H'aanit didn't know what she expected from Stonegard.

H'aanit had heard grand tales throughout her youth of Z'aanta's past adventures across the continent as a hunter for hire. Countless people had come to know his name because of his raw skill when it came to a bow and arrow, and that meant that there were whispers of his actions across every corner of Orsterra. He had become a bit more stationary when he first took in H'aanit what felt like a lifetime ago, but she had still been raised in his words of whimsy regarding the rest of the world. She had never been given the chance or the reason to leave S'warkii, but the tales Z'aanta wove made her feel as if she was being transported across the universe whenever he spoke.

Reality was far from matching the brave tales Z'aanta told her though, and as H'aanit examined Stonegard silently, she couldn't help wondering how he would have romanticized a place like this. Z'aanta had told her about Stonegard before, yes, but times had chanced since he last told her what the region was like. The Stonegard H'aanit saw before her was nothing like what Z'aanta had once told her it would be like.

As soon as the group settled down at the inn, H'aanit set out for her search of the town. She moved first to the entrance of Stonegard, Linde and Hägen both hot on her heels. She could feel Hägen's anxiety, and she was practically waiting for the wolf to start whimpering and leaning against her out of concern. It wasn't as if she could blame him; he missed Z'aanta more than anyone else, and now that they were finally close enough to embrace the truth, it was only natural that he grew on edge.

H'aanit unfurled the letter that she had received from Z'aanta so long ago, and she read the familiar words to herself. She had looked over the page what felt like a thousand times by this point, but she still found herself wondering if perhaps some new truth would make itself apparent to her if she watched the paper in just the right way. As was to be expected, nothing changed, and H'aanit was left to conduct her search for answers the old fashioned way.

"Stonegard. This is where Master said he would sojourn," H'aanit murmured to herself, trying to ignore the way that her chest seemed to flutter and rattle with excitement and anxiety. At long last, it felt like answers were in her reach. Something had gone wrong, but she was still hoping that perhaps she would find Z'aanta under unassuming circumstances that proved all of her fears to be misplaced. If that was the case, Z'aanta would no doubt receive an earful as soon as H'aanit silently expressed just how relieved she was to see him again. Still, there was no way of saying for sure yet, and so, H'aanit's heart continued to whisper of fears she prayed were baseless.

H'aanit turned towards Hägen once again, a frown on her face. "Well, Hägen? Dost thou perceiven his scent?" she questioned of him carefully, knowing that Hägen understood the words even with the communication barrier brought on by being of different species. The wolf paused for a moment before letting out a small growl, though it sounded more confused and lost than anything else. In other words, there was something wrong here that upset Hägen more than H'aanit could have ever expected. Something about Stonegard was confusing Hägen, almost as if he felt more lost than ever before when they were close as could be to finding the truth about what had happened to Z'aanta.

If Hägen wasn't going to be able to figure out the truth though, then that left the job to H'aanit, not that this at all surprised her. She folded the letter and tucked it away as she spoke. "Thou hast done well to bringen us here. Now it is my turn to leaden the hunt," she murmured. She glanced up at the streets of Stonegard before her and resisted the urge to wince. H'aanit didn't know what she had been anticipating to find when they arrived here, but she certainly hadn't thought Stonegard would be this... Large. Z'aanta had never described it as being this massive when he told stories of his exploits, and H'aanit could only imagine that the city had seen significant expansion in the aftermath of Hornburg's fall. After all, there were many Highlands citizens left displaced by the coup, and it was only natural that they would go to the nearest settlement with a definite promise of safety.

Unfortunately, knowing this did little to lessen the burden that had been placed so unceremoniously on H'aanit's shoulders. "But this is a large and sprawling settlement, not like our forest home," H'aanit went on. Almost as if responding to her words, Linde let out a small whimper, and H'aanit smiled before reaching out one hand to stroke at her snow leopard's head. "Now, now, child. Thou needst not fear. We will asken the people. Someone is bound to knoweth of Master." Linde responded by shifting her head to nudge gently at H'aanit's fingers, and the huntress let out a small chuckle. "I am glad thou agreest. Now, where to beginen the search?"

