Despite being still overwhelmingly angered over the previous night, Xanxus couldn't help but burst into a loud chuckle, finding humor in his friend's words and especially towards his own horse toppling over him. The entire company had stopped as a result, and in unison with Xanxus, some had laughed as well, though they made sure to keep theirs hushed unlike himself. He watched as Darrian struggled to pull himself from beneath the horse, sighing. "Correction; I was not beaten by a mere stranger, I granted them temporary solace. Though I've said there's nothing to truly gain from conquering a country with nothing but sand, I'm sure you might enjoy spilling some blood yourself."

Xanxus scratched his head, ignoring his friend's statement to dismount from the horse. "At this point, war with the Plegians seem inevitable, anyway. Might as well loosen up a bit, Darrian."

"Loosen up?"

The very angry Exalt tyrant snarled up at Xanxus. This was embarrassing... he had fallen from the horse and now everyone was laughing at him. And this one didn't give him his horse. Darrian crossed his arms and leaned more on his right leg, the other one that didn't get caught under the animal. He was in pain, but he wasn't about to say so. Not when everyone was against him. Grumbling under his breath, he stomped over to one of his own men and ripped him from the saddle, throwing him onto the floor. The sable horse snorted as he mounted it. His heels kicked into the beast's sides and made the horse gallop back over to Xanxus's side.

"I'm sorry, Xanxus, but it seems that you take this as a game." he told him bluntly. "I don't lay back and watch everyone do the work that I should be doing. I'm worried that Plegia's army is going to get their act together before we do, and being beaten by a bunch of barbarians is not on my wishlist." his voice was hot, scalding. Oh, how he hated this heat... he let out a "hyaa!" as he pressed the sides of the horse some more, making it sprint ahead. His men followed at a slightly slower pace.

Trin raised an eyebrow as Zaino motioned with his head that he wasn't in condition to go. Or maybe just no want to help. It seemed like the former more than the latter, but both were probably involved. With a sigh Trin tightened her fists, staring at the fire for a moment. She wanted to make a snide comment, just to bring up a sore and truthful fact. “Maybe... ” and she kept silent again. Turning away from the fire and the other companions for the time being Trin returned to their horses. She had seen her father head down toward the river with his fish blanket in hand, so she wasn't worried about food coming to them soon. The wait didn't help the growl creeping up her stomach however. Taking a small brush out from one of the saddlebags Trin slowly brought the brush down Talvin's backside. It was a relaxing activity she was tasked with to help keep their steeds happy and to give herself some time to think when needed. Thinking brought hunger right now, but someone had to stay awake. Be alert. If there wasn't someone who could do that then what could happen to them in the dead of night? Trin's eyes darted through the forest, a small chill going down her back as her hand continued to run the brush down Talvin.

---

Leon slowed his walked when Caius came walking up towards him so he could get his wine bottle back. They didn't have much food left, so enjoying what little drink they had may as well be shared. Taking another mouthful down Leon handed it to Tilhas. “No idea what it's made of. Maybe green apples? Either way, it was in a lord's mansion when we got it, so I assumed it was a decent brew.” Leon said with a shrug of his shoulders. When Lumara told Leon to get the wood he let out an annoyed groan.

“ Carrying the tool and the wood, am I? So, what made you pair join the Shepards?” Leon decided to ask as he knelt down to retrieve the first of many logs in the area while mumbling about it not even needing to be cut. Kindling shouldn't be a problem that night.

“Do they have some big party when you get initiated in? It'd be pretty boring otherwise I feel. Just walkin' and walkin' and walkin'...”

---

Talbot was quick to approach, as Neo hoped he would be. A mouthful of questions came from the sorcerer fairly quickly. Stop at a rock that didn't have any water hitting it that was a safe distance from the stream, Neo took out his two lightining tomes and placed them down. “Put any tomes you have here for a moment. You shouldn't need them for this part. The tricks I have... well, I'm going to see if you can perform them now!” he said, continuing his walk until his feet were almost in the stream. Looking down, he could see a couple fish swimming by every few moments. Perfect.

