When the carriage first arrived, Nihlus had been moderately optimistic. The archaeologist had proven he would have been more than capable of affording several fleets of the ground craft on top of paying them if he so desired, thus the possibility of one actually being able to hold him comfortably was exciting. He had never ridden inside of something so enclosed! In fact, the closest he had ever managed was clinging to the outer hulls of a train as it sped through various landscapes; albeit only after learning he was not properly proportioned to ride in it, much to the dismay of the conductor and several riders. However, when the transport came trundling up the hill to where he waited, the disappointment that radiated from him was palpable. If he even dared to try and fit inside of the diminutive thing, he was fairly certain it would have collapsed in on itself.
Thus he rode on thermals and purely powered flight, soaring far above the carriages below that contained the rest of the mercenaries. In truth it likely turned out better that the archaeologist had been unable--or simply unwilling--to purchase such a thing just for him, as he did not once consider touching down to greet the rest as they were added into the group. Indeed, he merely watched as they mingled and chattered between one another briefly before boarding and continuing on their pre-recorded path, leaving it to appear as though Nihlus was doing his best to ignore them completely. What point would there have been if he was just going to remain quietly on the sidelines, supposedly judging them for some perceived malice that never occurred? No, it was best that no special preparations had been made in his case.
Banking to the left, he saw that the carriage that followed under his shadow had begun to slow before coming to a complete stop. As he finished his turn and angled his wings for descent, he noted the appearance of a marten and coyote as they disembarked. A slight frown marred the corners of his scaled muzzle as he continued to descend, now gliding a couple dozen feet above the swampy ground. Once low enough, Nihlus reared back with his wings and beat them strong enough to kick up loose mud and brackish water in the direction they had just been coming from. First his feet touched the muck, liquid and detritus squelching between his toes. Then came his forelegs which sank into the loamy terrain, a disgruntled snort escaping his maw as some of it splattered against his luminescent, dark purple scales.
Shaking the mud from his body, it was then he noted the distinct chill of these lands. Pulling his wings in tight against his body, near invisible slits within his wings released trapped heat that immediately overtook the frigid air surrounding him. Feeling slightly more content, he craned his head around and peered at the yote once he realized he had begun speaking. Listening closely, Nihlus realized it was a question he could have easily answered. He even came close to doing so, jaw working and muzzle even opening for the briefest of moments. However, he seemed to immediately think otherwise of this course of action and instead turned away, vision seemingly coming to rest on the path that lay before them. He was certain there were a few who numbered among them that bore the same knowledge he did, so he may as well let them speak instead.
After all, his place in this group was to scout ahead, report his findings to their cartographer and aid in any skirmishes they managed to find their way into. It was not to mingle among people he knew little about and was near certain knew nothing of the information he sought. None of them had the look of a budding astronomer or even cosmologist, dousing those flaming hopes with a single glance.
