4.1

Rey's eyes were wide open, and they were not looking to the sides, the forest or the sky, but were fixed on his father. He thought that none of the others present had left unfinished business on the other plane, that perhaps that was the reason they were happy and his father was not.

Ehimus, chewing with her mouth crammed with the plants and flowers of the place, said:

"I'm excited, seeing so much green brings me so much happiness that I don't need a house to sleep in!"

Mijan, showing the ghost of a smile on his face as he watched the half-empty bag of the group's treasurer hang, replied:

"You're right, "Green". The white aura of the place is to my liking. The tranquility and ambiance is more than someone like me could ask for. I didn't want to abuse the hospitality. Besides, it's not like we have a lot of money. In order not to inconvenience, it would be better to camp here while I responsibly look for the best way to double and triple our capital."

The Wise Magician, tainting the expressions on his wrinkled face with suspicious intrigue, added:

"Here, the night does not pass in the same way as it does on other planes, much less the one from which you come and to which you are accustomed. I insist that you follow the path and arrive at your assigned residence. You do not have to worry about money or any form of payment, believe me, it is my pleasure to provide you with everything you need to have a pleasant stay. If you should happen to need my services and cannot wait until the lights come back on, you can find me in the sanctuary at the beginning of the lake you see there. The waterfall of "Destiny and Knowledge" on the Great Knowing Rock is my humble abode. This whole area belongs to the feline guardians you saw earlier, so on your walk try not to disturb the young or their mothers."

Changing his tone along with the expressions on his ghoulish face and showing cheerfulness he continued:

"Until the next dawn, my dear tenants" Fading his silhouette, he made known the last detail that, not because it was less important, was almost overlooked.

As soon as the old man left, Mijan repeated the phrases that had troubled him most:

"Here, the night doesn't pass the same as on the plane we came from... Oh, yes, yes, yes... Of course it does. It makes sense, not that I see a sun or a star to provide us with light. Since we don't have to worry about money, I think it's worth taking your advice. There is nothing better than what is free."

Heroclades discreetly walked over to where the elf was standing and asked her:

"Green one, can you sense the presence of anything else but these striped beasts?"

Ehimus answered as soon as she finished adorning her garments with the flowers and vegetation of the place, even making herself a crown:

"Yes, but, at the same time, no. Very ephemeral, as if they were not on this plane... spirits. This place is very weird, if I could describe it it's like a spider's web. A gigantic circle filled with spirally woven curved filaments that make up countless bristles. Agh! It is very difficult for me to perceive the presence of non-hostile entities in a place as complex as this, but we are definitely not alone. Many with the rank of god sleep under the ground. Just as many individuals in the vicinity who have the nature of fairies and the odd other entity I've never sensed before."

"Like which ones?" asked Heroclades.

"A dullahan, dwarves, white witches, scholars, I suppose the odd hero and many humans" Ehimus replied.

"Hmm, interesting" changing his attitude, Heroclades continued. "I guess we'll have time to meet the neighbors... The journey has been long and these tired bones of mine are already looking for where to sit. Besides, in what paradise are there no women, alcohol and glory that those who have arrived are not worthy of!...."

Rey listened to everyone talking and celebrating as they started to walk. The little boy that no one ever saw looked away from his parents, especially from Wulfgang's face. A sad and tired face of someone defeated, even after having achieved a victory. Something intrigued him very much. Doubt that, like fire, was growing inside the little boy. Curiosity that burned inside his body. Rey also felt that the most important moment of knowledge was near, the reason in which he would discover the reason for his journey into the past.

Walking down an already well-worn path along with the others, Katherine stopped and let the pair pass her. The muscular vampire stopped to look in the direction of one of the many gigantic burrows inhabited by the beasts, large and beautiful, who were the masters of the place, as the old man with the black complexion had said.

Rey stopped and looked to see that, like the first attackers, these large animals also had the same four-footed form. The difference was that they had white fur with black stripes on their heads, backs and tails.

The vampire, who was walking last, together with the little white-eyed one, looked across the lake. In the gigantic pool that seemed to transit the brightness of the place, the water, so pure and crystalline, could be confused with the liquid light that was concentrated there. The two attentive onlookers overcame the brightness and focused their gaze in the distance until they could distinguish how the gigantic beasts came out of the lake. Then they shook their bodies energetically and started on their way after picking up with their mouths what they had left on the shore.

