Blanc got off the short-faced bear's back, pulling his sword from its neck.
"W-what happened?" Miyanna stuttered, her eyes wide with shock and fear.
"We had company while you were gone, my love," Blanc explained as he cleaned the blood of his sword with snow, "But it's done now."
Celine rushed to their side, curious and worried at the same time.
And so did Kael and Lune, who, after seeing that Miyanna was unhurt, turned their sights towards the giant bear.
"The arrows barely got stuck," Kael muttered as he pulled one of the arrows from the bear's side. "The wound is not even deep."
"What is this beast, Brother?" Lune asked, her hand on the bear's side, playing with its fur.
"By the Vita, I don't know," Blanc sighed as he was holding Miyanna's hand, "Celine, do you have any idea?"
"Not in the slightest," Celine shook her head, "I've never seen a bear of Raw Vita in this size."
"Could it be a beast of True Vita?" Kael asked.
"It lacks clear intelligence. It cannot be True Vita," Blanc began, "If it were, it would have been obvious. Most, if not all, beasts of True Vita are capable of speech, reason, and a sense of morality they believe in."
"Morality?" Lune repeated Blanc's words, confused.
"Yes, for example," Blanc nodded, "There are some beasts of True Vita who believe in strength above all, others who refrain from combat and choose a more reclusive lifestyle and flee at the first sign of combat, whatever the enemy is."
"Akin to pacifist humans," Celine added.
"I see," Kael muttered, placing this information safely in his brain.
"And… if it were a True Vita, we would all be dead by now," Blanc pointed out casually.
A casualness that reduced the group to silence.
"But enough about that," Blanc continued, clearing his throat as he turned towards Miyanna, "Did you manage to calm yourself down?"
"Yes," Miyanna replied the next moment, as Blanc pulled her out of their conversation, "It was terrifying, but, in a way, I think it's fitting for me to feel this fear."
"Fitting?" Blanc narrowed his eyes, unsure of what she meant.
Miyanna got to her feet as she walked towards the second wolf's carcass, "The wolves may have felt the same fear right before I was about to kill them. Fitting, no?"
Blanc sighed, hearing her explanation, but soon burst out laughing, "You should join the Archivum Civitas, my love. They teach philosophy there."
"Was it weird?" Miyanna asked, tilting her head to the side.
"No," Blanc shook his head, "But unexpected. It's an interesting perspective. And if it helped you calm down, even better."
Kael's eyes were wide as he stared at Blanc, his lips moving lightly.
"What is it, Kael?" Blanc asked, feeling his stare.
But Kael turned back towards the bear, "N-nothing."
"I see…" Blanc muttered, but soon turned back towards Miyanna, "Either way, continue your harvest, I'll start mine, and then we'll keep looking for a place to make camp for the night."
"We'll keep watch," smiled Celine to the two of them, "Harvest freely."
As Miyanna kneeled and placed her hand on the wolf's chest, Blanc walked towards the short-faced bear's chest.
He took a look around and saw Lune and Kael nod to him, ensuring everything was safe for him to begin.
"Here we go, big guy," Blanc whispered as he kneeled.
Blanc, especially after leaving their home, got more and more used to the danger and all the promises it came with.
They won yet again, but at some point, they will meet something or someone that will bring on their defeat.
He was aware of that.
He was aware that death walked with them almost daily.
And that's why he needed strength, and that's why he did not feel remorse.
And that's why he placed his right hand on the bear's chest, his mind diving below the surface of the world.
For him, his wives, his siblings present here, and the rest of his captured family.
For that, the harvest began again.
His body stiffened, the world grew silent, and the cold vanished from his skin.
Not long after, the serpents of crimson and amber left the short-faced bear's chest.
They were the largest wisps that Blanc ever harvested, and they slowly began their dance through the air toward his chest.
Once they made contact with his skin, they began pulsing lightly as they made their way in, towards his heart.
Once at their destination, the White Mark of the Bear he had on his hip slowly turned a light gray, announcing the successful end of the harvest.
But before his mind could return to the surface, he felt as if he were the short-faced bear itself.
He was in his burrow, sleeping, as the scent of fresh blood woke him up.
It was not far from where he slept.
And his empty stomach, which has been empty for weeks, would not allow him to fall asleep without trying.
So, he got up and walked in the direction the scent came from.
