Family. Blood. House. Kin.
Regardless of standing, these things have ruled the world and are seen as the most valuable assets one can have.
Not for any greedy reasons. Most of the time. But Blood and the continuation of it down millennia speak one thing to the Vita and everyone else around. That you are capable of surviving, and you are good at it.
Many attempted to understand the Vita by going against this instinctual wish, but even if they succeeded for one generation, the other failed, either way.
The cause? Well, that its easy. One cannot pass excellence down to the next generation. It is not a congenital trait that one can just receive from their parents.
But some things can be passed down. And these things are worth more than any amount of gold. Life is finite, even if one manages to increase their lifespan.
Death comes to all, man or God. The Gods learned this lesson the hard way. And humankind made sure not to make the same mistake the Gods did and doubt the Vita.
"Good morning," said Blanc to the twins who came out from the opening in the tree after the sun rose.
"Morning," replied Lune, wiping the sleep from her eyes.
"Brother, Celine? Did you two not sleep at all?" Kael asked.
"We have rested a bit, but not too much. We will rest properly tonight if we find the cave," Celine lied with a smile on her lips.
"Either way," began Blanc, "I've made some warm food. Wash, then come and eat."
"A fire? Didn't you say it would be too dangerous?" Kael asked.
"I've found a whole suspiciously placed pile of dry branches, which do less smoke," Blanc replied.
"Suspiciously placed?" Lune frowned.
"Yes," Blanc nodded, "There are more such piles. I assume the cave Father mentioned is somewhere near, and these piles are theirs."
"That's good, right?" Kael replied, grabbing his water flask. "I am almost out of water, too."
"It is," Celine agreed, "And there is a creek a bit to the west, I can refill all our flasks before we begin searching."
"Can you do that for me?" Blanc asked her as he stirred the porridge.
"Of course I can," Celine smiled, grabbing the flask they shared. "Kael, Lune, give me your flasks as well."
"A moment," Lune said, "Let me drink all the water from it."
"Are you that thirsty?" Blanc chuckled.
Lune shook her head, "No. This water is from home. I want to drink it all."
Blanc's chuckle stopped as he heard her words, a pang of pain striking his chest, "Very well, then."
And so, after eating, washing themselves and using the forest as a toilet, they've decided to go together to fill their flasks, before looking after the cave.
The creek Celine mentioned was small, no less than three feet wide, and very shallow. But it was perfect.
The water was coming from the Omu Mountain, and it was fresh and safe to drink, an assumption Blanc made after tasting the water alone.
If the cave was near them, this creek might be a safe and reliable source of water for them.
With that in mind, Blanc instructed them to follow the creek upward towards the mountain and start their search from there, in the hopes that the cave would be nearby.
Luckily, the weather continued to favor them.
A blessing, Blanc gave thanks to daily, offering his gratitude to the Vita. Had it been otherwise, they might not have made it this far.
The days remained warm, and the nights, though touched by a chill, never felt too harsh. After all, Blanc and Celine had their own ways of staying warm.
The mild weather allowed them to move steadily, putting more and more distance between themselves and the Iron Line. Yet, even as they advanced, their thoughts often turned back to home.
How was their family? How fared the battle? Were their loved ones safe? Victorious, perhaps? Or had they fallen? By now, all the allies of Blood Denegis should have arrived.
With luck, the tide had turned in their favor.
But there was no way for them to know. So, they just as often as the thoughts surfaced, they found themselves throwing them aside, not wishing to linger on them for too much.
"My love," Celine spoke, looking at the base of the mountain.
"Finally, we've arrived. But unlucky, the cave is not near the creek." Blanc muttered, looking around to see if he could spot it, but was without luck.
But yet another pile of dried branches, a foot in length, stood near the mountain.
"This is just odd at this point," Blanc said, looking at it.
"Couldn't have agreed more," Celine replied to him. "What is the point of all of these?"
"Firewood perhaps?" Kael asked.
"I doubt that," Blanc shook his head, "They are outside, in the elements, they are dry now, but rain will make them wet, and unusable. If this is firewood, it's just poorly taken care of."
Lune looked at the pile of dry branches next, walking around it, thinking about something silly before voicing it out loud, "Brother. Could this be a grave?"
"Lune!" Kael cried out, freaked out by the idea.
"No," Blanc replied, "I have checked that already. It's just wood placed on the ground, with nothing inside the ground besides rocks and worms. It's also the reason why I find these so suspicious."
"I have no idea," muttered Celine, giving up. "Let's just follow them and see where they lead."
"Do you think these might have been made as signs to follow?" Blanc wondered.
"Perhaps," Celine replied, "Worth giving it a try at least."
After they all agreed that Celine's suspicion was likely correct, they moved on, following the piles as they gradually led them around the base of the mountain, away from both the wolf corpses and the creek, and deeper into a part of the Golden Forest Blanc had never seen before, not even from a distance.
Four hours passed before they finally chose to rest beside a fallen tree, using its trunk as both bench and table. Their conversation drifted casually, the forest calm and quiet around them.
But then a sharp crack of a branch snapped through the stillness, and Blanc immediately cut off their chatter, his eyes narrowing as he strained to listen.
Step. Step.