|
"We're all new to this race,” Sonna informs the official who delivered their race pack, "I know I'd appreciate a quick rundown of the rules. Some of our competition let us know about the checkpoint etiquette, and we were told that fighting is rightfully discouraged. Anything else we should know? Oh, and I heard rumor that our team isn’t entirely welcome here. Is there anyone we should be keeping out distance from?”
|
Elanna hesitates a few seconds, makes a quick check of her inventory and runs after Anders: "Wait a second Anders, I'm coming with you and Snirt."
She walks alongside him, tallying things :"So if I'm correct we've got most of the stuff execpt tents, a hatchet and a repair kit. And winter clothes for those who haven't got any."
"How much did we get from the venture captain for expenses ?, she says as they start scanning the merchants' wares.
The official seems open to helping Elien, laying out some of the details ahead. "There shouldn't be too much to worry about, as long as you can suss out the path. It's up to you to find that, but that shouldn't be too much trouble for you, right? it's what your group's all about."
Still, the official seems to take some pity on Elien, and offers a few ideas of what you might want to look for as you journey through the pines of this first stage of the race.
Sonna and Nurten have less luck getting any useful information, their questions getting a laugh. "Nothing but friendly competition, mostly. Watch out for being beaten, but we're not savages here. We're not going to attack each other. That'd violate the spirit of the race. And definitely no sea serpents. We did have a team of lycanthropes, werebears!, that almost won many years ago. But -- ha, excuse me -- they miscalculated the phases -- haha -- of the moon -- HAHA -- and had to be rescued after stumbling through the forest in the middle of the night -- BWAHAHA -- without any torches!" The official wipes a tear from his eye as he finishes laughing about the situation, clapping Sonna on the back and wishing him well.
Orla, the leader of the Wyrding Wayfinders, Faergim Axebinder, appears to be a devotee of Cayden Cailean, who appreciates your offer. She declines the blessing for herself, but suggests perhaps you'd be so inclined to offer it to her squires: Thosse, a halfing, and Rikkun, a human man. They're accompanied by a human woman, Sassa Ringbreaker, who introduces herself as a famed skald currently writing an epic about the life and deeds of Faergim.
Finally, your conversations and shopping done, you're all asked to gather at the starting line, a thick-braided rope with wooden handholds at either end carved in the shape of a linnorm head. Steen looks over at you and grins. "Don't worry, if you get lost, we'll come find you after we win!" Before you have a chance to say anything, one of the members of Without Trace or Fail signals that all teams are ready, and the officials drop the rope! The other teams start loping ahead, the air cool and crisp as you have perfect weather for this first day.
|
|
Elanna comes back from the shopping expedition with Anders and starts distributing the gear to even everyone's load. She stretches,adjusts her veil and re-braids her hair more tightly. She claps her hands together to get the blood flowing and approaches the line with trepidation.
"This is going to be so fun." she beams. "Let's take turns to lead, so that every one can kind of rest on the way."
As soon as the rope drops, she takes off, looking for the small traces that mark the best way to go. From time to time, she turns back to check if every one is following.
|
|
Sonna laughs along with the official as he tells his tale, partially out of politeness. Well, I’m glad sea serpents and moon phases won’t be an issue for us.” As the official wanders off, Sonna spends some time making small talk with some of the other competitors, until he notices Elanna and Anders returning from the supply run.
”Taking turns sounds like a fine idea. It will be important to keep our strength up as much as possible.”
|
|
Armed with a slight bit of knowledge about the first leg of the race, Elien gathers with the rest of his companions at the starting line. His breath fogs the air in front of his face enough to nearly blot out the horizon, but at least the rest of the weather seems nice. "Let's try and stick together as much as we can," he suggests to everyone, "That way we can continue to look out for one another and talk strategy as we go."
When the rope drops and all the teams set forth, he puts on a brave face, knowing he's unlikely to match the pure endurance of everyone else, but determined not to hold anyone up. Once the teams spread out a bit, he strikes up a conversation with the rest of the Frostfur Friends. "So, I didn't mention it before in case any of the others might be eavesdropping..." he says, "But I did get a few pointers on how best to navigate to the first checkpoint. There's a couple of prominent landmarks to be on the lookout for...not a shortcut exactly...just some things to keep to our left or right to make sure we're taking the most direct line."
