The fastest way into the ancient forest was hitching a ride on a wingdrake. A pair of domesticated mernos carried Meira and Bergen to a small clearing before they headed back to Astera, leaving them alone. Well, not quite alone. A pack of aptonoth grazed nearby, unbothered by the arrival of the hunters.
Clad in basic leather armour with their second-hand weapons, they stood hand in hand, staring at the height of the trees surrounding them. The air had a distinctly earthy scent to it, of soil and greenery. Birds chattered, aptonoth belted to each other, and occasionally, a larger monster screamed somewhere deep in the forest, reminding them of the danger that lurked in the forest.
"What do you think that was?" Meira asked when another scream could be heard, this time not far off. Uncertainty made her mentally go through all she had studied about the forest, even if the information that had been available was incomplete.
"Honestly? No clue. Shall we go find it?" Bergen replied with a teasing grin. He already knew her answer but loved teasing her so.
"What? No! We're here to pick mushrooms." Meira shrieked, causing some birds to startle and flee. The amateur archer laughed and picked up the woven basket they had brought for the mushrooms.
As they hiked through the ancient forest, they took the opportunity to get used to the locale. They marvelled at the humongous trees, several times taller than the tallest building they had ever seen. Their trunks were so wide, it would take a dozen people holding hands to surround it. They often had to scramble over fallen branches or step carefully to avoid tripping over roots. Bergen seemed to love it. He seemed at ease identifying potentially dangerous berries, simply by sight. His trained eye saw so much more than Meira's did, as she had specialised in books and documentation. Even as they walked, she had the current map open, making little notes and adding details they came across. Many parts weren't filled in yet, however. The blankness lured her, strangely. She wished to know what was there, one day.
They came upon a creek, one so minor it wasn't even on the map. As they knelt down to refill their water bottles, something shiny flitted by. Meira cried out in delight.
"You think we could catch some?" She asked excitedly, already imagining fresh fish, fried over a campfire.
"Maybe if we have to spend the night here, but I don't think that's necessary today. We nearly have what we need." Meira made a disappointed noise but agreed with him. Staying the night brought out the scary creatures, after all. "I have no doubt we'll have to spend the night here at some point, and then we'll catch fish for dinner," Bergen continued as he hoisted the half-filled mushroom basket over his shoulder.
Of course, they knew that this place consisted of more than just docile herbivores. One of such reminders came in the form of a pile of bones. An aptonoth, separated from its herd had met its demise deeper into the forest.
"Quite far from the fields we saw them before," Bergen remarked, looking around as to where it could have come from. Light impressions in the mossy growth suggested how the aptonoth stumbled here, possibly searching for a place to hide and recover.
"Whatever killed it was smaller than itself. Look at the scratches on the bones. Jagras?" Meira suggested, gesturing with her bare hand. She, unfortunately, did not own any gloves yet.
"The crawly lizards? Could be. Let's take the unbroken bones. If we're lucky, we can sell them, and we have the room in our packs, as we're only here for mushrooms."
"Yeah, those. They hunt in packs. And sure? If you'll carry them. I'll take the mushrooms from you, then." Bergen agreed easily and began stuffing his backpack, which was held together with patches. They'd need newer, bigger packs soon. As he collected some good bones to sell, unbothered by the fact they're a dead creature's bones, Meira scouted around. Within eyesight of her husband, she discovered an entrance to a cave. The numerous tracks near the entrance suggested jagras used this entrance regularly. There also was one set of much larger tracks, resembling an overgrown jagras. This could only be a Great Jagras, as the ecologists so eloquently named the jagras patriarch.
"Hey Berg," Meira said quietly. Bergen stood up and came to stand next to her, checking out what she found.
"That looks like trouble," he agreed. "Let's not wake them. We have no quarrel with them today, so I do not wish to slaughter needlessly."
Relieved, Meira nodded. Unbothered but not unnoticed, they left the cave for another day.
The sun had nearly set by the time Meira and Bergen made their way back to Astera. They first passed by the smithy and sold the bones they had picked for a meagre sum. A small coin per bone, which would barely pay for breakfast. The "Meowscular Chef" turned out to be an unusually tall palico, with equal passion for lifting weights and cooking. He accepted the gourmet shroom caps without a fuss and paid them a good sum for them, significantly more than the smith had paid them. This confirmed Meira's hunch that quests paid much better than random foraging.
As they sat down for dinner, which was a roast haunch of unnamed meat with roasted potatoes and veggies, there was a slight uneasiness in town. Two of the newest hunters of the Fifth Fleet had been badly poisoned by a large monster in the ancient forest. Rumour went they weren't doing well and might pass away. Meira sighed sadly.
"You think we knew them?"
Bergen took the time to chew and swallow. "Possibly. Don't worry so much, Meir. This happens. I assume they were rash and challenged one of those bigger monsters, like a pukei pukei, for the prime reward they pay for its corpse. Those researchers pay a lot for pukei pukei poison glands. They make antidotes from it or something." He took another big bite, seemingly unconcerned but Meira couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling. It could have been them who encountered a monster like that.
This mood lingered for Meira even when dinner was done. Bergen, wordlessly, reached for her hand and squeezed it affirmatively. He only let go when they entered their mass housing so he could sit on his cot and take off his boots. Quietly, Meira looked around the room, at the fading light shining through the gaps in the ceiling and down the holes in the ceiling, where she could catch glimpses of another shared room below theirs. All over the refurbished ship, voices could be heard, whispering, chatting, shouting. It never seemed truly quiet here.
Their roommates had been home at some point. The big brute had a huge axe on his bed, which looked much heavier than anything Meira could carry. The other cot had been visited, too; the threadbare curtain had been replaced by a large scarf in midnight blue, which faintly smelled like some sort of incense. The scent was strangely comforting in this foreign place.
"Honey, come here," Bergen said quietly. He sat on the bed and held out his hand for her. She gave him a gentle smile and stepped over, letting herself be snuggled against his chest. Skilfully, he manoeuvred both of them so they laid on their sides and he cuddled her from behind. One arm snug under her neck and the other was cast over her waist. They had done this so often that they moved into this position smoothly, knowing what moves the other was going to make. He tightened his arms around her torso and cuddled her against his chest, kissing the side of her neck tenderly. He held her like this, keeping each other warm as they listened to the argument of their below-neighbours, laughing quietly at times. It took a small while, but she felt better. When he felt her relax, he loosened his hold on her and instead idly rubbed her side with his upper arm.
Their romantic moment was broken when the door was forcefully kicked open. With loud, stomping footsteps, their axe-bearing roommate came home, accompanied by the smell of cheap beer. The same gruff guy who refused to introduce himself earlier, now sang as he kicked off his boots, somehow walking around just as loudly without them. Wishing to avoid an argument, Meira stayed quietly on Bergen's cot, waiting for the man to either leave or go to sleep. The latter happened not long after. Only when he started snorting, as loudly as his stomping and his singing, did Meira slip away, but not before kissing her husband good night. The cots simply did not have enough room for both of them to sleep together.
Feeling cold without Bergen, Meira shivered under her thin blanket, listening to Bergen's deep breathing and the brute's snoring. Eventually, sleep came for her as well.