On The Road To Aquilo

JP with Jaxx and Omni

Two horses plodded along wet terrain down recently made wagon trails heading northward to Aquilo. The journey across native migration routes would take a week at least and there was no plan on returning to Ostiarium soon so the horses were packed with extra clothes, supplies, and survival gear. The Arbiter made sure to bring incentives for anyone who turned in a creed member.
The spring grass was flourishing and fields were swathed in wildflowers after the latest shower.
Voah sat atop her dapple iron gray horse, her hair in a single thick braid laced with flox. Hunter sat aside on a horse of his own provided for his service to the Inquisition.
There would be no use for disguises in Aquilo. The settlement was small enough that the presence of Hunter and the Arbiter was going to be pretty obvious.
It did not surprise Hunter when Voah asked for him to travel with her to Aquilo since he was training under her. Hunter was a bit worried leaving Cora alone, but he had to work. He hoped she would eat and move around a bit till he got back. He made sure she had enough money and food to get by till he got back. As for himself had had his assorted weapons and full pack for survival. He also replenished his meat jerky that was hidden on himself and his pack as a back up ration. He planned to hunt and gather food along the way to extend their food supply.
The ride was quiet along the way as he was paying attention to the terrain and surroundings. He was wary of predators, bandits and any other enemy that might appear. It was obvious that spring was emerging with the colorful plants popping up. Though he did a bit of research into Aquilo he knew there would be a few surprises.
When they had some spare time, which wasn’t much, Voah asked Hunter to try out the bow and arrow. She had always been impatient with the weapon. Not that she was a poor shot, she would just rather be moving. And her lack of using it was going to make her rusty.

Hunter made it a point to hunt small game like rabbits and birds for several reasons. Cooking and leftovers tended to attract predators so he would bury the scraps away from camp. Now and then Voah would borrow his bow to test her skills. He found her skills acceptable and was glad she didn’t break his string.
The few times they did talk it involved Cambena, their travels or some small talk. They took turns on watch since they were concerned about predators. Since they were about three days out Hunter made sure to keep track of any fresh water to refill the supplies. He was concerned about the water supply in Aquilo. Voah performed a blessing on their water stores while dropping a few silver coins in and praying to Panolis, who was not one of the Pillars she represented but hoped it would protect them from waterborne disease.
While on watch, Hunter was concerned about a few things such as Cora’s health, learning about Cambena, watching for predators, the new soldiers coming in and the others who arrived. He was concerned that Duke Gett sent someone for his head. He was regretting not killing the Duke before leaving Helias but survival was more important at the time. Perhaps he was over thinking it but he could not afford to let his guard down.
They were three days out from the city and so far there was no sign of trouble on the road or camp other than a small pack of hungry dogs who followed the horses for a short time before breaking away to chase two wild rabbits who swiftly dipped underground into a burrow.
She smiled and thought of Gonyaul, wondering whatever happened to him. What a strange man. Boyish, but handsome, not much younger than herself. She still couldn’t understand how he could beg for mercy for his attacker. Should their paths ever cross again, she would try to learn more about him.
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When dusk came on the third day, Hunter and Voah found a quiet place away from the road to set up camp.