"Good thinking, Grandpa, you still keep your wits about you!" Kairus took a deep breath fully calming down after a good run (nice exercise, actually!) and looked around. He trusted Eeyal's skills and was just curious how far off the course they were. "Believe it or not, but I feel good not hunting that poor animal." To be fair, it was the animal who was hunting the group, but Kairus was quite sure the group would kill the creature. "Back to the jungle?" He walked back in a perfect mood, humming and whistling like the birds in the bunches above.

"Yes, well, you did good too, kid." Hun grins and Mr. Thicc takes that as his cue to pat Kairus on the head a couple of times. Try to, in any event. Though a moment later the Kobold would squint at the very same Triton at the mention of "poor animal", he just as quickly dropped the matter in an eye roll, prior to popping open the back of Mr. Thicc's head and running some diagnostics.

"Sounds to be the plan. Still got a ways to go before we reach the shrine. Let's hope the next bump in the road doesn't require us to do any running though. Don't think I quite got Mr. Thicc's calibrations quite right." He admits as he pokes around inside for a moment or two. Just as soon as the others look ready to move out again though, he pops the latch back into place and spurs Mr. Thicc on after the group.

"Ouch! Bad robot!" Kairus was mostly joking but would avoid too close contact with the mechanical toy. He was still curious about the possibility to make the contraption to dance (would be a great number at any gathering!) but other than that, kept his respectful distance.

As the group leaves the turtle to its own wanderings, Krodhen offers his own congratulations "Nice job! Those jaws looked nasty, a fight well avoided.  Let's be on our way..." and he takes up his position next to Eeyal as she steers the group forward once more.

"I agree with you Kairus, avoiding the local wildlife is best.....unless we need a tasty meal that is" he adds with a toothy grin

DM's Screen:

Eeyal shares her views on the encounter while trying to catch her breath: "That was certainly a tense escape. I am glad to see you are all so resourceful." She then agrees with Krodhen about avoiding wild creatures if you already have a full stomach.

Even with Yulmiath's help, it takes a few moments for Eeyal to gather information from her surroundings and determine the group's position relative to where they planned to be. She puts her ear hole to the ground, feels the soil beneath the grass, gauges the distance to the far end of the forest, adjusts her custom made harness of tools, and eventually gives the group the sign to follow her once again. 

The first hour into the jungle is not as hostile as the party may have expected. The air certainly gets heavier under the canopy, but no large fauna or menacing flora seems to get on the way of your advancement. Hun takes advantage of the somewhat monotonous stroll and tinkers a bit with Mr. Thicc's inner-workings. Kairus makes sure to stay away from the automaton. At some point Eeyal flags a good stopping point for the group to rest a bit and enjoy their second meal of the day.

(OOC: If anyone would like to make this break into a Short Rest, please feel free to do so.)

Two more hours of mundane jungle exploration follow the brief moment of respite until something calls everyone's attention all at once. The sudden rustling of trees suggests something is approaching from the west. In fact, there are two distinct sources of noise, with the second one making panting sounds as it moves closer to the party. Half a second later, a squealing furred piglet jets past the party, clearly running for its life. The one giving chase walks into the group's field of view a moment later: a short, visibly young tortle wielding a crude spear and breathing heavily. The adolescent tortle stops on their tracks upon spotting the group, clearly surprised. Much like with other tortles, it is hard to tell the creature's gender at first.

Eeyal reacts first: "Is that how you hunt, young one? You are alerting the entire jungle of your presence. What is your name?"

The other tortle responds: "Hmm... Damu... And I was this close to poking that piglet dead!" Their eyes pan over the group slowly and they add a question or two of their own: "That is a strange hunting party you have here... What are you hunting? Oh, and what are your names?"

Hun had been immediately on edge hearing the rustling in the Jungle. And following a curt command from the kobold, Mr. Thicc shot up to his feet, tipping his helmet forward and raising its arms up for some fisticuffs!

"What in the--? Ooooh boy! The only thing that was close to getting poked dead was you, boy." Hun says while bringing the butt of a Yklwa fairly hard into the dirt at his side. "And we ain't no hunting party. We're-..." At this Hun couldn't help but pause and look askance muttering to himself. "Bah! Consider us adventurers, young'un. The name is Hun Greentongue, by the way. And-..." He glances off to the surrounding jungles, before turning back with a raised brow ridge at Damu. "Are you out here alone, little green?"

