((A/N: Short chapter, but this one's mostly for character development.))
When night fell, the group decided to make camp by the road.
Zolof sat inside the wagon with a candle and some maps, going over the paths in his mind, then comparing them to the yellowed parchment before him. Pero and Philly took turns chopping firewood, and Analee sat on a large rock near the fire and made sure it didn't get out of control. Riou was lying on top of the wagon, staring at the sky with an unreadable expression.
Tawny stretched on the cool grass, going over the past day in her mind. So far, it was nothing like she had expected. She had never heard of a Selkie using magic before, or a blade, for that matter. Pero and Philly were actually really nice, when they weren't anywhere near each other, that is. Tawny had come to the conclusion that she despised Analee, and she wondered how she was going to stand traveling with her. Zolof was indeed a very intelligent person, who had apparently seen the whole world, according to Riou. Speaking of Riou, he was both the most mature and the most naive person Tawny had ever met. There was something about him that drew people to him, but if someone pointed this out to him, he would just laugh and say that they were imagining things.
"Hey," a voice broke her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see the last person she expected to be talking to her. Analee was walking over to her.
"What? Going to tell me to move?" Tawny asked, bitterness in her voice.
"No." Analee said truthfully. "Just want to talk."
Tawny stared at her incredulously. "You… what?"
"I want to talk. The Lilties are impossible to have a conversation with, because they'll just start arguing. I can't stand talking to Zolof for more than five minutes, because he'll start yapping about philosophy and won't shut up until dawn, and it's impossible to talk to Riou when he gets like this." She said, sitting down in the grass next to the Clavat.
"So I'm your last resort?" Tawny said, more of a statement then a question.
"Something like that." Analee laughed. Tawny looked up at the wagon where Riou was.
"What do you mean by 'when he gets like this?'" She asked. The grin faded from Analee's face.
"When he stares at the sky. It's like he's looking for something. When he gets like that, it's impossible to get any kind of response from him. He's been doing that on every clear night since we left Leuda."
"Leuda?" Tawny asked.
"That's the name of the island that us Selkies come from. They say that Selkies emerged from the sea as seals on that island, and that we'll one day return to it. I think it's a load of bull. I mean, seals?" Analee laughed.
"So why does he do it?" Tawny asked. Analee looked confused for a second, then answered.
"I don't know. Whenever anyone brings it up, he changes the subject."
"But you're his girlfriend, right? Why won't he talk to you about it?" Analee gaped at Tawny in silence for a few seconds, then started laughing.
"Oh, that's a good one! Believe it or not, Riou's my nephew, even though I'm only two years older than him. That's a funny one though." She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't know!" Tawny's face turned scarlet from embarrassment.
"You should get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow, so you'll need all you can get." Analee stood up and walked back to the fire. Tawny nodded in agreement and relaxed on the grass again.
"Well, maybe this trip won't be so horrible after all."
((A/N: Some background information on some of the characters. There will be a few of these 'interlude' chapters.))