The sun shines trough the forest of Maekathlul, some travelers are aware of the dangers of the forest, some of the dangerous creatures that can be found at the border are boars, giant boards, cougars, and Blood Warvels.

  Zilial is running trough the forest, he is a bit faster than Haykel. Every time he steps a leaves or a stick crunch loudly, the trees have moss on them, they are not that big at the start of the forest, but they are massive in size once someone enter on the deep of the forest, the leaves are green.

  He stops and start looking at the falling leaves, branches, mushrooms. He gets the smell of the forest. The kneels and observe the mushrooms. He grabs one and eat it.

  A bunny run pass "Oh my god, such little a wonderful creatures" He speaks with his mouth full.

  Zilial look at the branches. Haykel appears from behind "How are you so fast?"

  Zilial laughs "I fife to fun, so fo one fan efer cafch me, alfo, loof at fhaf" he points the flowers "Tfose are nife flowers!"

  "What?, what do you have in your mouth?"

  Zilial swallow the mushroom in his mouth. "Just a tiny mushroom I found here! Do you want one?"

  Haykel stops Zilial with her hand "My dad told me not to eat anything from the forest ground, sorry"

  Zilial laughs "More for me then!" He grabs another and eat it.

  Haykel bends to see the mushrooms "Are this safe to eat?... Wait, no, how this is helping us to find tortoises?"

  Zilial smiles "Trust the process Haykel, the vibes of this forest are amazing, there is so much tiny creatures around."

  "I don't think this is how people actually hunt Zilial." She points back "We can walk back to the wagon and keep searching for tortoises on the road."

  Zilial says "Come on Haykel, we can have some fun hunting. The smell... The tension!"

  Zilial heard a sound nearby. He runs toward it. Haykel screams "WAIT" He is gone again "Ugh" She groans loudly.

  Zilial is running through the forest, he sees a tortoise and jumps towards it "I have you! You SpeedDemon."

  The tortoise is medium sized, green, looks old. His eyes are black and full of life.

  Zilial look up, a strange shaped tree rested before him, there is a woman shaped figure in the middle of the tree. A dryad.

  The face of the tree is defined into a beautiful woman, her chest is protuberant, the creature looks like a naked woman with bark skin.

  Zilial panics. A hand from behind closed his mouth. Haykel spoke softly "We walk in silence and get out of here, it's a bad idea to fight that thing" Zilial looks at Haykel he assents with his dead.

  Zilial grab the tortoise and started walking back with Haykel, they turn. Haykel feels a creature looking at them. A cougar is running at them, Haykel puts herself in front of Zilial, and taunts the cougar, the cougar stops.

  Haykel panics "Not now. Not now. Why now?"

  The cougar show his fangs, his claws are ready, he is locked onto Haykel. His tail wiggle from side to side.

  Haykel grabs the shirt of Zilial, and walks with him slowly, around the cougar.

  The cougar jumps onto Haykel. Haykel throws Zilial to the side and screams "RUN".

  Haykel gets pushed to the ground by the cougar, her arm is inside the cougar mouth. Zilial runs with the tortoise out of the forest "I WILL GET HELP". The commotion alerted the sleeping Dryad, she opens her eyes and slowly separate herself from the tree, her feet aren't human shaped, they are two stumps. She slowly walks towards Haykel. She is far away, but approaching.

  Haykel feels a sharp pain in her arm, the cougar fang has reached inside her muscle, she is bleeding, the cougar is moving his mouth from side to side, cutting her skin and muscles.

  Haykel war screams "I'M HAYKEL THE HERO" She pushes with all her might the arm towards the cougar mouth, Haykel turns on the creature. The cougar is on the floor and Haykel on top, the cougar is struggling trying to close his mouth while is filling with Haykel blood.

  The dryad is slowly approaching, Haykel doesn't have her claws equipped yet.

  While the creature struggles in the ground, Haykel uses her free left hand, equip her claw, and stabs the cougar in the stomach while she climbs to the thorax, Haykel closes her hand, grabs anything she can, and pull with all her might, a rain of blood comes from her hand, the cougar dies instantly. The floor is completely soaked in blood, Haykel arm, and legs too.

  Haykel pulls her arm out of the cougar, she haves deep wounds. She uses all her might, to grab the cougar, in her hands, she spins and throws the cougar to the Dryad. The Dryad grabs the bloodied creature, her face shows pleasure, the Dryad slowly walks towards their tree with the cougar in hand.

  The Dryad is merging with her tree. The cougar start to getting compressed between the tree and the Dryad, the cougar becomes a paste and explode letting all the blood falls into the tree roots, making a puddle of blood, mean and bones. Haykel runs out of the forest. Her arm drips blood the whole trip, she cannot lift it properly, the pain is too much.

  Vildan is waiting outside the wagon with a sword. He sees Haykel walks out of the forest, he relaxes and sheathes his sword in his waist.

