Jurthe 19, 5677

We crossed the foothills of the Icavor Mountains so we’re now in the region that drains into the Icavor River. A few more weeks, and we’ll be at Sehol. We’re nearing the end of summer so heading toward the equator is not much of a problem for the telefs. The problem they do have is with the thicker forests. The trees are thicker with deeper roots so they’re harder for the telefs to push over and out of the way, not that they mind having trees to uproot. We’re keeping to the road as much as possible to avoid any problems passing through the trees.

We passed a small caravan that was heading toward Kaluna. They were quite unprepared to see such massive beasts walking along the path in their direction, and almost turned and fled. I think Rar called out to them kept them from running. When people learn we’re riding the telefs and the beasts aren’t just wandering on their own, they’re less likely to show their fear. As it turns out, the caravan ended up needing to leave the road to give us room to pass. Telefs are much larger animals than horses, so having to take them off the road and into the trees would be difficult. We stopped long enough for the astonished people to get a good look at the massive beasts they’d never seen before.

It seems Rar has practiced enough swordsmanship with Pelmarco that he can now beat me. Unlike Rar and Pelmarco, I’m not a soldier. I never have been, and never plan to be one. I prefer to explore the land, and usually rely on my bow as my weapon. If Rar continues to improve, he might eventually become a worthy adversary for Pelmarco.