define('WP_CACHE', true); Chapter 41: Followed – Crossed Paths – Logs

Mar 17

Chapter 41: Followed

Chapter 41: Followed

In Which Getting Out Of Town Isn’t That Easy.

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Yazeth:  The sun had broken over the horizon earlier but the woods surrounding the town still cast deep shadows. Warm slices of sunlight make the scene a cheery one though, as shopkeepers begin to sweep off their stoops and set out their wares.

Arrin Woodgreen: He takes a deep breath of air and grins at her. “It’s going to be a nice day.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods. “Think it’ll get much colder again or is spring here to stay?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shrugs. “It feels like it’ll get warmer now. But there’s a possibility that it will get colder at times.”

Yazeth: Jozra sniffs the air as she catches the sent of baking bread and pastries. “I’ve had enough of snow and winter.” She trails off as a movement catches her eye.

Arrin Woodgreen: His ears perk up as he catches the sound of movement in the quiet morning. “Can you see anything?”

Yazeth: The ferret pretends not to have noticed whatever it was she saw but surreptitiously keeps an eye on the beast following them. “Just the lovely sights. There’s a little lawn covered with dew and it’s sparkling in the sunlight, Soquan.” In an undertone, she adds, “We’re being followed.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He laughs. “That’s a nice piece of poetry.” He murmurs quietly in return to her. “From what direction?”

Yazeth: She smiles, more in response to the last than the first, but it’s an appropriate response all the same. “Just thought you’d like to know what the scenery’s like.” The ferret stretches and in doing so takes a glance around. “They’re trying to be sneaky. At least two of them, keeping to the buildings.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He grins. “I’m grateful, care to describe some more?” He nods subtly. “I’ll keep an ear out incase they try anything.”

Yazeth: Jozra glances about on the pretext of looking for something to describe. “Well, it looks like the roofs here are made of some sort of bluish slate. They have a kind of sheen in this sort of light that I didn’t notice during the afternoon.” Under her breath she adds, “We can lose them once we get out of town.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He smiles, using only one word for both replies. “Beautiful.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods, finally realizing that the otter knows when she does this by the rustle of her collar, and falls into silence. She keeps tabs on their followers but remains nonchalant, passively steering Soqan down the street and out of town.

Arrin Woodgreen: He walks beside her, whistling snatches of tunes. His ears swivel and he switches his staff into his other paw.

Yazeth: Eventually, shops give way to houses with increasingly larger yards. The road narrows until finally it’s just an unpaved cart track.

Arrin Woodgreen: He stops whistling and murmurs to her softly, “They still there?”

Yazeth: Jozra mutters back, “They’ve taken to the trees.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods slowly. “Gotcha.” He hums a bit, adjusting his pack.

Yazeth: They continue down the path as the last of the houses is left behind and the woods close in about them. The ferret ponders briefly that this would be the perfect time for their followers to ambush them but they do not. The three – she confirmed a ways back that there were three – seem content merely to follow.

Arrin Woodgreen: He yawns widely and stretches. “I might just take a nap when we stop for lunch.” He yawns again. “Should we turn towards the river now?”

Yazeth:  Jozra grins. “I just might take a nap myself.” With their followers out of earshot she adds, “There’s a bend up ahead. Keep this pace but once we turn it we’ll run and duck into the woods. See if we can’t shake these buzzards off our tail.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. “A nap sounds good right now.”

Yazeth: The two approach the curve and soon their followers are obscured by a rather sizable stand of trees. “Now, Soquan!”

Arrin Woodgreen: He moves quickly and follows Jozra as they duck into the woods.

Yazeth: The ferret leads the way, quickly ducking branches, dodging trees and vaulting fallen logs. After a short sprint, Jozra drags Soquan into a crouch in a hollow created by the roots of a fallen tree.

Arrin Woodgreen: He crouches where instructed and grins at her, although remaining silent.

Yazeth: Jozra listens intently for any sounds of pursuit but hears little other than the blood rushing in her ears and the occasional falling leaf.

Arrin Woodgreen: He keeps silent for some time, listening for sounds of approaching beasts.

Yazeth: After a while, the ferret looks to her companion and in the lowest of undertones she asks, “Hear anything?”

Arrin Woodgreen: He shakes his head, replying just as softly, “No.”

Yazeth: The ferret pauses for a heartbeat longer before silently unloading her pack next to Soquan and creeping surprisingly noiselessly through the thick leaf litter.

Arrin Woodgreen: He blinks as she slinks off, unsure on what to do. After a few minutes he takes his pack off quietly and leans back, closing his eyes.

Yazeth: After a while, she returns as noiselessly as she left. She murmurs to Soquan, “We’ll stay here a bit longer. In a bit we can find a better hiding place and have lunch.  Hopefully they’ll get tired and go home by then and we can take to the road again.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He cracks an eyes open and nods silently, settling into the loam a bit more.

Yazeth: The pair sit silently as the sun climbs in the sky. Jozra watches the woods, constantly on the alert for their pursuers.

Arrin Woodgreen: Soquan dozes slightly throughout the wait, his ears perked up to detect the sound of their follower’s approach.

Yazeth: Eventually, the ferret hefts her pack. Whispering to Soquan she says, “We should move on and have lunch.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He’s awake in an instant and on his paws, he rubs his eyes absently as he hefts his pack. “Okay, lead the way.”

Yazeth: Jozra carefully picks their way through the underbrush, trying to keep them both as stealthy as possible.

Arrin Woodgreen: He follows as silently as he can, the off leaf or twig crunching under his foot.

Yazeth: The pair follow a course roughly parallel to the road, though far enough away not to be seen from it. Nearly an hour later, Jozra decides lunch is more important than finding the perfect hiding spot. Especially since their pursuers didn’t seem very adept at what they were doing in the first place.

Arrin Woodgreen: He stifles a yawn and continues to plod along behind the ferret. He shifts his pack and whispers to Jozra, “Maybe we could head closer to the river, that way we don’t have to worry about being quiet.”

Yazeth: Jozra shakes her head. “The underbrush is thicker that way. Believe me, I tried it. We can stop here for lunch though. If they haven’t found us by then, we can try the road again and we can move faster. Maybe find a better river crossing.”

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods and proceeds to find a place to settle down and rest. “Alright, that sounds good.”

Yazeth: She sets her own pack down as well and makes a quick perimeter check of their area before returning and digging for some of the bread they had bought the day before.

Arrin Woodgreen: He munches silently on his own piece of bread for a moment and looks towards her as she returns. “Did you see anything?”

Yazeth: The ferret shakes her head. “I’m pretty sure we lost them.” She breaks off a chunk of bread for herself and scarfs it down.

Arrin Woodgreen: He nods. “Good.” He finds a bit of fish in his pack and places it on his bread.

Yazeth: Jozra sticks to the bread and soon she’s polished off another chunk of the loaf.

Arrin Woodgreen: Satiated for now, Soquan lies down, using his cloak as a pillow. He yawns and looks towards her over his shoulder. “Wake me when you want to move again.”

Yazeth: The ferret nods. “Okay.”

Arrin Woodgreen: It’s not long ’till he falls asleep again, and he lies there, snoring softly.

Jozra

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