Hamish checks on Snowbell and keeps an eye on the lone crow perched on top of the wayside shelter.
"Odd that..." He says to those awake tilting his head toward the lone crow. "Crows tend to flock together, especially when they roost at night. There're times back home I've seen hundreds of the things circling and calling in a great feathered swarm as they settle in for the night along the docks or atop some temple or stone-crafted government building."
He looks to Gubble who has his own feathered companion. "Can't help but wonder if maybe that bird isn't a spy for some other wizard or witch." He adds switching his crossbow for his blade.
Gubble startles awake, seeing everyone up already and armed, after fumbling with his glasses. "It's what? Near morning?" he notices the crow and nods "It is possible, though standard detection magic wouldn't tell us that, unless it happened to be under a magical spell itself." the wizard does have his senses slip into the magical spectrum just in case.
"Lem is my friend and companion, dear Naomi, not someone to be ordered about... but I will ask. Can you by chance cast light on a pebble and throw it over the wall to where you want him to look?" he then chats with his friend and companion, feeding him a seed "Quick and up is what I suggest, and avoid the crow unless he seems like the good sort, come back swiftly if there is a sign of danger." his thumb runs across Lem's forehead for luck.
Then the brave little bird is ready.
Guthlag is wary, and keeps feeling the need to remind others to speak quietly. "Whatever is out there will probably pass us by if we do nothing, he says, fingering the rough dogwood of his scythe. He waits, watching Lem intently. The whimpering coming from beyond the wall reminds him of the sounds Cann made when he pulled the arrow from her two days past.
"Hamish, you are brilliant." Gubble tells the man "There is a magical aura around the bird." he looked and tried to decipher what the aura is.
He holds off sending out his bird until he finishes his accessment.
"Transmutation magic... Hmmm" the wizard thinks out loud. He tells Lem to be really careful. But still encourages him to go look. First if Naomi hasn't done the light pebble yet he will do so. "keep an eye on the crow" he suggests to hammish.
Guthlag watches on as the pebble is illuminated. Light is one of the many spells beyond his power.
"a good suggestion" Gubble considers it but then says "Light brings attention, even if only for a moment. If we throw it where the sound is that we want our friend here to investigate, the light should both illuminate the scene and distract the attention away from him.... Hopefully"
Jalros takes the stone and launches it in the air in the direction discussed.
Hamish, his crossbow at the ready, keeps a stern eye on the crow.
Thrown by Jalros, the stone goes over the palisade, falling on the other side as close to the sounds as you can guess.
"Chirp!" - Lem was already in flight, but doubled back toward Gubble as soon as the light illuminated the the area he was scouting.
Outside you heard 'yips', 'yaps' and louder whimpers, then a lot of commotion in the underbrush.
"Dogs! Big dogs. They walk like Gubble and friends" - Lem explained to his master and friend.
To Hamish, the crow seems abnormally calm in spite of all the commotion - it turns its head from one side to the other as if observing and listening all that is happening.
Everything was going as planned until he suddenly felt a tickle in his nose which quickly escalated to a full blown sneeze.
"Aaachhoooo!"
*TWANG*
The snap of the crossbow firing echoed across the inner yard. Fortunately the weapon wasn't aimed in the general direction of any of his comrades. The bolt flies free into the night, arcing briefly in the moonlight before disappearing into the forest beyond. Cursing and snuffling, Hamish grabs another bolt from his quiver and busies himself reloading, completely forgetting his single charge to keep an eye on the bloody crow.
"Sorry." Hamish sniffles, eyes watering as he reloads. "I haven't had an allergic reaction like this since we ran into a bunch of gnoll river pirates. Blasted creatures always send my sinuses into a tizzy of...."
His eyes go wide as the soft yips and yaps continue outside the stockade.
He wipes his nose with a handkerchief and looks back up at the crow with narrowed, suspicious eyes.
