The rest of the evening passed in a comfortable silence after Eahlswith returned with three pairs of rabbits for their meal. When it came time to turn in, Aellisia helped Zilia unpack her sleeping bag and bid the human a good night. Eahlswith who was taking the second watch curled her huge form up next to Aellisia and calmly lay her head next to her. Aellisia spent the remainder of her watch staring off into the distance, her ears sharp for anything out of the ordinary and her thoughts jumbled still by the conversation she had shared with Zilia. Inwardly she cursed the fact that she still had not brought up the circumstances of Mathio's possible connection to Eahlswith's old pack, although she was unsure why she hadn't. She had the perfect opportunity earlier, but it felt like the wrong time to discuss such a thing, and even after Eahlswith had returned with dinner, she had not wanted to break the peace that they had come to after speaking with one another about their motivations. Truthfully she was happy that they could finally speak to one another properly, although she still promised to teach Zilia Aelvenish if she desired. But now with the added concern of Mathio, she wanted to do everything possible to speed up their journey. As a sharp snapping sound entered her hearing range her head turned and her gaze locked onto the location, for a moment she held her breath and extended her senses as far as she could until she finally heard a faint snuffling sound and soft padding steps that veered away from their small camp. Letting the breath out Aellisia relaxed as whatever the animal was moved away from them, the slight tension in her muscles left her and she released the tight grasp she had on her spear. Ruefully she shook her head and let out a soft chuckle, she might not know how to deal with the troubling emotions and thoughts that the earlier talk had produced within her, but if nothing else she was comfortable with how to survive in this forest. Truthfully Aellisia was deeply concerned about how to act when they reached the town, here in this forest with Eahlswith they relied on each other, and could survive with the knowledge she had reclaimed and the knowledge that her friend had shared with her. In fact she wondered now whether travelling to the town was even necessary any more now that she had discovered that strange place in her mind that seemed to contain her memories. Regaining those memories had been her driving factor for so long now, that the fact she had a way to reclaim them seemed to dull that obsession within her somewhat. Turning that raging fire into a more manageable smoldering sensation. However that left her at a crossroads, she would help Zilia return to town, that was a given, but from there would she stay? Could she stay? Or would it be better after returning Zilia home to simply return to the forest, to the home she shared with Eahlswith and slowly learn how to access the memories that were locked inside her? As her gaze returned to the fire she frowned, struggling with the weight of the decision she would have to make.

As she slept that night after keeping watch, Aellisia's dreams were troubled. Visions of people and places unknown danced through them, and echoes of the words Mathio had hissed at Zilia before she confronted him repeated over and over again. In the morning she awoke to Eahlswith prodding her with her large wet nose eliciting a groan from her as she blinked her eyes open and stared at the lightening sky, her mind slowly returning to full function.
'You were troubled in your dreams again.'
Eahlswith's voice entered her mind, the tone filled with worry and absent of any recrimination. Turning her head her gaze fell first on Zilia who was huddled up and still sleeping, before it tracked up and into Eahlswith's large golden eyes. Aellisia smiled at her friend and simply shook her head at her, sending reassurances through the bond for a moment before speaking in a low tone to avoid waking the Human woman whose face seemed to be creased with a frown.
"It's alright, the same dreams as usual is all. Nothing new except for Mathio making an unwelcome appearance"
At the mention of the human's name, Eahlswith let out a huff and Aellisia saw her friend's eyes narrow.
'If I see him again, I WILL kill him.'
Her words were filled with anger at the man, and truthfully Aellisia felt it too. The sting of his betrayal, and the cowardice he showed in waiting to try and kill her while she was unconscious made her want to kill him every bit as much as it did Eahlswith. But for the time being the only thing either of them could do was wait. After a few hours when the sun had fully lit up the forest around them Aellisia woke Zilia, the Human seemed to be even less of a morning person than she was. But after a sparse breakfast of berries and water, they had packed up their campsite buried the fire with dirt and began their travels for the day. Now there was just the three of them they changed up their formation, Eahlswith still scouted ahead to help them avoid as many fights as possible and Aellisia and Zilia stayed close to one another in case of anything sneaking up on them from behind. There was little conversation between them that morning, both Aellisia and Zilia feeling somewhat awkward around each other after their conversation of the evening prior. But by the time noon approached and they took their first break, it was Zilia who spoke first.
"I'm sorry for being so quiet this morning, our conversation last night... Took a lot out of me."
Aellisia finished taking a deep drink from her waterskin before shaking her head and responding.
"The fault isn't entirely yours. It's been some time since I spoke to anyone about my past, only Eahlswith if I am to be truthful with you."
Zilia nodded in understanding, a flash of sympathy dancing across her face.
"I understand, and truly I meant what I said to you last night. I'm glad to be travelling with you, and I genuinely am sorry that things happened the way they did with Mathio, I never thought things would end up like this."

