where you left it. Beneath all of the pomp and teasing, the man had a genuine kindest to him. One that, sadly, is in short supply for this bitter world. Brushing up against the underside of the bag, you confirm that the ever so vital map granted to you by Elder Lyra was secure as well. You would have to make a point to study it in full once your break for the night in the safety of the trees.

Speaking of which, being lost in your thoughts was good for passing the time as the next glance you take over the waving sea of green puts you just a few minutes from the edge of the deciduous vegetation. Putting aside the sobering thought that daydreaming is a good way to ensure your adventure comes to an undesirable end, you pick up the pace. The Cove was good to you, but it is time to return to the branches where you are most at home. Eager to feel the cover of the canopy looming high once more, you waste little time before slipping back between the towering columns back into the world you knew best.

Travel picks up quite a bit once you're back in your element. Whizzing from branch to bark, that tingling worry at the base of your neck is soon dispelled as the skills honed from years of use take over. The feeling of exposure brought on by the flatlands, of not having an easy escape should things go south is replaced by the security of having the tree tops at your back. Admittedly, you are a bit too excited hopping about and it takes a good hour of leaping and swinging before you remember to check the map in your possession. You slow your progress and find good balance upon a few of the limbs, your hands moving to the flap on your satchel.

Before committing to the motion however, a thought occurs. You notice the rays of sunlight streaming through the sparse holes in the leaves above have taken on a radiant golden hue, denoting that dusk was likely to fall within the hour. Knowing this, and not wanting to risk spending the night without proper lodgings, you ultimately decide to spend your dwindling light in search of a serviceable venue for the evening’s rest. Releasing a dismayed sigh at having to delay your curiosity, you quickly make your way up one of the taller maples that you can see in search of a dense grouping of foliage.

Luck appears to be on your side, however, as instead of a heap of uncomfortable leaves as you were used to, instead you find a small nook left by the divergence of the trunk as it splits into three skyward reaching branches. After a quiet bit of scouting to ensure you wouldn’t be disturbed, you line the nook with a few armfuls of twigs and flora and settle in for a much desired night of relaxation. Once you’ve found the perfect cranny to fit your fanny, your interest turns once more to the map. With a small handful of berries collected during your scrounging for bedding, you finally begin to unlatch the strap to your satchel, completely unaware of the eyes observing you from afar.