Argo watched Tar smile as he took out a handful of Shards, causing his eyes to narrow while the older man offered, holding out his hand. ''I'll give you ten to spend in any Varna settlement.''
''I can't step foot in such places? I'm Forsaken, remember,'' he replied, taking the coins.
Athena hooted in annoyance, but he thought. 'Why do I need Shards? It's not like I go to their places or outside the valley.'
Shards were the currency of Arda, created from using Sky Metal. Special craftsmen called Starforgers, who live in most settlements, turn into small, round coins used by traders and people to buy goods or other things. It was useless to him as he didn't want to go near the towns or capital; he hunted everything he needed.
Soon after, he was brought back to reality by Pam's reassuring voice, a calm expression crossing her face. ''The village chief will allow it, you rescued us from the wolves; it was his son you saved from the beast when it tried dragging him off.''
Argo glanced at the older woman, and a hesitant feeling washed over him, but he reluctantly nodded, making the couple happy. Suddenly, Tar turned to the caravan, shouting. ''Get ready to move, load the fallen onto the wagons.''
The remaining warriors rushed around to complete the order as Aslan reappeared, full from his meal, and returned to the Beast Realm in a puff of smoke, scaring some of the Varna who watched. While waiting for the people to get ready to move, the child who was being dragged off approached, limping.
''Thank you for saving me,'' the little boy said. ''Are those beasts yours?''
Argo glanced down and nodded. ''Yes, they're, and you're welcome, now go rest so your leg can heal,'' he replied kindly.
Following that, the chief's son rushed off as Athena's voice echoed in his mind. 'I'm going to the Beast Realm; the people won't stop gawking at me.'
'Alright, I'll travel to their town and if any trouble finds me you two can come out,' he responded just as the caravan was ready to leave.
Argo fell in behind after refusing to sit on Tar's wagon, and the other Varna avoided him, glancing at him with wary expressions as they made their way south, passing by other merchants and warriors traveling across the valley to the outposts that guarded the entrance from outsiders trying to invade the homeland.
After a few hours, they arrived at a small town, made up of over one hundred huts surrounded by a palisade to protect the people from the outside world. He stopped at the entrance, knowing the trouble it would cause if the Leader or Spear Hand saw him here, but several warriors turned to him; the oldest was the one to break the ice.
''Come in, Beast Master. The Chief will want to meet you,'' the man said, a friendly expression crossing his face.
''I'd rather hear it from his mouth,'' he replied, wary of their intentions. ''I know how the Forsaken are treated by the Varna.''
Seconds later, Athena's voice sounded. 'Just leave, master. It's not worth the trouble it will cause.'
Argo couldn't help but agree and turned around to continue south, where he spotted no one on the road. Annoyed to be alone once again, but he shook his head, knowing to be careful, checking the upgrades he got from fighting the wolves.
[Level Up: 1>2]
[Experience Gained: 70]
[Beast Points Gained: 7]
When seeing this, he was surprised at the level up and pulled up the status to see the new one.
[Name: Argo]
[Level: 2]
[Experience: 40/100]
[HP: 2]
[STR: 16]
[STM: 6]
[CHA: 2]
[INT: 2]
[BP: 15]
[Skills: Beast Master (0) - Beast Vision (0) - Hunter (1) - Crafting (0) - Beast Realm (0)]
Happy with the upgrades, Argo continued, annoyed that he only got to talk to the old couple, but didn't let it bother him anymore. After a few more hours of walking, the sun started to set, prompting Aslan to appear from the Beast Realm as Athena spoke in his mind. 'Night falls, I'll find you a safe place to sleep, master.'
Following that, the Grey Owl began flying across the grasslands as the lion stood beside him, warding off the night beasts. He waited a little while until her voice sounded. 'There's a tree nearby, Aslan can keep most creatures away as the branches do the rest.'