His legs were weak, his body weakened from a lack of food and his old age.
Yet, he kept on walking.
Blanc's eyes slowly opened as his mind returned.
He felt strong, his skin thick, his bones even thicker.
Even the cold seemed lighter to him.
But before he even got to check everything new to him, he bowed deeply.
"In your old age were the most formidable beast. I thank you for showing me your burrow. You have offered me more than I deserve," Blanc whispered, his forehead touching the bear's fur.
"My love?" asked Celine as she did not understand what Blanc was doing.
"Did Miyanna finish her harvest?" Blanc wondered, not moving from where he stood.
"Yes, she did less than a minute ago," Celine nodded, before frowning, "But why are you bowing to the bear?"
"It gave us a place to sleep for the night," Blanc replied, a sad smile on his handsome face, "Call everyone, I know the way."
The walk towards the bear's burrow was short, since, in less than five minutes, they were in front of three fallen trees, covered in deep snow.
Below one of them, a large tunnel through snow and ground alike was dug diagonally, which allowed the large bear to walk freely.
And as Blanc and the rest walked deeper inside the tunnel, they found themselves in a larger room that had patches of fur here and there from the bear itself.
As luck would have it, the room was large enough for their tents to be placed here, with enough airflow to make a fire, and far below the ground for most of the cold to reach them.
Though the meeting with the bear from earlier felt as if the taiga was not welcoming them, this gift said otherwise.
"Welcome to our new temporary home," said Blanc to the rest.
"This is nice, and quite toasty compared to the outside," Celine smiled as she took a look around.
"Will it not fall on our heads, though?" Miyanna asked.
"Nonsense," Blanc shook his head, "If it were to collapse, it would have collapsed when that giant bear walked around it. We will be fine."
"Can I read my books in here, right?" Kael stared at Blanc, hoping for a good answer.
"You can," Blanc nodded, giggling as Kael started jumping around out of sheer happiness.
Lune was pleased as well with their new campsite in this new Garden, as she began asking Celine and Miyanna to train her when they were available.
And so, over the next hour, as the sun began to set both in the outside world and the Moose Path, they began putting their tents up, summoning the beds, and gathering wood from the outside to have a fire going throughout the night and prepare dinner.
Which was a simple dinner made of oats, dried meat, berries they took from the Jaguar Path, and tea made of melted snow, pine needles, and a bit of sugar.
"It's actually quite pleasing," Celine said after sipping from her wooden cup.
"Right?" Blanc muttered, grinning from ear to ear, "Can't joke now, Kael, huh?"
But Kael was not paying attention as with one hand he was holding his book while with the other he was either drinking tea or putting food in his mouth.
"I should just take it and throw it in the fire," Lune sighed as she sat near her twin, whose mind was caught in the romance story he was reading.
"The princesses of thorns and… You know what, never mind," Blanc muttered, taking his eyes off Kael's book, "Let him have his fun, he deserves it."
And so, while talking, laughing, and planning for the days ahead, they finished dinner.
Lune and Kael went to sleep shortly after, or at least Lune, since Kael was dragged into their tent unwillingly by his twin sister, leaving the married couple alone.
Which made Miyanna and Celine whisper to themselves for a bit while Blanc had been sipping slowly, and loud enough to block their conversation from yet another cup of pine needle tea.
"Husband," said Celine suddenly, which made Blanc choke on the tea and start coughing.
"Hm?" he muttered, trying to catch his breath.
"We owe you our thanks. You saved both of us today," Celine replied.
"You would have done the same," Blanc argued, once he calmed down.
"Still," said Miyanna, getting to her feet, "You deserve a reward."
"Indeed," nodded Celine, "Feel free to tell us what you want and we will do it."
Blanc's eyes narrowed as he slowly placed his wooden cup on the ground.
"Whatever I want?" Blanc asked, staring at his wives.
"Whatever you want," Celine replied, and Miyanna nodded along.
Blanc got to his feet, coughed once more, turned on his heels, and went inside their tent, followed shortly after by the two, curious to see what Blanc had in mind for them.
Which, as it turned out, once the twins fell asleep, was filled with unusual sounds that echoed in the burrow and the surrounding area until late in the night.
With Blanc, the only one left awake, and with a wide smile on his face, he placed another log on the fire before preparing for the day ahead.