Back in the forest, the five of them spend a night there since the night has arrived. It wouldn't be wise to travel back to Adrianopolis when many creatures are lurking around. Just like humans, dunirrs are pretty much disadvantageous during the night and with their size, the danger they'll face increases by several folds.
The group made a bird nest from twigs on top of a tree branch where they can rest comfortably. While Tusca, Rosta and Moja are sleeping peacefully, Haja and Adrian end up staying up as a guard.
The night in the forest is way colder than Adrian remembered but his thick animal clothing compensates for the lack of warmth. Thanks to the lack of pollution, the forest gives him total tranquillity he never experiences on Earth.
How long since he last slept in the forest? A week? Two weeks? He suddenly misses my friend. They would go camping together and spend the rest of the night in the forest telling horror stories in an attempt to prevent anyone from sleeping peacefully that night.
"Sigh...What bad luck do I have, shouldn't I be given the privilege to sleep first without participating in a draw? I am the examinee here." Adrian complained while lying down on his back. He tried to gaze at the stars but the towering trees blocked him.
Beside him, Haja says, "It's a fair and square process. Chief, you'll get your turn to sleep in four hours."
Adrian yawned, "I know, but I don't think I can hold that long. My eyes feel heavy. Are you not sleepy after exerting yourself in the day?"
"I'm already used to it, chief. As you know, I am the team leader for our hunting group. My father trained my body to function with as little rest as possible." Haja reminisces about the past memories he had with his father.
Hearing Haja's melancholy voice, Adrian knew the conversation had entered into a sad part. "Where is your father now? I have never seen any father figure around you."
Haja solemnly said, "He and several other hunters were captured a few years ago during the hunt. I was just an apprentice hunter at that time. I, together with Moja followed our father to gain some experience. We never thought our hunting trip would turn out to go horribly wrong. After they were captured, Tombas had all moved northward, to the previous location before the current Adrianopolis."
"I'm sorry for your loss, Haja." It must be devastating for him. Adrian was reminded of the image of his father. Maybe he feels the same as Haja felt.
"It's okay, chief. He is probably dead by now."
"Have you ever considered going to the human cities and finding him?"
"One time I thought of doing so but I don't know in which direction I should start. Although it happened a few years ago, I vividly remember the scene over and over again. They wore full armour and moved in an orderly manner like trained soldiers. Any attack we launch couldn't scar them. They surround us from all directions and then leave from all directions. Moja and I only survived because we buried ourselves in the ground while our father distract them. Say chief, if you were in that situation, which direction should you follow?"
Adrian gives a thought for a second, "I would follow the leader who gives the command. At least, I was certain that he could lead me to their base of operations."
"Nice guess. I'm sorry to break this to you but during the attack, none of them muttered a single word. All of the moves fluidly and beautifully like a group of ants. In that situation, I can only gamble my life by following one of them without knowing their destination and the distance. Even if Dunirrs is good at navigating forests, I would not have the resolve to step foot outside of our safe haven."
Talking about human cities, Adrian feels a need to know more about them. "How many human cities are near us? Did you know?"
"I don't know the exact number. All I know is that we are surrounded by three directions, south, west and north. In the east lies the deeper part of this forest."
"Urghh...Are we going to keep running for the rest of our life?" Adrian feels a headache when thinking about the future.
He feels the need to thoroughly explore this forest, locate other dunirrs settlements and make a map out of it. Playing a waiting game with humans can go miserably wrong.
Then, he will slowly explore the border of the forest and try to locate the human cities. If possible, he wants to learn more about their society. With his [Mental Mapping], it is possible to accurately make a map.
"How about you chief?" Haja ask.
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"You suddenly came to this world. Do you miss your family?"
"Of course, I am. It was a surreal experience for me. However, I accept the reality as quickly as possible. Do you know why? Because if I keep lamenting about the past, how do I move forward? I couldn't care less about the past, nothing would change. And to be honest, living here is kind of nice in its own way. No worries about job, about assignment dateline, food is abundant to hunt and most importantly, longer lifespan. You know, on Earth, reaching the age of one hundred is a very rare case."
"Really, chief? People in your world died really quick, huh?" Haja never thought living several decades is considered a long life. In Adrianopolis, there are many who age passed one hundred still living strong. For example, Tombas.
Adrian laughs so hard that he is out of breath, "Hahahahaha, yeah. We do die quickly. That's the reason people there live on the edge all the time. They want to achieve whatever dream they've had in their lifetime. Due to that, we achieve a lot on the technological front."
Their conversation was interrupted by a loud yawn from behind, "What are you guys doing."
Adrian replies, "Nothing important, Moja. Just chatting which each other out of boredom. Now, why don't you replace me so I can sleep next."
Moja acts like he doesn't hear anything but then Adrian kicks him out of the nest. He lies down in the nest and closes his eyes. It didn't take him too long to fall asleep.
Somehow, the conversation he had earlier feels so refreshing. He gets to sit down and properly get to know Haja more deeply. Without a doubt, Haja will play a huge role in Dunirrs' survival.