Timaeus was honestly a bit surprised at the reaction to him suggesting that they offer part of the rabbit as a sacrifice to Artemis. Granted, neither man seemed to outwardly oppose it… they just seemed to be taken off guard that it was suggested at all. The Valaoritis lord frowned slightly at that, suddenly worried that he had done the wrong thing. He was relieved, however, when Nike lopped off bits of the rabbit that was almost useless to them but would be enough to appease the gods. Timaeus hoped that the goddess would be happy with the ears and feet of the animal though. The group needed all the divine support they could get, after all.

When Vangelis spoke up and suggested that the mountain lion was the sacrifice instead, Timaeus couldn’t help, but laugh. Certainly, the animal was big enough for such a purpose, but the thing was in such sorry shape that he doubted that even in its burned form would the Gods be happy with it. That much he made clear through his own quip back at the Prince, “ I don’t know… If I were her and I was given that pitiful thing that couldn’t even catch a rabbit if the thing was dead and dangling in its face, I’d be a little upset too.” It was a nice turn back to the conversation about Vangelis earlier, furthered only by the continued joke by the boy, “ Seven Hades, she might be so mad at us for giving her such a horrid animal that she might show up and demand that we hand over Vang here instead. At least he can hunt!”Timaeus was kidding, of course, but hopefully, the others wouldn’t take it seriously and would spare the kid a few laughs.

The almost jovial atmosphere was ruined though with the appearance of their missing comrade. Timaeus didn’t even notice at first that Lazaros had appeared once more as the sound of his approach was masked beneath the roar of the fire in his ears. He only became aware when he saw Vangelis shift towards the commander. Tim followed the movement with his own eyes, an instinctive action brought on by the years of military training, settling on the man who seemed decidedly more annoyed than he had been when the sixteen-year-old saw him last. Laz’s features were pulled down into a scowl and even though the young lord couldn’t tell if it was from annoyance or the bitter cold; the answer became clear enough when the Vlahakis man refused to catch Timaeus’s gaze.

Instead, Lazaros chose to speak to the General about logistic of spending the night in the woods that the rest of them had not considered: the safety of their steeds.

It was a fairly innocuous topic and something that would have undoubtedly come up during the night. Yet, that did nothing to stop the hairs on the back of Timaeus’s neck from raising the moment the words tumbled from the elder Lord’s mouth. The boy knew instantly that Lazaros had no intention of being the one to fulfill his own suggestion and instead, he expected Tim to be sent off on the task. He didn’t even need to catch the blond’s gaze, boring through him to know this. It was clear enough in his words.

Timaeus tried to ignore the sudden pang of fear that sprung up in his chest as he turned back to the task at hand. He knew full well that if he was sent back to watch after the horses it was unlikely that he would return to see the completion of the hunt. Not only would the chance to prove himself be stolen from him, but he’d have to return home and explain to his family that he had made the contributions of a servant if he was relegated to staying with their horses. He did not travel so far from home for that. Seven hades, he’d rather die that moment than allow that to happen. So, he acted disinterested in the conversation at hand in an effort to avoid any more attention being sent his way.

Luckily, it seemed to work as Vangelis instead gave the task to Lazaros. Timaeus was so taken aback by this turn of events that at first, he honestly thought that he had misheard the prince. After all, as much as the Valaoritis lord did not want to leave, he knew that he was the logical person to send on the task. He was the youngest person on the quest and therefore the least experienced of the lot. On paper, the group would do better if it was Lazaros that stayed at camp. Yet… the Prince had deemed him as more worthy of remaining with the group.

Timaeus had to duck his head to hide the grateful grin that had blossomed on his face as Lazaros gathered the supplies he would need for his trek back through the woods. (The boy was especially careful to not meet his eye so that the joy he felt would not be misinterpreted as him gloating over this decision.) It wasn’t too entirely needed though as the Vlahakis man left quietly without so much as a single comment to the rest of the group. The uneasiness that had settled over Timaeus earlier also left with the man, leaving the group in peaceful silence.