"In fact, I believe there's one now. See that stand of pine trees on the far knoll? If we keep that to our left, we should see a small dip in the tundra up there on the horizon. I was told it's like a straight shot thru there to the checkpoint..."
"Now, if you don't mind, I was reading a treatise on how best to preserve your energy in these climes. If we all stay quiet and just focus on our breathing and a steady gait, we should easily outpace our competition. So, I'm going to rest my voice for a bit and I advise the rest of you to do the same. Science for the win, you know!" He takes a big gulp of air to catch his breath, and then falls silent for the first time since joining the team.
|
|
"You all can lead, I don't wanna set the pace. It'd get too slow or probably weird."
Nurten finds most of his wilderness survival know-how doesn't apply to his climate, but he can at least keep up. Surprisingly so, considering half his breath is dedicated to complaining. "We shoulda flown. Warmer, quick, wouldn't be so hard on the feet."
You make great time as you get started, Elanna, Sonna and Elien especially seeming to take to the terrain like a dragon to gold, and you arrive at the first check point right on the heels of two of the teams, the Wyrding Wayfinders and the Bluetongue Brawlers. You can see the Fangs of the Remorrhaz just departing, though there's no sign of the other two teams: Without Trace or Fail, or the Two Houses.
The tall pines ahead are heavy with snow, and the forest is quiet. Ahead, officials for the Balgirdtrek stand around a roaring fire. Several campsites have been cleared nearby as clerics stand ready to examine and treat any injured racers. Beyond the fire and campsites, in a small, raised clearing, is a tall, thin pole carved with the intertwining necks of a Tarn Linnorm. Atop the pole rests is a small platform, an oval shape resting within it.
One of the race officials approaches you with a smile.
"Good time, good time," she says, introducing herself as Girda. "You Pathfinders are really living up to your name!"
She escorts you to your first challenge: The pole, which is in fact a small tree, about 20 feet tall. The object at the top of the pole is an egg, which each team must retrieve without breaking, Girda explains.
"This trial hearkens back to Balgird’s time in the wilderness," she says. "While searching for a Linnorm in the frozen reaches of the Saga Lands, Balgird Bluetongue survived by living off the land itself. In particular, Balgird was known to have scaled a great tree and retrieved the egg of a massive bird. He did this so swiftly and carefully that the tree did not bend, and the bird did not notice its egg go missing! Now let's see if you can do the same..."
|
The first leg of the trip proved to the Desnan that this landscape was not her forte. Relying largely on her colleagues for direction and assistance, Orla heaves a sigh of relief as the way-station comes into the view.
"I might be of use here." Orla's eyes sparkle as she eyes the platform. Rummaging briefly in her rucksack, the priest produces a silver-tinged elixir. "I'm not good at racing across frozen terrain, but I've been known to prove my feet quite fleet. And this potion could help me. Besides that 'tree' doesn't look too sturdy - it might not stand a 'longshanks' scaling it." Orla giggles. "Oh, c'mon! We're supposed to be the Frostfur Friends! Might as well use the lingo!"
|
|
"Well, that was a brisk, invigorating journey..." Elien finally breaks his silence after the race official greets them at the checkpoint. He looks around at the other teams, noting how their competition seems to be doing. He beams with a bit of pride when Girda comments about the Pathfinders doing justice to their name. "Perhaps we'll win over the locals after all?" he notes to everyone.
Seeing the pole and the platform with the egg, he listens carefully to the rules for passing this particular challenge. "Retrieve without breaking? Yeah, that does seem like a noteworthy feat. Sadly, I'm not the most athletically inclined." He looks around at the rest of the team, and when Orla volunteers a potential solution, he nods along. "Ohhhh! A mutagen! Very nice, my dear! Yes, very nice indeed. That should make quite a difference. And you're probably a better weight and stature for making the climb. I'll do what I can to assist, though. Maybe if we all stand under you, both to steady the pole and catch you if you fall, we can make this a bonafide team effort? We could even ready a cloak to catch the egg so it doesn't break..."
"Does anyone have any other ideas to improve our odds?"
|
|
"Go ahead," Nurten chips in. He sounds as if he's having plenty of ideas and immediately shooting them down in his head. Only a few make it into words. "Bet you'd do it better than me. But I'm really light, if that helps. Light enough those branches won't care, but the egg might fall on my way down, though."
|
|
"You're right, Orla. This tree doesn't look too sturdy," Sonna replies after studying the tree for a moment. "I'll do what I can from down here to steady the tree while you or Anders climb. Elien, catching the egg if it falls sounds like a good idea too. That might need some one quick on their feet."
|
|
Catching her breath, Elanna thanks the official. "Thank you for your welcome. This was an impressive treck. Are we the last ones to arrive?", she asks after listening to his instructions.