As soon as Rey tried to turn his attention back to his parents, who had already gone ahead, one of the black beasts appeared out of all the white ones. That one, although different, was the same size and walked the same as the others. The reckless animal approached the shining water as the others did, only this one left on the shore of the lake the body of a dead person it was carrying in its mouth, just before it went into a slow plunge into the water, which seemed to be the very day of the place. The beast disappeared from the view of the spectators. She swam back and forth. Sometimes subtly, also aggressively, but only when the brightness of the water was infected by black, before the eyes of the little one, the big thing turned white, as all the others were white themselves.

"A camouflage so they won't detect it in the dark" the vampire said quietly, sharing with herself her discovery and, of course, also with the little one that no one saw. "Ahh, the smell was familiar. It's charcoal they use so they don't stand out in the dark, where do they find the charcoal? It's weird because you can't see any fire or signs of smoke anywhere. Hmn?"

Although neither the color nor the size of the trees in the forest were anything natural... In the distance, the beast came out of the water at the same time it stopped being completely black. It shook itself vigorously and immediately picked up the corpse of a person and went to another place where similar ones of different sizes were waiting for him.

Rey watched and thought. He had understood that those who painted their coats with charcoal carried on their shoulders the responsibility of protecting and bringing food to those who stayed behind. Also that the food for those beasts could very well be any creature that was not strong enough to defend itself or intelligent enough to know how to escape. It all seemed to be simple to understand, but, suddenly, he began to see the world in a blur.

Water came out of Rey's eyes as he watched playful, energetic cubs from a den welcome the hunter of the group. The largest, which had the prey in its mouth, had been walking wearily, but not at that moment when his family saw him arrive. The beast had changed its behavior, perhaps to appear well and not to worry the others. It walked proud of itself for its achievement and, as if it had left all its problems aside, it gave its young the meat it had been carrying and had worked so hard to obtain. The gigantic animal left her cubs enjoying the delicacy to move on and put its head on top of the couple's back and embrace them affectionately. The two parents then lay down together to watch their children eat.

They were beasts that could not even be understood to speak to each other. They were beings that did not stand on two legs, that had no hands, and yet they had a family bond much stronger than the one Rey remembered seeing between his two parents. He thought he was sick when he felt salt water coming out of his eyes. He didn't like the feeling he was experiencing seeing other creatures with parents who got along well, who showed happiness and familiarity with each other. Rey was moved by not being able to have had that kind of experience. "And for what reason?" he wondered as he wrung his eyes.

The small, green-haired, green-eyed girl called out the vampire's name for the third time before running over to where she stood and taking her by the hand.

"Katherine, what are you doing...you must not stray from the group."

Rey turned his back to the scenery and, thanks to the squeals Ehimus was giving the muscular vampire, managed to collect herself a bit from her sentient state. When the little guy raised his eyes and could see clearly again, he saw that Katherine had one hand raised in the direction of the white beasts. It seemed that she had something to say and was going to lean on what her finger was pointing at. Katherine, showing her bias, added:

"I wasn't wrong! Fang broke the animal's tooth. The poor thing has a fate worse than death awaiting it! A hunter with a missing tooth will not be able to get food on its own, it will be hopelessly doomed to starve to death. What if it has a family?! Or if the mother is forced to forage for food? What will happen to the cubs? They will be left alone!" With every word a whole storm of doubts was unleashed in the vampire's gaze, who was usually unexpressive and acted as if nothing mattered to her.

Ehimus expressed on her face that she understood the vampire's point:

"Coming from where you come from makes you a natural animal advocate. I, as the queen of the forests and nature that I am, will grieve and cry over the miserable death of an animal that was only looking for food for its family. I can understand you and give you every reason in this regard, but if I regret anything, it is that I was not resourceful enough to be the one to take the reins of the situation and solve it my way. Besides, Wulfgang is the shield of the group, as are you. Whether it was good or bad, it was the decision he made."

Katherine replied:

"A coward's decision, I'd say!" she stated as she folded her arms and puffed out her chest.

Ehimus, somewhat irritated, let out what was itching on her tongue as she pointed her index finger at the vampire:

"And what decision did you make?"

Katherine didn't know what to answer, but before she could open her mouth she was cut off.

"Yes, that's the difference between you and him. You're less than a coward. I learned a long time ago that it's no good insulting those you follow because you're insulting yourself."

Katherine looked at the little green girl as if her eyes were flaming flames. She was silent, but her hand seemed ready to brandish the large cross-shaped sword hanging from her back.