As the boy returned to the task of replenishing the group’s arrows, he couldn’t help, but glance up at the Kotas man with a puzzled look on his face. If Vangelis caught Tim’s gaze, it would be plainly obvious that the Valaoritis wanted to question the man on his decision; but not from a place of malice, but instead sheer curiosity. Tim wanted to know what had spurred Vang to chose him over Lazaros, but something innately within him told the boy not to push it. He was lucky enough to avoid being sent back to the horses. Timaeus didn’t want to give Vang a reason to reconsider his decision and send him after Lazaros.

Perhaps Timaeus could ask him about it another time… if it didn’t become clear to him through other means, of course.

However, it would be foolish of him to not acknowledge the decision in some way. Not to mention it would make him appear to be ungrateful for what Vangelis had done, which was the furthest thing from the truth. That much was made clear though Tim’s quiet uttering, barely loud enough to be heard over the roar of the fire, “ Thank you.” If either of his comrades were to turn to him during this moment, they might catch his softened expression, brought on by the appreciation he felt and the silent promise that it would not be a move that they would regret.

“ I... Uh... Can take the first watch tonight if you want.” He also tacked on at the end as the first showing of his gratitude for the other two men. Tim doubted that either of them would protest, not when they were all exhausted from the day of fighting snakes and mountain lions. Truthfully, he was not all that opposed to taking the first shift if it meant that later he would have an uninterrupted sleep.

Just as long as nothing happened during the night that is…

For what had been a most eventful day, it was mildly surprising to Nike that when she was woken up by Lazaros to take up the last watch for the night, nothing had happened over the course of the night that necessitated them having to pick up their weapons and fight. In fact, the most interesting that had happened was her having to watch a small, nocturnal foraging mouse get in a scuffle with another over a small seed they had found, before one had ran off squealing in indignation.

As the sun rose and the fire dimmed to just glowing embers, Nike wondered for a moment what would the day bring them. As it was, the day before had uncovered many... abnormal things that brought about even more questions then what they had when they had first started this hunt for that elusive bear that had been terrorizing Lyncaea. But having exhausted so many hours in this hunt, it seemed silly now to return empty handed to the hopeful inhabitants of Lyncaea, which meant they only had once choice now.

As the sun rose higher and one no longer had to squint to make out shapes in the dim light, Nike eventually took another swig of water from the waterskin pouch they had brought with them, before tossing the empty leather pouch on to the sleeping form of Vangelis, whilst she extended a leg to reach the toe of one sleeping Valaoritis young lord. Nothing like killing two birds with one stone, eh? 

Not exactly one to rouse someone sleeping gently, Nike had often went into the tents of her men in camp with clanging pots and pans, calling it a bracing wake up call that would assure her men woke up bright and alert, ready to take on the day - the only form acceptable for those in the military. And Timaeus was not spared.

Instead of a gentle nudge, she kicked at the boy's feet, not hard enough to cause injury but definitely hard enough to make sure he jolts awake, and gave them both a smirk as she poked a stick at the dying fire, currying up some warmth for the two newly woken up men. "Rise and shine, its time for some food and we've got a bear to hunt."

Given the events of the previous day, Timaeus was honestly surprised to see that the night had passed uneventfully. For the first few hours that he had been on watch, he had been half-convinced that every branch breaking out in the wilderness surrounding their camp was the mountain lion coming back for seconds. Or every rustle of leaves was the dreaded snakes tracking the group down to strike its revenge on the group that had dared to disturb its cave. However, these didn’t even hold a candle to how utterly terrifying it was every time that Timaeus couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching him as he tended to the fire and finally completed his laborious task of replacing the arrows that the group had lost. His mind had gone wild in the night with the possibility that those eyes he felt upon him were the bear that they were hunting; appearing at the camp to hunt them instead.

Little did the young lord know that these were the first signs of the paranoia that would plague his later years as a Baron.

