<strong>Eshalu - at the Saurian (?) hamlet</strong><br/><br/>Eshalu was thoroughly bewildered. She had expected their former captive to lead them to a dangerous and unknowable place, with statues in unspeakable materials dedicated to spirits older than the first of the People. Now she found herself at the outskirts of an unassuming and apparently unguarded settlement built in a manner very similar to that of humans. When both Reliyian and Aeryn remarked at the presence of glass, Eshalu realised that she did not have anything especially constructive to say on that subject. It was pretty enough and - had she been more vain - most useful, but it had a terrible tendency to shatter dangerously on impact. "They - " Eshalu paused, still somewhat lost for words, "seem to have adopted a very a<em>human</em>aesthetic sense. They feel secure in this place and for that reason they have not posted guards. Though their dwellings are small, there may be an alpha in this territory - with its protection, they would have little to fear from predators, though they are of small stature and limited strength."<br/><br/>She crouched, feeling the earth between her fingertip, gaze pointed directly at the Saurian settlement. The absence of activity was a cause for concern. So, too, was the creature's urgency to return there. If it felt safe in that place, there must have been a reason.<br/><br/>"I say we approach slowly," Eshalu concluded, "or we may be overwhelmed. If Lazerette were not their captive, I would say avoid it entirely, but we have no choice." She paused, pensive for a moment. She had noted how Reliyian had shown their erstwhile captive some kindness. Until recently, that very thought would have been inconceivable to her. The laws of the Moon Huntress made clear that the struggle for survival and the way of the hunt left no room for quarter between predator and prey. Yet she admired Reliyian's dedication to the ways of her own people, which seemed to encourage kindness where none was warranted. Perhaps it was a form of generosity - a spontaneous gift-giving.<br/><br/>"I -" Eshalu continued, "perhaps we can attempt to obtain an indication of Lazerette's whereabouts from them without bloodshed or stealth." She never thought she would hear herself speak those words.