Brother Bear

The workers of Griana's Meats and More make their way further into the Vertrivian. Along the way they test the patience of both each other and their DM. Cheerleading! Teamwork! Flying snakes! Confetti!

Summary
The gang is continuing deeper into the Vertrivian Forest, planning to leave Grindle and the cart at the Arande hideout. The hideout is essentially a near-cave/tunnel composed of overgrown roots above what likely used to be a river but has since dried up. They block one end/entrance with the cart and head out to hunt, still having difficulty orienting themselves in the forest. Kai and Phibi adorn themselves with mud and leaves, despite Griana’s insistence that it isn’t necessary. They begin the hunt, still arguing about the best course of action as they look for the game on their list from the Earl. Griana recalls words of her father: Griana, remember, every forest is like a crime scene. There will always be clues. Hope appears to them in the form of some bear tracks, indicating they are on the right path. Zil reassures a tentative Phibi that she doesn’t need to kill a bear if she’s not comfortable as Griana tries to stealthily wipe away a tear thinking about killing another animal. Tracing the prints to a family of bears, Phibi tries to scare them away by throwing a rock, but only manages to shoo the mother. Griana passes out from the internal dilemma about whether or not to kill the cubs. Zil wakes her up with some smelling salts, and the group collectively talks themselves out of killing the cubs with the reasoning that bear is the least exotic of the items on their list. They have no such hesitation when they stumble upon a nest of flying snakes moments later.

Zil uses their high school cheerleading experience to throw Phibi up into the air, which unfortunately alerts five flying snakes to their presence. They take a bit of a beating---one snake latches its fangs onto Kai’s neck--- but manage to slay the beasts, salvaging a majority of the meat. Tired from battle, they make their way back to home base to rest.