As Takuma anticipated, the feeling of hunger slowly disappeared from the stomachs of the two travelers after chewing on the spongy pulp of the hiringu turnip. Hearing the sweet sounds of the crickets and insects that populated the trees at night, they both lay down on the ground.
The omnipresent turf in the valley was as comfortable as a mattress, and the view of the stars in the clear sky was breathtaking. Especially someone who came from a city like Yoichi was not used to all that peace in contact with nature.
Gengo, the young tamer's frog demon, had found a damp spot under a tree. It had stood inside a kind of muddy puddle, dipping its webbed paws in and closing its green eyes. Within seconds, the Hikigotsu had fallen into a deep sleep.
Unlike it, Karasu, Takuma's demon, was still sitting by the fire. The scarecrow didn't have eyes and a mouth like everyone else, and it was literally impossible to tell when and if it was sleeping. The only one who could tell was its tamer, now lying on the ground with his head on his travel pack.
"The Demon Hunters will wake up at first light," Yoichi spoke, breaking the silence. "We have to leave before they do. Takuma, let me sleep for half an hour, then wake me up, and I will stand guard," the young tamer ordered. He intended to take turns guarding their makeshift camp, making sure no one got too close to their hiding place.
"All right, Yoichi. Good night then," Takuma replied, returning to his seat. The Grimbrook warrior gladly agreed to be the first to guard the camp. Receiving an order from Yoichi gave him a sense of responsibility, made him feel part of something.
The day before, he was fixing the roof of his house in Grimbrook, helping his mother and siblings; the next day, he was in the middle of the Valley of the Nothern Waters, hiding with a fugitive from Goldhaven on his way to a small village in the far north.
Smiling and breathing in the fresh air at the top of his lungs, Takuma thanked the stars in the sky for that unexpected gift. After a few minutes, he and Karasu got up to stretch their legs and look for more wood for the fire.
Being the eldest of his siblings and having lost his father at the age of four, Takuma had been forced to take over the reins of his family. His only mentor was Gompachi, who constantly moved from Goldhaven to Grimbrook. Because of his travels, Gompachi did not have the time to explain to his grandson how he could be a true man of the house.
Throughout his childhood and adolescence, Takuma had always shown himself to be strong and determined. He didn't care about village bullies, poverty, and rules. All he needed was to see the smiles on the small faces of his brothers and sisters.
His mother Emiko had raised, with his help, twelve children. Six boys and six girls, including Takuma.
Early on, he had learned that living in a village like Grimbrook, which was particularly rich in older people who had chosen to live out the last years of their lives in a quiet place, could have advantages. Takuma respected the elders of his village and had learned almost everything he knew about Tentochu from them.
The geography, the rules of survival in hostile places, the rules of distinguishing edible plants from poisonous ones. Each of the elders Yoichi had met in that old tavern had left something to the fatherless man, holding a deep respect for him.
With his faithful demon Karasu, Takuma had traveled north before but had never gone beyond the eastern edge of Bronzeforest. However, although he had not fought many times against other tamers, he had managed to evolve the scarecrow demon.
To do so, he had used his innate fighting skills against the wild demons that inhabited the surroundings of Grimbrook. Indeed, during the hottest nights, he sneaked out of his house and got on his horse, riding out of the village in search of solo adventures.
"Karasu, we've gathered enough wood. Let's go back to Yoichi's," Takuma affirmed in a low voice. In his hands, a good amount of dry shrubs fell from the branches of the tall oaks above his head.
Trying not to make too much noise or step on dry leaves, the Grimbrook warrior reached his sleeping friend. After stoking the fire, he sat down in front of the bonfire to warm himself.
That night was freezing, and it took Takuma longer than usual to warm up. He wore no shoes, and his feet were so accustomed to the harsh climates of the north that they did not suffer particularly. However, he was not used to sleeping in the middle of the valley, where there was no Bronzeforest vegetation to mitigate the harsh temperatures.
As the lids of his eyes began to waver from sleep, Takuma stood up, continuing to look at Yoichi. "No, I'm not going to fall asleep," he said aloud, speaking to himself. "I need to stay upright. Karasu, if you want, you can stay by the fire next to Yoichi," he spoke to his scarecrow demon.
*creak* - Karasu's legs creaked, and it stood up, faithfully following its tamer. "Uff..." huffed Takuma. "Whatever, but we're not going to stray. I just need to take a walk and stretch my bones," he added, stretching his arms and toes.
While Yoichi and Gengo snoozed blissfully, the barefoot warrior emerged from their safe little forest and walked until he reached the highest spot of the small hill that protected the tall oaks. From up there, the view was so breathtakingly beautiful.
Searching for possible dangers with his eyes, he fell in love for the umpteenth time with his Valley of the Northern Waters. The waterways flowed like silver veins across the plain, glistening under the moonlight. The same light reflected off the buttons sewn onto Karasu's face in place of its eyes.
Initially pointing at the view, those very buttons gradually turned around along with the scarecrow demon's head. It was not attached to the body through joints and turned 180 degrees, carefully staring at the area behind the hill.
*tk*tk* - Karasu slammed the tip of one wooden leg against the other, sending a rather clear signal to its tamer. Unable to make any sounds, the scarecrow demon had learned to communicate with Takuma in that bizarre but effective way.
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