Arjan could get no peace it would seem. He was inside, mixing a whole manner of predetermined and useful concoctions, listening to the dead man's breathing. That was what Arjan had secretly been calling him. He wiped his hands when he heard the knock. After eyeing the spearman he moved to sit across from the Chieftain where she was tending to his fire. This tribe had taken him in all those years ago and so he awarded her the respect she deserved even if he didn't always agree with her decisions. It didn't matter. He lived with one foot in step with the village and one foot outside of it. It was a convenient arrangement for them both. Arjan didn't have the skills needed to live completely on his own but he did have a skill they were lacking. They worked on trade, bringing him portions of successful hunts and furs to keep him comfortable during their winters. He healed any of their ailments to the best of his ability but in this instance he didn't feel the trade was fair. Arjan was not obligated to the Belmiran. Neither were the villagers.<br/><br/>“Welcome. It has been a while since you've made the trip to visit me. Are you well?” Arjan asked, gaze sweeping her in a clinical way. She appeared fine and he doubted that was what this trip was about. He hadn't been skirting his duties either, not even to the dead man he owed nothing to, so he didn't think she had reason to find complaint against him.<br/><br/>“Or is it something else?”<br/><br/><br/>–<br/><br/><br/><br/>The footing became more precarious, giving Rhiak cause to worry. They took it slow and he followed along, not yet suggesting another way but very nearly close to it. While he didn't want to impede Orri's efforts it was his job to help him along safely. They came to a place where they would have to abandon the animals or do just what Rhiak was about to suggest when the Two-Spirit proposed a different plan entirely. He would go on alone, climbing on foot, and Rhiak would circle around with the animals.<br/><br/>Though Orri asked it wasn't really a question. He had a way of saying things that had Rhiak nodding while none of it had been as concrete as an order. Orri's sureness was enough and Rhiak didn't ask questions or propose another way even if he worried Orri would end up painting himself down the side of that steep rockface. The two spirit did not seem worried even as he began his climb, leaving Rhiak with the reins of his mount in hand, ready to begin on his own path that would eventually put them on the same one again.<br/><br/>Rhiak was naturally more defensive in the territory that wasn't his own. He held his spear, though the sharp end pointed up. He didn't intend on a killing blow unless he had to. He was the intruder now but not without a job to complete. He'd tied the reins of Orri's mount over his neck and let it follow on it's own. If one were to slide he didn't want it dragging the other with it. His own mount protested occasionally but he urged it forward. It wasn't as surefooted as the other but remained calm and didn't panic when it felt the ground shift from beneath a misplaced hoof. He couldn't imagine Orri's own climb and tried not to think of it, instead intent on making it safely to the meeting point, doubling back until he came to the path Orri said he would find. He was listening closely, hyper-aware of his surroundings, holding his mount in check should something jump out at them. They would need to hold their ground rather than go scrambling across uneven terrain.<br/><br/>The path at least awarded him protection on both sides but eventually he decided to go along on foot, arming himself with not only the spear but knife and bow as well. He didn't tie the mounts. Should they have reason to run he wanted them to be able to do so. He could only hope they wouldn't wander off and they would have something to return to. Without them it would be a slow journey home.