They woke up at a later time than before.
The weather was nice, the air was clear and not a single cloud swam on the blue sky.
They were filled with energy. Riox and Ayla, as they agreed, firstly started to scout their surroundings. The strange woods around the entrance of the cave gave a strange feeling for Riox.
He never saw these kinds of trees, not even heard about them. The properties of those trees were simply average, except it's colors. He didn't know how or what they should do with the forest so for the moment, he ignored it.
*Maybe we can get some lexicons with more information about this kind of trees ...*
- Ayla. I will scout the east side while you do the same on the west.
Ayla nodded as an agreement. Equipped with the knives, what was not enough to fully defend themself, they are gone.
Riox discovered early the monsters around them are rarely found, but the ones that lived there were strong. Because of the snowy mountains, a few beasts wandered to the forest for food.
Lok told many things about the snowy monsters since in winter, it was not a rare event when a group or a horde passed through the forest next to their village, however, those beasts in power and size were much weaker than the ones Riox found here. He heard some crushing sound and headed to check out.
A Sword-Fanged Ice Tiger torn apart a Giant Antlered Deer. Riox observed the beast with care, holding back his breathing.
*There should be a path to the deeper parts of the mountain, the Ice Tigers are especially lazy to climb even steeper hills, not a mountain ... Let's leave this place, once it's finished eating, it will go back to its living place. It's better to not annoy it.*
He left the tiger's area and moved to the east, sticking next to the mountain range. Later he discovered a snow-covered area. Strangely, the edge of the mountains can rarely be called high, the average 200 meters is slightly a bigger hill, but the centre, where the rocks reach even 5000 meters ...
- Argh! What was that?
Riox's voice rose for a moment while he walked. He didn't give any attention to what happened and continued the scouting.
An hour later he met Ayla in the cave.
- So ... what did you ... find? - Riox asked her while his breath seemed a bit strange.
- Are you okay? - Ayla looked at him worried.
- Nothing, really ...
- Fine, so ... There was a group of wild boar on the west side. I also find some wolf-kind beasts to south. I avoided them since those beasts seemed to be magical beasts. To the direction of southwest, there is a nest that left behind. Nothing more. - said the results of her scouting.
- That's ... good. Huh ... I-I find ... - Riox's breathing became heavier.
- Riox, what happened? You look pale! - Ayla told this with a lot of worry showing on her face.
- I-I'm ...
Riox fell on the ground.
- What happened?! Riox! Riox!!
Ayla quickly moved to him. She looked at his body throughout, maybe he got wounded somewhere. She found a little blood on Riox's right leg, abov from his ankle. Two little round shaped wounds appeared before her eyes.
- Riox, please don't fall asleep! Come with me! - Ayla tried to help him up on his legs.
She planned to let him sit in the pond. Ayla didn't know the reason for why that idea popped out from her head, she just got a feeling it's a good decision.
She brought him into the pond without taking off their clothes. Riox just floated on the surface of the water because Ayla kept him.
A lot of time has passed while they were still in the water. Riox slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, but he immediately recognized Ayla's face.
- What ... happened? - he asked with difficulty.
- You finally wake up!! - Ayla's happiness erupted from her, instantly putting a kiss on Riox's face.
- You were bitten by some animal! And you lost your consciousness!
Riox sighed a bigger one and smiled a bit. He was tired as he ran a thousand miles before.
- Let's take a rest, Ayla.
Ayla nodded as a yes. She helped him out of the water, accompanied him to their place and set fire to dry themself.
- I remember now ... I felt a stinky pain for a moment when I walked through the snow-covered area of the forest. Holy ...!! I wanted to tell you, I saw an Ice Tiger in the east! There should be a path where that beast comes from the mountains, so we need to be careful in those areas!
Ayla just got surprised as Riox started to talk about what he wanted before he lost his consciousness. The voice of him told Ayla that the beast he saw must not underestimated.
- Okay, the east side is a banned zone for the time. - Ayla just casually nodded and answered.
The other things they shared with each other were not that relevant. Riox picked up a little branch and drew some outline about how they spoke of the surroundings.
- After this ... we're gonna take a nap, I'm getting really tired ... So, this part is nearly empty, there were no animals. This area is mostly "lived" by the wild boars, the size of its group around 20, they protected their territory well, because from there to the south you found wolf-like beasts ... - Riox slowly specified the knowledge they collected while pointed with the branch on the outline he drew in the dust of the cave.
- The east side is a dangerous one, since the tiger live there, not far in the mountain. To southeast the area is mostly untouched. So if we consider these informations, we can hunt in this area pretty quietly. The territory of boars .. let's call it an emergency zone if don't find anything, the other 2 areas are banned, right?
- Yes, Riox. Don't forget there is a hidden type of beast we don't know yet. That you were wounded by.
- Got it! Noted! - Riox knocked on his head as a show of he engraved in his memory.
- You said we need to go to the city? I think you don't plan to rush there immediately ...
- Yes, you're right! We will keep scouting the area even further and more detailed for 1 week. Then I will take a quick visit to that city. Maybe in one day I will reach it.
- No-no-no ... - Ayla shook her head.
- That travelling of yours should take 2 days at least!
- Aaaand why? - Riox questioned Ayla's sentence.
- It's simple. Because you go alone! - and Ayla put out her tongue.
Riox laughed and smiled at Ayla's reason and reaction.
*She just didn't want to let me go alone. She worried about what could happen to me. So kind! I really don't know what I should do without this lovely girl!*
- Don't worry, my silly girl! It won't happen anything wrong with me, I promise! - he hugged Ayla and put a kiss on her cheek.
- I-I ... dare to hope it! - she said it embarrassingly with a blushing face.
- Can I take a bath? Or you would be the first? - Riox asked Ayla about her opinion.
- I-I prefer to bath to-to-together ... - she answered with a blushed face.
- That time will also come, sooner or later, but not for now. Go with ease, I will prepare something to eat while you are bathing! - Riox just winked and pushed her back a little to go.
Ayla just sighed and left disappointed.
*That girl, ah ... if I would have gotten a similar one with her personality in my previous li-fe ... I still don't know what do I need to call my first life? or ... previous sounds acceptable since it was, in some means ... How can a simple thing be this complex? I kill my brain with these kinds of thoughts ...*
Riox after some time, prepared a little dinner from when they had left. It was not a big meal, but it was enough to feed them for that night. The following day they planned to go for a hunt since if they won't have meat for their meals, they will lose their energy.
The following few days, as they met earlier, went at a fast pace. They successfully hunted a boar which was a little further their territory, and with that Riox and Ayla got enough meat for the time.
The only thing what is left is Riox preparation for the visit to that city.