*Eldovian Era 1714, 18th day of the 3rd month*

They'd actually encountered signs the Tribes after over a month in the Hava Rastellan. Though usually from a distance. The one time they'd actually interacted with a Tribe, it had only been long enough to pay them a small fee for refilling their drinking canteens in the lake that rest beside their main camp.

Through that month, Aegin had begun to teach both Tigin and Rima how to use his throwing knives. He also endeavoured to teach them a few self-defense moves. He'd drawn the line at his short swords though. No way was he letting them near his biggest swords until they knew how to wield something like that without hurting themselves.

When Rima had heard that excuse she'd been offended and insisted on him teaching her. Aegin had promptly put a stick about a finger in diameter and a metre and a half tall, and told her that when she could cut clean through it with the throwing knife without moving or dislodging the base half, he'd teacher her with the swords.

After a few tries, Rima was frustrated and needed a new stick. Aegin & Tigin didn't have to keep chopping firewood either.

"This is pointless!" Rima had snapped after a week without success.

"It's not," Aegin replied, "You need to apply enough strength, you also need to ensure the blade hits it at the right angle. Until you have enough control to do both of those, you have no business wielding a bigger blade".

"Surely the blade should be heavier," Rima huffed, at this rate I'm more likely to split your knives that the damned sticks".

"My knives are fine," Aegin said, leaving the rest of the sentence unspoken. Rima had muttered angrily before she'd turned back to the stick.

Aegin flicked the knife from his wrist and it landed with a thunk in the tree stump he and Tigin been aiming at for the past hour, "It's all in the wrist".

"I do not think throwing knives is my profession," said Tigin.

Aegin sighed, "Well, I certainly wouldn't volunteer to stand in front of your target".

Tigin smiled in self-deprecation, "I would request a new executioner if I was stuck with Rima. She wouldn't be able to take my head off in one hit and I'd be stuck half-decapitated for a few moments while she heaved up to swing again".

Aegin chuckled at Rima's expense. Rima, who stood a few metres from them with her stick, spun to look at Tigin, "I cut clean through it the other night".

"You nearly did," Aegin stated, "You knocked it a few metres away where it smacked a rock and snapped the rest of the way apart".

"I'm still getting better," Rima said.

Aegin groaned. Teaching was so exhausting. He'd probably only survived it with Ebony because he only saw her once a week, and he'd been human at the time so her improvements hadn't seemed so minuscule. Now, watching every moment of Tigin and Rima's progress, he was reminded of how slow and repetitive training could be, "Urgh, that's it, I need to run".

He stood and stepped away, "Keep practicing, I'll be back in an hour".

"But-"

Aegin disappeared in the next instant.

"I really wish he'd stop doing that," Rima said, "We can't be that bad".

"You saw the same demonstration I did, right?" asked Tigin as he stood and walked to the stump, working the three knives from the stump and picking up another three that had clattered to the ground, "He made it look so effortless. Every time. I'm embarrassed every time he has to demonstrate again".

"Well, what was it he said after a week and we were getting frustrated?" asked Rima.

"That we're only human?" asked Tigin.

Rima frowned, "Does he realise that the way he says it is more infuriating than reassuring?"

She swung at the stick before her again

"Of course not..." Tigin said, "But you're easily infuriated so..."

Rima swung wide as she turned back to Tigin, "That's not fair, you-"

Tigin just smiled back at her. Rima blushed, pouting angrily as she crossed her arms, "Shut up. We can't all be balanced, passive, giants like you".

"Well no," Tigin agreed, "It'd be pretty boring if we all were that way though, wouldn't it?"

Rima couldn't help but smile, "Come on, the sooner we get this, the sooner he'll start teaching us something more exciting".

She turned back to her stick and Tigin turned back to the stump.

Taking a breath, Rima drew back and swung the knife. But rather than hitting the stick, the ring of metal on metal rang out, and the resistance that Rima felt was suddenly pushed back at her The knife was thrown from her hand, and she spun towards the culprit in shock.

He was not nearly as big as Tigin, but his skin was just as dark. With eyes that appeared red at first in the low glow of the fire behind her before she realised he was wearing a sort of circlet on his brow that cast a red light over his eyes from the thin rubies embedded in it. His eyes were in fact an amber shade, his jaw strong. He had long black ropes of hair that were held back from his face by the circlet, and tied stiffly down his back.

His clothing was simple and typical of Tribesman; a tight, wrap-like top that was thin enough to breath but thick enough to protect his skin from the sun. His pants were tight on his hips and ankles where they met his boots, but loose and baggy everywhere else. His arms were bare apart from the leather straps there that typically would indicate his standing in the tribes and his personal achievements. This man had three on his right, and four on his left. The left ones were simply leather braided in different colours and patterns. The right ones had attachments. A small ruby in the top one, a feather hanging from the middle, and a pair of snake fangs on the bottom one.

He moved his sword beneath Rima's chin.

"Curious, the little game you're place with a knife and a stick, though it doesn't appear very useful," he said, his voice deep, but not as much as Tigin's.

Rima risked a glance over at Tigin, who stood with a man in similar dress on either side of him, one with short-cropped hair, the other with his hair in a plait down his back.

"What is your purpose here?" the man threatening Rima asked. Rima snapped back towards him.

"We're looking for a Tribe," said Rima, figuring honesty was the best policy, "My mother's Tribe".

He raised an eyebrow, "You do not look like a Tribesman. More like those half-blood Triads".

Rima frowned. He'd said it like she was dirty.

"So what? We're still half Tribesman," Rima replied.

He smirked, chuckling lowly, "Tribesman are born in Tribes. They live in Tribes. You and your friend appear to be familiar with neither, or you wouldn't have crossed through territory that is spoken for so uninhibited".

Rima sighed. Realising that without Aegin, they really were pretty defenseless, "What do you want?"