Neo turned his head toward them as they reached the stream, and apologetic smile on his face as he looked from Vellia, to Talbot, and back. “I wish I didn't have to wake you, but the others are either too injured or preoccupied to help at the moment. Both of you, I'd assume, would sleep far better with a decent amount of food in your stomachs, yes?” he said, gesturing to the material in his hand. Unwrapping the large bundle for a moment it became apparent that the item was a net of peculiar make. Rectangular in shape the knotting was tighter than most, leaving many more, but much smaller, holes throughout the net. The center knot from one side of the net had a wire as thick as a twig going through the weaves to the other side.

“This is a special net I procured from a ship my family sailed on for a short time. It's made specifically to catch small sea creatures. I modified a bit with the wire that now runs through it.” Giving one corner to Vellia Neo pointed across the stream, not ten feet away. “If you could hop to that side milady and pull the net snug I would appreciate your assistance. Then, using your sword, put the hilt through one of the holes close to the end and the blade into the ground and step back“ Handing the other corner to Talbot. “I need you to hold this end tight, with your other hand on the wire. I'm going to take the other end into the water so we cover almost the entire stream and repeat the process with my iron sword.” A wistful smile formed on his face. “If we survive that much work, the rest of the process should be easy.”

Taking his whole side of the net, Neo began to walk down into the stream.

”We don’t have parties. We just join the Shepherds and start workin’.” she told him, yawning widely as she looked at the floor. The woman caught sight of a nice thick branch and bent down to pick it up. She held it tightly in her hands as if it would prevent her from falling over, like a short cane. Lumara shook her head and glanced over at Tihlas. ”Though, we sometimes have parties. I remember that it was someone’s birthday and everyone was happy and crap before I passed out. This was before the shit that Darrian did, though. There was a wedding quite a while back. I wasn’t invited but I still went because I had nothing better to do.”

Caius grunted in agreement and continued to follow. Lumara walked in silence, bending down, staggering a bit, and picking up sticks for the fire. Why it was so cold here, she didn’t know. It was supposed to be scorching hot in the desert, and here she was, trembling and wanting to be by the fire! It made her frustrated. She had to be the one to go and gather firewood with this hunk of metal and this blondie. She looked up and tried to remember exactly why she joined the Shepherds. It wasn’t out of boredom, no…

”I joined the Shepherds because my other family, the Riders of Dawn, were slaughtered in a battle against another bandit group. I joined them because, believe it or not, I used to be a noble. Yes, I used to wear dresses. I dare you to go and mention it to someone.” she glowered at the two men and scowled deeply. ”My father was going to offer me up to someone in Ferox. Why he wanted to send me so far away, I have no idea. But I was not about to become someone’s trophy wife. No way. I rather put my head on Darrian’s own pike.”

---

Talbot blinked when Neo told him to set down his tomes. Oh? So they weren’t learning magic? He turned back to the rock that he had set his lightning tomes on and did the same. Thankfully, they were in his satchel, so no sand would get in between the pages. He made the bag lean carefully against the rock, paying special attention to, which was for him, the line between life and death, the many tomes in the satchel. He stretched before walking back to the stream, curiosity streaking over his face. Well, what was this? This was something he hadn’t seen before…

It was a modified fishing net. There was a wire spanning the length of it, and he gave one to Vellia and one to Talbot. He took it and did just as he was told. His hands gripped the net tightly and he watched the stream to see what would happen. Mmm, fish would be nice for dinner. I mean, better than the thought of eating rattlesnakes or lizards. I hope that they bring a nice, plump quail as well. Their eggs are delicious… he drooled openly, blanking out for a moment or two.

Or maybe a good steak. Medium rare, of course, leaking out only the slightest bit of blood. They were so tender… back in Ylisse, he would be able to eat them if he had enough bullions. But now, there was no cow in sight, and the only animals they had around them were wyverns and pegasi and horses. He wondered how they would taste like. From the look of it, the wyvern would have tougher meat and the pegasi and horses would be easier to slice open. Grunting, he shook his head, regaining his focus and looking at the net. No, he couldn’t think like that. It was inhumane!

”What’s the point of this?” the question came out blunt, but Talbot really wanted to know. This was no ordinary net. ”I mean, I haven’t seen a fishing net like this before.” maybe it had to do with something magic oriented? ”… does that wire conduct electricity?” he guessed, a frown on his face. If it wasn’t true, oh well. At least he could prove he had imagination. He blew a piece of hair out of his face and gazed at Neo, wondering what they would do next.