It only took a moment of consideration for H'aanit to have her answer, and she shook her head at the revelation. "The alehouse, of course. If Master is known anywhere in this town, it would be there," she muttered. She had gotten on his case about it countless times in the past, but now, she was just grateful to have a good enough grasp on his habits to know something like that. Hopefully, that would be all she needed to know in order to find a concrete lead.

"You learn fast."

H'aanit perked up at the sound of a familiar voice, and she glanced over to see Therion taking a bite of an apple as he leaned against the wall of the inn. It was almost impressive how quickly and effortlessly he was able to find an apple to steal whenever they arrived in a new town, not that he seemed to mind her judgement at all. Luckily for him, H'aanit knew talking about that would hardly help her situation, so she did her best to brush it off, moral objections aside. "What dost thou need?" H'aanit questioned.

"I was wondering where you went, though I suppose I'm not surprised to see you here," Therion replied. "You're trying to find answers. Everyone else wants to tag along too. Give it a few minutes, and they'll be out here."

H'aanit nodded. She hadn't been deliberately attempting to exclude any of them from her search; the truth was quite the contrary, in fact. Her hope had been to get a head start on the search while they were finishing with unpacking, though she supposed that they were just as eager to find answers as she was. At the very least, Therion wanted to get involved, and H'aanit was willing to consider that a blessing given his less than fortunate words from Bolderfall. It was a step in the right direction, not that H'aanit was willing to say as much to his face. It would only risk creating a rift between them once more, and that was hardly a chance she could take.

"Make it right now!"

The inn door swung open a moment later, and Tressa walked outside with a grin on her face. The other travelers were hot on her heels, though Tressa was clearly the one with the most energy of the team. She glanced over to H'aanit as she curled her fingers around the straps of her bag. "So... Where are we heading first for the search?"

"The tavern," H'aanit replied as she glanced up to a small outcropping of a landing that overlooked the entrance of the town. The tavern was close enough to the front of Stonegard that she could see its chimney peering out above the gray rocks of the town, and she nodded to herself before starting to walk in the direction of the stairs that would take her there.

The path to the tavern was a simple one, and Linde and Hägen spent the entire time leaning close to H'aanit like they thought she would be able to protect them from everything that was strange about the city. Something was off about Stonegard to them, and Hägen was confused because of Z'aanta's scent. H'aanit couldn't tell if that was because Hägen was smelling Z'aanta everywhere or if the situation simply hadn't been compliant with what the direwolf had been expecting. Either way, this wasn't going to be easy, and she knew what had to be done.

When the group entered the tavern, eyes shifted in their direction briefly, but they weren't the center of attention for long. The other occupants of the alehouse were quick to return to their own business, but there was one exception. A man was standing behind the bar and cleaning out a glass with a faded white rag. His gaze fell to Therion briefly, and something that looked vaguely like recognition flashed in his eyes. In other words, H'aanit was sure that Therion had been here before even if he was hesitant to admit it aloud.

H'aanit approached the man before stopping in front of the counter, and he watched her carefully as he cleaned the glass. "What can I do for ye, lassie?" he questioned, his voice low and rolling.

H'aanit was on the verge of simply asking him for information, but she was cut off by the smell of stew wafting through the air and gently kissing at her nose. She glanced behind the counter to see that a pot was being cooked over the fireplace, and she smiled before sliding into a stool in front of the counter. "A bowl of that broth, if thou wouldst. And answeren me a question," she replied. Linde and Hägen adapted to her sudden change of position quickly, both curling around her legs out of desperation to be near something, anything, that they knew as familiar.

The barkeeper nodded as he turned around and slid the glass back in its home on the third shelf of a cabinet behind the counter. "The broth is easy enough. As for answers, ye'll 'ave to ask the question 'fore I can tell ye if I 'ave any," he told her easily before moving to prepare the soup H'aanit had requested.

"Knowest thou of a hunter named Z'aanta? I believe he sojourned here some moons ago..." H'aanit said, her words trailing off as the uncertainty started to sink in. What was she going to do if he didn't have the answers she was looking for? She had no idea, but she didn't even want to entertain the idea for a moment.

