Alere swayed in his saddle as he picked apart an apple with his belt knife, eating in silence and paying little attention to the forest around him. He was used to eating in the saddle and had learned that Raum's sight and sense of smell were far stronger than his anyway; if there was anything of concern, she would tell them. Raum slinked easily through the forest's undergrowth, making a point to chitter sullenly every couple of minutes. It was clear to Alere that she was annoyed at the slow pace they were moving, he reached over and patted her to calm her down, they would have their chance. 

He looked back to make sure everything was still secured nicely, his sword and belongings safely on her left flank while their small group's supplies were scattered across Raum's back and sides; tents, foods and the like.  Alere sighed in annoyance, the southern forests huh? Thick canopy and plenty of small caves and hills speckled that area, a mid-sized group of goblins could have several hiding places to chose from, he suspected they might be here a while. the prospect of this annoyed him, he was needed back home, the roof of the orphanage had taken some damage during a recent storm and needed reslating. Some of the older boys had already started but the work would have gone a lot faster with him there, at least that's what he felt like. He was shaken out of his daydream by Raum's playful growls at a couple of rabbits dashing away from the group, hardly even a snack for her, but she loved chasing them around. 'Well, at least one person will be able to enjoy herself' Alere thought, there would be several lakes for Raum to play around in and it would be good for her to be out of the city for a while, she's a big girl and the human sized city doesn't offer much room for her to stretch her wings.

The trinket around Alere's neck suddenly burst into life."How are you guys doing down there? Find anything?" He recognised the voice as Quince's, one of the wyvern riders keeping an eye from above. "All seems clear here, too much growth around here to really see far into the forest and even goblins aren't dumb enough to stay on the path. Raum hasn't smelled or heard anything so far though." He glanced up through the canopy at the sky, taking note of the position of the sun, it had already been past noon when they set out and they had been walking for a while. "Looks like we only have a couple of hours of daylight left, think you guys can spot us a clearing to set up camp, preferably close to a river or lake, we could use the fresh water." he let the trinket dangle back around his neck, settling into the saddle again.

-earlier that day-

"Alere!" a shout echoed through the halls of the orphanage, sounding like it belonged to an older woman. Sheila stood in the kitchen preparing the tables for the midday meal as Alere entered the room. "What?" He didn't even bother trying to hide the irritation in his voice.

"Don't you 'what' me,boy" Eventhough she wasn't the youngest anymore and had retired from guard duty, She still commanded a lot of respect and even fear just through her eyes. Alere had seen several kids break down and confess their misschief from a single stare from her, even adults had difficulty. " We're getting ready for lunch, you need to move that oaken table to the centre and move that cast-iron kettle from the kitchen, that dunce of an Ingrid used it to make the soup and now she can't lift it herself anymore."  She said as she waved a tablecloth in the general direction. " She could barely lift that thing empty, what did she think was going to happen when it was filled with several gallons of soup?"

Alere smirked as he hefted the oaken table with ease. " Always the dumb muscle am I?" he glanced out the window to see Raum laying down on the playground, trying and mostly succeeding to sleep through several kids climbing up her and petting her. "Don't be silly...you're cute too" She said with a smile. " Speaking of which, I talked to that girl that works the fruitstand at the market again, you know the one I'm talking about. She seems very nice and her father has a good trade. It might be a good idea to have a talk with her sometime." Sheila said, raising her eyebrows knowingly, a playful smile on her face. alere didn't know if it was because she herself was getting older or just plain concern but she had been trying to set him up with someone for some time now, was this what mothers did for their children?

Nonetheless Alere was noncommited, saying nothing more than "yeah, maybe." As he set down the large kettle of soup. He did know the girl she was talking about, and as nice as she was the poor thing was as daft as a door. Besides, he had more urgent matters to see to. " The Captain called for us, recon mission. I won't be around for a couple of days. I'll see to the roof once I get back. " He walked over to her and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I'll be careful." Answering her question before she posed it. Alere waved as he walked out, whistling out 2 tones. Raum immediately woke up and trudged over to him, follwing him as they dissappeared down the street. Sheila shook herself as she stared at the doorway, finding herself wringing the tablecloth tightly. She knew he was a good and capable boy, but still she worried.