It wasn’t all that unexpected truthfully, Timaeus had always been a worrier at heart. His training as a soldier had long ago drilled into him that he needed to be prepared for the absolute worst-case scenario at all times. That way he would be able to conquer anything that was thrown his way… if it did unfortunately come at the cost of his ability to relax. Timaeus always had to be on guard, he had to be on edge. That was why he was so worried about how much he was contributing to the group and how valued he was as a member of the quest despite his young age. He knew full well that the worst-case scenario for him here was him being kicked out of the group and sent home in disgrace as he was sure that in the other’s eyes he was little more than a child. Children had no places on bear hunts.

Nevermind the fact that Vangelis had proven that he was wanted on this quest. The prince had chosen him over Lazaros, after all. The Commander had clearly wanted to send Timaeus back through the woods to tend to the horses, but the Vlahakis was turned away instead. Even several hours on, Timaeus couldn’t quite believe that Vangelis had done such a thing when Laz had been the better asset… at least through Tim’s eyes. Laz was a commander and had a better rapport with the other men on the quest. Timaeus was a little sixteen-year-old greenling who had just recently earned the rank of Captain. Not to mention, Tim was the one who seemed to keep getting into trouble. He was the one who had slipped on the mountain path, knocking Nike down with him. He had been the one that had insisted on exploring the cave that turned out to be filled with snakes. He was the one who couldn’t hold onto his arrow when it counted most. Plus it also didn’t hurt that it had been Timaeus’s arrows that had failed to find their place in the beast. Vangelis may not have known that last bit, of course, but it still counted in Tim’s reasoning for why he just couldn’t seem to understand the decision that Vang had made. Was he worried that Timaeus might accidentally fall again or otherwise hurt himself? Or did the prince see something in the boy that Timaeus didn’t see within himself?

Why had Vangelis chosen him over Laz?

Timaeus had to know.

When it came time for Timaeus to wake up the prince for the second shift, the lord’s son had half the mind to ask him about it as soon as he had shaken the man awake. He had held back though, knowing full well that subjecting a sleepy man to an interrogation in the middle of the night was not the wisest idea. Plus it didn’t also hurt that it seemed that the moment for such questions had passed. So, it remained on the tip of his tongue and in the back of his mind as the two men switched watches and Timaeus finally settled down for the night.

Perhaps tomorrow might yield a better opportunity?

It took Timaeus a while to drift off as the question circling his thoughts and the hard ground beneath him made it difficult to finally let his mind rest. However, he had somehow managed to forget both and scrounge together a few hours of a fairly restful sleep. It wasn’t deep enough for dreams, which was a good thing as if anything were to happen in the night, he would be able to rouse quickly. However, it did mean that when the call to wake-up finally came, Timaeus was a little bit cranky, to say the least.

He was startled awake by the sharp kick to his shins. Instantly, his eyes shot open at the movement and he scrambled up into a sitting position. His actions were pure fight or flight instinct and that much was clear to the others through his labored breathing and flushed face as looked around for what had hit him. Truthfully, the jab was sharp enough and his paranoia was so strong that he thought that he was awaking to the third attack upon the group since the quest’s start. To his great relief, though, the only enemy in sight was the smirk on Nike’s face as he clearly took joy from Tim’s startled expression.

Once he realized that there was no danger, his sore muscles slumped forward as they cried out for a few more hours of rest. He knew that this wasn’t possible and his displeasure of having his rest interrupted was made clear through his angry grumble to the other men, “ That’s not funny. I thought we were under attack!” Of course, a statement like that would surely open up the boy to more ridicule, but Timaeus could hardly be blamed for that. He was a teenager. Teenagers were not known to take kindly to wake-up calls of any kind.

The promise of food, though, was enough to temporarily placate the boy as he watched Vangelis play chef for them all and cook up a stew to feed the hungry bunch. Timaeus was surprised to see the Prince jump into this role so readily, especially as he always thought of the royal family being able the rough and tumble tasks that other soldiers were subjected to. Timaeus knew that this line of thought was ridiculous, of course. Vangelis had basically spent half his life on campaigns and like here, there was no palati kitchen in the wilderness. The prince surely had some camp experience under his belt, as strange of an image it was to Tim.

