As the first light of dawn crept over the peaks of the Rekes mountains, Guide, Judge, Reach, Seal, as well as their new companion Nathalia, rose from their slumber. The morning air was chilling, making the group shiver slightly as they re-gathered their equipment into bags and satchels. Still, the day promised bountiful resources, especially with Nathalia's help.

 

Nathalia led the way, her pink fur contrasting against the blue-toned mountains making her easy to keep track of. Guide walked beside her, his keen eyes scanning the landscape for potential dangers and opportunities alike. Judge, Reach, and Seal followed closely, each joyfully chatting with each other.

 

The first stop was a small, secluded valley that Nathalia had mentioned earlier in the day. The valley was known for its abundance of medicinal herbs, which were all highly valued by the Xunari living in the region. It wasn't easy to reach, though, and the colonists quickly found themselves happy that they had brought their climbing supplies with them, descending into the valley one by one.

 

"These herbs are unique to the Rekes mountains," Nathalia explained, pointing to a cluster of small, blue flowers. "They have powerful healing qualities, but they must be harvested carefully. They only bloom around this time of year, and everything except the flower is highly poisonous, so make sure to only take the petals." she instructed, kneeling down next to the largest patch of flowers.

 

Judge knelt beside her, examining them closely. "How do we harvest them without damaging them?"

 

Nathalia demonstrated, gently plucking a the leaves off of the plants without disturbing the sensitive stems. "It's important to leave the roots so they can regrow. That way, everyone can come back next year and have another harvest."

 

The sun rapidly climbed higher as they worked, and eventually Guide nodded happily, motioning for the others to stop. "That should be enough for now."

 

They climbed back out of the valley, and soon Nathalia was leading them to another place. The next location she suggested had been a cave, higher up the mountains. The terrain was difficult, especially for Seal who wasn't used to climbing mountains in the slightest. Still, Nathalia's agility helped them out a ton, as she climbed up some ledged to help the other four up after her.

 

Upon reaching the cave, they were greeted by a dazzling display of gems and minerals. They hadn't been on the list of things to gather, but when Nathalia had offered Reach had voiced her excitement to see the place. 

 

Reach was amazed at the beautiful scenery, the minerals, varying in color from deep reds to shimmering silvers, sparkled in the sunlight.

 

"We usually don't take the gems around here, since it's such a pretty place." Nathalia started, lighting a lantern. "But there's a bunch a bit deeper into the caves as well, and those should be okay to take."

 

The colonists nodded, lighting some more lanterns for everyone to use.

 

Once further in the cave, Nathalia showed them how to get small clusters of the minerals out of the walls. "You have to be careful not to disturb the cave walls." she gestures over to another wall, with a huge crack running along it. "If you disturb it too much cracks start to form, which makes cave-ins likely." she sighed sadly "It wouldn't be the first time carelessness has cost lives."

 

Judge gulped. "We'll uh- leave this to you then, if you don't mind."

 

Nathalia chuckled, continuing to extract a few more of the gems. "That's fine. Feel free to explore around while I get these for you."

 

Seal kept an eye on Nathalia's work, curiously asking questions. He had never known mining could be this delicate- he'd have to ask Finn about it when he got back.

 

They were done pretty quickly in the caves, Nathalia extracting a couple of the minerals and gems before declaring that it would be plenty to keep the colonists busy for a while. Reach thanked her for showing the way again, but was quickly brushed off.

 

Midday was rapidly approaching, and the group took a break. They shared a quick meal of dried fruits and nuts that the colonists had prepared back home. The view from the ledge the cave was on was breath-taking, the vast expanse of the Rekes mountains stretching out before them. It seemed nearly endless to the colonists, but Nathalia chuckled at them.

 

"You should see the view from one of the peaks! If you climb the highest mountain the view is amazing." she smiled apologetically, "although it's not a climb for newbies, so I'm afraid I can't take you there."

 

Guide nodded, understanding. "I'd rather not put anyone in danger. But maybe one day. These mountains deserve our respect, after all."

 

Nathalia seemed happy that the four colonists understood, and happily kept nibbling on her fruits while discussing with Guide where to spend the next of the afternoon.