The two men ran through the marsh at top speed, the trees breezing past them with every step they took.
Since their stint with the wild beasts, they hadn't come across any more creatures and took advantage of the little respite to travel further into the gate.
Gone were the hollowed out tree trunks and leafy canopies as they entered a mossy paysage filled with dried out forestation and the cloying scent of dying earth.
Xander found himself missing the pungent smell of the city and the subdued aroma of freshly cut grass and flowers that greeted him on campus.
He turned to his left and found Soresguard looking straight ahead, his face molded into that all too familiar scowl. They hadn't spoken a word to each other since that awkward anchoring and moment of revelation, but Xander didn't mind the tense silence. It allowed him a moment to be alone with his thoughts and wonder why on earth he'd chosen to reveal such a closely guarded secret.