The man thought for a long moment as he filled H'aanit's bowl, and he slid it across the counter to her as he spoke. "Aye, I know 'im. But I ain't seen 'im around for a spell now," he answered. "'Eard 'e'd taken to visitin' a woman named Natalia. She's got a 'ouse on the edge o' town."

H'aanit frowned as she took her first spoonful of soup. She had never heard the name Natalia come up in Z'aanta's past tales of his adventures across Orsterra, so she could only assume that the two of them had met when Z'aanta was in town recently. In other words, as soon as she found Natalia, she may have the path forward she needed to find Z'aanta.

"I thanke thee, good man," H'aanit told him with a nod before she looked back to her food. As soon as she was finished, they would be able to leave and find this Natalia person. Given how good Alfyn and Cyrus were at getting information out of people, they would likely have a way forward before H'aanit knew it.

The huntress had focused her attention on her soup by the time the barkeep saw recognition flash in his eyes once more, though it had nothing to do with Therion this time. The gears were turning in his head, and he took a step closer to H'aanit a moment later, albeit somewhat hesitantly. "If ye don't mind me pryin', lassie..." H'aanit glanced up when he paused, and he examined her carefully before continuing. "Ye don't 'appen to be 'is prentice, do ye?"

H'aanit simply nodded. "I am."

The man's face shifted into a smile, and he let out a small chuckle. "I knew it! Used to talk 'bout ye all the time, 'e did, when 'e was in 'is cups," he explained. "A prentice who's nothin' like 'im. Strict an' straight as an arrow! No time for foolishness an' folly, 'e'd say. Soon as ye mentioned 'is name, I reckoned ye was one and the same, what with ye matchin' 'is description an' all."

For a long moment, all H'aanit could do was stare at the man, and he almost seemed ready to squirm under her gaze. She shook her head and looked back to her broth, choosing to not acknowledge openly how Z'aanta had seemingly been talking about her. She had no idea what he had said, but she didn't think it was entirely her business to find out either. Still, it was in line with his personality, that was for sure, the first trace of humanity that H'aanit had found on the trail yet, and she was more than willing to take that for what it was. "I'll take that as a compliment," she finally forced herself to say before she raised her spoon to her lips once again.

The barkeep chuckled a bit at that. "Will ye, now?"

Before H'aanit had the chance to say much of anything in response, Hägen began to rise to his feet, his ears twitching. She glanced down at him, on the verge of posing a question about what had gotten into him, but he started to pad towards the door a moment later. Tressa looked between H'aanit and the direwolf before her eyes settled on the door, and she realized that the wolf was going to scratch a hole through the wood if she didn't do something. The merchant winced before letting Hägen walk outside. Linde paused in contemplation for a moment before following him, and H'aanit felt her stomach begin to churn. It wasn't like Hägen or Linde to run off like that. Something had to be happening, and she wasn't about to let it pass her by.

Luckily for her, it didn't take long for her to finish off her soup. She lifted the bowl to her lips before drinking, and the food was gone in a matter of minutes. She reached into her bag and pulled out a few leaves before sliding them across the counter to the barkeep alongside a hefty tip. "I thanke thee," she told him with a bow of her head.

The man smiled at that and nodded. "'Ave a nice day, lassie," he instructed as he accepted the leaves and returned to his work, retrieving the bowl and starting to clean it in the same rhythmic fashion he had polished the cup previously. H'aanit gave him one final nod before she rose to her feet and turned towards the door, the rest of the travelers hot on her heels.

When H'aanit arrived outside, Hägen was gone, but Linde was standing at the entrance of the tavern. She was riddled with anxiety, practically unable to keep still as her eyes followed the direction Hägen had disappeared in. She whimpered as soon as she saw H'aanit, silently urging the huntress to follow Hägen as soon as possible.

That was more than enough of a cue for H'aanit, and she nodded to herself before trailing after Linde. Behind her, the rest of the travelers, followed, though Cyrus managed to catch up with H'aanit thanks to his grand strides. H'aanit barely even noticed his presence though, instead much more focused on the peculiar behavior of her direwolf companion. "Whyever didst Hägen reacten in such a manner?" she murmured to herself, hoping that the answer would come as soon as possible.

