Beruga Going Down

Beruga lowered her nose to the ground once more and sniffed, more to procrastinate than to catch a scent. She knew that the person she had been following was right here in the village before her. She just couldn't fathom what a visiting hiker would want with all of the poisonous mushrooms that had been freshly picked along the trail.

Perhaps her younger self would have given a stranger the benefit of the doubt and approached immediately to intervene, assuming they didn't know what they were about to eat. But now her daughter had to come first. Always. And she had heard terrifying stories of how some bald men could be cruel and deceptive. Still, the few that she had encountered didn't behave in any such way, and there was a good chance someone could use her help. It was time to make her presence known. She paced forward a few steps and called out a greeting in her native tongue.

Beruga pipes up in a muffled high-pitch tone: Hello! I do. Might you have cool fresh water for a wary traveler?

Not wanting to immediately divulge her knowledge of the poisonous mushrooms would they even be poisonous to these creatures?, Beruga decides to play dumb. I confess, I have been lost for days on end. I had set out from my home, hoping to gather food for the winter, but must have turned myself around. Last night I caught the distant scent of another traveller, which led me here. Now, if you will pardon me, I must have a drink before continuing this conversation.

Beruga bounds to the west and laps up water from the river with more excitement than necessary before returning back to the greeting party with a big smile on her face.

Thank you for your patience. And where are my manners? My name is Beruga. It is a pleasure to meet you!

I would love to meet a hunter of your village! Of course, my kind has not acquired a taste for game, but I'm sure they could teach me much about the local flora! Beruga then thinks for a moment and asks: Are you not hunters yourselves? Sorry to pry, I assumed that was what your weapons are for.

Following Speaker's lead, Beruga uses her powerful nose to try to sense if the scent of poisonous mushrooms is close.

Beruga stiffens and jumps to her hind legs. It's time to push for some answers. Do you smell that? I sense a toxic stench! Hard to tell where it is coming from though... Do you have any idea what it could be?

Beruga focuses on Speaker's reaction to her outburst, as well as the hunters in the corner of her eye. Do they appear defensive? Are they genuinely curious?

Beruga gently prods the poisonous fungi with the tip of her nose. You eat this? Quite fascinating. It is lethal to our kind, and we often have to warn foreigners lest they poison themselves. But this one- gesturing to another fungi -is an absolute delicacy where I live! And is this (alcohal) some sort of crafting material? Surely it is much too potent to be a drink!

Beruga is also sure to get a good whiff of all the parcels, particularly the meat and bone, which she will try to identify.Assuming the "poisonous" mushrooms are part of their diet and the meat isn't recognizably Pika, Beruga will relax and spend time indulging Speaker's curiosity.

Beruga's eyes widen at the mention of the Shattering. Growing up, she had only heard of this monumental event through folklore. A lullaby that her mother would sing to her. Ancient battered relics of the Dawn War that no longer served a functional purpose. Stories of crimson floods that were said to run from the blood of the slain Deity.

To her people with a 7-year average lifespan and little in the way of written history, the Shattering may as well have predated the mountains themselves. But that was not the case with everyone. Less than one month ago, Beruga had taken a contract to escort a stocky, old, bald mountaineer to the top of Grujin's Pass. Her companion was slow and navigated the terrain with difficulty. Beruga worried for his safety, since on the other side of Grujin's pass lies a Realmic Border that is especially susceptible to harsh storms. For days, Beruga would voice her concern and he would reassure her that he knew what he was doing. Only on the last day, when they parted ways at the pass, did he reveal the reason for his journey.

His name was Theodore Grujin, and as a young man he himself fought in the final battles of the Dawn War. Back then, an army of abominations brought forth by the elemental Titan Ahonai threatened to swarm into the land from the north, He and his uncle, Syvas Grujin, led a small legion to defend the mountain pass for as long as possible. It was a suicide mission, but for 24 hours they prevailed. Exhausted and bloodied, Theodore and his uncle stood petrified as the stony face of Ahonai pierced the thick clouds, gazing straight at them from hundreds of feet up. Theodore ran without a second thought. A minute later, strong tremors made him lose his footing. He fell and turned around to see his uncle Syvas, still standing strong on the mountain pass. Ahonai was poised above Syvas preparing to crush him like a bug. It was then that the Shattering reached their corner of the world. A blinding wall of lightning was the last thing he remembered before waking up days later in a dried river bed, miles from the pass.

As the new age of Strife commenced, Syvas' final resting place was commemorated with the name Grujin's Pass to commemorate his stand-off with the Dawn Age Titan.

Beruga had become so enchanted by the old man's story over the next several weeks that when Speaker described the city to the south, she knew she couldn't resist exploring. Her eyes light up and she asks Speaker: How long is the journey to this tower? If I can get there by nightfall, I must be on my way!

Beruga whispers to the hunter, "You recognize this creature? Will it hunt us? And can it climb or fly?" Regardless of the answer, Beruga positions herself on the opposite side of the nearest tree and begins to climb, looking back to see if the hunter is following.