|| Frost bite ||

❄️A Different World ❄️

Eäron Silmëran had never thought he'd stop to watch a sunrise.

But now, speeding away towards the west, far from their snow covered homeland and in what looked as a sea of grass, that thought was quickly changed.

He wasn't the only one. The entire company halted, just to watch the sun, which seemed starkly different from the one they had always seen.

All their lives they had seen the sun come up from behind the mountains, making the ever white peaks look like gold. And they had watched it set behind mountains, again. But here, so early in their journey, watching that same sun come up over the horizon, everything suddenly looked strange, unknown.

So they simply stood there, watching a different sun come up.

Naim was the first to react. "We should be going," he muttered, though he sounded unwilling.

"The sun is different," Niphredil said aloud.

"No, the place is different," Celon whispered.

Eäron turned his gaze from the sun at last. "Whatever," he said, "but we should be in Ladoria by tomorrow evening."

Turning away, they resumed their journey. Yet none of them could keep their eyes from the new terrain. Grasslands seemed a great marvel. None urged their horses to go too fast, soaking in the change in view. Even the gait of the horses seemed different here. Akeera more played than actually journeying.

"We should speed up, then camp somewhere," Elanor's voice carried throughout the wind. Sighing, they compelled.

For another couple of hours, they rode swiftly. Yet the sea of grass didn't end. When the sun was high up in the sky, they  stopped for a brief rest.

"What next?" Niphredil asked, ever inquisitive.

Celon managed to fish out a map from his pack. "Ther are.........trees."

"It's called a forest, dummy," Elanor muttered.

"Like the one back home?" Niphredil asked.

"No. Much, much bigger and thicker," Naim answered her.

"Will there be tigers?"

"Maybe."

"Pythons?"

"Probably."

"Monkeys?"

Eäron huffed a laugh. "You'll chatter away your energy, Dil."

"I've got more than enough of it," she smirked, before patting Akeera's head, who had come to sit by her.

When the sun was at the highest, they set out again. Just at the edge of their vision, they could see a dark line. So, they took it as their next camp. They'd have to reach before evening to make it to Ladoria by the next.

Eäron loosed the collar of his shirt. Man, it's hot. The sun here wasn't holding back it's warmth, rather, was showering it down. The grasses seemed at times to create illusions. Here, only this far west, it was already so different from the ever present chill of home.

Thinking of home, he wondered what the people there were doing. A thought briefly occured to him about Renolf contemplating whether it had been wise to send them without a grown up.

We're grown ups, his mind stated. He agreed readily.

Though the sun had shone bright, as they day progressed, it was overshadowed by clouds. The winds rose, and not so long after, the slight sound of thunder could be heard.

"We should seek shelter!" Naim's voice carried over the wind.

"The forest!" Elanor yelled back, "if we ride fast, we'd get there!"