"An astute question," Cyrus commented from her side. He was quiet for a moment before he continued. "If I may posit... Hägen is of a species known as the direwolf, yes?" H'aanit nodded. "It is said that a wolf's sense of smell is one hundred million times more sensitive than that of man... And among wolves, direwolves have the most sensitive noses of all."

H'aanit watched Cyrus in silence as the scholar lifted one hand to cup at his chin. "I would posit that when he entered the city, he was overwhelmed by all the smells common to such a bustling center of activity," he went on. "And yet, of all those odors, he would be most sensitive to those he is most familiar with. Namely, the scent belonging to..."

"Master," H'aanit finished. She had assumed that was the case when they first entered the city, but having Cyrus' backing on the matter only made her more confident in her conclusion. "OF course. Then we must maken haste."

Cyrus nodded before speeding up his walk after Linde, and H'aanit fell silent from his side. H'aanit could feel her heart skipping beats in her chest, and she wondered just what specifically would have caused Hägen to respond so suddenly. She hadn't seen him this way before, and she could only imagine that it was because of him knowing something about Z'aanta. He had been here, and it seemed that Hägen had picked up on the scent, regardless of how old it was, while they were in the tavern. It made sense that he would find answers there of all places; after all, Z'aanta had frequented alehouses for as long as H'aanit could remember, so if there were going to be traces of his presence, it would be there.

H'aanit was on the verge of theorizing more when she was able to catch a glimpse of Hägen's shining gray fur. The wolf had lowered himself into a defensive stance as he looked up at a man wearing a guard's uniform. Hägen was growling, no doubt upset that somebody had gotten in the way of his pursuit for answers regarding Z'aanta's current location. The guard, on the other hand, refused to bend the knee to Hägen's anger. "Shoo, ye mangy beast! Go on, bug off!" he announced, flicking his wrists in Hägen's direction with hopes that it would push the wolf away.

Hägen's rage was tempered by this, but H'aanit could see that he was still upset beneath the surface. Hägen lowered his back side against the cobbled stones, glaring at the guard with everything he had. Behind the man, another pair of people could be seen. One of them appeared to be on the richer side given his exquisite red and golden clothing. His hair was blonde and combed perfectly, and every part of his appearance had been put together with the intentions of catching the eyes of others. Still, there was an edge of cruelty to it that H'aanit struggled to define, and she found herself wondering perhaps out of fear if this man was going to act anything like what she had heard was second nature to Helgenish.

There was a woman beside the man, though she clearly lacked the riches that he was so used to. Her hair was brown and fell gently in curls over her shoulders and upper back. Her dress was simple, made of deep red and white fabric that had been loved to the moon and back. She refused to meet the man's gaze, instead finding the ground beneath her feet to be much more interesting. H'aanit could sense her discomfort from a mile away, and she glared at the man beside her as he began to speak.

"My dearest Natalia! What a delightful coincidence! Fancy running into you here," the man said with a smile. H'aanit perked up at the sound of the name she had been chasing, and she listened in a bit closer on what they were saying.

The woman, Natalia, was much quieter when she responded to him, and she shifted uncomfortably on the spot to keep from looking the man in the eyes. "Aye, fancy that," she murmured. "I was just, ah, returning from the market." Sure enough, there were a few bags slung over her shoulders, and she was holding to them tightly. Her knuckles were turning white from the pressure, though H'aanit didn't think it had much to do with the physical weight on her shoulders.

"Oh, but what a burden you are shouldering! My dear, you must allow me to deliver it for you," the man told her, reaching out for the bags that Natalia was gripping too so tightly. He pulled away a moment later before jabbing his thumb in the direction of the guard that had been harassing Hägen. "That is, I'll have my man here do it, naturally."

"I'm most honored, sir, but ye needn't," Natalia told him softly, still struggling to remain firm under his gaze. Behind H'aanit, Primrose was starting to glare at the man with everything she had, almost as if she was ready to march over to him and give him a piece of her mind before he could even process what was happening.

