Ewan couldn't believe it. He had told Wynblow that he would take her word for it. But even with that, the dragoness' story seemed far-fetched. Whimsical.
Like a story told to scare children.
But if what she was saying was true - and he knew it was, despite what he thought - then he had to act fast.
Without a word, he stood up and suddenly poured his flask of water on the campfire, extinguishing it and sending up a thick white smoke.
The sudden noise finally woke up the little girl, who watched with curiosity as Ewan filled his water flask again in the river next to them, before starting to fold the blankets on which he had been lying for the last few days.
"What are you doing?" Wynblow asked, as she followed the young man's movements with her eyes.
"We're leaving. Right away," he said without giving him a single glance.
"It's still daylight..." Wynblow remarked.
"So what?" He asked.
"You said yourself that you shouldn't travel by day..." She said cautiously.
"That was before such a major threat spawned right before our very eyes," he replied hastily. "We should immediately go and notify the military unit stationed in Ylesse. Although I doubt they can do much there on their own..."
With that, he walked towards Fusain, which made the little girl stand up.
The child stepped back a little to make room for Ewan, who settled his saddle back on his mount.
He didn't remember taking it off, and the child was too small to reach it with his hands. Had it slipped off by itself?
He shook his head to compose himself. This was not the time.
Finishing tying his entire pack to the animal's sides, he turned to the little girl.
"Listen... Uh..." He began, before stopping.
It's true, he still didn't know her name.
"What's your name?" He asked. "I can't keep calling you 'kid' or 'you' like this..."
The child seemed to hesitate, glancing furtively at Wynblow. Then she beckoned Ewan to come closer.
The young man bent down, and the little girl then raised her hand to hide her mouth, and whispered into his ear.
"P... Pavas," she said.
Well, at least she wasn't mute.
"Nice to meet you, Pavas. I'm Ewan, but I already told you that, right?" He introduced himself. "I'm sorry, but we don't really have time, so are you coming with us?"
Again, an anxious look from the little girl. She really seemed to be afraid of Wynblow. This made the young hunter react.
He pointed to the dragoness behind him, and said:
"Don't worry, she won't eat you," he reassured her. "She's far too stupid to be able to catch you."
'I heard that!" was shouted behind him, but he paid no attention to it, and continued to address the child in front of him.
"We're going to Ylesse to warn the army about what's happening in Bohr. So if you come with us, we can leave you there, okay?" He offered. "At least, some people will be able to properly take care of you."
Pavas nodded, and that's all it took for Ewan to scoop her up in his arms and hoist her onto Fusain's saddle, before riding behind her himself.
"Are we really going to leave now?" Wynblow complained, "What about my wound?"
Ewan sighed, then waved his hand in a circular motion, motioning for her to turn on herself.
"You have wings, don't you?" He pointed out to her.
"You want me to fly away?" She asked with a frown.
"It's the best way to get around in broad daylight without attracting attention," he explained. "No one is going to look up at the sky, if they don't expect to see something in particular up there."
But something was obviously bothering the dragoness in this explanation.
"So... does that mean I'll fly, and you'll walk?" She asked, suddenly standing up. "We'll be traveling separately?"
"That's right," he said as he turned Fusain toward the woods. "We, we'll be going straight to Ylesse. And you, you'll wait for us at Mount Larshen, a few miles away."
"Wait... What?" She took offense as she took a step towards the trio. "You really think I'm going to wait for you, when you could just as easily take off?"
Ewan frowned. Ah, there it was. The stubbornness only a fool could demonstrate.
"I've already told you that I have no intention of running away," he replied with annoyance. "And it's not like you can approach one of the biggest human cities around without setting off a panic."
Wynblow still didn't seem convinced, but she was starting to lose ground.
"Besides, you're scaring Pavas," he added, pointing to the little girl sitting in front of him.
"Pavas?" She puffed as she wiggled her snout.
"The kid," Ewan clarified, "That's her name."
"Ah," Wynblow merely said.
She frowned and squinted, two intense green slits directed at the little girl sitting on the horse. Then, grinding her teeth together, Wynblow sat down again.
"I'll be waiting for you at Mount Larshen, in that case," she said gruffly. "But beware if you don't keep your promise."
Then she shriveled up and spread her wings wide on either side of her body. And, like a spring, she leapt into the air while abruptly flapping down her wings; raising a huge cloud of dust, small stones and twigs as she flew high into the sky.
"What a pain in the ass..." Said Ewan wearily.
Then, returning his gaze to Pavas, he said:
"Well, as you can see, she is furious. But basically, she's not dangerous. Well, I think..."
Pavas looked up to stare curiously at Ewan in turn, and Ewan felt compelled to quickly change the subject of the conversation.
"Well, let's go to Ylesse!" Said he not without being a little embarrassed. "Hold on tight!"
He patted Fusain's flanks, and the horse took off, eventually gaining speed and galloping between the trees.
And soon the trio found themselves on a dirt road through the forest.
Trusting Wynblow's sense of direction, he quickly spotted which way to go, and pointed Fusain east.
He didn't know if this thing would continue to grow, or if it would attack other villages, but he was sure of one thing: this creature was far too dangerous to be left alive.
With that thought, he sped up Fusain even more, feeling between his two arms stretched forward that Pavas was clinging as best she could to the animal's mane.