[Trade] [WOR] Watchful Eyes

Since Mistra had the best eyesight in the dark, e and Despina and Roulette agreed that e would take first watch. E put out the fire as the others settled down to sleep, using dirt to douse the flames. It was better to not have a fire, even if it meant e was cold, wrapped in eir blanket - that way it wouldn’t draw attention, and it wouldn’t dampen eir night vision. 

E tried to settle down to watch, but the forest was… so loud. Filled with the small rustlings and chirpings of small creatures, the sounds of things moving that e couldn’t see. Mistra was still so unused to this world - e didn’t know how to tell what sounds were innocuous and what were indicators of something dangerous. It made em restless, and e began to look for a vantage point from which to watch, something e was most comfortable doing. 

And then e noticed the stars. 

For a second, Mistra thought e was back in the caves again, as e stared up and up into the dark canvas above, spattered with pinpricks of light. Then e realized and remembered what these were: stars. E could realize why there was so much mythos about them now, these glimmering pinpricks that shone against an inky darkness so profound. As eir eyes adjusted, e began to pick out more details, but a noise from the forest brought em back to earth. 

E leapt into a tree, waiting there warily, tense. But nothing else happened, the sounds of the forest continuing on, and so after a minute or two e settled down to continue eir watch. Not much occurred, and soon it was time for em to wake Roulette. 

The other haedian yawned widely in protest, but Mistra ruthlessly poked him until he was conscious. 

“Your turn,” e muttered, and yawned widely, feeling the weight of exhaustion on eir bones. 

Roulette sighed and slunk out of the shelter with his blanket, and Mistra settled down beside Despina to rest. As much as e wanted to, it still took em some time to get to sleep, eir mind racing about the events of the day so far. 

Roulette knew little of this, having emerged blinking and grumpy into the cold. He glanced around, looking for where Mistra had watched from, and frowned at the set of claw marks leading up into a tree. Watchers. Of course. He shook his head and began looking around for a more reasonable place, letting his eyes and ears adjust to both the night and the noises. 

Even compared to the Druid’s forests where he had fished before, these woods were… loud. They had the same chirping and underbrush rustlings, but here… wind rustled the treetops, stronger than it was in the Beneath, and there were the cries of larger birds that hunted. He tilted his head, listening intently to the who, who, of an owl. Something he head heard about but hadn’t actually experienced. 

He found a nice log and settled down on it, becoming as still as the trees around him. As he woke up more, the sounds of the wildlife around him kept him alert - so familiar, yet also alien at the same time. The moon began to rise as he waited, shafts of silvery light slanting through the trees. It picked out things in monochrome detail, soft and subtle. Roulette watched, slightly awed, then shook his head. He needed to focus on watching for bears! 

He wrapped the blanket more tightly around himself and settled back, watching for anything that seemed out of the ordinary until it was time to rouse Despina for her shift. 

Roulette nudged her awake, feeling an evil sense of joy as her disgruntled sleepyness mirrored his own. At least now he could get some rest, as he settled down next to a softly breathing Mistra, visible as nothing more than a nose poking out of a pile of blankets. Despina stepped out of the tent with a yawn, and Roulette set his head down and was out like a light. 

Despina emerged into the dark, moon shining above like a coin, providing her with just enough light to see. She shivered, went back into the shelter for a blanket, then emerged and looked around for a place to watch from. She noticed the claw marks up one tree, and decided that was not for her. Unbeknownst to her, she and Roulette chose the same log to settle down on to watch over the campside from. 

Though she supposed it was to be expected, what with the Haeidans being new to the dangers of the world above, it still meant a lot to her that they trusted her to watch over them while they slept. She resolved to do her best job of it, and sat up, staring intently into the dark. Unlike the Haedians, she did not see the surface as new or strange even though she had been below ground for a while. It was like returning to a familiar friend, a well-known place - everything immediately slotted in as it had. 

She knew the sounds of these woods well, and was able to let her mind wander somewhat while she stayed alert for anything different than the norm. The rustlings of larger animals, the alarm calls of birds, of any strange silences… she waited, breathing the night air deeply and with no small relief. Though she hadn’t thought much of it at the time, it was now clear to her how much being underground had started to wear on her, and she was glad to be back on the surface. 

As with the others, her shift passed uneventfully, and soon enough the sun began to rise. Despina set about gathering wood and lighting a fire to boil some water for tea, and soon Roulette and Mistra emerged from the shelter, looking rumpled and squinting in the light of the sun. 

They soon woke up with some food and hot drink, and the three were soon chatting like old friends about where their travels would take them next…