No one wanted more speeches, for there were enough physical dangers as we made headway into the high lands. Kindee had been busy since her demotion out of the Guard, seven groups she had put together to scout ahead and meet with the main group at the fork of two passes in three days. No guards volunteered for the mission, for their task was to guard the armaments. And I of course did not join here group, staying with the main group, and we did not see any scouts until we reached the Fork, but we did hear of them as we went. It was good we were now above the worst of the dust storms, and here a little more vegetation held the lands together and kept the sands in check, though on the second day of the journey leg we suffered from bad winds, they were at our back and not so thick with sand to be crippling, indeed the Canyoners who remained with the group behaved as though oblivious to it completely.
For each of the three days that we marched we can across welcomes along the trail, families from the Begorn herders. Our advance was heralded and nomads who had been in hiding before our march now came down to meet us, bringing what fine gifts they had to offer to our march. By the second day this way we had to start turning down donations of food and even water for our carts were becoming too heavy to manage in the steepening lands, and our pace suffered, adding two days to the journey. And recruits we had as well, several families sent their sons, usually the second son, to march with us. So twenty seven strong herdsmen joined our quest, and I suspect that more than a few foreign born children of Sky Prairie were conceived among the herds people in those days, or more accurately nights. For each time we camped several family groups of Begorn had built around us like an enterage, and wanted to feast us and celebrate, though there was little dancing in the dark, because no fires were allowed by the Towalk, but at least there was much music, which did not frighten the Towalk at all.
The accounts of the Begorns suggested the scouts were hurrying ahead of us at a fantastic rate. When we reached the Fork and meeting point, after five days marching, we found only five of the scouting parties, waiting contentedly for us. I was walking behind Dald and Elida as they hailed these scouts. Elida was agitated, and he asked for a report from the scouts, and to be told why the group Kindee went with and the group Grand went with were missing. This is the report we received.
"They made it here three day's ago, and headed on down both forks, to observe the conditions and see what state the Nemi were in. We got here a day later, Kindee told our group to herald your advent to the Begorn herders, so we could find more support and friends for the journey. Our five groups braided the lands, announcing the mission to Star's Reach as we could. Most we spoke were were supportive, and promised goods to our provisions, some even offered recruits to be ready to join your assemblies. We learned from the Begone that the northern route to the Nemi spine is a further journey from here than the Southern, and for many families we took warnings not to rush their Southern commander."
Elida asked "And, can you tell me, does Kindee intend to herald us all the way to the Nemi?"
The reporter, a Volunteer whose name was Para, didn't know. But from the southern trail came a group who would.
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