Ernest considered for a moment. Something magical was definitely happening to the water, but they didn't have any proof that it was related to the creature. More importantly, it still hadn't tried to harm them, and she certainly wasn't sure that they could fight it. "I would still say we shouldn't fight it as a first idea. It hasn't harmed us yet, and I don't really want to see what would happen if we attacked it." A part of her wondered if it was as curious about them as they were about it. It seemed strange that it would stalk them for so long without attacking, if attacking was its intent.

"Let me try something," she said. She took a piece of jerky out of her bag and placed it a few feet in front of her. She then sat down on the grass to watch. "Perhaps if we offer it food, it won't think we're a threat. We might be able to understand more about it." Honestly, Ernest had to admit that she was very intrigued by this magical creature. She had never seen anything quite like it, and she was loath to kill it without trying to figure out more about it first.

The general consensus was to wait and see. Shiloh kept her ax at the ready, but lowered it. They watched as Ernest placed a bit of food as bait, and they waited to see how the creature would react. Shiloh didn't have her aura sight on, but she could feel something coming. It was getting closer, and she could feel her ears start to ring as the overwhelming magical signature was closing the distance. It was moving fast, but there was no sound of its footsteps. Gripping the handle of her weapon tightly, she tried to distract herself from feeling nauseous. Initially invisible, as it drew closer there was a shimmer and a blur. From the tall golden grass, the shape of something on all fours emerged. It was within sight now, and from where she stood she saw it as some kind of four-legged beast.

It had the body of a wolf, the head of a fox, the neck of a deer, and two long tails like wisps. Covered in fur that bore strong a strong indigo hue with glowing yellow markings highlighting its features, the magical beast set its eyes on the group. It was larger than a common red tail fox, but smaller than a wolf. Its steps slowed as it was now two meters away. Mebari froze at the sight of it, and Shiloh was unsure if it was out of fear or awe. "A spirit beast…" She whispered. The creature was not interested in the food Ernest had laid down, but began to size them up. The fish in the river however began to calm down and became still, like they were floating along in a trance. The horses themselves also calmed under the beast's influence.

A fantastical creature had emerged from hiding. Its pelt was like the night sky and the markings were bright like the stars. It was like a wild dog of sorts, but somewhat different. The medicine woman called it a 'spirit beast', and it began to walk about–observing the four of them. The magic from it was powerful, and it was like a cool yet gentle wind in the summer heat. The struggling fish in the river became calm, and the anxiety of the horses vanished too in its presence. What would a spirit beast have to do with them?

"Oh beautiful…should we ask why it has come?" Gale asked to the other three. She herself did not know how to speak in the tongue of beasts, but perhaps one of them could. She so very much wanted to approach it, but the stern-looking woman would likely keep her from doing so. Mebari began to clasp her hands and spoke aloud to the magical creature. "Oh wanderer of the spirit plane, I ask for your blessing and your vision. May your benevolence protect us against that which would harm us, and grant us your strength and swiftness." 

The beast watched as she requested its boon on their journey, its glowing eyes silently looking on. Its tails flicked, sending swirls of magical energy in indigo and gold into the air. The surrounding plants briefly shimmered with the magical distortion, as the wisps of light traveled to the river. It entered the waters, and the color changed to a golden glow. Then, in the blink of an eye, it was gone. The enchantment in the air lifted, and the glow disappeared as well. The fish were back to normal, and the horses acted as if everything had been fine.

The beast that had been tracking them finally appeared, and Ernest stared for a moment, trying to figure out what exactly it was. One of the girls - Ernest couldn't tell who, as she was facing the creature - called it a spirit beast, and asked for its blessing. Ernest watched as it flicked its two tails, sending magic through the air. Then it vanished, and all of the enchantment disappeared. 

"That was… very strange," she said at last. She stared at the space where the creature had been for a few seconds more, then shook her head and got to her feet. As an afterthought, she pulled out the two flasks she had taken before. The water in the first still shimmered slightly, and Ernest gave a small grin. She had hoped the creature wouldn't notice her sample of the water. She took the second one, with the fish in it, and opened it, releasing the fish back into the stream.

She looked up at her companions. "Shall we go, then?" she asked.

They watched the beast as it watched them, and thankfully it proved to be non-hostile. The magic it cast with the flick of its tails unnerved Shiloh in spite of the being's pacifying aura, but all it did was cure the river of its impurity and the fish as well. She finally began to breathe easy once it was gone. And she knew it was, as the overwhelming magic had disappeared. They were all silent for a while, until Ernest spoke up. "That was…very strange. Shall we go, then?"

Mebari gave a nod, and began to mount Lizaveta. "Yes, we must be going. We still have a ways to go before our journey is complete." Shiloh helped the fire-haired girl up onto the chestnut mare, and Mebari did the same for Ernest. The rest of the journey was surprisingly uneventful, but for Shiloh it was a welcome relief. They spent the night around a bonfire they all had pitched in to build, and the aurora shimmered more intensely than ever in the sky above. They must be getting close to the source, as the fire-haired girl had said earlier. Soon, the next day dawned and the grasslands changed to a more wooded area as they traveled north. The golden-tinged plants and leaves and cooler air signaled they were nearing Jasumin Lake, and the larger predators of the savanna were nowhere to be seen. The forest was becoming dense to where they could no longer see the mountains in the distance, but Shiloh was sure they were going in the right direction.

Taking a short break to let the horses graze and drink, she and Mebari discussed their objectives while the fire-haired girl took a nap beneath the trees. "So how much further until we hit the outskirts of the temple?" Mebari took a stick and drew a makeshift diagram of the plains, lake, and mountains. "We have passed through the plains and are now here," she demonstrated by drawing a line from the plains up to the lake. "–That should leave us with less than half the distance remaining to reach the temple at the foot of the mountains."

