The night passed on.

To grip a branch harder while relaxing was an impossible task. To silence one’s breathing while so thoroughly exhausted only drained him further. Matteo slipped between wakefulness and unconsciousness, his head snapping up many times during the long, long night, his heart bursting out of his chest when he realized how close he was to falling off his perch.

Muu found things much easier, nestled against the denser branches on top, her body weight distributed between many branches. It wasn’t comfortable, having many thin branches press against her back, but her leather armor, scant as it was, served her well there, dulling the pressure somewhat. But the cold night woke her up as well, sleep elusive even as her head ached from lack of rest, food, and water.

And as for Ash…
[hr]
The night passed on, and sunrise took its place.

When the unlucky trio came to, the silver wolf was gone, leaving only rabbit bones in its wake. A strange omen, but the immediate situation was safe. Matteo and Ash, both so heavily injured the day before, had to be helped down. In the bright light, the thief’s head pounded even worse than yesterday, some sort of hangover-esque effect manifesting and causing him untold pain. The damage on Ash’s leg was becoming unbearable as well, the inflamed injury a clear sign of the beginnings of an infection. She knew from her master’s lessons how bad it could be, but they were all in the forest as well, only one of their members still mobile.

There was no time to look for natural remedies. While they could still run on the last vestiges of their strength, the trio had to move on.

Muu proved herself indispensable in this moment, the small girl managing to carry Matteo on her back even as Ash had to use her as a crutch. Slow going. Always slow going. The Bladedancer’s own fist was beginning to burn with an unpleasant feeling, a sharper ache that sapped at her entire arm’s strength. But she pressed on. They pressed on. The light helped them see the surrounding mountains once more, and they pressed on.

How long did they travel? How many times did they fall? How many times did they hide, breathing in the rot of their own body?
The world did not care. The world did not reward suffering.

But Gods do.

Slowly, the forest opened up, exposing the wide plains, the well-travelled road, and further down, the blue ocean, Andeave shining like a bastion of security and civilization. And, though it hurt, though it hurt more than ever before, the trio pushed themselves one last time, towards the gate they had left a day ago, an eternity ago.

Before the guards could even say a word, they all fell, collapsing only inches away from the gate.

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZk3amEZMrU]The long night had ended.[/url]