Chapter 3-10 - Follow the Fox
The feel of water dripping on her face roused Miaug from unconsciousness. The staccato thrum of warm rain gradually intensified as she looked around confused, trying to recall where she was. Within moments the Tabaxi realised she sat alone in a clearing, in the midst of a downpour. Panicked, she called out for Badger, but the little fox made no response.
Gathering her wits, Miaug roused herself and scanned the floor of the clearing desperately looking for tracks before the rain washed them away. Focused by her grief, she quickly noticed two sets of unfamiliar footprints leading into the centre of clearing. She recognised the arrangement of these footprints, they looked similar to Ryoko's. Dragonborn. Scanning the prints again, she followed Badger's footprints and found an area of flattened foliage where the tracks stopped. He must have been hit with a tranquilizer dart just like she had been, and then these two Dragonborn had taken his unconscious body away.
Terrified the trail would wash away in the rain, Miaug quickly followed the kidnapper's trail for a short distance out of the clearing, marking it clearly on nearby trees with her dagger. Once she was confident she had marked enough of the trail to pick it up again, she raced back to gather the rest of the party.
Roughly two hours later, the party was heading east following the trail of the kidnappers. Ryoko recognised the fletching on the tranquilizer dart Miaug had been struck with. It matched the typical tribal colours of the Thal'Ahd tribe. Determined the group travelled quickly through the dense jungle, stopping to rest only rarely. Ryoko was confident they were beginning to catch up to their quarry, when the tracks they were following veered sharply off to the right. Ryoko held up her hand to stop the rest of the group behind her,
"What are you doing?" Miaug asked, anxious to get moving,
"They've changed direction here suddenly. I don’t know why"
"Does it matter. Let's just catch up to them"
"It might. Wait here a second"
Miaug looked about to complain again, but the look in Ryoko's eyes caused her to bite her tongue. Ryoko slipped through the undergrowth like ghost, following along just beside the tracks as she scanned the terrain. As she suspected, up ahead she spotted the familiar emerald sheen of meridaline bands. Their quarry had evidently noticed them and had decided to swing around to avoid it. As she examined the terrain, Ryoko noticed a possible thinning of the trees to the other side of the borer nest. They might be able to cut that way around the Borers and make up some of their quarry's lead. She returned to the party and led them off to the north-east around the meridaline bands.
After around ten minutes of travel they found the kidnapper's tracks again, having curved back to their original heading on the other side of the Borer nest. Ryoko estimated they'd made up a good hour or two on their quarry.
Late in the afternoon, the sun was beginning to drop below the treeline and Clootie was starting to flag; her tiny legs exhausted from the punishing pace the group had set in pursuit of Badger. Ramas noticed this and called for a rest. Clootie insisted she was able to continue, eager to recover the fox, but her sweat slicked face belied her exhaustion. Ryoko and Ramas insisted they rest for a while; Miaug was beside herself with concern for Badger and desperate to keep moving. Before the group could start to fight, Aetilius reached down and swept up the exhausted gnome, placing her on top of his rucksack and trudging off into the jungle. Ryoko shrugged and the group set off again.
They continued to travel through the night. Ryoko insisted they slow down when travelling in the darkness in order to minimise the risk of stumbling into danger. Miaug reluctantly agreed. Clootie snored quietly from her perch on Aetilius's back. As the sun started to creep over the horizon, the treeline suddenly opened out and the group found themselves standing on the banks of the river. They appeared to be quite far upstream, the river before them narrow but fast moving and scattered with rocks resembling jagged, broken teeth. The tracks led to a scattered run of rocks which formed an obvious chain across the flow. The party skipped across the rough causeway to the eastern bank of the Drach and into unfamiliar territory.
Another hour or so, and the party's pace had slowed due to exhaustion, having travelled all night without rest. The jungle had started to close in on either side, thick trees seeming to crowd and smother them. Based on the tracks, they were close to their quarry. Suddenly, Ryoko's arm scales began to tingle and she instinctively raised her staff. Looking around she noticed movement in the trees around them. A lot of movement.
A voice echoed from the shadows ahead, barking a short phrase in an unfamiliar guttural tongue that Ryoko recognised as Draconic,
"Halt! Who dares trespass in Thal'Ahd territory?"