As the team tries to figure out how to approach the trial, she watches the tree suspiciously. "I'm not the best climber there is." she says, "But I have quick reflexes. I could try helping with catching the egg if it falls."
She ponders for a moment, walking around the tree "Do any of you know how to move objects with its mind? My father showed me that trick but I can't do it. This could help with preventing the egg from breaking."
|
|
Orla looks around with excitement at her comrades. She considers the offers from Nurten and Anders. She frowns at the skinny pole.
"Your offer is mighty considerate, Anders, but I think that pole might not bear you all the way to the top. And Nurten, if it's all the same to you, I've been itching to try out this thing," the halfling jingles the elixir in front of her as she pops the cork.
Orla takes a deep breath, says a silent prayer to Desna , and chugs the potion. She immediately looks shocked as the whites of her eyes turn silver.
"ohmygoshiwasn'texpectingthisrateofspeedtohitmelikethisican'tholdstill!" She takes a running start at the 'tree'.
The official smiles at Ellana's questions. "Yes, but only by a few moments," she says. "the Wyrding Wayfinders and the Bluetongue Brawlers just finished the challenge and are setting up camp." She gestures off to an area where you can see two teams making preparations to spend the evening.
Orla scrambles up the tree, which slays slightly at her weight, but doesn't seem to have a chance to do much more than that before she arrives at the top, snatches the egg and scrambles back down!
"Well done," the official says, giving her a smile. "Anyone else up for trying?"
|
|
Responding to Elien call, Elanna grabs the cape and looks up only to find Orla already back down.
"Well done! That was quicker and easiest than I expected. But you could have let us set the cloack"
She keeps the cloak ready and calls to Orla and Anders: "Shall we stay in place and wait for you, Anders to try it? Then I can give it a go as well, if necessary."
|
|
Sonna watches in awe as Orla jets up the pole. "That's quite the potion there. Well done!" He feels slightly foolish holding on to the base of the tree given how quickly and lightly the halfling made her way up it. Still, he gets ready to steady it again for the next person. "I can also give it a try, if needed. I'm not as graceful, but I'm a decent climber"
|
|
The halfling descends with the egg, looking as surprised as the rest of you. She hands off the egg.
"I'msosorryElannaIthinkthispotionforcedmetogogogo!assoonasIdrankitIthinktha twhenitwearsoffI'llfeela bit.....less......frantic......ooooooh....." Orla's diatribe comes to a crashing halt as it appears her tongue and her mind have stopped the frenetic pace set by the elixir.
"I'm......just......going......to.......sit.......down." She sits down.
|
|
"Hahaha! Wonderful, Orla! We should give you a new nickname of Treeclimber!" Elien laughs. He looks around at the rest of the team when the race official asks if anyone else would care to give it a go. "If it earns us more points, it sounds like we should at least give our best climbers an opportunity. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, after all. I defer to the rest of you, of course. I don't think I'll chance it myself, but I'll assist anyone who wants to..."
|
|
"I'm all for that. Let's give it a try. And once all who want have tried, I would follow the advice of Anders and suggest we camp for the night. This is a long race and I would feel better if we take it a step as a time. We'll also be able to get a better feel for the terrain ahead by talking to the other teams."
As no one else seems to take the first step, Elenna gives back the cloak to Elien. "Hold on to that, I'm giving it a try."
Asking Orla for her blessing, she tries to emulate the lithe halfling and balance her way up to the top.
They restore the egg and first Elanna and then Anders are able to nimbly make their way to the top, coming down with the egg to the applause of the onlookers. The race officials seem happy to cheer you on, while members of the other teams gather to see how you do.
After a few moments of encouragement, Sonna and Nurlen join their fellow Pathfinders in two final attempts, managing with almost as much skill as the others. They come down to a final round of claps as Ellien demurs.