Vellia heard the person's command and almost had to ask for him to repeat it. She wasn't as alert as she would like yet and had to shake herself to focus. Then after a short yawn, she made an attempt at hopping to the other side of the brook, almost letting go of the net in the process. She didn't quite make it. Instead, she ended up landing in an inch deep worth of water. She let a out a small squeak of surprise as the cold waters splashed against her lower legs and stumbled, barely catching her balance before tumbling completely over.

She knew her face was red with embarrassment, and she figured from another point of view, the whole attempt may have looked immensely comedic. Vellia sighed as she drew her sword, weaving the net to the handle as instructed and planting the blade in the ground. She sat down, pulled her knees in, and hugged them close to herself. At least I'm awake now. I feel like such a klutz.

"Big party? No, those were only held on special occasions, or after successful missions, things like that. In fact it was during one of those parties that I... Never mind." He almost blurted something out that he didn't want to, his cheeks getting a little redder with embarrassment. To calm his nerves, he took a drink or two from the wine that the man handed to him. It helped to see the indignant look on the guy's face when he was to grab a log. Thinking that he might as well help, Tihlas found a rather long log and put on end on his shoulder and proceeded to drag it. It was heavy but he could handle this much without his injuries getting to him.

He heard the woman's story and couldn't help but blurt out, "You are definitely one of the more... wild people there are. Trophy wife... Yep, your a lot more free spirited that that." The bottle was half empty now thanks to the three of them, though the wine might have begun working with the rum, and if that was the case, it wouldn't be very long before it got to him.

"If you're so worried about lazing around and Plegia mobilizing its fighters before Ylisse can, which even then would prove futile," Xanxus let out a sigh as he rode his horse beside Darrian's, a bit surprised at his friend's ridiculous claim of Plegia having a nick of a chance against Ylisse in an armed conflict. Now, he understood why he frequently thought of Darrian as a blatant hypocrite, or an ignorant buffoon, at times. He wondered how Darrian could've forgotten that they possessed an army whose only equal was Valm; he had expected a different reaction out of Darrian, whom he knew as one who held a deep fascination for warfare.

"Then do something about it, Exalt. These Shepherds are not worth the precious time you could be devoting to bloodying the sands of Plegia; why not let us waste our time on them, instead?"

Darrian was pleased that he was at the head of the group. If he were in the middle of the men that were storming across the desert lands, sand and grit would be flung into his face. He leaned forward and enjoyed the speed and breeze that was hitting his face. Xanxus joined him, and he glanced over at his friend. He had a very sarcastic tone to his voice… ”Very well, we should do that, then.” he told him, glancing over at Xanxus. The Exalt was known to rush head long into battles, trusting his gut and not his mind. For what was he going to do that? It was his generals’ jobs to plan strategies. His blue eyes remained firmly planted on the horizon. One of his men galloped beside him and glanced at him dryly.

“Milord, spies report Shepherds in the area. Last seen in the Plegian capital.” He explained. “Left before noon. Slaughtered several of some novices. People were terrified.”

”Oh?” Darrian glanced at Xanxus. ”Which way did they go?”

“North, sir.”

”What do you think, General Xanxus?” Darrian asked Xanxus. ”I mean, you seem to have more knowledge than me. I never leave the castle, so I’m stupid. But you, Xanxus, are smart.” his voice was venomous, dry. He watched him with interest.

"I concur." Xanxus sarcastically agreed with Darrian; it was true that he rarely ever saw his friend anywhere but the Ylissean palace. He'd been surprised to see him when he had suddenly arrived at their temporary camp the night before, and the fact that Darrian still stuck around was even more appalling. He looked at the tattered sleeve of his shirt, remembering the grin that belonged to the person who had crossed swords with him, and lived. His true power remained dormant, though, and the last time one had seen it was the King of Chon'sin, whose title and life he had claimed years ago. It was a remarkable feat how men could live such uniform, meaningless lives.

