<span style="font-weight: bold">"Slight? SLIGHT? you call half the population of Fainta on our tail SLIGHT?"</span>Darakus had apparently taken issue with Farish's choice of words. The boy looked back to where he was and blinked at him, cocking his head to the side.<span style="font-style: italic">That is what I said,</span>he thought.<span style="font-style: italic">Panicking is the worst thing you can do in a dangerous situation.</span><br/><br/>The wolf took a moment to calm himself and apologized, asking if he'd hurt anyone. "No, you didn't," the boy answered, offering a small smile. "I'm sorry if my choice of words upset you."<br/><br/>The boy's attention was brought back to the conversations of the rest of the group when he heard Morys's request to the Anithropes:<span style="font-weight: bold">"If you think you can take on a small Army of Demons, then by all means, join us. If not, perhaps you wouldn't mind watching over the kid," he motioned to Farish with his thumb.</span><br/><br/>Chizu growled at Morys, offended in the boy's place. After all,<span style="font-style: italic">who</span>had stalled the demons for their escape? Farish just sighed. The man had been outside the tavern during the bulk of the fight and so had no idea that the "kid" was a powerful magic user. It wasn't his fault, he was just sorely misinformed. The boy was ready to speak up for himself when the bald man intervened on his behalf, insisting that he come with them. Farish smiled at him and Chizu stopped growling, directing satisfied purring sounds at the bald man.<br/><br/>Meanwhile, it seemed the fox woman had it out for them, spitting incriminating scenarios their way and raising her blade. When the other Anithrope tried to reason with her, her anger suddenly seemed justified. Their little stampede must have scared off any game for miles, and the eerie silence proved it. Had they not been in such a hurry, the boy would have taken more care not to disturb the wildlife. Haste and caution were two skills he simply couldn't employ at once.<br/><br/>The larger bipedal animal offered to help them, directing them toward thicker woods, and Chizu's ears perked up.<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="color: #00FFFF">"There's a place we can hide that way,"</span></span>she said.<span style="color: #00FFFF"><span style="font-style: italic">"Awayakigi ni. ((In an Awaya Tree.))"</span></span>She proceeded to explain to the boy that Awaya trees were large trees with wide root structures that could be hollowed out underneath. He thought it would be a problem hollowing one out, but apparently she knew one that was already hollowed and big enough for all of them; it was in the thicker portion of the woods that the giant red Anithrope was leading them to.<br/><br/>"Chizu says there's a great place to hide that way," the boy offered. "A hollow under a tree-- large enough for all of us and well hidden. We won't have to sleep in the open and the rain." Honestly though, sleep was starting to sound really good to the exhausted boy.