As you finish, another race official comes up, with a stern look on his bearded face. "I'll need to check each of you if you want to go on, make sure you're fit to continue," he says with a grave tone to his voice, as if he expects the answer will be no. "We're not going to be losing anyone on this race, especially not you Pathfinder."
|
|
After carefully descending the pole Sonna allows himself to fall the last two or three feet. Wow. I guess climbing trees isn’t all that different from climbing buildings. He shakes out his arms a bit to loosen them up again and turns to the official.
”No need for that I think. Looks like we’ve decided to get some rest tonight. We don’t really want to be lost here either.” He chuckles a bit before turning to the group. ”I think I’ll go see if we can make some friends here.”
champion makes his way to the camp of the Bluetongue Brawlers. ”Great start on the race, eh?” he opens, warmly, ”how’d your team fair on the trial?”
|
|
Nurten manages to conduct himself decently. Now strutting after the other Pathfinders, he starts up a conversation with the Wyrding Wayfinders. "You managed to get up the tree? Not bad. Bet you sent in the shortshanks for that?" He indicates Thosse, the halfling.
"Name's Nurten. Hope you're okay with us being here! It's a bit weird, but you probably think that about us too."
|
|
Elanna nods at Anders forethought. "Good idea Anders, I was about to do it myself. I'll go and gather wood while you get the tents ready."
As she starts bringing back enough wood for the fire to last until dawn, she takes the time to make a wide circle around the camping grounds to look for any potential danger. She pays special attention to animal feces, claw marks on the trees or tracks in the snow.
|
|
As you finish, another race official comes up, with a stern look on his bearded face. "I'll need to check each of you if you want to go on, make sure you're fit to continue," he says with a grave tone to his voice, as if he expects the answer will be no. "We're not going to be losing anyone on this race, especially not you Pathfinder."
"Well, I daresay we're all healthy as a whole herd of horses," Elien responds, "After all, we just sent half our number up the pole and back. And we arrived pretty much at the same time as a couple of other teams. It would be pretty odd for us to suddenly be unfit to continue after merely the first leg of such a race, wouldn't it? In fact, to rule such a way now would seem more like an attempt to disqualify a team of outsiders before we've even been given a full chance to prove ourselves." Elien also indicates that the team has decided to stay overnight for now, so they should be well and plenty rested by daybreak and ready to continue.
Doffing the hood of his cloak, he bids farewell to the race official and sets about observing the rest of the encampment. He studiously assesses how the competition seems to be holding up, as well as where the other race organizers are congregating and what roles they might have. He even moves between the various campsites to eavesdrop a bit now and then in case he can pick up any pointers or tid-bits about the next leg of the journey. Once he's marked someone he feels might be approachable for further pliability, he strikes up a conversation with them away from the other racers.
"Hello there, madam..." he offers, "I see you appear to be helping to organize things here at the checkpoint, and I just wanted to say we all appreciate how prepared you've been. This really is one of the most wondrous events of the North. It's a credit to your culture that you celebrate such a legend in this way. As a Pathfinder, we do much the same in all our endeavors...that is, we celebrate the accomplishments and noteworthy deeds of explorers and adventurers around the world by publishing them in our Pathfinder Chronicles. I have no doubt we'll record our experience here, as well. And our team is really enjoying the camaraderie and friendly competition."
"That said, I was wondering about the next leg of the race. Is there anything further that we should expect or prepare for? Has the recent weather changed the route ahead? Or is there anything about the next challenge that we should be ready to face? I'm not asking for anything that would truly tip the scales or give us an unfair advantage, mind you. I'm just curious about how all of you go about organizing this affair. As I said, it seems wonderfully orchestrated. Do you know anyone at the next checkpoint? Have they shared anything fun that awaits us?"
Elanna and Anders set about setting up camp, though much of the work is already done for them by the race officials. Still, the routines help bring comfort, especially when Elanna doesn't see any signs of creatures or other threats in the cold darkness beyond the checkpoint.
Inside the checkpoint, Sonna heads over to join Bluetongue’s Brawlers, who cheerfully welcome him to join their circle. This team is made up of four burly Ulfens: two women -- Jori and Sigrun -- and two men -- Sigurd and Baltus. They offer a mug of a foamy beer. "This'll help keep you warm, let you plow right through the night and next day's stretch, like us!" Jori offers, after clearly having had a few drinks already.
Baltus laughs. "We did OK on the trial. Got a couple eggs. We've been training for this, have a little more muscle on the bones than it looks like your group's got. That's OK, though. I'm sure there are other ways to get through the stuff." Sonna's not sure he's making any new friendships with the group, though truth be told, they're pretty friendly already.
