“The Bitan have a saying,” Ezak said, “with the rain, one Bitan is three. With the ocean, one Bitan is five. With the home, one Bitan is ten.”

“I do hope you introduce me to the rest of your triplets then,” Ares said as he chuckled.

The rain continued, much heavier than the day before. It even blocked out their vision for anything even a minute’s walk ahead.

“We picked one hell of a day to head back to Rivea, huh?” Ares glanced back towards his group, who were luckily under his little umbrella of protection against the water as Ares was manipulating a small area around himself. “I say we picked a hell of a day, but it is what it is.”

Ares hadn’t actually picked the date, he wanted to remain a few more days, though they had quite easily seen through the fact that he wanted to delay the return home in case he could come across a reason to continue exploring the West.

Kask was leading everyone forward. In the distance lightning crashed down, yet thunder never followed. Ares wondered what kind of supernatural phenomenon was going about in the distance to allow for such a thing, but as he was about to bring up such a question he was quickly shot down by Emerli, who grabbed onto his arm and pinned it against her side. She intertwined her fingers with his and Ares sighed, trapped with his sister.

He was about to make a joke about regretting adopting her into his family, but even as a joke Ares couldn’t manage such a thing. Instead he allowed himself to be whisked away to the East back to Rivea.

The rain continued for a long while, and the small group had to find themselves some shelter. It seemed as though that the Reptai were more than happy to embrace the water, along with the singular Bitan. They were having quite the field day, although it did reassure Ares. After all if it rained so heavily during a battle he could trust in the Reptai and Ezak to cause quite some havoc on the enemy.

Teorn put up a pot of food to eat as the Reptai ate the raw meat that they carried with them. Ares carried quite a large bit of food for them, but the Reptai wished to keep some of the food on themselves in case something were to happen on the way to Rivea.

Considering Ares would come through the land where the lionfolk seemed to be warring, he was pretty happy that he had the Reptai with him especially with his weakened state. He wasn’t growing any more powerful with the passing days, so he remained nearby his allies almost at all times. He wasn’t able to shift and fly off, not that he didn’t have the ability to, but Emerli and Saykkera wouldn’t let him out of their sight. Saykkera had taken scouting duties in his stead and so far it seemed to work out for them.

Saykkera landed down near them and walked over to beside Ares to eat. She said nothing, as she always did, and apparently that meant that nothing was wrong. At least that was what Ares assumed since nothing had happened whenever she acted in such a manner.

“The tracks have been washed away in the rain,” Kask said. “We will be unable to truly know what we may face.”

“Meaning… we could meet the wyvern?” Ares said.

Kask nodded his head. “If the wyvern appears, we may be safer with the Reptai nearby. I do not believe we will meet many threats on the way. When it rains the world halts in a manner,” Kask looked over to Ezak, “our world that is.”

“How comfortable do you feel within the rain?” Ares asked Ezak.

“It is as though a blanket of hope surrounded me,” Ezak said. “It reminds me of the home I once had. Even now I can smell my mother’s cooking, the same gushara herb that she placed over my food whenever we were celebrating a festivity or a reason of merriment…” Ezak looked out to nowhere in particular.

Ares nodded his head. He, perhaps more than anyone here, understood what it meant to leave your life behind and enter a new, strange world.

“I won’t forget what you gave up to come and join us, Ezak,” Ares said. “Unless of course you’re a spy, in which case I’ll be quite sad, but I won’t be so bothered. Any Rivean is allowed in Rivea, and you and all the Bitan are about as Rivean as any of us by Rivee’s will. The same with the Reptai, though it seems they don’t want access to such a thing for the time being.” Ares chuckled.

Ezak nodded over to him and then returned back to his food. He ate the meat quickly and then sipped at the soup slowly, as if tasting every little drop of it. He noted that Ezak left not a single drop as one tended to do when drinking soup, he would make sure his plate was licked clean. He would even wash his plate, after all the small bowl was one that he had brought from his own home. He had carried with him whatever military gear he had possessed.

To think he had come to Ares and joined him on his journey without any other trinkets that were no doubt going to gather dust at home. Ares looked down at his own bowl and then to the others. When he continued to force his people to the West, he was depriving a few families of such wonderful people.

Ares sighed.

He had much more maturing to do. He continued to eat slowly, though the soup no longer tasted of anything. He was sure it was delicious, his tongue told him as such, but he was too lost within his thoughts to properly taste it.

He did, however, notice the stranger that had appeared as though within a flash of lightning.

The stranger was adorned within all black, and Ares could barely make out their face.

“Hobbon,” the stranger said.

Ares’ body move by itself.