Rivulets of rain trickled down the hillside, through the thick loam of pine needles and last years ferns. The ground was slicked and footing was more than a little treacherous as the weight of the booted feet caused the ground covering to slide over the rain soaked ground. More than once, ground had to be climbed twice, or an arm shot out to grasp a branch to keep from sliding down the hill.

Oran tried to move quietly, but in these conditions, it was damn near impossible. He picked his way here and there, using thicker branches to brace his feet against the slope. The rain fell heavily through the boughs overhead, and more than once, he was grateful for it, as the wet twigs beneath his feet, (too numerous to step around) broke much more quietly than dry ones would have, and the noises he made seemed to be swallowed in the din of the downpour.

The pace was slow going which suited Ash well.  She was growing weary from the journey of the day and was trying to conserve a little energy for when and if they encountered any trouble.  She gave Oran an encouraging smile when she saw the frustration on his face, but her eternal optimism did much to sustain her courage.  Other than the stir of their movement and the torrential downpour everything else was so dark and so quiet.

Oran caught the glint of Ash's teeth through the gloom of the forest floor, and he smiled back, shaking his head at her never ending supply of good cheer. He looked upwards at the slope, and saw they were already nearly halfway there.  Watching Ash out of the corner of his eye between footfalls, he was amazed at how easily she seemed to be making progress, and how quietly she moved. Everyone says she's so flighty.  He thought, but as he watched her, he realized she wasn't when she didnt want to be. She has focus, and look what she can do when she puts it to use.

As they came closer to their destination, Ash slowed her pace further and strained to listen to anything that was beyond the darkness and chaotic rhythm of the rain.  One hand and then the other, the scramble of her feet against the soggy ground, the irritating tickle of the rain as it ran down her cheek and neck.  In a way she was in her element, dirty and drenched and nearly neck deep in trouble, but the stakes tonight were far higher than any she had gambled with before.

The two youths climbed higher up the slope, and finally, came into view of the campsite. Oran settled beneath a broken branch, sliding forward on his belly, to see the scene before him. Ash meanwhile, found a large and particularly bushy fern that she could crawl into and see through. What they saw, was beyond either of their limited experiences.

There was a crude camp erected in a clearing, a few lean-to's some crude log shelters, and two fires sputtering and failing in the rain. The 'campers' were all clustered in the middle of the clearing, barking and growling and occasionally shoving one another.  There were a lot of them, over 20 easily, and none of them were over four feet tall.  Their skins ranged from dull grey to bright green, to orange,  and they had long tails that touched the ground behind them.

They were armed with various weapons ranging from clube with nails in them and swords,to spears, to crossbows.They wore mismatched rags, and mismatched armor, but it seemed that there were definitely two groups of them, around 15 that seemed to wear mostly black, and 10 or so that wore red sashes around their waists. Just beyond where they were clustered, Risos Denellon could be seen laying in a puddle, shivering, cold, pale, and obviously terrified. He was bound hand and foot, and didnt have even the benefit of a log lean-to to shelter him from the rain.

The sight of the camp and the trembling form of Risos, made Ash's stomach sink in dismay.  There were so many of them, What where they?! - but even so, her mind was already working on a plan.  They still had the element of surprise, and that alone could make the impossible possible.  It was too dark to see the look on Oran's face, but she could only imagine that he was not reacting as well as she was to the scene in front of them.

She took several more long moments to memorize the details of the camp, and try to hear if any of them were talking.  Curious to see if they were speaking in a language that she'd heard before. She strained to hear over the rain, but other than a few raised voices, it was impossible to tell from here even what language they spoke over the rain.

Oran felt his stomach drop at the scene laid out before him, Risos was in deep trouble. They had promised that they would bring the lad back home. His eyes looked around, and saw no guards or patrols on the perimeter, nor none of the 'campers' looking anywhere but at each other.

Scooting back on his belly away from the branch, he crawled through the cold rain soaked ground closer to Ash.  Their eyes locked for a moment as they shared a moment of dread, and then she nodded to him and slipped quietly out from the bush, eager to get the information back to the others.