  Haykel grabs Vildan cape "Oh god, oh god. That is awful. My arm is damaged, and I'm bleeding. Also the- the cougar exploded into a million bits. Oh god. oh god" Haykel try to regain her breath. The pain is sharp.

  Vildan looks at Haykel wound "That looks bad"

  Haykel is sweating "Oh yeah? I didn't notice, is not like, IT DOESN'T HURT you know."

  Vildan walks away to the wagon "I'm not a doctor, let the man there take care of you." Inside the wagon SpeedDemon is waiting, Zilial is looking between boxes for bandages or rags. He finds some rags and screams "SIT ON THE FLOOR"

  Haykel is getting light headed, adrenaline is running out. She sits on the floor her arms still bleeding, she grabs her arm strongly to stop the bleeding.

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  Zilial descends the wagon, and looks at the arm "This looks like a cougar wound, where did you get this?" He grabs his chin.

  Haykel plea "Zilial I beg you" She is sweating, her breathing is heavy.

  Zilial moves his hands "I know, I know Haykel, I'm just joking" He pulls a belt from his sturdy leather backpack.

  He puts the belt in the upper arm to make a tourniquet. He seeks inside his backpack again and pulls another belt, he puts the belt inside Haykel mouth.

  Zilial reach inside his belt pouch, and pulls a bottle. "This going to hurt a bit, be strong dear" She pulls the liquid of the bottle on top of the arm. Haykel screams in pains tears start running from her eyes. She kicks the ground. She feels her arm burning in flames, her skin melting.

  Zilial talks to Vildan "Can you please grab Haykel from the chest and shoulders?"

  Vildan approaches, sits behind Haykel and grabs her. Zilial pulls a needle with a thread. Haykel panics, she screams trough the belt.

  Zilial stands and put his legs near the shoulder of Haykel grabs the arm in a lock, Haykel now is flat on the floor, Zilial can see the wound completely, Haykel is stuck in a lock, unable to move.

  Zilial says "Forgive me Haykel, this gonna be a bit painful" He starts sewing the muscle directly first. Haykel recoils in pain, She feels her arm being cut with a knife. Vildan struggles with the grapple. And yet Zilial is extremely fast at sewing... he is done. He starts sewing the skin Haykel is exhausted to keep screaming, her eyes are watery. Zilial is done.

  Zilial exhales "You can let her go, we are done" Vildan stands clean his cape, and walks to the wagon.

  Haykel resting at the floor, exhausted, Zilial grabs Haykel and make her sit "We are almost ready, do you know how to count? I need you to count to ten"

  Haykel is confused "I- I- I- I can do that, one... two..."

  Zilial throws more liquid into Haykel arm. Haykel eats her owns scream. Zilial, puts a disinfected rag across the arm, he sews the rag to avoid it going loose. Zilial smiles to Haykel "We are done, you are a big girl"

  Haykel smiles. She falls into the ground on her back.

  Zilial sits near the head of Haykel. He puts his legs to make a pillow for Haykel. He rubs her head. "Thank you for saving me back there" Haykel cannot fight the rubs, she is too tired.

  She forces herself to stand with her other arm "Thanks Zilial, I just need to rest."

  Zilial laughs "Oh I don't mind. I'm accustomed to this."

  Haykel tries to stand, with all her might, she can't. The surgery stole all her energy away.

  "Do you need help to get to the wagon?"

  Haykel sighs "Yes please"

  Zilial lift Haykel trough her other shoulder, they both get into the wagon. Zilial left Haykel softly into the wall.

  Haykel moves to the floor, flat.

  Javier laughs "I remember when I got my arm mangled by a wolf 23 years ago"

  Vildan reads his book "Shut up Javier"

  The wagon start moving again. Zilial is moving from side to side while petting SpeedDemon.

  He can't stop looking at Haykel "You know, I touched your fingers, they are strange, hard like rocks"

  Haykel looks at the ceiling "I know. Let me alone"

  Zilial moves from side to side "They are cute"

  Vildan lower his book to look at Zilial in confusion.

  Haykel respond at the ceiling "Thank you... I guess?"

  Zilial smiles.

  Some hours has pass

  Haykel is flat on the wagon, she kicks Vildan "Why do you don't care about my wounds?"

  Vildan kicks Haykel back "I have see you being wound several times, you know is not the last time"

  Zilial is holding the tortoise "Did you saw papa healing the broken arm? Yeah you saw! Papa is amazing."

  Vildan look at Zilial "Zilial, you might be a strange man, but you have precise medical knowledge, thanks for healing Haykel"

  Zilial shows confusion and then her face shines with a smile "Thank you, I wasn't any problem! One time I had to sew a hand back together!"

  The grass moved softly, Haykel tried to sleep during the trip.

  The sun is going down, Vildan and Zilial collected branches and rocks, they made a campfire. Haykel is testing her grip, she still can grabs with her hand.

  Haykel sat near the camp-fire and looks at Zilial "When are we killing the tortoise?"

