"Where are we going again?" Cael asked, seemingly out of nowhere.
"Do you even have ears?" Ash curtly replied.
Briar was so preoccupied with their journal, they didn't hear the ensuing argument. A flustered Cael kept trying to get Ash's attention to no avail.
Fed up, Cael gave up his questioning and instead found Briar in a particularly interesting state. "Hey, what's that book you got there?" Cael questioned.
"It's my research journal," Briar replied. "I like to catalog every plant and animal species I come across. I'm planning to make a full encyclopedia someday."
Next to them, a river cut through the plains, slowly winding its way around the environment. It made a low gurgling noise as the water poured over the rocks, and bugs gathered around the riverside, their buzzing combining into a background hum.
Briar could smell the oak trees and wet clay of the riverbed. Just then, out of the corner of their eye, Briar noticed a blue glint. They whipped around to see an azure drake flying overhead.
Its body was long and cylindrical, common for drakes of this kind. Four legs sprouted from its snake-like body, and dozens of wings with feather-like protrusions furiously flapped to keep its body in the air. Its scales glowed a vibrant cyan, shimmering like glass, making it stand out in the sunlight, but camouflaging it in its home environment of streams and rivers.
The drake glided along the river next to Briar and slowly came to a stop, letting the current take it to its nest. It let out a low moan, which quickly turned into a complex song of varied squeaks and chitters. After it completed its song, another drake glided down from a nearby tree, and when they met, the first drake sneezed, and a bright blue dust filled the air.
Briar could smell the sweet, fragrant, flower-like aroma that the Azure Drake is known for producing. Briar quickly sketched the drake and wrote notes on its behavior, cataloging its every movement.
"Whatcha drawing?" Cael interrupted, "Is it me? I bet it's me, isn't it?" Briar decided to outright ignore Cael, but the drake noticed. Its ears perked up, and they stared at Briar and Cael before jumping out of their nest and diving into the river with a soft splash.
"No! My research!" Briar yelled, jotting down a couple of final notes in their journal. "Azure drakes are extinct in three provinces, Cael! Their dust heals poisons. And you just…" Briar sighed, obviously peeved.
"Azure what-whats?" Cael wondered about the drakes, Briar's knowledge of creatures far surpassing his, being only based on hunting knowledge.
"Never mind, just next time please don't distract me when I'm journaling," Briar requested.
"Okay, okay, I'll stop bothering you," Cael sighed. Time passed quickly, the sun started to fade beyond the horizon and slowly dimmed, becoming a small, bright crescent on the horizon. The party decided to stop at a small outcrop near the river, surrounded by oak trees. Ash started a fire with her blade and a stone while Cael and Briar went out to hunt for food.