"What else would be done? We pursue them, obviously." Xanxus said in a mocking tone. "Strategy is pointless; complicated and wasteful thinking over something doable in a linear fashion. Only scum 'plan' instead of taking action."

Darrian smirked when the other man said that they should pursue. Finally, some action. He would once again dirty his sword with the blood of his enemies. And, if he was lucky, he would end the Shepherds that night. He would finally sleep well, and he would wake up every morning well rested and happy. He would return to Ylisse where he would possibly pick a queen to produce his heir. And he would then train his heir to become a man or woman like himself... ambitious, aggressive, and strong. He would leave him in charge of all of the continents and die peacefully in bed. Of course, it didn't matter where he went next- whether he burned in Hell or flourished in the afterlife. He would have left his mark on the world already. His eyes rested north and, grinning, looked over at Xanxus. "I hope that you're ready to redeem yourself," he annoying picked on the fact that Xanxus had not won his previous battle, smirking in mischief but his eyes showing slight anger and annoyance at one of his best generals. "Because if you fail again, I'll make sure that your rank will be stripped from you faster than you can apologize. You'll be riding at the back at the group for years."

Perhaps he shouldn't have threatened him, but Darrian didn't give a fuck. He was miffed that Xanxus had failed him, even though it was one of his first times that he did. His second, actually. His first was allowing for Shepherds to escape the shadow of death. And now this? He huffed and edged his horse onward, heading north.

Xanxus' eyes, having been closed for a brief moment in deep thought, bolted open at the sudden threat by Darrian. He simply laughed, guiding the horse close to the side of Darrian's steed and taking him by the sleeve, struggling to not hurl the man off of their horse and to the ground. "I don't care who you are, nor what flashy authority I have in your little game of kings and queens; your privilege of my friendship and association is one easily severed, and one I never asked nor wanted. Your label of my mercy as a failure is clearly a theory beset by an ignorant understanding."

Xanxus spoke louder for the rest of the troops to hear, finding it more difficult to hold himself back from tossing Darrian off of the horse. If Darrian had sought to incite Xanxus, he had been successful, albeit with a different reaction than expected most likely. "If you would like, I will make your reign as Exalt shorter than your mother's was. I will put you and this entire incestuous, disgraceful country beneath the soil."

"So, would that be enough to redeem myself, Darrian?" Xanxus released his grip on Darrian's sleeve, transitioning back into boredom.

Someone grabbed his sleeve, and he turned to see Xanxus threatening him. Darrian snarled as he continued to cling to him, sitting up straighter and narrowing his eyes. Who the hell did he think he was?! He was the Exalt, and he was just some general. He had no right to threaten him. At all. But instead of running him through and slaughtering him on the spot, he stayed on his horse. No. He would be able to kill him, he was sure of it. Just... not now. They were hot on the Shepherds' heels, and they could not afford any battles in their own ranks. One day, he told himself, one day he would be the ruler of all of the lands, and he would be able to execute Xanxus, Lantus, and anyone else who stood in his way if he decided to. Xanxus quickly cooled down, seemingly bored as he rode beside him. He snorted, glowering at him. Darrian had no words to hiss back at him, for he truly believed that Xanxus wouldn't care if he cussed or cursed him. "Whatever. I expect you to be at your best when we meet the Shepherds in combat." he told him, The Exalt continued to gallop at the fastest pace that the horse could travel. He dreamed of this moment, the time where he would slay the rest of the Shepherds once and for all... they would beg at his feet as he would raise his sword, and then he would watch their blood stain the yellow sands. "If you see anything that is out of place, like smoke from camp, tell me." he told Xanxus as he looked around himself.

Travelling through a hot climate is one thing, traveling through a desert during the day is certainly another. So Misani was glad when the sun started going down and the air cooled, and the stars showed themselves overhead. She liked the dark, and the night, it was peaceful and also where she felt the most comfortable. Her stomach interrupted her thought as it growled, "Oh shut it! You took the last bread roll earlier today, I don't want any complaints now." It rumbled again, as though talking back to her and she sighed. Water wasn't a problem, she still had two full canteens worth strapped to her belt, and an empty one needing to be refilled.

