The hood on his head was soaking with rain. The cloth was thick, but its moisture didn't surprise him. It was very earlier in the raining season from what he read in the stars before the clouds covered them up. Their alignment was just right; it was always like this in this part of the world when the wandering Serpent sign was about to manifest in the sky. It could take from days to weeks before it would show up. But when he'd been here before, he there wasn't a doubt that it would be coming soon. His luck always seemed to worsen when that constellation was present.
Maybe it was the mere knowledge of its arrival that caused nearly his entire life to cascade before his eyes. Maybe, but he wouldn't bet money on it. He needed a rest, some respite, some time away from the tribe. And where the mountains of the Thunderblacks usually afforded that, he'd spent to much time there already. He needed to see a different kind of wilderness before he would return. There was no concreteness of how long he would be away. That was all up in the air, much like this rain that was pounding down on him.
The small merchant boat lurched in the waters as it sailed forward. The rains, while calm, were a good indicator that a storm would be well on its way. Their gentle patter on his darkened, tattooed face was calming, perhaps as nature's way of trying to reassure him that this migration for a time was the right decision. Perhaps he shouldn't consider this running away. It was a more of a time to commit to something else for a while.
The first mate of the ship tapped him on the shoulder, holding a lantern for sight. He was human and couldn't see in the pitch black like an Umbraeon could. Hysaeda turned and looked at the middle-aged man. He wore spectacles that were running down with streams of rain. "How're ye doing there, sir?"
"Good," Hysaeda replied simply. He'd refused to wear the tarp that was offered to him. Instead he was content with the green and brown robeshirt he wore. It wasn't like his old cuirass, but that was too mangled, beyond repair, to be worn anymore. He didn't care to fix it before he departed from the Thunderblacks, but it didn't matter anymore. It was a remnant of the self that he left back in the mountains.
"The cap'n wanted me to tell ye that we're five points off the shore of Thanatos Island. We should be 'riving in the next half hour, sir."
"Thank you." He nodded to the first mate as he about-faced and walked off back to his cabin.
Even though he was getting wet to the core, Hysaeda preferred to stay out here. He liked the rain, it was soothing to him even as his mind race. He'd asked the captain of the ship, which was aptly named Asunder, to make a drop off at the tip, in the wilderness parts rather than letting him off at the main city's port. From there she would rendezvous back to her original destination. The apprentice paid well for his passage and asked to be left alone despite most of the crew's curious eyes. They probably had never seen an Umbraeon before. That didn't surprise him. Most didn't as his kind was cooped in the darkest recesses of the southern Adelan mountains.
The half hour came and went like nothing, and before he knew it, the smaller rowboat stopped off before hitting the shore. The rain didn't let up even now as Hysaeda waded through the water, watching the rest of them slip away into the water and back to Asunder that was anchored not to far away. As they did so, his feet marched onto the moist soil and through the treeline ten feet away. He didn't know what he was looking for in this wilderness. But more likely than not, whatever it was it would find him.
The cloak around him was heavy from its wetness, but he tossed it over one shoulder and reached for the bow on his shoulder and unleashed an arrow from his quiver. He pulled it slightly taut and carried it in front of him. This would be a new hunting season and there was game to be had in this wilderness.