Further conversation moved towards less volatile topics than Mathio, and Aellisia and Zilia instead chatted easily with one another. Both were happy that they could now hold a simple conversation with one another and when they resumed their journey both spoke of small inconsequential things. For her part, Aellisia found that listening to Zilia tell her about her daily life, and the town she lived in, made her feel a warmth she was unaccustomed to. And Zilia seemed fascinated as Aellisia opened up slightly, telling her how she had made her clothing herself, and of how she and Eahlswith had hunted together. Aellisia still held back slightly, demurring or deflecting whenever Zilia inquired more closely about where Eahlswith and her had originally lived together. But it didn't seem as though Zilia took any offense when she did so, perhaps she acknowledged Aellisia's reticence after Aellisia had talked about her past, and being confined as she had been. For her part, Aellisia greatly appreciated the human woman's acceptance of that fact, and the fact that Zilia never pushed the matter over much let Aellisia relax and trust the woman more as they spoke. By nightfall, they had set up camp once more and Eahlswith had set off to track down food for them, luckily Aellisia had come across another series of berry bushes that Zilia had informed her were incredibly tasty and kept very well, being something that she often gathered herself when she entered the forest on a commission or expedition. They had gathered a great many of them together and it had gone some way to refill their travel rations, as they had eaten the last of Aellisia's smoked meat the previous day. Now as they sat together before the campfire, Aellisia had returned to carving Zilia's walking staff as they chatted idly and waited for Eahlswith's return. After some time had passed Aellisia had finally decided that tonight was the night that she would ask Zilia about the link between Eahlswith's pack, and Mathio and his father. She did not wish to say anything that might make the human wary, but for Eahlswith's sake and peace of mind, she felt that she could no longer put this conversation off anymore. As she carved the wood of the staff she let her hands move without conscious decision, letting the swirling lines and images that were slowly appearing in the wood take their own flowing direction. She spoke idly with Zilia who much like on previous occasions watched her hands move with rapt attention, until finally, she spoke with a soft tone, trying not to distract Aellisia.
"I must ask, who taught you how to do that? The carvings you make are exquisite."
Aellisia's lips quirked into a smile. A few days prior she would have been unable to answer that question, the knowledge was instinctual, but after reclaiming her first memories she now knew without question where and how she had learned this skill.
"My Athair, my Father taught me when I was a child. The first thing I carved was a gift for my Màthair, my Mother, for her birthday."

Zilia was quiet for a moment after that, although her face momentarily showed her surprise at the revelation. The sight made Aellisia grin a little more as Zilia had a very expressive face, it was something she had learned about the Human woman as they travelled and talked with one another.
"If you don't mind me asking, what was it you made her?"
Zilia's tone was respectful as she asked the question, and for a moment Aellisia's hands paused before she continued carving and responded.
"I don't mind at all, the first thing I ever carved for her was a small rabbit pendant."
Aellisia's eyes softened and her movements slowed as she replayed the memory in her mind before continuing.
"It wasn't very good, and I remember not being very happy with it, in fact, I thought she would hate it."
Chuckling softly her eyes gazed off into the distance as she replayed the memory in her head as the emotions associated with it flooded her for a brief instant.
"But my Athair assured me she would love it because it was something that I had made for her with my own two hands."
Shaking free of her reverie she resumed her work on the staff as they both waited for Eahlswith's return.
"I'm sure she did."
Zilia's tone was warm as she spoke, a smile lighting up her face.
"What were they like? Your parents?"
This time Aellisia's movements came to an abrupt stop, and she felt an overwhelming flash of sadness fill her heart.
"I don't know, I don't remember. They loved me, I think? The two memories I have of them seem to support that at least, but I don't remember anything beyond two memories."
Her tone was filled with sadness, and her normally impassive face seemed to crumble slightly as the weight of her loss settled on it.
"I remember them both in two different instances, carving with my father, and my mother applying my Comharra Teaghlaich and teaching me how to hide it. I hope that more of my memories are not far from being mine once again."
She sighed heavily and her hands shook slightly at the swell of emotion inside her. A long moment passed before Zilia spoke again, her voice full of compassion.
"I'm sure that you will remember everything you want to remember Aellisia, that you remember two things is just the first step on your journey."
Aellisia schooled her expression as Zilia spoke and tamped her emotions down again.
"And I've been meaning to ask, that mark on your brow, the Comharra Teaghlaich, why was it hidden in the first place?"
Aellisia frowned at the question and gently chewed her lip as she thought for a few minutes before responding.
"Thank you Zilia, and honestly? I don't know, in the memory I have of my mother I remember her teaching me how to hide it, but not why. I wasn't aware of it at all until after I woke up, and even then I simply reversed the steps I remembered, it's just one more question I have that I don't have the answer for."
After she finished speaking, both of them were quiet, a pensive silence filling the air around them. Eventually, Aellisia put the metal knife to one side along with the staff, her taste for further work had fled with the brief conversation that they had held. As both sat there, thinking about the words they had shared, the sound of something moving through the bushes caught their attention. Zilia tensed, her hand resting on the hilt of her knife before she relaxed as Eahlswith emerged into view. Pushing her contemplative thoughts to one side Aellisia let out a low sigh, once they had eaten she would finally ask the questions that she had avoided so far, and hopefully she would get the answers that both she and Eahlswith wanted to know.