In the wake of losing his magic, Feyrith struggles to adapt and survive the new and constant onslaught from the feral jungle beasts, trying to keep himself as well as Sunwood alive. Something unnatural has disturbed the beasts and though it's danger...
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Feyrith was fairly certain that the only reason he'd gotten any sleep was how tired he'd been after the trip to the jungle. Their enchanted tent had provided them with protection throughout the whole night, which was a very good sign, but even as he lay there in the enclosed space, everyone else sleeping still, he could hear things. The jungle was still very silent, eerily so, but every so often, there was a growl, or the snapping of a twig. They were surrounded by beasts who would love to make a meal out of them.
The only reason why Feyrith wasn't feeling completely hopeless about their quest was simply that now they had two elves capable of magic with them, and both were quite powerful if Enaryl's show of earth magic was any indication. But of course that didn't mean that they would survive, it simply increased their chances of success.
He studied the dark shape of one of the quasir, who were all sleeping huddled next to each other in the opposite corner of the tent, just a few feet away from him, watching one of them kick out with its leg as it slept. Feyrith had been worried about getting enough sustenance for their mounts, but the vegetation growing all around them in the jungle had been enough. The quasir even helped them clear a place for the tent they had been so ravenous. No fern, plant, or insect in reach had been spared as the quasir ate everything in sight before laying down in the same place they were still at. They'd ended up setting up the tent around them.
They were all lying next to each other, but Feyrith was pleasantly surprised at how well they all managed to fit inside, despite the tent's not incredibly large size. It was very large, but just enough to fit them all. Still, it was a good thing the tent wasn't bigger, as it would be very difficult to fit it anywhere in the jungle. As it was, it took them quite a while to find a space to put it, and even then Ralis had had to use magic to push a large broken log out of the way.
Feyrith's eyes drifted over to Ayd, who was laying next to him, as he mumbled something in his sleep and twitched. Feyrith hoped he was okay. What had happened with those flying beasts had been concerning, though understandable. Ayd had simply gotten scared because of his prior experience with those particular beasts. But it was still odd to think about. Ayd hadn't seemed like an elf who would be afraid of anything. Feyrith would never hold it against him, of course—he had been scared too—but it was simply surprising.
"Morning," mumbled Ayd quietly as his eyes cracked open and found Feyrith's, who tried not to duck his head in embarrassment when he realized he'd been staring. "Maybe. I'm not sure how we'll be able to tell time in this place."
"I do not think it matters," Feyrith whispered back as Ayd pulled himself up into a sitting position, Feyrith doing the same. They needed to be very quiet in order not to wake anyone up.
"True." Ayd rubbed his eyes, sighing. There was a tiredness in his features that went beyond simple sleepiness. It made Feyrith worried. But before he could even think of addressing it, Ayd spoke again, looking Feyrith right in the eye. "Look, Fey, I'm sorry I panicked the way I did yesterday. It will not happen again, I promise."