Argo smiled as he trailed Athena's shadow. Then he saw it, a giant tree, its trunk rising like a skyscraper from his old life. Drawn to it, he broke into a run, Aslan's massive paws thudding behind, keeping pace with him. Seconds later, they climbed, his hands finding holds in the bark's deep grooves.
The American Lion bounded up alongside him, claws sinking into the wood, allowing the beast to scale to their campsite for the night. The sun vanished, sinking fast, painting the plains in shadow. As darkness swallowed the land, the tree stood defiant under the first stars.
Moments later, Argo reached a wide, moss-crusted branch, high enough to feel the night's chill bite through his clothes, which were pants and a basic shirt he made from cloth they got from traders. 'I hate this valley's weather, always cold at night,' he mused, trying to warm himself up.
He pulled his hide cloak around his shoulders; it would be his shield against the cold. The wind howled, carrying the distant bellows of Plainwalkers below. He shivered, but not for long. Aslan slumped down beside him, the lion settling with a chuff. The beast's warmth radiated like a forge, seeping through the cloak and into his bones.
The lion's mane brushed his arm, the scent of earth and wildness relaxing him. Above, Athena perched on a higher branch, her blue eyes catching starlight as she scanned the darkened plains for threats. He leaned into his bonds' side, one hand buried in the lion's fur, the other clutching his dagger, the spear broken, forcing him to leave it behind.
Following that, Argo watched as night gripped Arda's grasslands, a vast sea of shadow broken only by starlight. Argo perched on the titan tree's highest bough, his hide cloak pulled tight against the biting wind. The lion's warmth was a steady pulse against his side, golden eyes half-lidded but alert.
Athena clung to a gnarled branch above, her owl's gaze slicing through the dark, tracking the unseen. The landscape below roared with life. A mammoth's bellow rolled like thunder as it fought something, it was answered by the snarls of river beasts wallowing in distant waters waiting for their next meal.
Somewhere closer, a wolf pack's yips cut the air. Argo's fingers tightened on the dagger. Then, a shadow flickered above. His eyes snapped up, catching a ripple in the darkness. A flock of giant birds soared high overhead. Their feathers glinted, and their cries pierced the night like arrows.
They moved as one, a storm sweeping toward the northern mountains, wings stirring the air into a low hum that vibrated in his chest. Athena hooted softly. He noticed the birds' talons gleamed and their eyes burned red as embers.
'Starhawks,' she whispered in his mind, 'Hunters of the night sky.'
Argo's breath caught, a grin tugging at his lips. He'd heard his mother's tales of these beasts, snatching wolves from the grass like mice. Aslan chuffed, mane bristling, but stayed put, sensing no threat. He leaned into the lion's warmth, eyes locked on the flock until they vanished into the horizon's dark maw.
The roars surged again, unbroken, wild. He patted Aslan's flank, whispering. ''That's Arda, boy. Always something bigger out there.''
Argo's eyelids grew heavy, the night's chill no match for Aslan's furnace-like body heat. He let his head sink against the lion's flank, the beast's steady breaths a lullaby beneath the grasslands' distant roars. His cloak slipped, but before the cold could bite, Athena swooped down, landing soft as a whisper on his shoulder.
Her grey wings draped over him, shielding him from the wind's teeth. His lips curved in a faint smile as sleep claimed him, wrapped in the quiet vow of his bonds watch. By the time he woke up the next morning, the sun was about to rise, casting a pink glow over the world, causing him to stand up.
Argo stretched, feeling his bones pop as he began to feel better, as he gazed at the grassland, as Warthogs were clawing through the dirt. When seeing them, he readied his sling, spinning it as he loaded it with a stone before letting it fly. The projectile sliced through the head, piercing one of the animals through the skull, dropping it instantly.
[Experience Gained: 10]
[Beast Points Gained: 1]
A smile appeared as he looked at the bonds. ''Breakfast is ready, do you mind getting it up here, Aslan?''
The American Lion agreed, leaping from branch to branch until reaching the ground before dragging the Warthog up the tree until dropping it at his feet.