Antaran's Journal

Yesterday evening we had reached the small abandoned cottage on the path to Namtolan, which Imarp told us about before we left Emtik. It was really small, but at least there was enough room for us to sleep on the floor. And with four people in a tiny room it was only natural that it would get a little warmer after a while.
We slept until early in the morning when suddenly a loud roar woke us up. Well, not all of us. Carana was already standing in front of one of the three windows and looking outside.
"It's a bear," she said with a calm voice. "It's hungry."
Sereliaen stood up and looked outside as well. I didn't know if she was shivering because it was still somehow cold, or because she was afraid. Tartek finally got on his feet too, had a stretch and yawned loudly.
"Just wait a bit and the bear will leave. You will see," he said with a tired voice, rubbing his eyes.
At the same moment the bear started attacking the cottage. It hit the door, walked around the small building, looked at us through the windows, scratched and bit the wood which the cottage was made of and roared repeatedly.
We all looked at Tartek and raised our eyebrows.
"What?" he said. "I'm at least as hungry as this thing out there. If it wants a fight, it can have it."
Carana shook her head.
Suddenly we heard our horses neighing. The bear seemed to see the last chance for food in defeating at least one of our four horses. He really must have been desperate...
The fight didn't last very long. We heard trampling noise, loud roaring and neighing. Something hard hit the cottage, either the body of a horse or the bear, we couldn't really see what was going on outside through the windows.
We all looked at each other, trying to figure out what to do. Help our horses? Help the bear?
Though after a while it was silent again and Tartek shrugged. "I think our problem has been solved. Let's go."
He was about to open the door when the loud roar of the bear struck him with the force of a lightning.
He looked at me. "How can a bear win against four horses?" he asked me.
Carana sighed and drew her dagger. Until then I'd never realized that it was actually still the same dagger that she'd gotten from our coach when we were attacked on our way to Insomida...
She pushed Tartek away and opened the door. The bear was standing right in front of her, standing on its hind legs, yelling at her, readying its right paw to strike and just when it was about to hit her, Carana ducked, jumped behind the bear and on its back. Quickly she took the dagger in both hands and was close to forcing the small blade into the skull of the animal, when Tartek took advantage of the distraction and hit the bear so hard in its face that I could actually see it losing consciousness.
Before it fell into the snow, Carana quickly jumped off and landed a bit next to it, breathing deeply.
"I thought you didn't want to kill him?" Tartek asked Carana with a grin in his face.
"Even I can forget my patience when I'm hungry," Carana answered. "Besides, as it seems, this bear killed all of our horses." She pointed at the spot where we'd left our horses the evening before.
There was nothing left of them. Only a few fresh blood stains in the snow here and there. We went closer to the abyss, where the path ended on the side and we could see the mountain's roots reach into the forest. All our horses were lying down there, with broken necks and legs.
Sereliaen held her left hand before her mouth.
Tartek sighed.
We had to hurry up before the bear regained consciousness, so we took what we could carry without our horses and left the cottage.
Walking to Namtolan felt like it would last forever. Because of all the fog around us we couldn't really make out what time of the day it was, so we just had to continue following the path, trusting the words of Imarp. Thankfully we had some bread left, so at least we got something to bite between our teeth, even if it didn't really still our hunger.
After a long time Sereliaen really started having a hard time keeping up with us. She fell on her knees very often and Tartek always took care of her. After the fifth or sixth time Tartek just started carrying her in his arms. He couldn't do it very long though, but it was enough to finally reach Namtolan.
I think my face was already frozen. When I said something I sounded like someone who had lost his teeth and tongue because I couldn't really control my mouth anymore. We had started to enwrap us in our animal hides to shield our bodies against the cold weather. It must have been pretty funny for the two guards in front of the entrance of Namtolan to see us with all those hides around ourselves and Tartek carrying his wife.
I saw those guards looking at each other, then they both just dropped their spears and ran towards us.
Admittedly, that was the point when I had almost reached the limits of my strength. If one of the guards wouldn't have caught me, I'd have fallen to the ground. Although that didn't help much. Before the black curtain totally embraced me I heard Carana saying my name twice, but then I was gone.

I woke up in a bed with probably the thickest covers I've ever seen. It was so warm in this room and under these covers that I had already begun to sweat. A small fireplace lit the room. I took a quick glance outside the only window and noticed it was night already.
Nobody else was in this room, and I had such a terrible headache that I didn't really want to get up and take a look around.
After a while the door to the room opened and Carana came in, followed by a man in black and red clothes. A Namtolan priest (I know this because sometimes I saw those running around in Insomida).
"Oh, you're awake. I'm relieved," the priest said with an honest smile on his face.
Carana was smiling too and I saw her eyes reflecting the fireplace. She came closer and sat down on the left side of the bed, reached out for my forehead and measured the warmth of it with her soft hands. When she noticed that I didn't have a fever, she took back her hand and nodded at the priest, who then handed me a glass of water, and a small plate with cheese and fresh bread.
"Sir Sivand, it is a pleasure to have you, your wife and your friends as our guests. Please make yourself at home." He bowed, and I nodded. I couldn't stand it any longer and took a bite of the cheese, followed by bread. The priest grinned.
"If you will excuse me now, I have to attend a meeting with my colleagues. We will wake you up tomorrow morning, if that is fine with you," the priest said.
"Yes, that is fine," Carana answered.
The priest wished us a good night and left the room.
I asked Carana about Tartek and Sereliaen. She said they were having a room in another house.
This was probably the hardest day ever since we left Insomida. I always wonder how I can still write so much, but once I start I really can't stop. I'm a bit worried about the remaining pages of this journal though. I guess you, whoever is reading this, already noticed that I started writing in smaller letters. I don't know if it will help, but we'll see.
Carana just asked me why I even write these journal entries anyway. I just shrugged. How should I know the purpose of something that will probably surpass my lifetime?
I'm really tired now though. Yes, Carana. I will put the journal away now.

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