Realising they were outnumbered, Ryoko raised her staff and motioned for her friends to put their weapons away. A tall silver dragonborn, wearing a thick hide kilt and holding a bone shortbow, stepped forwards. His bare chest was covered with dull red markings and a wide red band was painted across his eyes. He eyed the group suspiciously,
"Lower your weapons and come peacefully. If you have a valid reason to cross our territory, you can plead your case to Chaiphut"
Next: Chapter 3-11 - Chaiphut
Previous: Chapter 3-9 - Kenedibra
Gathering her wits, Miaug roused herself and scanned the floor of the clearing desperately looking for tracks before the rain washed them away. Focused by her grief, she quickly noticed two sets of unfamiliar footprints leading into the centre of clearing. She recognised the arrangement of these footprints, they looked similar to Ryoko's. Dragonborn. Scanning the prints again, she followed Badger's footprints and found an area of flattened foliage where the tracks stopped. He must have been hit with a tranquilizer dart just like she had been, and then these two Dragonborn had taken his unconscious body away.
Terrified the trail would wash away in the rain, Miaug quickly followed the kidnapper's trail for a short distance out of the clearing, marking it clearly on nearby trees with her dagger. Once she was confident she had marked enough of the trail to pick it up again, she raced back to gather the rest of the party.
Roughly two hours later, the party was heading east following the trail of the kidnappers. Ryoko recognised the fletching on the tranquilizer dart Miaug had been struck with. It matched the typical tribal colours of the Thal'Ahd tribe. Determined the group travelled quickly through the dense jungle, stopping to rest only rarely. Ryoko was confident they were beginning to catch up to their quarry, when the tracks they were following veered sharply off to the right. Ryoko held up her hand to stop the rest of the group behind her,
"What are you doing?" Miaug asked, anxious to get moving,
"They've changed direction here suddenly. I don’t know why"
"Does it matter. Let's just catch up to them"
"It might. Wait here a second"
Miaug looked about to complain again, but the look in Ryoko's eyes caused her to bite her tongue. Ryoko slipped through the undergrowth like ghost, following along just beside the tracks as she scanned the terrain. As she suspected, up ahead she spotted the familiar emerald sheen of meridaline bands. Their quarry had evidently noticed them and had decided to swing around to avoid it. As she examined the terrain, Ryoko noticed a possible thinning of the trees to the other side of the borer nest. They might be able to cut that way around the Borers and make up some of their quarry's lead. She returned to the party and led them off to the north-east around the meridaline bands.
After around ten minutes of travel they found the kidnapper's tracks again, having curved back to their original heading on the other side of the Borer nest. Ryoko estimated they'd made up a good hour or two on their quarry.
Late in the afternoon, the sun was beginning to drop below the treeline and Clootie was starting to flag; her tiny legs exhausted from the punishing pace the group had set in pursuit of Badger. Ramas noticed this and called for a rest. Clootie insisted she was able to continue, eager to recover the fox, but her sweat slicked face belied her exhaustion. Ryoko and Ramas insisted they rest for a while; Miaug was beside herself with concern for Badger and desperate to keep moving. Before the group could start to fight, Aetilius reached down and swept up the exhausted gnome, placing her on top of his rucksack and trudging off into the jungle. Ryoko shrugged and the group set off again.
They continued to travel through the night. Ryoko insisted they slow down when travelling in the darkness in order to minimise the risk of stumbling into danger. Miaug reluctantly agreed. Clootie snored quietly from her perch on Aetilius's back. As the sun started to creep over the horizon, the treeline suddenly opened out and the group found themselves standing on the banks of the river. They appeared to be quite far upstream, the river before them narrow but fast moving and scattered with rocks resembling jagged, broken teeth. The tracks led to a scattered run of rocks which formed an obvious chain across the flow. The party skipped across the rough causeway to the eastern bank of the Drach and into unfamiliar territory.
Another hour or so, and the party's pace had slowed due to exhaustion, having travelled all night without rest. The jungle had started to close in on either side, thick trees seeming to crowd and smother them. Based on the tracks, they were close to their quarry. Suddenly, Ryoko's arm scales began to tingle and she instinctively raised her staff. Looking around she noticed movement in the trees around them. A lot of movement.
A voice echoed from the shadows ahead, barking a short phrase in an unfamiliar guttural tongue that Ryoko recognised as Draconic,
"Halt! Who dares trespass in Thal'Ahd territory?"
Realising they were outnumbered, Ryoko raised her staff and motioned for her friends to put their weapons away. A tall silver dragonborn, wearing a thick hide kilt and holding a bone shortbow, stepped forwards. His bare chest was covered with dull red markings and a wide red band was painted across his eyes. He eyed the group suspiciously,
"Lower your weapons and come peacefully. If you have a valid reason to cross our territory, you can plead your case to Chaiphut"
Next: Chapter 3-11 - Chaiphut
Previous: Chapter 3-9 - Kenedibra
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