Journey Trial - Solan/Palani/Rochel

Solan looked around, marvelling at the floating islands that filled the sky around him. Having travelled several days from Ahrvain, he and his companions were nearing the Silver Province – the start of their trial. Solan’s heart fluttered in anticipation; he hadn’t travelled much since settling in Ahrvain, and was looking forward to seeing more of Vitalus. He smiled as Palani skipped ahead of him. 

“C’mon! I bet we’ll see it soon!” She calls back to him and Roche excitedly. Next to Solan, Roche smiled, though she offered no reply.

Solan was glad to see the others in good spirits. Roche had seemed uncomfortable when they’d left the hinterlands around Ahrvain. She’d confided to Solan that she hadn’t left the kingdom before, and had struggled at first to sleep out in the wilderness.

“Hah! City girl.” Palani had joked, hypocritically.

She seemed more comfortable now - the three of them walked happily. The weather certainly helped, Solan thought. Spring had seemed a good time to start their trial, and so far it’d paid off. 

"Look!" Palani called out as they crested a hill, stopping at the top. Solan gasped in wonder as the Silver Province became visible ahead of them, the famous crystal bridge gleaming in the afternoon sun. The brilliance of the giant structure reminded Solan of the Beneath - he’d never seen so much crystal in one place on the surface. He thought wistfully of all he’d left behind, but only for a moment. He shook his head to banish the thoughts. He was glad to be up here on this journey.

And I’m glad to be doing it with friends, he added to himself.

“We should pick up some supplies when we’re in town,” Rochel said, shaking him out of his thoughts. “Make sure we have enough to see us through.”

“Straight to business as usual, huh?” Palani commented, but agreed that it was a good plan. Solan also agreed; Palani trotted ahead as they set off again. Roche hung back with Solan, and they discussed their budget as they made their way to the continent’s capital.

***

Palani trotted down the caverns, feeling the smooth stone under her feet. After picking up supplies they’d started the journey proper, and were making their descent through Nepte’s caverns.

Palani felt that perhaps they’d over-packed a little; her bags felt heavy on her back, and she’d had to shift it periodically to stop her back getting sore. She knew it was better than being underprepared, but damn she’d be happy once her pack got lighter. Still, she didn’t complain. Solan currently carried the bulk of their supplies, using his greater size as justification. Roche had made him agree to redistribute the gear once they left the caverns, however.

Palani watched now as Solan took a running start ahead of her, before jumping and gliding for a stretch. She laughed, and increased her pace to catch up. Roche huffed in exasperation but followed suit; the leaner vay soon overtook Palani.

“That looks fun!” Palani exclaimed as the two caught up to Solan. “I’d love to be able to jump that high.”

Solan turned to her, grinning. “I bet you would,” he laughed. He stretched, limbering up as if to take off again.

"Makes me wish I had wings of my own!" Roche said, panting a little.

They stopped to wait while the two vayrons caught their breath, then continued at a more moderate pace.

Palani looked around as they walked, and noted several crystal clusters growing out of cracks in the walls. Some of these seemed to glow with a dim light of their own, brightening the otherwise dark caverns.

“Hey, Solan,” she asked. "Do these caves remind you of home?" Solan followed her gaze, not replying immediately.

“...A little bit, yeah,” he said eventually. “Though it’s actually a lot brighter in a lot of the Beneath. The crystals there are bigger, and there’s more of them. Not so much where I lived, though…” he trailed off, looking a little deflated. Suddenly, he shook his head.

“I prefer it up here, in any case.” Solan picked up his pace, striding ahead. He turned his head slightly, and flared his wings.

“Bet you can’t make it to that rock before me!” he challenged, taking off running. Behind where he’d been walking, Roche rolled her eyes. Palani laughed, then sprinted after him.

***

With spring comes rain. Rain was something new to Solan; they didn’t have such a thing in the Beneath. Somehow, they’d not thought about the possibility when preparing for the trip - a mistake they were all regretting now. 

It had arrived at the worst possible time, too. The skies had been clear when they'd left the forest for the salt flats this morning, but the weather had closed in by late afternoon. Now, a thick curtain of rain pelted them, making visibility poor and slowing their pace to a crawl. The flats offered no shelter, and the ground had become precarious, with slick ground and dangerously salty pools on all sides. They'd taken to relying on Solan's compass for navigation. He looked to it now, blinking rapidly in a futile attempt to keep out the rain.

Palani sighed loudly behind him. "This is terrible," she said. “Who thought it was a good time to travel this time of year?” 

Solan sighed to himself. We’re all miserable and frustrated, he thought to himself.

Still, no point in starting a fight. “It’s all part of the journey though, right?” He asked. “I’m sure it’ll clear up soon.”

"I guess…" Palani replied. "But surely it’s not worth getting soaked - we’re travelling so slowly anyway. Surely we go back to the forest and wait?"

"You've got to be joking."

Solan stopped, turning back to see Roche glaring at Palani, her head raised against the driving rain.

“You’re really suggesting we turn back now?” she asked, incredulous. “Even if we had the supplies, there’s no way we’d make it back to the forest before nightfall. We’d just get stuck on the flats, and lose even more progress than we already have.” 

Palani flinched at the derision in Roche’s voice. Solan raised his hands in a warding gesture, but the two ignored him.