He didn’t need to dwell on this for long as after Vangelis had his fill, he passed the pouch of stew over to the boy. Timaeus eagerly ate his share of the meal, trying his best to not act like a ravenous dog as he scarfed it down. Once he had his fill, he passed it along to Nike to finish, trying to hide the light blush on his face as he didn’t realize how hungry he had been until the leftover meat was in front of him. Camp life certainly was far from the life of a lord, that was for sure and even though the chefs in his household would balk at calling the concoction that Timaeus had wolfed down a stew; it was, at that moment, the best thing that the young lord had eaten.

As a quiet lull settled over the group, the question that had been plaguing Timaeus returned. It continued to whir around his mind as he sat there, just like it had the previous night. That was until Timaeus couldn’t keep his curiosity down any longer and blurted out, “ Why did you send Laz back instead of me?”

The words tumbled out of his mouth before Timaeus could stop them and his eyes widened slightly once he realized what he had done. His hand rose to his mouth as if he could stop the words from being released, but it was too late. The boy couldn’t pretend to be unbothered about the decision any longer and he didn’t know yet if his curiosity was something that that Vangelis would tolerate. Though, any sort of answer would set his mind at ease somewhat. Timaeus just couldn’t wrap his mind around why Laz had been sent back.

Timaeus could only hope that Vang’s answer wouldn’t be the declaration that his decision had been a mistake and the young Valaoritis lord should pack his things to switch places with the Vlahakis man keeping watch at the Quest’s beginning.

As the camp of three came awake with the sharp and sudden startlement that often came with the environment, Vangelis was already strapping on his weapons and ensuring that he was ready to move. Speed was often the friend of hunters and efficiency even more so. When the youngest of the group came awake with a start and snapped at his disturber that he had assumed they were under attack, Vangelis spoke out in a manner that was unusual for him but also came with his permanent sombre and stoic turn of phrase...

"Wake up assuming you're under attack every morning and you'll live longer." He stated without sympathy for the manner in which Timaeus was disturbed from slumber. He didn't mention that this was especially true for when out and about and facing great danger - he simply left it as a universal piece of advice. It was the manner in which Vangelis had learnt to wake up and he spent so much of his time away from the soft sheets of his home that he no longer held a difference between battlefield mornings and those within the Kotas manor back in Midas. He slept hard and he slept in short bursts that could easily wake him at the first sign of danger. When he awoke, he was awake. There was no in between.

When the camp was nearly packed up, Vangelis was using the bottom of his boot to scuff out the remainder of their fire pit, burying the burnt cinders and charred earth beneath slips of grass and damper soil. It would ensure better growth when the greenery took the area back over and hide the scent of burning and cooking from all those who might be tracking them - human or animal. It was then that Timaeus came to him with a question that had clearly plagued him throughout the night.

The young man was desperate to know why Vangelis had chosen he over Lazaros to remain with the group. His stare was not complimentary as he turned a little at the query, his gaze landing on the young face of the newly appointed Captain.

"I like my biggest liability close enough to control." He told the man. His statement was blunt and his tone was objective - not cruel or critical. But the words themselves could not fail in telling Timaeus what he might have known but not wanted to hear.

Not willing to continue the conversation beyond the briefest of answers, Vangelis looked out towards where Nike was packing up the last of the supplies.

"Let's head out. We're going north." The smell that had been lingering in the air on and off throughout the previous day had started up again with the rising of the sun and now that they had lost track of the bear in question that had originally sparked this journey, he was determined to investigate. With little to go on within the woods, their could be little harm in exploring the most out of the norm element.

"Keep eyes focused for signs of the bear." He added. For there was no reason they couldn't change their direction if more obvious signs of the large mammal came to be sighted.

