In the end, my journey took two full days, after all—but not because I was too slow, or because I slept a third of it, but because the farther I went, the more humans I met. To protect my secret, I had to either kill them all or hide, and since killing wasn't very secretive by definition, my choice of options narrowed to one.
Small human settlements were a marvel to look at, with their dried grass roofs and so many fat humans and animals inside. Tamed animals—and so many of them. Some looked massive and intimidating, with their curved horns and heavy bodies, while others—like the small speckled birds—must've been kept for meat.
I smelled that meat being cooked in their houses, with more food scents that were unfamiliar and so, so tempted… Oh, be damned my mission. If only Devourer knew how close I was to forfeiting it entirely at that moment… But I caught myself.
What luck