"Okay. Which way do you want to go?"

"We should head to the road. It's that way." He gestures. "And then just a mile or so to the Plains proper." 

She nods and tromps through the swishy grass.

Skan follows, clumsily. Gryphons aren't especially built for tromping, and after a bit he gives up and takes off, flying around and getting a view of the river and road. 

- then, suddenly, he dives, vanishing past some trees. There's a squawk-grunt from some startled animal, and a gryphon shriek of triumph. 

"Congratulations! What'd you get?"

"A feral pig, I think? Or maybe it wass their pig and esscaped."

"...well, I hope it was feral."

"...Oh. I ssupposse it might have belonged to ssomeone. Oops. It - was insstinct, chassing it." 

"If anyone is like 'oh no where's my pig' we can pay them for it I guess... I didn't bring that much but we could go get it."

"I didn't ssee any people on thiss side of the river." Skan is looking with some frustration at the pig corpse. "...I guesss now I have to eat it all or elsse carry it with uss?" 

"I mean, we can cook some to eat ourselves but objectively not very much compared to you."

"I think I won't eat it now, I'm not hungry enough to finissh it and if I sstart it'll be all bloody. - Can you help me get it tied to my pack? I can carry the weight, it'ss not a big pig, but my clawss will get tired if I jusst hold it." 

"Yeah, sure." She lifts it up with magic and attaches it to Skan.

And they resume their trek. Skan isn't noticeably slowed down by the additional forty pounds of dead pig, and flies circles around them as they reach the road and turn left, following it along the river. Past the apparently-abandoned farm is some uncleared land, short scrubby trees that gradually trail off into brush. The river is running low in its banks and the foliage looks half-parched. 

Ma'ar doesn't say much as he walks. 

"Fires must be terrifying around here."

"It wasn't this dry ten years ago," Ma'ar says, distantly. 

They do pass an area where the other side of the river looks recently-burned. The road has already turned into a narrow windy path, and eventually peters out to nothing.

And then Ma'ar stops, looks around. 

"- I think we peel off away from the river now. That way." 

He points. There isn't much to see, just mostly-flat grasslands, occasionally a hint of low rolling hills, as far as the eye can see. 

"I could make it rain," she mentions, after more quiet walking. She's got her hand on Skan's shoulder for balance and to recover from missed footing and hasn't fallen down yet but it's been close.

"It does look like the area could use it." Ma'ar sighs. 

"Ideally I'd do it after you've recovered from your Gate, though, I'd like to always have one of us in condition for that."

"It doesn't seem that urgent. It's been a drought here for a long time." 

"Yeah."

Ma'ar nods, and starts walking, his eyes distant. 

Aza hums to pass the time. She was expecting this to be more action-packed or at least more scenic but she is not going to complain.

It's certainly not very scenic. The plains go on and on, dusty dun-coloured grass, occasional muddy patches that might once have been proper waterholes. 

Ma'ar stops at one, peers around. "...I'm not sure I remember all the landmarks. This - looks different from when I passed, but maybe it's just dried up."