LogFAQs > #883967375

The trees here were larger than any he had seen before.
He thought that Northern Rock was the greatest mountain on the planet, but now it was hard to tell.
Over the horizon he'd often catch glimpse of great hills and mountains, covered in trees completely.
They seemed to run away forever across the skyline as far as the eye could see.
Only during times when the canopy broke like this and he looked into the distance did he realize how enormous this maze was.
And, without a doubt, it was a maze. It just didn't seem like one until you were trapped in it.
Advancing forward in the direction they wanted often proved difficult.
There were trails where signs of great predators made it risky to advance.
The first time they thought to brave such a trail the group ended up being ambushed by a great tiger.
The monster was four times as big as a man, and he killed a dozen before he was brought down.
Hayes was ashamed to say he had been near the back of the column when it happened.
And he certainly hadn't rushed forward fast enough to go meet it before the battle was over.
After that they began to avoid any signs of monsters.

As they traveled, Hayes noticed that the Prince and his bride almost never showed affection for each other.
It seemed an odd thing to him. He didn't particularly like Alura.
In fact, her very presence made him uncomfortable.
She had a habit of saying things that she seemed to think were reassuring,
But often made others feel very uneasy instead of putting them at ease.
However it couldn't be denied that she was very attractive.
Maybe that was Hayes problem.
He only ever admired the scenery and never cared for what might be hiding beneath.

"Not all monsters are terrible," Hayes grumbled to himself.

Even after clearing the wetlands there were occasional environmental hazards.
Sometimes a sheer cliff face would appear seemingly out of nowhere and they'd be forced to go around.
Other times going around didn't work and they needed to backtrack.
Or they'd choose to climb.
Or they'd climb, only to find that the way forward couldn't be made, and they had to climb back down.

It wasn't all bad. Just mostly. They also saw interesting things.
Hayes met a talking plant one morning while searching for breakfast.
It told him of bird eggs in a nearby nest. He thanked it and went off.
He'd gotten the eggs, but the bird had almost gotten him in return.
He had not expected to meet something with a wingspan of seven feet.
The eggs, in the end, made for a fine meal. He shared it with Winchester and Dalamar.
Y refused his offer. And with that their seemingly endless journey continued.

"Tell me, Y, about the place you came from," Hayes implored.
Making conversation was a good way to kill the time.
Truthfully he missed Blackwater on days like these.
That man always found a way to make conversation.
Even if their banter was often stupid nonsense.
It was better than riding in sullen silence.
He wondered how his dear friend was getting on at this time.
Hayes couldn't picture Blackwater doing well in battle.
He thought of the man disobeying orders or sleeping in and arriving late to his post.
Although such an irresponsible move could prove costly,
Hayes couldn't but smile when he pictured Devan as the one doing it.
"They called it Sea-Quartz. I've only heard some details but it sounds like quite a place."
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