Striking out with a firm tread, Vangelis started up a fast and brutal speed that led the group further through the trees, up and down over crevices and hillocks within the trees and then towards an area that was more a climb than a walk, moving over outcroppings and rocky areas that gradually sent them higher and higher, the trees following them and growing out of the gaps and orifices in the sheer face.

Vangelis was right.

That wasn’t the answer that Timaeus wanted to hear.

Timaeus didn’t know what he had been expecting when he had spoken up -- some sort of praise that despite everything that had happened thus far, he was doing a good job? Was the Valaoritis lord out of his mind? He should have seen that he was too much of a liability to leave alone. He should have known that between the mountain lions and the snakes that it was far too risky to allow Timaeus to wander back to their starting point alone. Not unless Vangelis wanted to risk returning the sixteen-year-old to his mother in a burial shroud.

He could see the logic in it, but that did nothing to stop Timaeus from stomping about in a bit of a huff as they broke camp. He was hurt by Vangelis’s words, it was clear in how the overeager and borderline bubbly boy had been replaced with a sullen, broody teenager as the group followed Vangelis’s directive to head north. Tim didn’t utter a word during the whole morning, but he also didn’t do anything that would warrant Vangelis wanting to change his mind and send Timaeus back to tend to the horses. He was just a silent soldier, trying his hardest to not let the tumultuous feelings, whose intensity was only so high because of the hormones that came with his age, show.

Things became better once they made it to the hills and mountains that stood between them and the source of the foul smell lingering in the air. Compared to the other two, Timaeus fared the best with the mountainous terrain. He was like a little billy goat with how easily he was able to scamper up some of the near-vertical pathways, knowing just how to balance himself so he didn’t go careening down the mountainside again. It should have surprised no one on the Quest that this is where Timaeus felt most in his element as he had been literally raised among Colchis’s highest peaks. He had spent most of his life breathing in the thin mountain air and every game in his childhood normally ended in a race to see who could scale the cliff faces the fastest. Going up was not an issue for Timaeus, not in the slightest.

It was for this reason that Timaeus gradually made his way to the front of the group, just so he could move ahead and find the safest way to scale the rocks that stood in the group’s way. He was sure that it was something that the others may have been iffy on as the last time Timaeus had gone first had ended with him and Nike in a snake’s den, but Tim didn’t care. This was where he was useful and it was better anyway that he was given some room to move ahead so he wouldn’t be pestering Vangelis and Nike to move faster as they took a little bit more time than him to move up the tricky terrain.

So, because the boy was often just a little bit higher up than the others, Timaeus was the first to notice the small plume of smoke rising above the treeline. Given that the scent that had been hanging over the forest was now considerably stronger, it only made sense that the group headed off in the direction of acrid smell.

After traveling quite a bit, Timaeus was surprised to see that the smoke was not coming from some sort of forest fire or group of hunters like he had suspected; but instead, it stemmed from an entire mining town nestled up in the mountains. “ I didn’t know there were settlements this far out here.” He quietly hissed to Nike as the group fell in line behind Vangelis as they made their way through the town. He might have voiced this to the whole group, but the only reason he didn’t say anything aloud was that he had learned his lesson from Vangelis earlier. If he was smart he would not say obvious things or ask stupid questions. Not with a blunt brute like the Crown Prince around at least.

As far as settlements went the town wasn’t anything spectacular. Overall, the town was small with barely a dozen buildings -- But Timaeus figured that made sense given that Lyncestia was one of the more sparsely populated provinces. Beyond that, it looked no different Colchian town. Seven Hades, the whole place was so stereotypical that it sent a pang of homesickness through the teen. The only thing that set apart from what Timaeus would call home was the heavy smog hanging over the town that came from the smelters nearby.

Knowing that Vangelis and Nike would want to find people who could shed light on what had happened to the animals of the province -- which he was more than happy to let them take the lead on as he doubted that anyone in the town would take him or his inquiries as seriously as they would for the General and Commander-- Timaeus suggested a secondary task that would probably need to be completed before the group headed back into the wilderness. “ We should find the blacksmith, we’ll need better arrows than the ones I made if the bear is anything like the Mountain Lion.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew that the others would probably send him off on this task and if they did… well, it was his own fault for opening his mouth.

