Eternal Beasts

Chapter 24: Traveling Companions

It only took a few moments for Jared and Gereth to make their camp disappear under the watchful eyes of no less than a full dozen centaurs as Nikeera and the woman in armor looked on, burying the small fire pit beneath a layer of soil before they shouldered their packs. Then, with Nikeera close on Jared's right and holding his hand, and the armored woman on the tuathan's other side, they followed the centaurs out of their former campsite.

They had gone maybe a dozen steps before the dryad that had come into their camp, was carefully walking beside Jared on his left. Somehow she had survived the jaffa attack by likely staying back and letting the mortals go to work against the jaffa horde. And now she was staying close to the mortals as if she didn't trust the power of the centaurs to keep her safe.

It didn't take the centaurs long to notice the dryad either. The female that had been in the initial group to arrive at their camp in time to thwart the jaffa attack, dropped back from the main body of their escort to swing in behind Jared, earning herself a curious look from Nikeera and a wary one from the woman in armor.

"It seems you've acquired an acolyte," she noted softly, her westerling touched by a slight accent, looking to Jared's left at the dryad that clung to his side.

"It would appear so," Jared said with a frown, also looking down at the shivering wood sprite. "I'm not sure why. The dryads have been stealing my spirit for the last two nights. But this one claims that she's not allowed because I'm to be protected."

The centauress frowned.

"A curious thing for a wood sister to say, Master of the Great Beasts," she replied, using the same title as the dryad had. "Their proclivity for stealing mortal spirit shards is a long-standing behavior, and is useful in increasing their numbers. However, I have never heard of them deliberately forbearing the practice, especially so early in the spring. And because you are to be protected?" The centaur female shook her head in confusion. "That, I don't understand. The spirits of the Danath don't take sides."

Jared looked over at Nikeera, who could only shrug, mystified herself. Then he too shrugged.

"I'm afraid I have no experience dealing with wood sisters, honored protector. Only what we've seen and felt over the last two nights."

The centauress, still looking at the dryad, slowly nodded.

"Perhaps a direct question will yield some understanding." Moving around the dryad's other side, the centauress spoke to the shivering creature.

"Little wood sister," she said in an oddly soft and compassionate voice that made Jared's eyebrow lift in curiosity. Did these centaurs really care about the other spirits of the forest like that compassionate voice suggested?? The dryad looked up at being directly addressed.

"What causes you to stay with this mortal?" the centauress then asked, seeing the dryad's leaf green eyes fall upon her. "Do you seek to partake of his spirit?"

Quickly the dryad shook her head and, at the same time, moved even closer to Jared until she was almost touching him.

"Then tell me, little sister, what do you want with this mortal man?" the centauress pressed. But the dryad didn't answer. Instead she did touch Jared, slipping both her arms around his big left forearm and clinging to him as she looked with big eyes at the centauress.

For her part, the centauress shrugged, still confused but not enough so to warrant pursuing it.

"As I said, mortal, you've acquired an acolyte," she indicated, once again falling back to a position just behind them.

Jared couldn't help his grimace as the dryad snuggled into him, drawing a frown from Nikeera. Things were quickly getting much more complicated on this rescue mission, and the only thing good about it was Nikeera.