Barret was not happy. Not because of anything anyone had done, but because the wind picked up, and hadn't stopped for 3 days. He'd finally gotten comfortable enough he had been sleeping through the night for the last week, and normally wind and rain didn't bother him. However, the wind that night surged so much the tree he was sleeping in lost a lot of branches, and one of the ones he was hanging from snapped in half! Woken up by being dropped about 10 feet to the ground was not fun, and no one else got much sleep that night either.
Blustering wind and cutting cold followed them the rest of the day, so much so they couldn't make a fire without risk of burning down the forest. Everyone was cold, tired, frustrated, and miserable, and when they stopped for lunch, they piled into a ditch just to get out of the wind. Though it was cramped and uncomfortable, it was at least warmer. "Anyone know how much further?" Flora asked as they ate a meal of dry fruits and nuts.
"Hopefully not too much more…" Zen muttered.
"With this wind slowing us down, probably two weeks still." Keith frowned as he pulled out the map. "Though without any real landmarks I have no idea."
"We're here." Barret reached over and pointed at the map. "Your guess was actually pretty spot on."
"How do you know?" Nat asked, crunching on a piece of hardtack. "Do you just magic yourself a sense of direction, or are you looking at a different landscape than us?"
"I know about how fast we are traveling, I know what direction we are going, and I know the rough distance we have to travel. On top of that, there are landmarks on that map. Streams and rivers, various hills and clusters of trees, and certain mountains are marked on that map. You look for roads, towns, cities, things most people watch for. I track by landscape. Throw me into a large city and I'll be clueless about where I am."
"Benefits of living in the wild, I guess." Trace said, shivering as he stood up. "We should get a move on."
"Can we wait a bit longer?" Flora pleaded. "I know I'm slowing us down, but I'm carrying the weight of two."
"Yeah, I suppose we can wait a few more minutes." Sitting back down, he put his back to the wind and wrapped his arm around her. "I really wish we had a cart or wagon so you could just sit whenever you needed to."
"If the weather gets much colder, we could make a sled." Barret joked. "So, what will we do once we get to Lyn'Knoll? I actually know very little about it."
"I'm not sure." Trace replied. "I know that it's supposedly a safe haven where humans and Keidrans live in peace, but I really am not sure beyond that."
"As long as there's a hot bath and a solid roof over my head, I'll be happy." Nat chimed. Keith chuckled.
"That does sound nice. Maybe… maybe you should look at finding someone to perform your wedding Trace."
"Wedding?" Barret seemed shocked. "You're engaged? I thought you two were married already the way you act with each other!" Trace and Flora laughed.
"Oh no, not yet. I guess we never actually talked about when and where we wanted to actually get married." Trace said. "I don't really care, I'm just happy to be with you."
"Funny, I was going to say the same thing."
"Well, why not find someone in Lyn'Knoll? I'm certain that a place like that would have plenty of people happy to help you two out." Zen stood up, and pulled Keith up with him. "Let's get a move on then! The sooner we get to Lyn'Knoll, the sooner you two can be officially the happiest couple in the world!" Chuckles all around, followed by great shivering. As they pressed on, the wind surged and died down, surged again, and died again. Leaves fell sideways in the great gusts of wind, and the trees creaked, but ever forward they pressed. Finally, they found an outcropping of rock that sheltered them from the unceasing wind, and they made camp with a fire. Though they had no fresh meat, the very presence of a hot fire caused their spirits to soar.
Food was consumed, coffee was brewed, and the wind howled ever on. Barret laid down on the ground near the fire, wisely forgoing his usual hammock. He had no tent, and opted to stay close to the fire, despite the rocky ground. Around midnight, he and Keith were the only ones awake still. Barret was struggling to get comfortable, and Keith was tending to the fire. Rolling onto his back, Barret stared at the sky through the shifting trees. Suddenly, Keith heard "Whoa. Did you see that?" Looking around, Keith was put on high alert, listening for anything other than the wind.
"No. What is it?"
"It looked like- there's another one!" Looking down, Keith stared at Barret. Then, slowly followed his gaze to the stars. As he looked, a white streak crossed the sky, brilliant and pure. Another one, seconds later. And another. And another. The sky filled with lines of silver and white, dancing across the sky, heading from east to west.
"Now there's a sight… too bad no one else is awake to enjoy it." Barret smiled as the sky was filled with light.
"I've seen this a few times before, long ago. I've been told that they are rocks, falling to the ground from beyond the stars, but I remember the first time I saw this. I'll never forget it. I was still with my parents. We were traveling across a vast, open plain, with not a tree in sight, when the sky seemed to open up, lighting the world like it was day. Dad told me they were the souls of those who passed before us, every one of our ancestors, coming back for a fleeting moment to watch us, to show that they were not forgotten, to show us that they were making a place for us up there. I know that's probably not true, but it's a reminder that even those who have passed can influence us. By watching their footsteps we can move forward."
Keith was quiet, his eyes filled with the light of the meteors as they passed overhead. "Perhaps this is a sign then. Perhaps your ancestors are watching over us, preparing a path forward for us."
"Maybe." For half an hour, the meteor shower continued, before slowly dwindling to nothing, and the sky grew inky and black once more, as though the stars were too shy to come back out. "You should try to get some sleep. I'll watch the fire until it's embers."
"Alright. Goodnight."