"Say we were expecting spiders, but I'll bet tomorrow night's chores, there's a pack of dog boys outside." He says tapping a finger against his nose before he sneezes again. Fortunately, this time his finger isn't poised over the trigger.
well good thing dogs don't climb Elgrin says looking around warily at the walls
Looking to the others stoically, "She would eliminate the dogs? If they pose a threat, it may be beneficial."
"A rushing river can be dangerous too, but that is no reason to try to stop the water's flow." The druid fingers a scar on his forearm. "If they are indeed simply wild dogs, then we have nothing to fear. As for the magic crow," Guthlag's finger moves on to the blade of his scythe, "we might shoot it."
"A rushing river can be dangerous too, but that is no reason to try to stop the water's flow."
Looking curiously at the half-orc, "If it is dangerous, why not?" He genuinely asks.
"Because," Guthlag spread his arms wide, "there are people downstream who depend on the water."
"Stepping out of the protection of the walls to fight wild dogs or gnolls or whatever that description, from a very brave little bird" pauses to feed Lem another seed. "Does not seem wise, I also do not like shooting the crow, simply because it is magical. I am magical and would not like that to be the reason for someone to shoot Me."
Gubble goes to the wall where the sound is coming from. "Hello, out there, can you understand me?"
Guthlag's eyes widen at Gubble's words. He himself has suffered unduly as a result of his own magical talent. "You're right," he says quickly.
"Because," Guthlag spread his arms wide, "there are people downstream who depend on the water."
"But what if it threatens lives? Shouldn't something be done?" Again, his curiosity appears quite genuine. "Somehow it should be stopped first and then a way found for it to be controlled so as not to potentially drown any inhabitants, correct?" His question being sincere.
Gubble goes to the wall where the sound is coming from. "Hello, out there, can you understand me?"
There is a long moment of silence, followed by some sniffing, some growling and yipping, and then silence again.
"is it communication or ..." Gubble wonders aloud, trying to piece together like sounds and a cadence.
"Hmmm... they are not simply wild animals, or at least they seem to be communicating." Gubble thinks "Do they sound angry or violent?" he asks as he tries to answer for himself.
"In truth, Jalros, I have never tried to stop a river. The water flows through my fingers, when I bathe. I cannot imagine it would be any different." The half-orc pondered. He had heard tales of humans, with their strange ways, building huge dams that could stop even mighty rivers. They must pile sticks, like a beaver. "If there are ways to control such things, they are beyond me."
"In truth, Jalros, I have never tried to stop a river. The water flows through my fingers, when I bathe. I cannot imagine it would be any different." The half-orc pondered. He had heard tales of humans, with their strange ways, building huge dams that could stop even mighty rivers. They must pile sticks, like a beaver. "If there are ways to control such things, they are beyond me."
Pondering that a moment, "Fair enough."
Cutting his attention back to the yelping, he moves over to the fence and pounds on it. he yells in a businesslike manner with the expression on his face matching said manner.
If the yapping continues, "Okay, I'm going out there and putting an end to this."
Naomi knows of a few creatures which could communicate with yips and yaps - wolves, wild dogs, foxes...
"Hmmm... they are not simply wild animals, or at least they seem to be communicating." Gubble thinks "Do they sound angry or violent?" he asks as he tries to answer for himself.
Yeah... No, you have no idea Gubble :)
As Jalros gets to screaming and hollering, you hear the yaps again, this time more distant and back to the south again. Whatever it is, it seems to be moving away.
Stopping in his tracks, he listens for a moment. "Sounds like they've left. Good." Jalros then moves and finds himself a seat, taking some rations from his pack to eat.
After the noise dies down outside, Guthlag looks to Gubble. "Do you wizards not need all the sleep you can get? Truly, I cannot recall what you said, but I thought we should not wake you." He seems genuinely concerned.
"Our brains do need to be... reset of sorts to hold the formulas we have to memorize correctly. So yes. But it doesn't have to be all together, or even require sleep, just not activity, either mental or physical." he explains as he thinks. "I just don't know..." he frets a bit about the yapping. "I think I need to spend more time studying topics other than the aracane."