Chapter: 5.

The next morning, Nanami and Hitari sit in their saddles early. A guy from the house sweeps away a heap of wood shavings at the entrance to the restaurant and mumbles angrily into his non-existent beard: "People are getting bolder and they throw away their rubbish wherever they want ..."
The swing door of the tavern opens and the little Pearl, who can't even look over the door, comes out with a leather bag that she's just closing: "Thanks for waiting ... The landlord is probably a little mad about you, open In any case, I only had to pay my expenses. That way we still have a few savings for our trip! "
Nanami: "Come on then, today you will ride with me."
Nanami pulls Pearl up by the hand and places her on the saddle in front of him. Hitari makes sure that Pearl is sitting safely in front of Nanami and pulls the reins. Gloss trots off towards the city gate and Loss behind.On the way a small child runs in front of the horses, which shy away for a moment: "Stop!"
Nanami and Hitari pull the reins: "Ho!"
Hitari: "What do you want from us ?!"
The girl comes to Hitari's side: "I can't let you go any further!"
Hitari: "Why not?"
Girl: "That will bring bad luck if you continue to ride like this.", She brings out three white flowers behind her back: "You have to take royal stars with you, otherwise something will happen to you!"
Nanami and Hitari look at each other questioningly.
Pearl puts on a really friendly smile: "That's nice of you!"
The girl switches from Hitari's horse to Pearl and gives her a flower. Thanking him a few times, Pearl accepts the king's star and then punches Nanami in the side with her elbow: "Ouch!"
Pearl: "Come on, take the king's star! This flower is given to travelers so that they can find their way back home.Actually, the royal star stands for all good wishes on the journey. "
Nanami: "Good wishes? That sounds like it's perfect for us!"
Thankfully, Nanami takes the flower from the girl and Hitari also receives a king star.
Pearl: "But why do you just wish us luck on our journey?"
Girl: "I saw you how you came through the city gate. From the beginning I was impressed by your appearance ... Something fascinates me about you, certainly because you are not from here!"
Hitari startled at this statement and wanted to say something, so the girl continues: "You probably come from the north country, the country behind the mountains ?!"
Nanami was about to say something, when Pearl intervened: "Yes, they come from this region and I'll ride there with them."
Girl: "That's nice. Well then, have a good trip! Goodbye!"Nanami and Hitari let their horses trot again.
Pearl: "Goodbye, little one!"
Nanami: "Farewell!"
Hitari doesn't even turn around and raises his hand as a casual wink: "Adieu!"
On the way to the city gate, the three see the old woman from the last day who wants to sell her snakes to newcomers. The gatekeeper, who sees the three coming, calls out loudly: "Open the gate !!!", and with a heavy creak, the meter-high wooden gate opens and grants exit.
Pearl: "Then let's go! Off to the mountains!"
With a happy: "Yes !!!" Hitari and Nanami join in and leave the Caras behind with great expectations.

Time goes by and the grassy hill country mixes with a few barren trees.
Pearl: "I want you to ride through this region with keen ears and eyes!"
Nanami: "Why? Do the birds sing particularly beautifully here?""
Pearl: "No !!! There are monsters walking around here that are dangerous!"
Hitari: "Oh no! I can't do that!"
Pearl: "What not?"
Hitari: "Use a bow and arrow. I've never used a combat weapon, let alone held it in my hands!"
Pearl: "WHAT?!? Stop right now !!"
Nanami pulls the reins tight and before Loss stops, Pearl jumps off the horse and walks back in the direction they came from.
Hitari dismounts immediately and runs after her: "What is this about now?"
Without turning around, she replied in a harsh tone: "I'm not tired of life and I'm traveling through the country with two helpless people! It's like going swimming with stones in my pockets!", She jerks around and continues preaching : "I cannot keep three souls safe ... I was hoping that you would know how to defend yourself."Hitari: "The only defense we know is running away!"
Finally Nanami gets off her horse and comes running after them: "Do you know how lost we were when Hiril told us that we would run into dangers ?! She suggested that we take a course ... Last night I then chopped up a chair with my sword when you were already asleep. Because then I disposed of the dirt through the window. "
Hitari: "Oh, that's why there weren't any two chairs left the next morning last night! If I had known that you'd also try a wooden chair, I would have taken a cupboard shelf."
Pearl: "I think I'm crazy! Did you take the room apart? Now I also know where the pile of wood chips at the entrance of the inn came from! If the landlord had checked our room, we would be standing here naked now ... He would have gutted us like a Christmas goose. "Nanami: "What should we do, at some point you have to start learning!"
