[ Archeologist camp vicinity, Walder / September 19, 0078 19:22 ]
Not a single blue fiber stirred on the wolf's fur. A casual observer would think the animal was dead, but it wasn't. Though its eyes were closed, its ears twitched every now and then. It registered even the smallest noise and smell in the woods. It listened to the sounds coming from the humans' camp downhill.
Creatures of the daytime, the humans were getting ready for rest at sunset. There had been some commotion earlier that day but they seemed to have quieted down since. It was almost dusk and the wolf would be relieved soon.
A subtle flow of mana from the center of the clearing alerted the wolf. It raised its head to look.
"Es sind nur wir, Zafira," [1] a telepathic message reached it.
A large rotating triangle of dim purple light appeared on the ground where the magic emanated from. Almost immediately, a head emerged from it, followed by the rest of the body, as if carried by an underground elevator. It was a woman; she had short pink hair and wore a camouflage suit. A red-haired fairy-like creature sat on her shoulder.
"Ihr seid früh da," [2] the wolf rose from its resting place, stretching and shaking dead leaves and grass off its fur.
"Shamal wollte mit dir sprechen," [3] the woman stepped out of the triangle, which continued rotating slowly behind her.
"Um was geht es?" [4]
As the wolf walked towards the triangle, its shape began to shift.
"Ich weiß nicht," the woman shrugged. "Gute Arbeit hier." [5]
The wolf was gone. A large muscular man with oversized wolf ears and clothes the color of its fur stood in its place.
"Danke. Morgen wechseln wir wieder." [6]
The man stepped into the triangle and began to sink.
The woman watched the man disappear, then turned around and walked towards the camp.
The little fairy floated close to her shoulder. They soon reached a familiar cliff that they stayed on before. From the large boulder just on the edge of the forest, they could clearly see the archeologists' camp down below. The sun was setting majestically behind the endless woody hills.
Signum seated herself upon the boulder. She seemed to have forgotten about Agito, but it was alright. When she was like that, Agito could ogle her master for hours, blushing quietly to her own thoughts. Signum watched the sun, squinting slightly, until it completely disappeared, then looked down onto the lights of the camp below. After a while, she turned to Agito and asked very seriously.
"Agito, tue ich immer noch das richtige?" [7]
"Bitte?" [8] Agito stiffened.
"Unser Eid," Signum reminded her. "Bin ich immer noch auf dem richtigen Weg? Ist dies, was Ritter Zest von uns sehen wollte?" [9]
Agito fell silent for a minute. Signum's unwavering gaze made her uneasy. Finally, she spoke.
"Er würde es nachvollziehen können. Du hast von deinem Weg noch nicht geirrt." [10]
Signum looked at her sharply, then her lips formed an uncertain smile, as if she forgot how to do it.
"Dann bin ich froh. Komm her." [11]
She tapped her outstretched thigh and Agito didn't make her ask twice. Signum didn't notice it, but she tried her hardest not to look her master in the face.
[1] "It's just us, Zafira."
[2] "You are early."
[3] "Shamal wanted to speak with you."
[4] "What's the matter?"
[5] "I don't know. Good job here."
[6] "Thank you. I will relieve you in the morning."
[7] "Am I still doing the right thing?"
[8] "Pardon me?"
[9] "Our promise. Am I still on the right path? Is this what Knight Zest would have wanted us to do?"
[10] "He would have understood. You haven't strayed from your path yet."
[11] "I am glad, then. Come here."