Eventually her gut convinced her that she needed food, and she reached a small, forested area with signs of people traveling through and up ahead she heard talking. Yes, supplies she could take for herself. Being as quiet as possible, she got closer to the camp, making sure she couldn't be noticed by anyone that would be there. The tracks told her that there was at least 8 of them, but she was confident enough in her skills that she could get in and away unnoticed. Once she arrived, she hid behind the trees and brush, observing what everyone was doing and spotting their gathered supplies piled up towards the center.

She looked at their locations again, there were several places from which she could get in and out without them noticing. Misani picked one path and, upon making sure that no one was looking, made a quick and quiet dash to the loot pile. One of the sacks smelled of food, so she took out a small knife and quietly cut the ropes keeping it closed and peeked in to see exactly what she could take.

Ambra had settled down and detached the serpents and lizards and that one sandcat she had killed. They were all skinned and gutted, and now all that was left doing was cooking them. Borrowing a pot from a Shepherd and gathering some water from the stream, she set the pot over the fire and began to fill it with food stuffs. She cut the rattlesnake into small slivers, and then tiny chunks. She cut up several more and tossed each of them into the pot. After that was done, she pulled out some rosemary and lavender and put it into the stew she was making. It actually started to smell good, and she found her stomach rumbling as she cooked.

After a while, she tasted the brew and smacked her lips, surprised at the taste. It wasn’t just the spices- the rattlesnake was delicious as well. It had sort of a chicken-tuna taste, very much different from what she expected. The red haired woman expected it to have a strong, bitter taste, but it was much softer and tender than that. Everyone’s gonna love this! she thought, stirring the meal some more. Then she would put some of the lizards on spits and roast them as well. It was then that she knew how hungry she was. Her stomach roared loudly, and she rested a hand on it. Be still, stomach. You’ll eat soon.

It was then that she looked up, not having anything else to do except wait for the next time she had to stir. She found Talbot laughing loudly as Vellia dragged herself out of a stream, and a large wyvern and its mount, and two men gone. Zaino was still in the corner, silent, and Trina was brushing her horse. Then… she found someone rummaging through their supplies. Her eyes narrowed, and she recognized her as a thief. Naga, how she hated thieves. They were shady and sneaky and dishonest and untrustworthy. Pulling out her bow, she trembled as she strung an arrow. She didn’t like to fight, but…

”What are you doing? Who are you?” her voice cracked and she sounded meek, but there was anger and annoyance in her eyes. Her brows furrowed and she aimed the arrow at her. ”You’re a thief, aren’t you? Stealing our supplies? Don’t you know you’re stealing from the hungry and injured?” she snapped. It was amusing. Her posture displayed fear, anxiety, and uncertainty, but her eyes showed aggression. Well, that was Ambra for you.

Misani finally untied the sack completely, opening it up to find... feed, it was horse feed. Mentally slapping herself for such a worthy 'human' food, she cut the rope of another bag and had just got it open when she heard a voice behind her. "What are you doing? Who are you?" Misani spun around to see a girl with a bow and arrow pointed at her. Out of instinct, she drew her sword quickly and pointed it back at the archer.

"You're a thief, aren't you? Stealing or supplies? Don't you know you're stealing from the hungry and injured?" The surprise of having been discovered immediately went away when she noticed that the girls voice, posture, and eyes didn't match up. A smile slightly tugged at the corner of her mouth, she could get out of this, definitely. She had somehow forgotten that there were others nearby who would have heard the girl, and spoke sharply, "You don't look too hungry, especially with that stew you're making..." She slowly circled to the right, towards where the food was being made but making it look like she was trying to maneuver out of harm's way.

The woman thief looked much like a hungry wolf circling a kill being eaten by an equally hungry bear. A small threat; even if Ambra looked terrified, she wasn't about to let her guard down. Ambra trembled and shook, the sound of the arrow smacking against the bow making a soft clinking sound as silver rasped against silver. What would happen if she had some sort of secret weapon? She swallowed roughly, and kept the arrow trained on her. "This is the food for the rest. Not just me." she told her, trying to calm her nerves. Ambra, it's just a thief. Even a mere archer can take one down. Thieves weren't so great with attack and defense- they were better at stealth and speed. A worthy trade-off. She would have to be very careful, since she could be upon her in a moment. "Stay back! I'm not afraid of you... go back to whatever gutter you crawled out of." she trembled more and more then, realizing that she had just insulted this thief. Did this thief's appearance signal other arrivals? She knew thieves adored scouring the battlefields in search of treasure, even when the battle was going on...

