Ethan had felt a similar pain before; haphazardly flying from a rope swing with friends and trying to show off, only to flop into the water with an audible smack. The wind had been knocked out of him and he'd been seeing stars for several minutes afterwards. This was akin to that pain, only slightly worse. Wheezing when air finally filled his lungs again he sat up slowly, patting down himself to ensure nothing was broken or out of place.

Blue eyes settled on the strange boy and he smiled. "No harm no foul!" Ethan laughed, cutting himself short as a pain shot across his chest. Nothing was broken but there would definitely be bruises later. "What a coincidence, we're heading to town too!" The boy's appearance was unusual and it had felt like he'd run into a solid wall, not another person. Given the events of the day however he couldn't quite find it in himself to care right now; sinking ships, rogue waves, tigers roaming around and now this. It was just a strange day all around.

Taking a moment to get back to his feet, Ethan peeled a leaf from his cheek and dusted himself down. This wasn't going remotely as he had planned. Setting up camp when they were barely away from the shore already made his head spin, now they had two new arrivals - three if you counted the big cat; having even one tiger in the immediate area spelled danger for the people at the beach. What was he supposed to do? They needed to go to town and get help, and they likely needed a Hunter to vouch for their request of aid. Someone should go back and make sure the survivors were safe too and, if need be, protect it from wildlife. Yet in their group of now five people none were Hunters save himself, and he couldn't send a civilian off on a dangerous task.

"We really need to get moving." Saying that time was of the essence was an understatement. If they didn't get to town and back in time there was a likelihood that more survivors could die; knowing a tiger was nearby made matters worse. Ethan glanced at the girl in rags and smiled sympathetically, approaching her and lowering himself to her eye level. It wasn't that he didn't feel sympathetic - he wanted nothing more than to help her, but there was so much more to do right now.

"Uh... We're going into town soon, if you want to join us you can. We can see about getting you cleaned up if you'd like!" The girl - Amuné as he'd learned, needed much more than a simple wash. But little steps first, then they could figure out where her parents were. "And you're welcome to join us too! I uh... I don't know if we can help you at all, but it's safer to travel as a group, especially with all kinds of animals wandering around at night." He added, smiling awkwardly at the boy who had nearly flattened him. "No hard feelings, huh?"

Adelon's roads were generally safe during the day thanks in large part to regular patrols. All but the most remote settlements had soldiers nearby to ensure the security of travelers; small towns had their own guards that protected the immediate vicinity. At night though people withdrew into their homes, and with it animals became active once more. Ethan's blood chilled thinking of the survivors back at shore, wondering if it had been wise to gather all the able-bodied people for this job.