He could only hope that if anything interesting happened while in this Colchian settlement that Timaeus wouldn’t miss out on all the action.

As the small group headed up the mountain cliffsides, Vangelis was indeed momentarily noting of the potential - and literal - pitfalls of the youngest of their group going first. But he was also a practical man and never sought (despite his blunt means of feedback) to hold men back when they meant to prove themselves. If a single harsh word could squash a fighter's spirit to the point of never trying, he was of no use to Vangelis. Which meant that the young Lord Timaeus' efforts up the walkway ahead of them were fine by him.

Using the young boy's experience over rocky terrain to find the easiest route up the mountain pass, Vangelis followed quickly behind. Not necessarily as agile as the young Captain but able to take larger steps than he, scaling areas in fewer strides over rocks and outcroppings, he was on Tim's heels, with Nike bringing up his rear. Very occasionally, he was forced to turn and lend a hand to his second, knowing that she might not simply be tall enough as a woman to make certain steps in a confident manner. The gesture was one of camaraderie rather than judgement and he would grab hold of her arm, support her to the next rock and then immediately let go until it was needed again. The aid was never mentioned, nor expected, but given nonetheless.

When they reached the settlement that lay sheltered in the rocky basin of the mountains, Vangelis was frowning. His first move was to reach up to his hooded tunic and pull the cowl up and over his head. The sloping shape at its front hid his face from view and offered only his jaw in easy sight but it did not hinder his own vision.

He looked around at the men they could see as they came to the first street of the little town. There were men everywhere. No women or children that could be seen. And all the residents were dressed like fighters or labourers, with rough clothing and heavy boots, swords at their hips. Some wore cloaks and hoods and others walked around bare-chested despite the cold this time of the year.

"We need to hide our camping supplies." Vangelis stated. If they were going to walk around the town unnoticed - including to purchase the arrows that Timaeus had pointed out a need for - then they couldn't draw attention. The only difference in appearance between them and the locals was the rolled blankets and cargo that indicated travel.

"Nike, make arrangements."

She frowned as she noticed the odd assortment of people in the supposed mining town - no women? No children? And the mnen seemed more fighter-like as compared to miners. Why would they need swords as they roamed the street, if their job was to mine the mountains? None of it sat right with the woman, and as the crown prince suggested, the Commander was quick to agree with an easy nod, as she shrugged off the rolled blankets and rucksack with their camping supplies she carried on her back.

"Timaeus, you know the mountains the best. Find a place to hide these that we can still find easily, but not somewhere far too dangerous or could be found by someone else." They couldn't take the risk, considering they hardly knew what they were about to face in the view of this unknown, suspicious looking mining town. Grabbing the rest of the stuff, she handed them off to the young Valaoritis, and then glanced down at the town as her mind worked. They needed victuals and a refill of their arrows, but that Vangelis was a crown prince was not exactly something Nike wanted to draw attention to.

"I'll look for a blacksmith to get more arrows for us." It would be a good chance for herself to get more throwing knives as well, although it would take a longer time to make them,but Nike was planning on using that opportunity to chat up with the blacksmith or anyone around, as well as to see if she can get more information. That the men in the settlement walked around with swords meant they had no need to hide their own weapons, but it didn't mean she felt anymore at ease walking into what was looking more and more like a thieves's den.

"Vangelis, find victuals, and chat up the locals. I... don't think this is as easy a miner's town as we think it is." she murmured, the frown now seemingly permanent on her brows. "Timaeus, come meet me at the blacksmith's once you're done. I'll need help with the arrows. We can reconvene at the..." she trailed off, leaning in closer to study the outlay of the settlement from their vantage point, before finishing. "...tavern. There's only one I can see from here." she pointed at a swinging sign bearing a boar's head painted upon it, as people entered and exited. "We can discuss there."