"Hmph, there is no way in hell i would. Its embarrassing and im a girl, privacy is a must have. " Raya added looking away as she spoke. It was clear she wasn't trying to make eye contact, the air around them felt weird the moment she shared her thoughts.
It was a while before any of them went back to sleep, but eventually only Damon and Knox remained up. The crackling of the fire was soothing as the night went on.
"How are you so silent, I mean when you returned from handling business, I didn't hear you walk up. Not even a slight sound from your steps." Damon asked curiously. He was genuinely asking and not trying to make anything out it, he felt bad about almost accusing Knox, especially not really knowing what he was accusing him of.
"Its a skill I developed after awakening. I can move fast in silence. Its the only reason I got away from those spiders that separated the group I was originally with." He responded quickly.
"So you just happened to develop a skill that fits your ability?" Damon asked. He was prying for information, not because he was trying to figure Knox out, but for his own sake.
"No, once you awaken, there are certain things you can do that will help you discover new skills that are linked to your ability. Meditation is the most known practice to achieve such things. " he said casually speaking from experience.
"So do you like, meditate on what you want to achieve with your ability ?" Damon asked slowly with shifty eyes expecting Knox to look at him oddly. It felt like a dumb question to him, but Knox face remained the same.
"In a way, you have to know your ability. Using it and not knowing it will make you hit a bottleneck. For example, when I use my ability I pay attention to how my body feels, I speak with my ability, play with it, enjoy it and embrace it. In doing so, you're bound to create a deeper connection and discover some pretty great things."
Damon twisted his lips while letting his mind drift a bit. When he first awakened thats exactly what he did, he use to enjoy the rain while expecting it to change to something amazing in the near future. He was proud of his ability and the fact he was an early awakened which was super rare.
Unfortunately as time passed his ability didn't develop and the way he felt about his power changed. He hated his power and would constantly wish for another.
"So what if embracing your ability doesn't work. "
Knox smiled with a raised brow, a smile that displayed pure confidence.
"Then you make your ability embrace you, some say the most unique and powerful abilities aren't so easily cultivated."
Damon eyes narrowed for a moment, his gaze drowned in the fire as his thoughts sprung in a few directions.
"You're pretty sharp, when you awaken im sure your ability will be a good one. You have a certain energy about you, its rather comforting but yet forceful. Like you have the knack for pulling people in without doing anything. " Knox added with a genuine soft tone.
With a confused frown Damon sat up straight. He turned his entire body towards Knox and positioned himself comfortably before asking.
"What exactly do you mean, What kind of energy? "
"Relax, im simply saying people enjoy being around you, well Raya and Jasper does. They respect you a ton, and you're the youngest here, that says a lot."
Yawning while stretching, Knox laid his cloak on the ground.
"Im tired, I should get some rest, see you in the morning. " he said Yawning once more and pulling the cloak over him. Within minutes a soft snore joined a groggling snore which was coming from Raya of all people.
Knox's words replayed in his mind. "meditate, make my ability embrace me. I have to Know my ability on a deeper level. " he thought.
Pondering on it more he decided to meditate, it was something he had done before but not much. He couldn't recall much of his previous meditation success, but decided to add meditation in his plans from now on if it bared any fruit.
Closing his eyes he allowed his body to relax while taking in deep slow breaths. For a few minutes his mind was everywhere, but once he truly calmed himself he was able to visualize his ability.
Clouds that were white, Grey and black formed in his mind casting different showers of rain. He imagined steady rain, drizzling rain, light rain, hard rain and rain that fell so heavy, it instantly became a hindrance to see through. These were all the forms of rain he could produce.
A while later he opened his eyes feeling a bit more rested. His energy felt as if it perked up a little. Other than that, he felt no different. The night went on and he meditated on and off. Each time feeling like he had gained a little energy.
With each meditation which was five to ten minutes each depending on if he stayed focused. He felt as if he was slowly sipping on a fresh brew of coffee that jolted a little life into him.
"Hmmmm, I guess i really was over cautious. If Knox had intended to hurt or deceive us, he wouldn't have shared such tips about ability cultivation. Or would he in order to gain trust." Damon thought looking at the night sky. A field of clouds that resembled rippling waves moved slowly over the night sky hindering the bright shine of many stars.
"No, he's ok, he has to be." Damon shook his head ignoring his gut feeling once again.
It was now Raya's turn to keep watch. Damon prepared to get more rest, but couldn't as he felt wide awake after his sets of meditation. It wasn't until he focused only on the slow drizzling rain in his mind which brought a soothing feeling of relaxation to his body. He could hear the slow steady drops of rain in his head which eventually rocked him to sleep like a lullaby.
Dawn barely broke, and they were already moving out under the commands of Raya who believed getting a earlier start would hasten progression.
"Lets go boys, the less time we waste, the better chance we have getting out of this dump. " Raya said while gesturing for them to move faster.
They all glanced at eachother for a moment shrugging while thinking maybe she was just trying to act the part. Either way they understood and agreed with her words, it was her tone that was different. During the first hour of travel Raya spoke with more assertion. Even giving them all firm hand gestures to stop, spread out and search the area within 15 meters of their original spot.
"She's really taking this leader thing seriously. I mean she's doing well, but does she have to change her voice when giving orders." Jasper asked Damon just before they came to a interesting scene which changed the conversation instantly.
"Woah, I wonder what did this, its at least four of them. They've been ripped apart." Jasper said while cautiously looking around.
On the ground, near low hanging branches were scattered body parts of multiple snake beasts ranging about 12 inches in width. From the pieces seen, the snakes had black and red scales patterns that shined like a layer of epoxy on a stone floor. The true length couldn't be determined.
Damon looked at the scene with inspecting eyes seeing there was no signs of another beast. "Whatever did this should have left a trail, footprints or something. " he said picking up a piece of the snake which was 2 times the size of his leg.
"Yea, thats strange. " added Jasper.
"Maybe we shouldn't go this way, let's head back, None of us supposed to be alone with Knox and right now Raya is." Damon said.
"Still don't trust him?, I think he's cool. Besides if he's not ill beat him in the ground." Jasper responded with a smile cracking his neck.
" its not that I don't trust him, its just....Damon paused not knowing what to say.
"I really dont know, i mean I think he's cool too and he seems like a good guy, but i have a feeling. " he said jumping over a dead tree on the ground.
"That's not good, we saw a similar scene as well. No traces of the beast that did it either. " Raya said with her head tilted down and her hand positioned on her chin in deep thought.
"Maybe a beast that uses the trees to travel could be the culprit, or a beast that can fly." Knox spoke acting as if he was thinking hard as well.
"Either way, it may be a problem. The scales on those snakes were incredibly hard. Whatever did it must be strong, we know this forest only has none matured beasts, but that doesn't mean we can face them blindly. Those boars was a clear picture of what im talking about."
"We will go east, that area seems to be clear." Raya decided. No one objected, it was the obvious choice. There were no signs of carnage that way.
Knox smiled inwardly, his plan to funnel them in the direction he needed them to go worked. During his little trip last night, he found a bed of snakes and killed them, creating a scene of worry in the directions he wanted them to avoid.
"Too easy." He thought.