  Zilial grabs the tortoise and look at him in the eyes "His name is SpeedDemon"

  Haykel feels the warm of the camp-fire "Then, when we are killing SpeedDemon"

  Zilial look at the tortoise eyes, he stays in silence for a moment "I- I don't think I can do it. He is so cute, so bulky, so pure"

  Haykel gets annoyed "I fought a cougar and a Dryad for that tortoise Zilial, also look at my arm. I bleed for it."

  Zilial stands and puts the tortoise in front of Haykel "LOOK AT HIM, TELL HIM, HE NEEDS TO DIE, TELL HIM, HE NEEDS TO BECOME DINNER"

  Haykel looks at the turtles eyes "I-" She observes the creature "I think-" The tortoise looks at him directly "I think... " She sighs "You are right Zilial, we cannot just kill SpeedDemon for an experiment"

  Zilial hugs the tortoise "See? I told you he was a total cutie"

  Vildan is reading his book near the campfire "You both are insane"

  Haykel rest on the ground "Shut up" She speaks looking at the night sky "So, what you going to do with SpeedDemon?"

  She looks at the stars and the moon.

  Zilial grabs his chin "I didn't think that far ahead... I think I may bring him into Hontel, into the barracks where he can sleep"

  "Don't you have a house?"

  Zilial dances with SpeedDemon "Oh no, I sleep with the others that have no house. Is like a big sleep party every day. Fun stuff"

  Haykel ask "Why don't just, let speed demon back in the forest?"

  Zilial look at SpeedDemon "I don't know Haykel, I just love this little dude so much. He is so cute. I don't think I have the heart to abandon him on the forest."

  Haykel is confused "You are not abandoning him, you- you are just putting him back into the forest."

  "I don't think you understand... I have a connection with SpeedDemon." His eyes shine

  "Well then, take good care of speed demon." She looks at the stars.

  After a proper dinner, they went back to sleep inside the wagon.

  Vildan felt a movement inside the wagon, a shadow moving. He sees Haykel grabbing SpeedDemon and going down the wagon in complete silence.

  Haykel let SpeedDemon into the grass near the wagon. She squats "SpeedDemon, listen to me, the life in the city is not for you"

  SpeedDemon tries to eat a piece of nearby grass.

  "You are not ready to pay or work in the city dude, you need to be free and run to the forest where you belong." She pauses and whispers "Run! Be free". Haykel jumps back to the wagon in total silence.

  The sun is slowly going up, the morning breeze make the wagon smells like grass and water.

  They slowly awakens, they stretch and yawns.

  Zilial looks around "Where... Where is SpeedDemon"

  Haykel looks to the side, she is sweating, Vildan leans against the wagon wall.

  There is tension in the wagon. Haykel tries not to look at Zilial.

  Zilial looks behind the boxes and the wolf skin. He stands up and jumps out of the wagon.

  Haykel relaxes.

  Zilial screams "SpeedDemon! What are you doing here?" The tortoise is in the same position Haykel drop it last night.

  "God dammit" Haykel cover her eyes with her hand.

  "You are so dumb Haykel" Vildan reads his book.

  "Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up," She kicks Vildan softly.

  Javier moves to the front of the wagon.

  Zilial grabs SpeedDemon and jumps back to the wagon. Vildan knocks on the wagon. "Time to move on" The wagon starts moving again.

  Haykel lay flat on the floor once again, looking at the hole. Vildan is reading his book while Zilial pets SpeedDemon.

  After a quick breakfast provided by Vildan blood sausages. Everyone relaxes in the wagon.

  Zilial take his guitar, the trips is uneventful, the wind moves the grass around and the trees from the forest follow. To the right of the wagon, they are passing around a lake.

  Zilial starts playing - CHRONO CROSS - Plains of Time (Home World) (Guitar Cover)

  Haykel is flat on her back, looking at the sky from the back of the wagon, she can see the birds following the wagon, and some others monster flying far from the ground.

  The sun reflected the calm water of the lake, ducks rested on the water hunting fish, while the nearby bees pollinate the flowers. Far into the lake A Giant wolf, half size of a tree, drink from the lake. The wolf creature is unbothered by the passing wagon. Minor animals pass near them, he doesn't acknowledge them.

  Haykel get up from the floor, she opens the door of the wagon, so she can sit at the border.

  She sits with her legs outside the wagon, she starts looking around.

  She sees at the forest the mountains far away, the frozen tips. She thinks about the dwarves her dad told him about. The sun hit their legs giving her a bit of warm.

  She thinks about the Dryad back in the forest, she gets comforted hearing Zilial playing. She moves her leg back and forward. The giant lake is mesmerizing, the giant wolf moves inside the forest.

  Vildan is reading his book, or that does he think, He touches his fangs, he thinks about his father, his mother. He promised to himself to be the better version of himself he could. He taps with his finger on the book. He looks at Haykel back, Her back is big for her short size. Vildan calm down.

  The rest of the day Zilial played songs for everyone.