Welcome to Gaia! ::

“Raspberry!?” Aerona was slightly offended, but mostly amused. She had that one coming and it was certainly better than “freckles”. The two flew through the underbrush. As Luxara explained her tracking experience, she slowed and looked at her incredulously.

“You live in the Four Fronds Forest?” Yeesh, what was up with trolls living in that death trap! She thought about little Lutrin and her tree-house, thinking of how this troll might live. For a greenblood, she sure lived below her means. Aerona couldn’t help but wonder why she had opted to live in such a dangerous area. It seemed ill-advised at best, and like a clear death-wish at worst. “Your lusus must hate you.”

She mused. All of her harshness aside, kids were inclined to follow their lusii to their preferred locales. It was how she ended up in Busthind, after all. Aerona smiled and put her hands on her hips. “Sounds better than me. You wanna be the lead tracker? You’re less inclined to miss something than I am. Then we can get ahead of these royalist freaks.”

Aerona looked ahead to the nearest clearing. There were no clear trails in this thicket of unmarked territory. She carefully bent some branches nearby to mark their place and made note of their location. With the terrain as unforgiving as this, she began to worry about the Mother Grub’s mobility. Would they even be able to get her through this mess? She would have to rely on Luxara to forge a clear trail.

“Heh. Whatever you say,” Aerona exclaimed. What a nut. She didn’t understand trolls who could afford to live outside of their means, and chose a deathtrap instead. Maybe it was the adrenaline. Or maybe the free stuff from the hunt? Either way, Moon was a curious troll to track with. But she was clearly knowledgeable. The way she flitted through the swamp was impressive.

“Sounds good. I’ll be right behind you.” Aerona cursed the fact that she lacked a suitable weapon for cutting or breaking. Her explosives would do them no good in a stealthy situation. She would have to go into the Chittentown market and invest in a cheap knife some time. Perhaps she could strap it to her other leg like her pouch. Aerona smiled. “I’ll bet you there’re smilers ‘round these parts.”

She hoped the royalists would be suitable bait. Aerona heard tale of lake smilers – this would be their main stomping ground, she figured casually. As the two crept steadily through the woods, Aerona couldn’t help but wonder about her teammate. Odette had sponsored her, but as for Luxara she didn’t see her come in with anyone. The fogies had their group, the lace ladies were their own something or other… Other than the teal twins and Rasali, they were the most motley crew here. Even if it reduced their stealth a touch, Aerona wanted the scoop.

“So, Moon…” Aerona mumbled quietly. “How did you end up with the rebels? I’ve been a connection of Odette’s for sweeps. What’s your story?”

“Sheesh.” Aerona listened to Luxara’s tale in disbelief. “What a dickhole. Hope you got a few shots in on him, sister,” she muttered.

So long as the traitor was brought to justice (and Luxara didn’t bring any of that “poor judge of character” crap with her to the PI), Aerona was on her side. She wrinkled her nose, thinking about the horrible greenblood who had stormed the base. If she couldn’t see that that shameless showboater was bad news, either he was the best actor in the world or she really was clueless. As long as she could read purrbeast droppings and broken twigs, Aerona supposed.

“We don’t gotta talk about it.” She encouraged. Aerona’s attention was caught by a huge winged creature scampering through the trees.

“Nice.” Aerona mumbled. She crouched and kept her feet spread far across the ground for balance. Everything in the swamp was eerie. She felt a buzz against her hair and slapped the guts out of a knuckle-sized bloodcreature. “Ugh! At least in Busthind there’s fewer bugs,” She spat. Aerona wiped off the juice onto her own clothes, careful not to leave unnecessary traces for anyone tracking them.

She kept a close eye on Luxara’s movements, wondering where her tracking skills would take them. It seemed foolish to put her trust in that of a stranger. In the back of her mind she had already formulated an escape route. Luxara would take less heat than she, after all. For a moment Aerona praised her mask. Hopefully the royalists wouldn’t track her by her horns and blood hue – if so she might need to ditch them entirely. It was a disturbing thought. Keep on the down low.

Speaking of which, another wingbeast fluttered up ahead. Aerona ducked low and balanced with her arms, nearly stepping over with a splash. She shook out her hands to get the jitters out. “See anything up ahead, Moon? You think we should keep goin’ straight?” She could see nothing but murk and fog. Perhaps sometime they’d reconvene with the others.

Aerona nodded. Luxara had a good head about her when it came to the wild. She’d definitely be useful if… If the rebels were stuck here. Oh gog, would she have to move to the disgusting swamp? Aerona mentally tried to imagine a light at the end of the marshlands – maybe a nice warm beach or anything that wasn’t gunk, trees and gnashing critters.

“Sounds good. Lead the way.” She trailed after Luxara carefully, carefully analyzing the trees. Sure enough, there was a huge nest near the canopy – sheltered from the sweltering sun by a roughly crafted covering of leaves and marsh fronds. Good call. Once the two had slunk around the danger, Aerona picked up the pace. They were deep into the Fingers of the Swamp now. With a quick glance around, she was thankful that the rocky outcroppings of the landscape were serving as landmarks. Without them, and without Luxara, they may have been going in circles.

The swamp air was quiet and crisp, and the two came to an open area surrounding a larger channel that cut the treeline. It was a perfect vantage point – hide in the trees and overlook the clearing. Foolish royalists were sure to come out this way. “Moon.” Aerona mumbled. “You think we’re gettin’ out of here? Or are we gonna be stuck in the swamp for the rest of our sweeps, hiding out?”

“Mmm… Yeah.”

Aerona reflected and sighed. “I mean, you said… What’shishole—Kur was the one who dragged you into this mess. He definitely knows your face. Plus whoever he’s talked to in the Initiative. That’s so shitty. I… Man, I hope I can go home.”

She wasn’t ready for any of this. As much as she wanted to believe she was strong, Aerona was still just a kid. Maybe Luxara had less to lose than her, but maybe she had a home that she couldn’t go back to now. Regardless, she tried to look on the bright side. Aerona appreciated her attitude.

“Yeah. I mean, livin’ with some rebel high-thinkers is better than being in the city! Why am I upset?” Aerona laughed brusquely, catching her volume after accidentally releasing a loud guffaw. “I’m better off in some dangerous, stinky swamp than as a redblood in society anyway. Whatever… We’ll get through this.”

Aerona gave Luxara a grin with regained confidence. After the exchange, the reality of the trip started to sink in. Not only was she tired, but she had no idea what any of this was leading to the best she could do was live in the moment. Aerona stopped suddenly.

“Hey… You hear that?”