[Comm] Soup and Star Gazing

Zin and Obsidian were still taking in the scenery as Umendo reunited with the two to let them know that they had gathered a sufficient amount of firewood for the evening. Having replenished their energy by having an early lunch for the day the trio was good to go again and continued on their way through the forest of Ebrus. The lush green forest that seemed even more alive than the rest of the plants they had encountered on their journey offered plenty of travelstopping sights to behold and document. 

None of them were particularly great artists yet Umendo didn‘t want to pass up the opportunity to crudly scribble down drawings of the things they had encountered. A tree that had been struck by lightning and was still crackling with energy was only one of the things they saw, trees growing roots up with the earth they were growing in being semi transparent was another. It was clear that the forest of Ebrus made its own laws and didnt much care what the universe had to say about it. Marvelous sight after marvelous sight later and the day was starting to draw to a close, yet thanks to their previous stop they had taken way ahead of time, they now had the luxury to carry on longer with their travels than they normally would have been able to.

„It‘s getting hard to see. Think we should call it here?“ asked Zin, inqusitively casting a glance back at her two companions.

Obsidians pink eyes seemed to glow in what little light was still left and the large frame of Umendo lumbering through the forest was easily able to be spotted regardless of the low light conditions.

„I think we can be happy with our progress. Another day on foot through the forest of Ebrus and we should arrive in the salt flats.“ His gaze shifted to Umendo, who took the cue without hesitation. The large Tyrian took off the backpacks they were carrying on their back and carefully placed them down onto the forest floor, making sure to not accidentally put one of them ontop of a cheeky crystal growing from the forest floor.

With practiced ease, Umendo used their tufted tail to quickly sweeped the surrounding area free of debris and stray foliage to turn the area into a suitable camping ground, taking extra care that the spot they had designated to be their fireplace didnt have any foliage growing around it so that they didnt run the hazard of starting a forest fire accidentally.

Umendo bowed to Zin and Obsidian after they had completed their tasks and sat down to prepare the campfire using their claws to make wood shavings with a few sticks they gathered from the ground.

Whilst the sun had by this point already retreated and had made space for stars and the moon the trio wasnt completely in the dark, even if the campfire wasn‘t yet lit. No here and there luminescent crystals lit the forest from within, casting colorful glows to break up the dark of the night that had fallen over the forest of Ebrus. Some plants had joined in too, making for a cozy light show even in the deepest part of the forest.

„This is peaceful.“ Zin remarked, her voice barely louder than a whisper. She let her gaze wander, taking in the subtle interplay of light and shadow before it got interrupted by the bright flame of a campfire that had just been lit, illuminated the surrounding area, making the naturally occuring luminescence hard to notice amongst the warm glow that the fire offered.

Obsidian walked over to their backpack taking the one they knew contained a good majority of their camping gear over to Zin.

„Let‘s help them set up camp first. Nobody is prohibiting us from still enjoying the nature once the tents are pitched  and bedrolls are unfurled.“ Zin responded with a wide grin on her face in turn.

„And I had just started to enjoy how cozy this forest could be at night! But- the fire is nice too. Perhaps we can watch the stars a bit tonight instead then.“ she offered, head already glancing past the treetops to see the first few stars appear in the sky. Journeys like these offered a welcome break from city life and allowed to fully enjoy a beautiful night sky, without light polution of the city hiding the shine of the stars above.

Obsidian agreed with a hum as their attention was on figuring out which trees to tie the tarp to they used for their tents so that in case that it rained tonight that they werent in for a bad surprise. It was important to choose an area where they were able to cover enough ground for all of them to fit under, whilst also making sure that they didnt accidentally hang it over the campfire so that no smoke got trapped, nor that the fire was able to singe a hole into it.

Noticing that Obsidian was starting to overthink it and wasnt immediately seeing the easy solution Zin had spotted they went over and pointed out which trees to tie the tarp to, helping the dark coated Puller with picking out the perfect trees together they made quick work of the setup.

Meanwhile, Umendo had finished building a stone ring around the campfire to contain the flames and moved on to preparing dinner. They scavenged for sturdy sticks to construct a makeshift stand for their cooking cauldron, though a few failed attempts—complete with the cauldron crashing unceremoniously into the fire—tested their patience. Yet success is always guaranteed for those that try often enough and soon the cauldron hung securely above the fire.

„We will have soup tonight.“ declared Umendo before they retrieved water from the waterskin they had filled with fresh water in the morning and putting the contents of said waterskin into the cauldron before them before they grabbed a knife and started to peel and cut up various root vegetables they had collected on their journey through the forest of Ebrus.

Zin and Obsidian had meanwhile through stellar teamwork secured the tarp in such a way that it provided shelter from any potential rain but wasn‘t close enough to the fire to prove a hazard.

„There we are.“ declared the puller, looking at their handiwork with satisfaction and a smile on their face. Zin stood beside them, eyes sparkling with excitement- or was that the light of the campfire reflected in their eyes? Regardless, seeing Zin so happy was everything Obsidian needed. As long as she was happy, he was too. It was as simple as that. Hearing their dinner choice for the evening being decided by the Tyrian had both of them turn towards Umendo and nod at her before their attention was once again turned to their camping supplies.

„You know-„ started Zin, eyes laying on the bedrolls they would normally unfurl to sleep on as she spoke. „I think for tonight- Id like to sleep on a bed made of leaves. The bedrolls are nice, but I want to really embrace camping outdoors and not rely on comforts we brought with us to the wilderness. At least for a night to see what it really feels like.“ Obsidian smiled at Zin, he understood her sentiment. Besides it was warm enough with the campfire and it being autumn that they wouldnt be cold tonight either way, so there was nothing to object to from his side.

„I‘ll make sure you have the comfiest leaf bed in existence Zin.“ said Obsidian with a smirk on his face and mocking seriousness in his voice. He knew how silly his sentence sounded especially with him delivering it with such earnesty. Expectedly his declaration netted him a laugh from Zin.

„You can be so silly at times. Its easy to forget that you own a lot of multiple businesses.“ Zin grabbed a paw full of leaves and playfully tossed it at Obsidian. „Good.“ they responded their smirk turning into a full grin. „Though you shouldn‘t have done that. Now I am required to fight fire with fire.“ the puller speedily scooped up dry leaves from the forest floor and flung them at Zin starting a leaf flinging war between the two of them, with neither side backing down easily.

The two would spend the next few minutes tossing leaves at one another whilst Umendo had started to carve a soup ladle from a piece of wood they had gathered so that the would be able to serve their dish. 

They used the time the fragrant soup needed to simmer to scavenge in the surrounding area, collecting more firewood, berries and herbs that caught their eye. 

When Umendo returned Zin and Obsidian had gathered three piles of leaves with one of them being larger than the other two piles- clearly intended for the Tyrian- that the two bed builders were already lounging on, their eyes turned towards the starry sky as the crackling of the burning campfire and sounds of nightly wildlife filled their ears. The tyrian smiled, observing the two for a moment before they quietly approached the cauldron and started to plate up the dish they had cooked for the three of them to enjoy.