I already knew Zarah and Talia were close. The two had spent enough time together that their friendship wasn't surprising in the slightest. But Nira and Sheera, especially Sheera, had only recently joined the clan. Yet Zarah referred to them as friends without the slightest hesitation.
That was... unexpected.
I'd honestly assumed it would take her much longer to open up to new people. Zarah had always seemed more comfortable keeping her circle small. Apparently, I had been wrong.
The realization was oddly pleasant.
A clan wasn't just walls, weapons, and numbers. Relationships mattered too. Seeing the four of them getting along better than expected was a good sign.
"Did you find the crystal?" Zarah asked.
The question pulled me out of my thoughts.
I nodded. Then I opened my inventory and summoned one of the crystal shards I had harvested from the corpse of an Inferno Wolf.
The blue crystal materialized in my hand.