Orla and Nurlen meanwhile head over to the Wyrding Wayfinders, where his comments draw a quick rejoinder from Faergrim. "The day I have to have one of my squires take the challenge for me is the day I hang up my boost and Sassa here goes to write about someone else," she says. Thosse shakes her head. "I've seen plenty of other strange squires. I'm sure you'll fit right in soon enough. The key is to not stress about what they want," she adds the last in a conspiratorial whisper. "Make sure you know what you're doing and they can usually keep up with you." The group doesn't offer as much merriment as the Brawlers, but they do seem to be warming up to you. Faergrim declines Orla's offer: "Cayden's been taking care of my for longer than I care to admit, so I think I'll stick with his blessing. Don't want him to think I'm cheating on him in case he's sober enough to notice."
Elien, meanwhile, manages to charm the race official -- Rudhila -- who admits she's read a few Pathfinder Chronicles over the years. "I remember this one of them -- one of my favorites! -- " she says, "where a group of Pathfinders had to find and return the famous concubines of Sothis after they were stolen from the Pathfinder lodge! Can you imagine? Were you involved in that one at all?" She chatters on, happy to offer a few hints about the road ahead if maybe you could just sort of mention her in a Chronicle. Maybe don't use her name, since she doesn't want to get in trouble, but maybe some sort of pseudonym: Grunhilde, or Luhrilda or something like that? She mentions you'll have the caribou field trial -- where you'll have to retrieve a bell from a
caribou’s antlers without harming the animal. On the bright side, the weather's looking nice tomorrow -- though, she realizes with a start, that might make it easier for the caribou to see and hear you, so maybe that's not so good.
|
|
"I remember this one of them -- one of my favorites! -- " she says, "where a group of Pathfinders had to find and return the famous concubines of Sothis after they were stolen from the Pathfinder lodge! Can you imagine? Were you involved in that one at all?"
"Ah, yes! I remember that one!" Elien replies, "I was only somewhat marginally 'involved'...meaning, I wasn't actually present from the beginning of that caper. I merely helped transcribe it for an Osirionologist, but I'm quite familiar with the tale. That one had a sphinx in it, if I recall...and I do so love riddles!" The investigator continues his conversation with Rudhila, assuring if he pens anything describing the Balgirdtrek, he'll be sure to slip in an adequate pseudonym for her.
Satisfied with his information-gathering, Elien then heads back to find the rest of his team, searching among the encampments until he spots their familiar faces. "Ah! There you are! I swear with nightfall coming on, all these tents start to look the same. Took me a bit to find my way back to you." He settles in next to the fire to warm himself, partaking of the shared evening meal. Once he's had his fill, he sits back and sips a bit of wine from a bottle he brought with him for the trip, offering to pass it around if anyone would like some. "It's straight from Ustalav," he says, "A pretty good vintage well before the trouble at Gallowspire and the Tyrant's grasp extended once more across the Eye of Dread..."
After a few moments of silent reflection, he turns his head to either side ensuring no one else from the other teams or the race officials can hear him. Then, Elien leans in closer to the fire to share what he's learned. "I happened upon an Ulfen lady who's been organizing the checkpoint here. Turns out she's a fan of the Pathfinder Chronicles and was quite willing to tell me a bit about the next leg of the race. The weather has been relatively clear and they expect it to remain the same tomorrow, so it should be a straight shot to the next challenge. That means speed will be important, I imagine, because all the teams should make good time. Anything we can do to keep up a brisk pace will be to our advantage."
He then lowers his voice to an even more conspiratorial tone. "The lady also told me the next challenge involves a herd of caribou...you know, those oddly-antlered deer that roam the plains here in the north? Apparently, they've put bells on their antlers and we're expected to retrieve them without harming or startling the beasts. So, we'll probably need our best spotters and animal handlers, if any of you have experience in that sort of thing. Elanna? Anders? Seems like this might be your moment to shine yet again. I can help a bit, as well, I think. I've got a sharp eye and ear. So, I should be able to at least point out the ones with the bells on them."
"Well, that's all I learned. It took me about an hour of Pathfinder tale-telling to prise that much out of her, but hopefully it helps. Did the rest of you learn anything interesting? How's our competition holding up?
|
|
Sitting by the camp fire, Elanna listens to the different discussions trying not to fret too much about what's to come. Taking out her climbing kit, she cuts three foot out of the included rope and re-braids the smaller length with an eye splice at each end.
