It was a special thing to witness thousands as they walked through the rainforest.
Alvin, the Patriarch of Noble Blood Certa, the Daughter, and the two thousand soldiers he brought with him, the six hundred and fifty captured Metamorphs, the chiefs of the Metamorphs, and at the lead of this large group, Blanc, his wives, and his younger siblings.
"If we head eastward for a little while longer, we should get to the river," Blanc said out loud to his wives.
"Even if it gets dark by the time we get to the waterfall, it should be easy to prove," Celine nodded. "By the way, wonderful job, my love."
"You were like a different person," Miyanna added.
"All thanks to your insights, dear wives," Blanc giggled, "There is no way I could've spoken or kept my calm as I did."
"True," Kael said, entering the conversation, "Brother Blanc always argued with our sister, Sera, and he never managed to keep his calm when one screamed at him."
"That rascal deserved to be punched countless times, yet I was the one being punched instead by Father," Blanc sighed, "Do you know how strong my jaw is because of that?"
"And how many tables has he broken by falling on top of them?" Lune added, a warm smile on her face.
It made all five burst out laughing as they walked through the rainforest, now back to light clothing.
The terrain was harsh and muddy, and the air was warm and humid, yet they walked with such confidence as if it were the back of their own home.
They stood inside the Jaguar Path for eight days, yet in that time, they learned many things, including how to traverse it.
But the Metamorphs, soldiers, or even Alvin, did not.
Horses and soldiers alike slipped, falling headfirst into the ground. It was frustrating to traverse, but it was even more frustrating looking at the pair of five, walking as if it were a relaxing activity.
Even the young kids seemed used to it, not falling behind, and even joking around as they walked.
"Allegra," said Georn while watching Blanc and his group walking and laughing in the distance, "Punishment from the Forest Mother will surely come after all this is over, which means you will have to be the one to give the information required."
"I know," Allegra replied, walking over a weird-looking plant.
"Though a deal has been struck, a deal with strict rules, it has never been specified how much of that information you need to know," Georn continued in a whisper, "So I will refrain from telling you more than you need to know, however, once all is done, if I'm around by then, I will tell you all you need to know, however, I have one condition."
"Different than taking a husband and having kids?" Allegra asked.
"Find out more about them," Georn pointed towards Blanc and his entourage, "If you, yourself, can and wish to become their friend, that would be even better, for I fear that we have walked from a viper's nest straight into a dragon's lair."
"You are afraid of the favor we now owe them and what they will ask of us?" Allegra questioned, looking towards her father.
Georn nodded, "Yes, my instincts tell me it's justified to feel this way. They feel dangerous in a way I can't explain."
"My dreams showed me a vision in which I have a child," Allegra muttered, looking forward, her crystal white eyes focused on their surroundings, "A small girl, no more than four years old, with, I think, that man."
Georn's eyes went wide, shocked at the information his daughter shared.
He opened his mouth to speak, to prevent such a thing from happening, but Allegra continued.
"I do not know how such a future comes to pass, nor the feelings that are required for such a thing," she said, "But all I know is that, if need be, I will do it, since it appears that the Vita chose to put our paths intertwined with each other in many places."
"What do you mean?" Georn asked, "Don't tell me you fell in love with a human."
"Banish the thought, Father," Allegra shook her head, "I don't even know what love is to even recognize it, but all I know is that, even after we will part ways with them this time, I am sure we will be able to meet again."
"How do you know that?" Georn asked, curious.
"I think… he appeared in my dreams a few times. But it was weird," she frowned, trying to find the words to explain.
Georn wanted to disagree, to tell his daughter that dreams are dreams for a reason.
But that would only be a lie. A lie he could not utter.
Not because he was some faithful figure who was afraid of such a sin in front of the Forest Mother or the Vita, but because he, too, knew the potency of dreams.
For he was a Spirit Bear, and in their dreams, they sometimes see things yet to happen, future paths that they could walk.
He met his wife, had his daughter, and saw the death of his father, his wife, and his own, centuries before any of them happened or could happen in his dreams.
Four of them had already come to pass.
And now, while he awaited the fifth to come at long last, he found out that his daughter had the same type of dreams he had, perhaps even more vividly than he did, even though she didn't say it or knew it.
So why would he lie?
Why would he, who built his life around those dreams, tell his own flesh and blood not to do the same, or at least take it into consideration?
"The dreams are a complicated matter, Allegra," he muttered, unable to lie or tell the truth either. Still, a rare smile formed on his lips, "But you know, your mother used to say that the dreams show us what we wish to see."
"I know," Allegra replied, smiling at the memory, before realizing what her father actually wanted to tell her, allowing her father to continue as if nothing had been said.
Georn took a deep breath, exhausted, "But sometimes, we must make sure to fol-"
"We are here!" Blanc yelled over Georn's voice and thoughts, making him fall silent, "We have arrived."
A horse rushed past, carrying Alvin on its back as he hurried to see the river that Blanc said to have contained turtles.
"Show me," Alvin said, jumping off his horse near Blanc.
"A deal is a deal," Blanc sighed, taking off his linen tunic.