"So we'll either get there by sundown or by tomorrow afternoon, give or take. Fine by me." With that over, she went to refill her canteen and survey the area. Their supplies weren't running low, but if possible she'd prefer foraging from the surroundings and reserve their supplies for emergencies. 

She could feel it, they were almost there. That night the lights in the sky which the others called an 'aurora' were brighter and more vibrant than before. In her dreams the flow was stronger, quicker too. They were close, but to what she did not know. The other three were heading for a temple, so perhaps that was the origin of the sky-lights. While they stopped to let the animals rest, she wandered about idly within their range of sight as she explored this new place. The trees, plants, everything that grew from the earth–were golden like the horse the medicine woman rode. The air was cooler, and shade was more available. She had seen a place where the trees were such bold singular color, in red. The regions of this world certainly held many wonders, even for the simplest things.

She had picked up and found more of the shining magical stones in the grass. Holding them up to the sun, they seemed to emit a light of their own. With nothing to do, she took a brief nap beneath one of the great golden trees, slipping into slumber. The dream here was vivid. It was awash in golden light, from the sky to the ground. Colors of reds and oranges formed trees, rocks, and streams. The animals were swirling with colors, like the 'spirit beast' without markings. A perpetual cool wind lightly blew wherever she walked. The leaves that fell blew by like colored scraps of parchment and collected in piles at her feet. When she took one, it was thin like a stiff piece of gossamer. She then saw people, or figures of them come out from little homes in the trees, down from hovels by the hills, or from elsewhere. With baskets and sickles they would harvest some of the golden grasses and bring them home. 

Following one of them, she saw them take the grasses and mix them with water in large vats. Liquids of many colors were poured from buckets into the vats where they boiled and frothed releasing a floral but rich aroma. When they were done, the glowing golden liquid was drained through taps into smaller barrels and the barrels were put onto wagons. Some of them were given to other human-like figures as gifts of goodwill, others were traded for things like shining stones, boxes of things, and others that she couldn't recognize.

It was about half an hour when she returned from the dream, and awoke. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and saw the stern woman returning with some plants and fruit in hand.

Ernest watched quietly as the two girls discussed their travelling route. They seemed to have a good grasp of where exactly they were, unlike her. She usually spent most of her time wandering, not caring where she ended up. For once, though, she had a destination, and it was good to know that they would arrive soon.

The medicine woman stayed behind at the camp, so Ernest didn't feel bad about going to explore the forest a little. She slid off into the trees, cutting leaves from some of the more interesting plants as she walked, and trying to catch glimpses of the birds that fluttered through the trees. Climbing into the trees a little ways, she found a few feathers that she didn't recognize, and tucked those in her bag as well. 

She didn't realize how much time had passed until she looked up to the sky and saw how far the sun had moved. She scrambled down the tree trunk with a few fruits she had grabbed and ran back to camp. "Sorry I'm late," she said. "I lost track of time out in the forest."

Mebari gave a warm smile when Ernest had returned. Gale was also present as well, and awake. "There is no need to worry. The forest here is beautiful, is it not? Come, we will arrive at the end of our journey together soon." With all of them together again, they packed up and continued north. The trees became denser, and they had to dismount off the horses to lead them by the reins. Soon, the trees thinned and they arrived at the foot of the Baltil Mountains. A fantastical structure was tucked away in the side, looming overhead. However this time there was something different–namely three new structures around the Library Temple. The radiant lights of the aurora were coming from the beacon up above, confirming the fire-haired dreamer's words.

Mebari did not realize this was out of the ordinary. Turning to the other three she said: "We have finally arrived. Come, let us enter. I will be leaving with my escort to see the god of the temple and thus conclude my vision quest. Thank you for your company through this short-lived journey, Fox and Eagle." The medicine woman left the other two as she and Shiloh tied their horses to the trees and made their way into Tar Eisalae.  

It had been an incredible journey, for all of them. As the bear-shawl woman and the stern woman left to go ahead, she and the other whom Mebari called 'Fox' remained. "I too will go in as well. The river of light has ended here, and I wish to see what kind of place this temple is. It certainly bears little resemblance to any temple I have seen before." Giving a bow to Ernest, Gale began to look around at the three new structures present. A workshop of sorts, a mysterious labyrinth, and a great stage with seating for an audience. The dream-walker meandered around the area surrounding the temple, caught up in wonder.

The past few days had been a valuable experience. Trying at times, and even tense–but in the end all had gone well. Four strangers heading for the same destination, from different walks of life. Gale stared up at the beacon where the aurora was coming from, and stared at the undulating colors for a long time. "I must remember to write down what I have seen during these past days. Should Master Rashaad and I meet again, I would like to recount this tale with him."

As they walked into the temple, Ernest couldn't help but stare at the three new buildings. She hoped they were for the contest, which she was rather looking forward to. It was quite exciting to be here at last. 

The two figures with the horses left to go speak to Drae, and Ernest waved a goodbye to them. She turned upon realizing that the red-haired girl was speaking to her. She smiled. "Goodbye, then," she said. "Perhaps our paths will cross again." She waved to the girl as she wandered into the temple. Maybe she'd see them in the contest, if she made it in. 

As the three figures walked into the temple, Ernest realized, strangely, that she was going to miss them. Even though they had spent only a little time together, it had been truly enjoyable. She sighed and slowly followed them into the temple. It had been an exciting journey, but she had always known that even good times come to an end.