"Milady, I insist! I could not forgive myself if you were to strain a muscle!" the man exclaimed. He reached out for the bags once again, though H'aanit noticed his fingers attempting to stray a bit longer than they probably should have. Natalia took a step back, a small frown lacing her features.

A sigh reached H'aanit's ears from somewhere off to her left, and she glanced over to see a pair of townsfolk standing nearby and watching the scene play out from afar. Both of them were silently exasperated, and the taller of the two proved this by rolling his eyes as he spoke. "'Pon my honor, 'is worship never gives up, does 'e?"

The man at his side nodded. "Poor lass 'as caught the eye of the wrong sort. Bound t'appen, with 'er fair looks turnin' every man's 'ead," he agreed. At those words, H'aanit found her stomach churning once again, and she could feel Primrose's vengeful glare piercing the man standing next to Natalia.

"Nathan's a wolf draped in silks, an' that soldier of 'is makes sure 'e don't fall afoul o' the 'usbands an' fathers," the first man remarked with a shake of his head. H'aanit committed the name to memory as much as possible, and she could feel Primrose doing the same behind her as the dancer reached for her dagger.

"There ain't no refusin' 'im once 'e's got the scent. Remember the miller's daughter?" the second man questioned, his expression filling with something unreadable but negative.

H'aanit crossed her arms stoically as she watched Nathan continuing to harass Natalia. All of a sudden, Hägen's behavior made sense. He knew this woman through Z'aanta, and he was trying to help her when he realized she was in distress. No wonder he had gotten so snappy with the guard.

Hägen was still growling at the soldier when H'aanit walked up beside him and placed one hand on the direwolf's shoulder. Hägen calmed, albeit only slightly, but he continued to snarl at the man in steel before him. "Is that right, Hägen?" H'aanit questioned softly of the wolf, knowing that he already understood what she was trying to ask of him. The groan he made signaled his confirmation, and H'aanit nodded before glancing back to Natalia. "Then leten me helpen."

H'aanit glanced around the area, a frown on her face. She wouldn't be able to start a fight in the middle of town without drawing too much attention to herself. However, she might be able to find another way to frighten the soldier away. The man was watching Hägen warily, almost as if he was afraid of what the direwolf was going to do. Despite his impressive armor, the guard didn't seem to have much muscle on him, and H'aanit could already tell that he wasn't a skilled mage either. In other words, it should be easy enough to take advantage of his cowardice and force him to flee.

Luckily for H'aanit, the man hadn't been paying much attention to Linde throughout all of this, and the huntress flicked her hand forward in the guard's direction. Linde immediately understood what this meant, and she pounced forward onto the ground just in front of the soldier. Hägen was quick to follow Linde's example, snarling and growling all the way.

The guard let out a scream as he stumbled backwards, almost falling over his own feet in the process. "A m-monster?! In the middle of town?!" he exclaimed, his fear getting the better of him before he could realize that the two creatures before him weren't planning on doing him any harm. The man turned on his heel and ran away through the streets of Stonegard, screaming the whole way.

Nathan's attention was pulled away from Natalia at the sound, and he whirled to face the retreating guard. "Hey! Where are you going?! I paid good money for you!" Nathan roared angrily. He looked to Natalia before snarling to himself and running off after the guard, rage painted plainly on his expression. Natalia watched as Nathan's silhouette retreated before she let out a heavy sigh of relief, all of the weight immediately being lifted from her shoulders.

Hägen began to pad over to her a moment later, and Natalia let out a gasp before setting her bags down on the ground. "Hägen! Where have ye been?" she asked, reaching out one hand to start stroking at the direwolf's head. Hägen immediately nuzzled up against her palm, and Natalia smiled down at him. "Ye left so sudden, and I've had no tidings of either of ye since." She paused before looking at Hägen solemnly. "Where is your master, Hägen? Where's Z'aanta?"

H'aanit stepped forward at that, and Hägen retreated from Natalia's fingers. "Thou must be Natalia. I neede speaken with thee," she began.

Natalia looked her over with a wary and detached gaze, her frown beginning to grow deeper. "Oh? And who might ye be?"