Pausing in her work, she accepts Elien’s offer of wine. Taking one small sip, she winces "Sorry, I’m not still used to the taste. We didn’t have any wine at home. Sometimes merchants would bring beer and one of our people made a mean potato alcohol. It was only drinkable when infused with wild herbs if you want my opinion. Even with spending a few years Absalom, I’m afraid still don’t have the palate for that. Sorry." she passes the bottle to her neighbor and listens some-more to Elien’s description of the next trial.
"Ah, good." she brightens, "Thanks for the heads up Elien. That means we’ll have to sneak up on those beasts without frightening them. If they are like the chamois or ibex I’m used to hunting at home, that’s something I can do, day or night. Even better if they are in a rock-strewn land, but I’m not sure we’ll get that."
She waits for other people comments before talking again. "I did not go and talk to anyone but I’ve scouted around the campsite. We should be safe for tonight as I did not see any worrying tracks."
"What's the most worrying for me," she says after careful consideration, "is that we'll have to cross the river sometime soon. That's the best way to catch a cold and freeze to death. And this time all of us will need to cross if we want to go forwards. So I've been thinking that if we fine one tree close to the bank, one of us can cross with a rope and we can set up a zip line. Then the rest of us will be able to cross easily."
Taking a few items from the repair kit, she affixes the newly braided rope to one of the pulleys of her climbing kit. She carefully tests the strength of the contraption, "There it is, you see. If we put our hands in the loop and set the pulley on a zip line, it should easily get us to the other side."
She shows the contraption for everyone else to see. "Sonna, I've seen you're a good climber. Do you think it could work ?"
|
|
With a mug of beer on offer Sonna cheerfully takes a see and trades stories with the friendly Ulfens. ”We may not have as much muscle on our team as you lot, but don’t count us out. You should have seen how effortlessly our halfing friend scaled that tree!” Sonna remains with the Brawlers as long as he’s welcome –and as long as his mug gets topped up- and eventually makes his way, slightly dizzy after the drink, to the FrostFur Friends Camp.
Sonna finds a place by the fire with the rest of the team and takes out some rations to work through as he listens to Elien speak. ”Bluetongue’s Brawlers are certainly a friendly bunch, although I’m not sure I did much to develop any rapport with them,” he adds when prompted, ”Seems like they underestimate our abilities. They commented about a lack of muscle on our team. If we keep going at the rate we are I’m sure we’ll prove them wrong.”
As the bottle of wine comes his way he gladly partakes ”This is good wine. From Ustalav you say?” He pauses to take a look at Elanna’s work, ”Yes, Elanna, I think this could work well. We might want to add some strips of leather if we have any. It’s softer on our hands than the rope.”
|
|
Nurten has no clue how Faergim managed to climb the tree. Or maybe she failed the challenge? He doesn't press any further on the subject. "Thanks! Not sure I know what I'm doing, but that's okay. I fake it good, and make friends to stave off this weird cold." The goblin returns to his fellow Frostfur Friends satisfied with how he conducted himself.
He declines the wine, instead opting for water and some orange liquid from his own waterskin. "The organizer really said what was happening next? Wouldn't'a guessed she'd do that. Elien's good at talking to people. Not sure if I can talk to these animals, but sneaking past 'em should be easy!"
The rest of the night passes uneventfully, and the next day dawns to clear skies, as expected. You see the other two groups packing up their supplies and quickly gather your own equipment. You take off as soon as possible, hoping to put many miles behind you en route to the next checkpoint.
|
|
"Clear skies and fast travel," Elien announces, swinging his arms in a brisk fashion in order to get his blood pumping before the team heads out. "Just like the lady said. We should make good time as long as we stay on course. Shall we be off then?"
Once again, the man from Ustalav presses on without offering up too much of his usual banter, conserving his energy to maintain his endurance. At various points along the way, he only interrupts his self-imposed silence to offer words of encouragement to everyone or to point out a landmark to help find their way.
|
|
Elanna follows alongside with less energy than the day before as she seems more preoccupied. She spends most of the day looking over her shoulder rather than paying attention to the way to go.
"Something is not right.", she grumbles as a shiver courses down her spine. "I feel like someone is watching me."