The Wandering Isles: Session 68
Eldrin held the unconscious Chicken close, his hands steady but his mind reeling. There was something profoundly calm about it, a peace that washed through him like sunlight filtering through leaves. Whatever had changed in the little fox, it brought him a quiet strength he hadn’t known before. Even so, his thoughts wandered to Weslyn, who had been thrown against a tree in the chaos of the night before. He worried, though he tried not to show it.
Amaedrianna returned from a sweep of the area and reported that all seemed safe, urging the others to move before that changed. Hatsu, still on edge, mentioned the eerie bell they’d heard the night before. Perhaps it had something to do with Chicken’s transformation—its fur now a glowing, angelic white. Amaedrianna reminded them that Weslyn had sent the fox to them in the first place, an idea that lingered as they gathered their things and began their slow trek through Gatai.
The forest on Arbores’ island was alive, every sound and whisper familiar yet unsettling. Hatsu and Amaedrianna took the lead, finding a place the group had camped months ago. The others joined soon after, and together they began setting up for the night.
As they worked, Hatsu confided in Amaedrianna. He missed Ayame deeply, but found comfort in her presence, calling Amaedrianna a sister and a rare source of peace. When camp preparations began, the two took up their watch positions—Hatsu moving through the shadows, Amaedrianna soaring through the trees’ upper reaches. She hunted deftly, bringing down a deer without sound or struggle, offering a silent thanks to a “bee” for the meal. Hatsu, in turn, caught a rabbit from a nearby warren, which alarmed Dash given his previous encounter with a pack of them.
Eldrin tried to help but wouldn’t put Chicken down, until Hatsu, unusually sharp-tongued, told him to “get to fucking work.” Eos, meanwhile, drew her staff and conjured Ramiel, a fennec fox of moonlight that padded quietly beside her. Dash, ever curious, asked if she was afraid. Eos deflected, insisting she was protecting the group—specifically Eldrin. Dash respected the intent, though he saw through her walls.
Later, Dash and Eos puzzled over how Slate always managed to build a perfect fire. They quickly realised they didn’t even have a shovel, so they went to him for help. Slate and Hatsu were already preparing the deer and rabbit, their quiet competence filling the air with the rhythm of knives and steady hands. Amaedrianna set up the tents, finding shelter under a canopy of trees, hidden from the wind and backlit by where the fire would be. She built a subtle barricade of sticks and pikes, traps disguised within her careful defences.
Dash, trying to help, hit a buried rock and promptly broke Slate’s shovel. Amaedrianna sighed, mended it quietly with magic, and moments later Dash broke it again on the same rock. Exasperated, she hauled him up into a tree to keep him out of the way. When he climbed down, she ordered him to help properly. In the end, she dug the firepit herself, perfectly shaped, while Dash slumped in the dirt. When Slate returned, Dash pretended everything had gone smoothly. Slate pointed out there was no wood, and they began debating ways to cook without a flame. Hatsu offered an old Toshitsugu trick: burying food with heated stones to cook it underground.
Eldrin, still clutching Chicken, wandered off to gather deadwood, speaking softly to the fox and thanking the forest for what it offered. Dash also went searching, though his task turned grim. The forest fell silent around him, a chill cutting through the trees. Then came the sound of claws against wood, and a figure stepped into view—something from his past, something monstrous. It resembled a Rakshasa, and the sight froze him to his core.
Back at camp, unaware of his danger, Amaedrianna soothed the glowing Chicken, placing it gently into the den Slate had built. Its light brightened, stretching from fifty feet to nearly a hundred. Hatsu unearthed the cooked meal and offered it to Slate, sweetened with honey and sugar water he’d gathered from wild plants.
When Amaedrianna realised Dash hadn’t returned, she followed his trail and found him locked in combat with the creature. Dash tried to speak to it, to reason with something that perhaps once had reason, but it lunged. Amaedrianna joined the fight, her raven darting through the air to summon Hatsu. He moved faster than most could see, and soon the others followed.
The forest erupted into chaos. Dash was badly wounded, forced to retreat and strike from cover while Amaedrianna and Hatsu fought to shield him. They traded blows with the beast, weaving through trees and moonlight as the sounds of battle echoed through the clearing. The fight raged on, fierce and desperate, until the scene faded into silence and the session came to its end.
