章 17: Alarm bells

The two parties agreed on their night watch as I was sat by the fire attempting to roast some small creature Mirabelle caught in one of her traps outside of camp earlier. Apparently it is common to forage for food to cut down on costs. Thinking back this makes the amount of snacks I brought somewhat useless. Glancing over I see Elyn eating another wrapped egg, so maybe not that useless then.

Apparently Mirabelle also was happy to stay up for the majority of the night for helping with the watch which surprised me, she explained that she was actually an elf, which for a moment got her a blank stare in reply. I make a mental note against being racist as I ask her what she knows about the other 'non-monster' races. She told me off lightly and said that they were called the cultured races, which I don't see the difference, but I suppose semantics is a thing in every world.

Apparently besides the dwarves and elfs there are also a few halflings, orcs and demibeasts such as lizardfolk and Tabaxi, Tabaxi also known as 'Cat people'. I say Elyns eyes brighten up when I mentioned it to her, she always had an affinity for cats specifically. I wonder if I could hire one as a carer down the line, it would help her learn how to speak this Necin too if she had a reason to learn it.

As I sit there at the fire spacing out, one of the mercenaries adds some fuel to keep it going while I'm still thinking. A fire usually means passion or destruction. But what most forget is that if a forest burns down, a new one will grow eventually. The seeds might get burnt, but they survive thrown into a new place. Along with other new plants getting a chance to fight.

I sit on the meaning for a while before sending Elyn to bed. Now most of the mercenaries are getting ready for sleep, but I don't find myself sleepy due to the last time I tried camping. Thankfully one of the mercenaries knows how to drive the cart so even if I sleep I won't be missed.

The night is cold, apparently the blankets I bought originally aren't enough, instead I decided to sleep hugging Elyn so she doesn't get too ill. She always used to come and sleep with me when she had nightmares and as my sister we never found it awkward, in the end she ends up hugging me with a small smile on her face while asleep as I keep her warm.

A quiet night, but also a cold one. The world I came to turned from green to white. While it is enjoyable to Elyn, it is hell to me with how cold it has gotten in the night. Thankfully the fire is still going so I ask them to keep it on for a while while I warm up. Apparently some of our water froze overnight too so we had to spend a bit of time fixing that anyway.

After packing up the camp I remember how when I was dragged here, it was around the same season in my country with all the lights being hung across town ready for December and the new year. I make another mental note to ask about seasons and calendars secretly at a later date.

After warming up everything and preparing we head off for the rest of the days journey towards the next town where I plan to buy many more blankets for Elyn to stay cosy in, especially while travelling. After asking the group I'm with, they seem to be fine if I was to also get a carriage for her to travel in and the price is well within the money I have left even if I was to straight out buy one. Both get added to the shopping list the moment I find a nice clean, warm inn. Along with a bath for the both of us.