Daphne managed to sleep through most of the day, snuggled close to her boyfriend. She only woke up when Idon did.
"I really wouldn't mind a second round", he told her, "but unfortunately, I have to work soon. These nightly guarding times are quite inconvenient. I really wouldn't mind if you would hunt at nights. We would spend more time together."
Daphne could not help but sigh. They have had this conversion multiple times already.
"Unfortunately, nocturnal animals see quite a bit more at nights than I do. Ever tried shooting a bow when you can't even see your own feet? You would barely hit the broad side of a barn."
They dressed up quickly (Daphne blushing as she skipped over her still wet panties, preferring to go commando instead) and headed out. After giving each other a goodbye hug, Idon seemed to remember something.
"I heard an interesting rumor from one of my colleges. You know the southern hill, where the rich people live, do you? Well, one of those bastards is aging not-so-well, and is struggling to satisfy his wife. He offered a huge sum of money for those potency increasing fruits. Pears of potency, are they called? Or just potency pears? They grow in the forests, you probably know them. Nevertheless, if you happen to find some, bring them to him, he would pay a whole lot. Certainly enough so you could skip hunting for a while. Maybe we can spend more time together that way. Either way, take care!"
After they separated, Daphne walked straight home. Despite getting late, she was not tired - she just woke up, after all. She also mused on the pears that Idon mentioned. She only saw those pear trees once in her life - she took a detour once with her father in the deep forests, forests that were unknown to her. If she could bring a handful of those to the old impotent rich guy Idon mentioned, she could make a bank.
She was not surprised to find Merdon, her brother, still up and reading. After greetings and pleasantries, she asked him about the fruits.
"Do you happen to know about these... potency pears? You know, the one that gives males, well... more stamina in the bed?"
Merdon answered with a smile. "I certainly don't need any help with that yet, sis, however, I do know about them. I believe there was a copse of trees around the altar where we went with father once, a few years ago, in the deep forest. They are quite rare otherwise. I could draw you a map tomorrow if you want to travel there."
"I would appreciate it, thank you. I would be able to sell it for a boatload. Have a good night, I will try to sleep as well."
"One more thing, sis."
"Yes?"
"Don't forget your panties tomorrow."
Daphne heavily blushed as she rushed into her room. How could he tell?! She wore leather pants (made from animals that she, herself, hunted) - they were tight, but not THAT tight. Merdon was awfully perceptive in some things. She gathered her stuff that she needed tomorrow - it's going to be a two-day journey.
She left early the next day. She felt home in these known forests, but she would be crossing into unknown territory soon. Luckily, she had a general idea where she was going - she would have possibly found the spot even without the map her brother drew for her. She will be fine.
She also took comfort from the presence of her bow, and her well prepared arrows. She saw a couple of animals that were worth hunting, but not right now - she had more than enough food prepared for her journey, and she intended to carry as much fruit back as she could, hunting down anything would just add to the burden. She intended to really milk this opportunity.
She found the fork in the small path that she had to follow without any troubles. The flora and fauna slowly changed as she went into the deeper, denser parts of the forest, but she encountered no problems whatsoever. She finally found the mentioned altar about the time the Sun was setting - just in time, because walking all day totally drained her. She decided to make camp near the shrine.
It was a small, petty thing, barely more than a pile of stones with some religious symbol at the top. It was totally neglected, moss and lichen covered most of the surface. Still, it was the best point of interest around here - she decided to look for the trees tomorrow, in daylight. She fell into a dreamless sleep, her exhausted muscles demanding rest.
A sudden, sharp pain on her shoulder awoke her in the middle of the night. She was awake and ready with dagger in hand in a couple of seconds, but despite her awareness, she couldn't see anything in the pitch black. She could barely make out... something in the dark, something long but close to the ground - like a giant snake, but with a totally different movement. As far as she could tell, it moved like a worm as it inched away. It was not the first time she was bitten in the wild - she was a huntress, after all - but the fact that she had no idea what bit her was more than concerning.
She was awake for a long while after the... something left, but in the end, she was able to fall asleep, intending to tend the wound tomorrow. It didn't hurt much.
She examined the bite in the morning, right after waking up. During her time in the forest, she learned how to identify most animals by their bitemark. It looked nothing like a wild animal.