Nym looked out across the red stone of her homeland perched at the top of a tall arch that overlooked the series of winding rivers that had carved these canyons eons ago. The morning chill ran through her fur despite the lack of wind. She had woken up long before dawn and tried not to let her claws click on the floor as she grabbed a few hardboiled eggs, and snuck out leaving her family to sleep. The respite in her home village had been wonderful, sleeping in her old bed chamber for the last week had been a great comfort. A note had been left on the kitchen counter, so her mother wouldn't worry. Mother always worried. That thought made a warm grin spread across Nym's face. Now she sat in the cool blue of first light and enjoyed a small cup of cold tea as she waited for her partner. Her mission for the day wouldn't allow for carrying the stone pot and other equipment for hot tea, but she didn't mind. The temperature allowed the Ceylon to take on a different flavor, a crispness that woke her up faster. She shivered slightly, a pleasant sensation.

She relished these quiet mornings, before anyone else woke up. The morning brought with it a freshness that washed away the previous day's worries. A whole new day with brand new unknowable events. One more night lay between yourself and the problems of the past, and one more day ahead to heal those wounds. She gulped the last of her tea, getting the remaining dust and pieces of leaves that the steeper didn't catch. The small black cup wasn't her usual vessel for tea, which was a large lime green mug with a wide brim and a pleasantly smooth surface. This one was a small black ceramic cylinder with a stony texture to it, of which she had dozens at home. So it was ok if this one broke, which it likely would on today's mission….

Nym barely heard Usi until he landed next to her, folding his wings silently and greeting her with a small paw on her shoulder. Nym was amazed at how quiet he was. Perhaps his heritage as a Noc'Dimali aided in that. The Noc had always loved the night more than other Alecani, their people had adapted to living in darkness and hunting in darkness. Their feathers had a soft edge to them, like an owl's, which muffled the wooshing sound of their wings through the air. But Usi was quieter than that. Usi moved like smoke through the air, silent and deliberate, seemingly at the whim of the breeze, unearthly and unheard. Which was probably why he'd been chosen as one of The Harp’s guards.

"Pleasant morning, isn't it?" Usi breathed deeply and watched the eastern horizon with Nym, not bothering to sit down with her.

"You're getting rusty, Usi. I heard you almost a meter before you touched down," Nym chided as she grabbed at his ear playfully.

"Tcha! You just have freakish hearing for a stone dog,” he retorted with a involuntary grin. “do I smell eggs?"

"Yep, I brought two. Want one?"

She handed him one of the eggs she brought, and Usi sat down and bit into it. Pleasant munching noises ensued, and the overall silence of the morning took over again. A nocturnal bird called out it's goodnight trill, and the sun peeked over the horizon as a brilliant sliver. Usi took that as a queue.

"Can't sit around eating eggs all day. Are you ready?"

Butterflies flittered in Nym's stomach briefly, but she shook and stood up, dismissing the feeling. "Ready Sir!" she mumbled around the last bite of egg in her mouth.

"Don’t call me sir, stone dog," he said with a sideways grin, which vanished in a moment, "and steel yourself. The first day is always the hardest."

Nym gulped down the egg, and looked at him seriously.

"I don’t mean to scare you, but I can't lie about the difficulties ahead. There is a reason The Shadow recommended you, though. I've known you for long enough to know he's right. Have faith in yourself, Nym! This will be fun." He gave her a dark mischievous look.

Nym nodded and grabbed her small pack. The pair leaped off the stone arch and headed north east. The nocturnal bird trilled one more time. Nym’s stone cup sat in the edge forgotten. A new day, with new challenges….