"I am Z'aanta's prentice. I have traveled here from the Darkwood," H'aanit replied. Linde and Hägen sat on either side of her at the words, almost as if they were trying to prove the truth to Natalia.

The woman's eyes went wide at H'aanit's declaration. "His prentice, ye say?" She paused as H'aanit nodded. "Then ye must be H'aanit. I've heard tell of ye."

"So Master spoke of me," H'aanit said simply. Once again, she chose not to acknowledge how this was the second time since her arrival in Stonegard less than two hours ago that she had heard of Z'aanta talking about her. It wasn't going to get her anywhere, though that didn't stop her curiosity.

Natalia nodded. "Aye. Said you were a fine young huntress and learnin' fast, no matter his ham-fisted teaching," she replied.

H'aanit crossed her arms in contemplation. "To raisen others whilst belittling himself," she murmured, admittedly unsure as to how she was meant to take the information of his praise. In the end, she shook her head and did her best to brush off her growing concerns for him. "That soundeth like Master."

Natalia laughed at that with a shake of her head. "Aye. He's a good man, but he's as guileless as a beet."

H'aanit smiled to herself. "Guileless... Yes. Fatuous, also, with a weakness for wine and dice," she remarked. She knew that Natalia was already aware of this truth, but she found herself speaking it regardless. In a strange way, it helped to comfort her, something she never saw coming. However, it also made H'aanit miss Z'aanta all the more, and the empty worry at her chest began to gnaw away at the rest of her body the instant she let her composure slip. "And yet... He is honest and noble and handleth a bow with the best of them."

Natalia grinned, and it seemed like she was glowing from her joy for a moment. "Aye, ye speak the truth there," she agreed. She nodded as she brought herself back down to earth. "So where is the old rascal? If Hägen's here, he can't be far."

Hägen let out a whimper, and H'aanit simply shook her head. "Hägen returnede to our village alone. I have come here in search of Master," she explained.

Natalia let out a strangled yelp of surprise at that. "What?!" She took a step closer to H'aanit as pale fear etched itself across her features. "Good gods, has something happened to the man?!"

"I was hoping thou couldst helpen me answeren that," H'aanit said carefully. From either side of her, Linde and Hägen watched Natalia expectantly, both of them hoping that she would be able to do something to help.

Natalia was quiet for a long moment before she nodded. "I fear I may not be of much help, but I'm happy to tell ye all I know."

H'aanit was on the verge of thanking her before she caught wind of a passing conversation. She had gotten so caught up in her joy at finding Natasha that she had forgotten they were standing at the center of Stonegard still. "Can we talken at thine home?" she asked. Natasha nodded before leaning over to pick up her bags once again, but H'aanit didn't let her get far. "Leten me carrye some of that."

Natalia looked up at H'aanit before nodding. "Oh, why, thank ye." H'aanit took the bulk of the bags while Natalia claimed the remaining few, and once everything was settled, Natalia began to lead the way back to her home. She was almost out of earshot when H'aanit heard her speak once more. "Just like her Master."

H'aanit chapter two time, baby!

I'm sure at least some of you are wondering about the most glaring absence in this chapter: Primrose's travel banter. I'm going to be starting the next chapter off with it instead. I felt like that would be a better place for it for the sake of flow since I felt like it would be clunky and come out of nowhere if I put it where it normally goes. Instead, it's going to be the opener of the next chapter before the conversation with Natalia continues, and I think that's a perfect place for it personally.

As for the rest of the chapter, I have to say that I've missed writing for H'aanit. We haven't been able to see that in a long time because she's the only character who hasn't had either a god fight or a chapter two until now, but it's about time that changed. I'm really happy with how this is turning out too, and I think I've got a good rhythm to follow for H'aanit's dialect when I'm writing original dialogue. I want to keep it as consistent as possible, so I have a few ground rules established to make sure it makes sense. If anybody is curious, I could share my H'aanit dialogue secrets a bit later on.

For now though, I'm going to wrap things up here. We'll be starting next chapter with Primrose's travel banter before continuing the search for Z'aanta. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!

-Digital