By contrast, carefree (at least this lovely day!) Kairus was waiting for the "rustler" appearance with curiosity. "Ha! What do you think - another turtle. Who would expect!" He smiled broadly and friendly, though, immediately stepped forward, grabbed the young turtle's paw... (actually - no, he spent enough time in Ahoyhoy to behave properly, including the correct way of greetings). But the point was to show the friendliness and so he did. "I would be Kairus, and these are..." he introduced everyone who did not do it yet and took a pause allowing Damu to answer Hun's question.

"Yulmiath."

Giving a curt nod towards Damu, Yulmiath introduces himself but leaves it at that for now.

"Th' name's Rhogal young'ins!"

After the others introduce themselves, he adds his name to the mix "Krodhen...." he nods, then to the others with a barley concealed grin "I doubt he will make good eating, let's leave him be....."

“And I am Eeyal… don’t mind the heavily armored one. We’ll not hunt you for food,” Eeyal says while holding back a laugh.

Concerning Hun's question, Damu replies with a defiant tone, although it devolves into an insecure tone quite quickly: "Yes, I'm alone. I'm of age, and I'll catch that piglet all on my own... or something else. I've been out here for six days already. I better catch something before I eat all my rations."

"If you are adventurers," they then ask "what are you looking for here in the jungle?" They think on their next words for another moment and add: "Maybe I can point you in the right direction... or better yet, help you find it. Prove my worth that way. What do you think?

Their questions don't stop there: "Also, what is this strange armor that walks on its own? And where did you find someone with gills who can breath above water? Are you not hot under that armor Mr. Krodhen, was it? I've never seen a drongon-kind before but old man Mudgraw told me he saw a few in his younger days. I almost didn't believe him. Oh, but I have seen a dwarf before like Mr. Rhogal here. She stopped at the island, traded, and left on her ship. She was quite nice, and had a beard too!"

"Eeyal, when exactly do you count someone "of age"? That little one definitely should not be in that group." Kairus said it with an honest concern in his voice - the baby turtle sounded extremely young to be on his own. "Thank you, Damu, but we already have a guyed who knows how to bring us to our destination. You can come with us, though, and see for yourself. Maybe there will be an adventure that allows you to prove your worth, whatever it means? Just go easy with the questions, they betray your true age."

Yulmiath shrugs his shoulders, "Guess we're out here for adventure. If you're out here looking for dinner, it might've gotten away from you by now. Sorry kid. Could shout you a ration pack for tonight if you're running low?"

Hun looks on incredulous at the young tortle, then squinted at him real hard. "... That strange armor is 'Mr. Thicc.' Say hello, Mr. Thicc." The construct in question looked down at Hun, and then back up to the Tortle. At which point it rubbed his chin as if considering something for a moment or two, snapped hand fingers, clapped his hands together, and then finally traced a heart in the air using its index fingers. Whether this is by design or some weird improvisation on the constructs part, Hun never let his eyes off the Tortle long enough to register or comment on the matter.

"And what you -are-, young green, is lost aren't cha?" He asked, but hardly gives the Tortle time enough to speak before briskly adding, "Well we can't very well leave you to roam on your own. This jungle is dangerous you know! Lousy with giant talking bird people, red piranhe birds, and all sorts of other dangers. And 'of age or not'-" He makes the air quotes motion. "We can't 'xactly have you running around on your own, anyhow. Ain't nobody tell ya to at least hunt in pairs? Or are there no other young'un back in Ahoy-yoh at the moment?"

"At some point during adolescence," Eeyal replies to Kairus' question. "Whenever the wanderlust hits, I guess. We all feel it sooner or later. As for whether this is the proper age for Damu here to venture out by themselves, well, that's up to Damu to decide."

Damu seems unfazed by the lack of responses they receive to their many questions, or Kairus' comments on their "true age". In fact, they listen to the comments they get and just roll with them, answering those he can but not bothering with some others. "Yes, hunting in a group is best, but I need to prove myself first. Others of similar age are probably on the hunt too, but not all. And yes! I take some dried food if you are offering." They look at Yulmiath and extend a hand. "I'll be sure to share my catch with you and your son first when I best it." They point at Hun.

