<em>This song and its sweet and discordant notes,</em>Eshalu thought marveling at the fearlessness of the brightly-plumed birds perched within a hand's reach. They must never have had to fear hunters. It felt wrong. Life here had developed according to some hidden, possibly hideous path and Eshalu was not eager to see what had birthed the unspeakable apes they had encountered earlier that day.<br/><br/>No matter, it was time to set up camp. She had seen Aeryn treat herself with a herbal tincture, but healing process would require time and rest and she feared that the strange flora of the island may have unforeseen side-effects. It took druids countless seasons truly to master the arts of herbalism and unknown plants could present a risk to even the most skilled healer.<br/><br/>"Do we need a fire?" She inquired, "I can make one, but it may draw unwanted attention." The island nights were cool, but nothing comparable to her homeland, and she had no need for artificial light to see through the night.<br/><br/>Eshalu settled near where Aeryn was dozing, still under the effects of the herbal liniment. She lay her spear on the ground by her side and loosened her sylvan cloak. The unfamiliar sounds of the island kept her on edge and her left hand lay instinctively on the hilt of her crescent shortsword. She drank her fill of water and ate some pressed, dried fruit, thinking longingly of some fresh-killed game and thick, starchy tuber-cakes.<br/><br/>"We should find a stream soon - we will need water, and to get the scent of those creatures off our weapons." There had been something unsettling and strangely unpleasant in the scent of the giant apes' blood - at least to her nose - and she couldn't shake the feeling that it was a sort of corrupting taint, arising from the same place as the terrifying vision she had experienced in Aeryn's chapterhouse.