Following the night’s excitement, Brandy, Finde, Theo, and Poppy slept several restless hours in the twilight of dawn. Slayter elected to spend his night’s vigil cooking what he could of the dead. Poppy had agreed with Brandy’s assessment: while likely tough and leathery, the meat from the slaughtered ekens would be edible. Mother Brandy awoke last, when the sun had already crept up into a milky sky. Mid-morning was upon their bloodied clearing. Nearby, Slayter was standing over a pile of cooked meat, which had spent the night slowly crisping up in the long plume of smoke that now hung over the camp . The paladin beamed as she complimented his cooking.

“Where’ve Theo and the new girl gotten to?” Brandy asked. Finde shrugged. Seated in front of a pile of weapons, gear, and leathers, she was sorting through the loot salvaged from the ekens. Gesturing towards the east, Slayter said, “The halfling wanted to track the monsters back to their den. The lad insisted on joining her and the piggy. Seemed to think she needed another pair of hands.”

Mother Brandy mulled over their new companion. Poppy and her boar, Lawrence, seemed at home in the grain fields, but if she were to join them on the Wood Road, Brandy worried whether they’d be able to handle whatever opposed them. The ranger was young and seemingly unremarkable, more comfortable skulking in shadows than walking tall out in the open.

Brandy spent the morning moving between the campfire and the pile of gear Finde was slowly working her way through. She directed Slayter’s cooking, fiddling with his process as he roasted piece after piece of meat. He was a slow learner, but open to feedback despite his stubbornness.

Finde, however, was making less progress with her pursuit. As Brandy sat beside her, Finde threw a bent dagger down into the dirt to join the growing pile of twisted leather.

The scholar sighed. “It’s surprising we were in any real trouble last night.”

Brandy cocked an eyebrow. “Why do you say that?”

“Look at this.” Finde held up a severed eken hand and shoved its claws into her shoulder to no effect. “These can’t even pierce rudimentary protection. I’m not sure how they were expecting to win that fight.”

“Are you wearing mail beneath your shrouds?”

Finde shook her head. “Simple leathers.”

Mother Brandy nodded. She looked over the field, saying, “They struck us in the dead of night, and only Slayter among us wears a helm, when he even remembers to put it on. Had they struck our faces, we would not be having this conversation.”

“Then why not gang up on us? There were enough ekens present to pile onto him, subdue him, but instead they divided themselves up among us.”

“Perhaps they assumed us weaker than we are? It is a testament to our strength and unity that we triumphed.”

“Maybe they were simple beasts that happened into strategy, but from their garb...” Finde sighed and waved at the piles she’d sorted: feathers and plumage, bones and claws, and gear. “Our new addition might make use of these two,” Finde pointed to the first two piles, “but there’s little else of note. A few of them had small woven charms: animal bones woven with braided wheat. There’s no power behind them, but I can feel the intent. Nothing worth bothering with.”

“Nothing at all?”

Finde pointed to a tiny pile Brandy hadn’t noticed. “All counted, seven coins from three different countries—Lilon, Tria, and Northcar—five arrows, two with broken heads Slayter dug out when he was carving them up, and three belts. With some work, their hides could be fashioned into two sets of armour, or else layered into a shield.” Finde shrugged. “I’m guessing the latter; I’m neither smith, nor seamstress.”

Brandy smiled and patted her shoulder, which shivered and shifted under her touch, like a lumpy pudding left out several days too long. She fought the urge to recoil, instead saying, “Perhaps Poppy has some expertise in that area. Living out here alone for so long must have forced her to live off the land, poor thing.” She stood and stretched. “I bet she can’t wait to get back to civilization. So many moons spent with only the company of that smelly boar. I can’t even imagine.”

Finde looked up at her companion but said nothing. Mother Brandy beamed down. “Good job. We can split the coin and decide what to do with the rest when we’re all gathered.”

The eken remains were buried in shallow mounds a hundred paces north-east. Mother Brandy said words of peace and thanks over the dead. The paladin had yet to provide her with any codified lore of the Order of the Dragon, but the cleric was confident in her words.

Theo, Poppy, and Lawrence returned before evening. Poppy looked amicable as she rode her bore, her head barely poking over the mullet stalks. The stalker wore similar comfort beside her, walking with his scythe disconnected and sheathed.

“Welcome back!” Slayter greeted them as they returned. “Found their nest, did you?”

“That we did,” Theo said, walking over to sit beside the fire where the last fat-soaked logs were charcoaling. “Poppy’s got sharp eyes. I would have lost the trail in five breaths, but she found their nest like a paved road was leading us to it.”

Brandy walked over to Lawrence and patted his back as Poppy dismounted. “Did you find anything of worth?”

“Depends what you consider worthwhile.” Poppy unstrapped a pouch tied to the boar. “Some trinkets, baubles, and a small clutch.”

“Any more of them?” Slayter asked.

Theo shook his head. “All of them came at us last night, or else fled as we approached.”

“Unlikely,” Poppy replied. “You did a good job of keeping quiet.” She sat by the fire, emptying the pouch’s contents onto the ground. Finde added her collected loot.

Divided amongst the five was thirty-eight coins—twenty-one Tria pieces, eight Northcar marks, and nine Cerend dollars—a small jumble of stained glass, several bent and misshapen tools, and a jade figurine the size of a modest flagon.

The scholar rotated the jade fetish in her hands. It could have been an animal, but its corners and detail had been worn away to a vague seated shape. “I would guess this is their deity, or perhaps they simply liked its look.” Finde pointed to the pile of coloured glass as she looked to Poppy. “How did you find these?”

“Highest flat of their nest. I wouldn’t call it hidden by any standard, but a cache tucked away wouldn’t be off. How are we divvying this up?”

“In even shares, of course!” Slayter boomed as he peered down at the pile before looking from face to face. “And what can’t be divided shall be once we find a buyer, yes?” His comrades nodded, one by one.

“We’ll split it as best we can,” Brandy said as she began counting out piles of coins, “with the remainder for our group. Slayter’s been good enough to cook us rations to last us until we reach the next settlement.”

Poppy chewed her tongue before saying, “Three days southeast from here should be Yesterday.”

Mother Brandy smiled. “Then we head for Yesterday tomorrow morning.”