"It's ironic," Roche continues, "That the one self-proclaimed adventurer in our group is the first to complain when it gets tough." 

"I wasn't-" Palani's started to explain, but Roche wasn’t interested. She huffed, stalking past Palani and Solan, her ears flat to her head. Palani made a noise of protest, but Roche ignored it.

"It was only a suggestion..." Palani said quietly, putting her head down and following Rochel. She didn't look at Solan as she passed.

Solan watched the two of them. He understood Palani’s frustration, but Roche was right. They had no guarantee the weather would improve soon, and if they tried to wait they could get stuck for days with their dwindling supplies.

What a conundrum. He sighed, and caught up to the other two, taking point once more.

***

Their journey continued this way for a while. Though the wind lessened as afternoon bled into evening, rain continued to beat down on them. It seemed to seep into everything, down to their very cores, Palani thought.

They travelled in silence. Solan had tried to start a conversation a couple of times, but Roche had responded with monosyllabic grunts, making it clear she wasn’t interested. Palani appreciated the sentiment, but wasn’t in the mood for conversation and had only been able to make halfhearted replies.

Eventually, they reached a copse of macrocarpa that seemed to offer a modicum of shelter from the wind and rain, nestled in a slight depression. Solan suggested they set up camp - Palani and Roche agreed, and took off their packs to begin doing so. Solan took charge in directing the setup; Roche seemed to have cooled off from before, but remained silent, motioning with her head and paws if she needed Palani to do anything.

They did their best to keep the inside of their shelter dry - helped by the trees - but it was an exercise in futility. A day in the rain had soaked through most of their gear, so the best they could manage was ‘unpleasantly damp’. Palani was only thankful that it wasn’t colder; without the wind, the air here was still relatively warm. They’d started their journey on the tail end of spring - Palani could only imagine how much worse it would be if they’d done it earlier in the year.

They didn’t bother trying to start a fire, settling for cold (and slightly mushy) rations. The three sat chewing in silence - fortunately the meal went fast. As they went to turn in for the night, Palani noticed Roche standing awkwardly, a paw raised as if she wanted to say something. She looked at Roche questioningly. Roche opened her mouth to say something, then seemed to think better of it. Shaking her head, she went to lie down where Solan had made a bed with their driest blankets. Palani bit her lip, saying nothing. She went and curled up on Solan’s other side, and tried her best to fall asleep.

***

Roche awoke to the sound of dripping. Seemingly the rain had stopped sometime during the night, and now weak sunlight shone through the canvas of their shelter. Raising her head, she saw that Palani’s spot was empty. Solan snored gently beside her. Roche got up and stretched, careful not to disturb Solan.

Nosing her way out of the tent, she looked around. The leaves of the macrocarpa dripped quietly, branches weighed down with beads of dew. Through a gap in the trees she could see the flats surrounding them. The salt pools in this area were less numerous, with strands of scraggly brush dotted here and there, though most were smaller than the one they had stayed in. Palani was nowhere to be seen, so Roche left the copse, following the scent of cooking food.

Around the corner Palani had managed to start a small fire, though the damp tinder smoked. She didn’t react as Roche approached and sat beside her, seemingly focused on her task. Roche coughed gently to get her attention. Palani looked over at her, but didn’t say anything.

“...Look,” Roche started, drawing with her claw absently. “I’m sorry for snapping at you yesterday. We were all miserable in the rain, but it wasn’t fair to take it out on you.”

Palani looked at her with a searching expression, then sighed. “No, your reasoning was sound.”

She turned back to her cooking, stirring the pot. “I won’t say it didn’t hurt,” she said, “but it was silly of me to suggest such a thing. Probably should’ve thought it through before opening my mouth.”

“Besides," she continues, smiling softly to herself, "How am I supposed to become some 'great adventurer' if I can't even put up with a little rain?” Roche laughed a little at this. “The whole point of this trial is to gain experience, right? I can certainly say I’m learning."

Roche felt relief, releasing a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She gestured to the spoon, offering to take over stirring for a while. Eventually Solan joined them, lured by the smell of food.

“Morning,” he yawned blearily, settling down to watch the fire.

They ate quietly again, but it was a happy silence. Based on the scenery, Palani reckoned they weren’t far from Hoius - consulting their map, she estimated they could get there by evening, provided they kept a good pace. They packed up camp briskly, and set off for the final stretch of their journey. Roche felt as if she walked a little lighter, and was glad to see Palani in higher spirits.

***

Tired but happy, they entered the gates of Hoius - their journey was complete. They sat shortly after entering the city, resting their tired feet. Palani immediately suggested finding an inn, to everyone’s laughter.

“Look, I may want to be an adventurer,” she said. “But there’s nothing wrong with a hot bath.”

“Not to mention a dry bed,” Solan added. Palani grinned in response.

Having decided, they set off to find a place to sleep for the night - Palani declared it was her turn to take point, leading them to an inn she said her father had recommended.

Solan felt a sense of ease as he watched the other two, as Palani haggled prices with the innkeep. He reminisced over the sight’s they’d seen throughout their journey - though he’d heard of similar trials in the Beneath, the terrain there wasn’t nearly so varied. Not to mention the fact that he’d have likely travelled alone.

I think I made the right choice in leaving, he thought. I can’t wait to see where the future takes me next.