"I'm telling you, back off!" she said in a higher tone of voice. "I... I will shoot!"

"This is the food for the rest. Not just me." Misani had just gotten the pot of stew between them, "And? You seem perfectly capable of getting more." She slowly reach with one hand towards the food, "Stay back! I'm not afraid of you... go back to whatever gutter you crawled out of." Misani froze, the confident smirk that was on her face disappearing in the same instant as she looked straight into the archer's eyes, and with venom in her voice spoke, "And what do you know about my history or home!? What do you know about me!? Do not put me together with those worthless pickpockets that claim to be thieves!"

"I'm telling you, back off! I... I will shoot!" Misani simply narrowed her eyes at the girl, grabbing the handle of the pot and pausing, now thinking of whether or not she should take it, or dump it. "Then shoot! You coward!" And she took off with the pot, mentally scolding herself for not waiting until they were all asleep, damn her stomach.

Vellia heard the voices, thinking it was just a simple argument between others of the company, but . . . no, there were warnings . . . then threats. This couldn't be just between Shepherds. She looked up and, noticing a female running away with . . . was that their pot of food? Vellia didn't even hesitate to hop to her feet, jumping completely across the stream this time, and ran at full speed, drawing her blade in the process.

As she noticed how much their archer was trembling, Vellia knew that she would not be able to fire the arrow with good aim. "Don't shoot!" Vellia shouted, running past the girl and chasing down the thief. It wasn't a hard chase. Someone carrying a heavy pot of food and trying not to spill hot stew all over herself tends to not run very fast. Even then, though, it took everything inside of her for Vellia to catch up. Vellia skirted around the thief and stopped in front of her, aiming her sword at the thief.

"Stop!" Vellia demanded. "That's not . . . yours to take," she said between heavy breaths. "If you wanted food . . . why not . . . just ask for it? We aren't like the Yllissean army, you know?" When the scent of the stew trailed her way, Vellia's stomach growled audibly. It smelled delicious, and Vellia imagined that it would taste better than any meal she had had in a long time.

Ambra narrowed her eyes and scowled, a very unusual sight for the russet haired woman. But this woman was getting on her nerves. She was a thief trying to steal their supplies, and she was going to chase her away. The thief walked until the pot was in between them. She was planning something... Ambra nearly jumped out of her skin when she ripped the pot from the fire and took off. Squeaking, she readjusted her aim, and, closing her eyes, prepared to strike. She would have if Vellia wouldn't have run past her and told her not to shoot. Ambra gazed after the two, seeing Vellia stop the thief and say something to her.

Now, Ambra never got angry, but she was truly pissed at the moment. Her brows furrowed and she pouted childishly. Even that was an amusing sight. She trotted up to them and huffed loudly. "That was really rude." she told the thief, the frown still on her lips. "She just snatched that pot without even asking! And she would have taken more if I hadn't stopped her." her eyes flicked between the thief and the woman. "Maybe she's a Ylissean spy that is supposed to poison our stew? Or maybe she was sent by Darrian to make sure we starve?" paranoia was gripping her once more, and she trembled.

"Vellia, we aren't actually going to trust her, right?" the question escaped her lips before she could stop it.

Misani did notice the other woman coming towards her, and thought she could easily outrun her. So it came as a surprise when the woman suddenly appeared in front of her, causing Misani to skid to a stop and make the pot swing into the back of her leg, burning her skin where it hit. She tensed up, pain and surprise evident on her face for a moment. "After I just stole it, you are telling me to just ask for some?" She shook her head and disbelief, no way they would act like that.

Misani jumped to the side when the archer closed in, not about to let them surround her. She turned her back to the forest, sure that no one was in there now, and pointed her sword towards the pair. [b]"Ylissean spy? I'm a thief, I don't work for some rich prince that couldn't tell the difference between his hand and a wyvern's arse! I do what I want on my own..." She had started doing a slight limp, now, as she back slowly away from the two.