Damu seems quite enamored by Mr. Thicc and its little mummer's trick. "I have never seen anything like this before. It is quite curious. They'll never believe me back in Ahoyhoy when I tell them of the walking armor set in the middle of the jungle." Damu almost misses the invite to join the group but, knowing their chances of succeeding are getting slim, they accept. "Ok, but if we come across a good hunt, you'll let me land the killing blow!" They announce this last statement, clearly not even considering the possibility that the group may deny their demand.

Much to Damu's dismay, the rest of the group's march for the day does not lead them to cross paths with any good hunting opportunity. The dense jungle, with all of its green shades and pesky insects, produces little of note for the next several hours. The sun makes its gradual descent into the west and the group finds a slightly less humid nook to eventually rest within. The jungle seems more menacing at night, and the many noises filling the air betray the proximity of potential dangers. Eeyal offers to take a watch either in a pair or on her own. Damu is excited to take a watch too.

(OOC: That's the end of the exploring day unless the group prefers to continue marching into the night. If settling in for a long rest, please describe what you do and roll a perception check if taking a watch. Also, please remove one ration from each of your inventories to account for the supplies used for the day.)

(Did we make more rations out of bird jerky? That was the idea.)

Kairus was going to take the first watch, mostly because he was telling the stories and wanted to finish them first. He did not mind Damu's company - the only inconvenience it presented, Kairus had to watch what he was talking about. He was afraid that any mention of the treasure or the dangerous animals would make the turtle run towards it in the middle of the night (Kairus himself would definitely do so at that age). Once the watch hours were over Kairus went to sleep, hoping to see the "treasure" dream again - the music of jungle with the undertone of the waves (that he was sure he could feel even here) was the best lullaby one can wish for.

Perception: 19

Settling in to make camp, Yulmiath tosses a ration (including Eblis jerky) to Duma.

"Get your laughing gear around that when the time comes. Thanks for thinking about me and my son. When you make your kill, make sure you give him my share."

Yulmiath looks off into the middle distance, his gaze goes a little glassy and his voice catches a little.

"He's just so small and scrawny... Healer's say he might never... Never make it to a normal height."

His hand covers his face and his shoulders start to buck.

"High shelves... Hat racks... A kite caught in a tree... All beyond his reach."

Dropping his hand, Yul cannot contain it any longer and he erupts in a fit of laughter.

"Hey, Hun! Duma reckons if you eat your vegetables, you'll grow up to be big and strong like me! Stick with us, kid. We'll see you right, especially if you keep up with the funny!"

Yulmiath takes whichever watch is asked of him. 

Perception - 4

Hun just shook his head at the sheer "madness" of the young Tortle. But after looking to Eeyal and seeing some acceptance/understanding of the young'uns way, the kobold sighed and would seem to leave the matter there. And though a touch conflicted, he held his tongue on commenting about the whole son tidbit.

... Buuuuut when Yulmiath would bring it up later even Hun couldn't help but glare uphalfheartedly at the Dragonborn.  "Oh for the love of Gond -- I am not his son. Though the blood of dragons flows through us both, his kind -- them being dragonborns -- were more blessed by our progenitors the Dragons and great Wyrms of eons past. I, however, am a Kobold. And for what we lack in the great size, strength, and general uppitiness of Dragonborn-.." He side-eyes Yulmiath with a smirk. "-we've more than made up for it with our cunning, ingenuity, and numbers! Helped, as you no doubt are unaware, but oure ability to change even genders when population gets a little outta hand in a given den or colony. Truly there is no more adaptive species than us Kobolds!" He expresses, puffing out his chest proudly.

"Well-.." He deflates a little. "Except humans, I guess... and elves, sorta. 'cause like, you can't throw a freaking stone anywhere in the world without crack'n one of them upside the head I tell ya." He adds, rolling his eyes towards the end. "Anyhow! Eeyal? Mind covering my usual watch with the hatchling? Show'em a few ropes 'n all that." He requests, before shifting his attention towards doing further maintenance on Mr. Thicc, as his earlier performance in running away was quite abysmal! After which, he'd work with the construct in making a still small, yet far more roomer burrow to rest in for the night.

Needing no rest after, Mr. Thicc would sit on standby during the night, keeping a passive eye on things.

Krodhen settles in to the evening, eager to pull out the smoked meat and enjoy the fare that they have sourced from the island's animals, and takes his time with the meal, enjoying the rest in whatever shade he can find until darkness comes, smiling quietly at the banter being had at Hun's expense.

"Wake me for the last watch...I'm a morning kind of guy"

Perception: 11 - OOC: You can always rely on Krodhen!!