Pearl: "That's right, and because you've already started, we'll continue now!"
Hitari: "How now? Should we shoot with a bow and arrow in the air or hit a stone with a giant knife for hours, until either the stone splits in two or the sword?"
Pearl: "No ...! You sit down and I will think of a course that you will then have to do with different weapons."
Agreeing with this suggestion, Nanami and Hitari lead their horses to a tree and settle there. Pearl begins by carrying stones and large branches together. Little by little, the surroundings take shape. While Pearl is still working hard, Hitari and Nanami relax by doing each other's hair.
Then the time has come. Pearl cleans her hands satisfied and approaches the two hobby hairdressers: "So ...!We can begin! ", then she notices something:" Tell me, how do you look like? "
Hitari: "We did our hair!"
Pearl: "Yes, I can see that too, but how you did it! Did you copy this hairstyle somewhere?"
Nanami: "Well, yes. Yesterday, when I was throwing the shavings through the window, I saw elves walking in the dark alleys ... It looked as if they were floating. Sorry, got off the subject. Definitely had her hairstyles like we have now. "
Pearl: "No wonder, you've seen wood elves with their typical top hair combed backwards, which ends in a plait and also braided hair along the ears ... You are crazy ... If someone sees you briefly, he lies down um, because he thinks you are elves. "
Hitari: "Well, listen, not everyone is angry!"
Pearl: "That's right again! But ..."
Nanami has heard enough and intervenes: "Can we start the course ?!I would like to continue riding someday. "
Pearl: "You're right, come on !!"
Hitari throws Gloss a flower to eat, which she rolled between her fingers most of the time and then stands up with Nanami and brushes off the dust. Pearl leads the two of them to the first practice site: "As you can see, there is a bunch of branches hanging from the tree over there. I want you to shoot the branches with your bows and please hit them too! Good luck."
With big steps, Pearl brings herself out of danger and calls from a safe distance: "You can start!"
Hitari patted Nanami on the shoulder somewhat reluctantly: "You're starting!" And pushes her forward. With a shaky hand, Nanami pulls an arrow from her quiver, which she carries on her back, clamps it, pulls the string and pulls and pulls until the bow is more than a quarter smaller in height.Then the arrow hisses through the air in a high arc and lands with its shaft erect in the middle of the bundle of branches. Hitari can't shut her mouth anymore in amazement. Nanami pretends to have known that she was going to hit and toast Hitari: "It's your turn."
Hitari is self-confident: "About time!"
She gets ready and draws the bow. With a sharp eye, she has her goal in mind and lets go. The arrow rushes towards the target. Sure of victory, a smile spreads on Hitari's face and suddenly, shortly before the goal, the arrow races into the bow. The air is razor-sharp with tension and then it is. This eerie silence is broken by the loud laughter of Nanami. Nanami slumped her legs with laughter and she fell sideways into the grass and continued laughing.
Hitari slowly gets angry and pulls her up by the arm: "Control yourself again! I'll try again. My first attempt was too lax!"
She draws the bow again and then lets the arrow hiss through the air. The second attempt succeeds. The arrow hits the bundle of branches in the upper third. From a safe distance, Pearl calls out, "Very good you two! I want you to try each other five more times!"
Nanami and Hitari agree: "Ok!"
Pearl makes itself comfortable in the shade and enjoys the peace and quiet around the horses. After a while, Pearl's eyelid darkens: "We're done!"
She opens her eyes and Hitari leans over her: "Well then, show your successes!" She stands up and has to wait a moment for her eyes to get used to the sun and the distance: "Ah, I can see ... "
Nanami: "What do you see?"
Pearl: "That you are better."
Nanami jumps in the air for joy: "Yeah !!! ... And how do you know that? Each one has missed an arrow and otherwise everyone is sitting."Pearl: "I've been dealing with archers like Elves for ages. You can see which hit is more deadly and which isn't." She gets up and pats herself off the grass: "Come on, I'll show you the good hits."
The three of them walk over to the bundle of branches and Pearl plucks the first arrow from the tangle of branches: "This one is a total rivet! It would have gone into the thigh and not even caused a bad flow of blood. The hit would only be good for inexperienced men who would whine like a mangy dog ​​at the slightest ailment. "
She pulls out a second arrow further up: "This one landed well. It would have hit the carotid artery, maybe even torn it