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-----As the others discuss more about the plans, Sol continues to lead Thunder in the direction of the castle. Raven spends the majority of the day training the wolf.
-----Just as the sun sets, the young warrior returns to everyone. Rinda moves about their improvised camp retrieving some of the dirt on the exposed ground and mixing with water. Albert lands near Seth, the crow looking like it is ready to roost.
-----The darkness begins to deepen in the woods as the crickets begin to chirp beyond the trees.
-----Sarah had been sitting at the camp, sketching in the dirt. The sketches were mostly of her wand and darkness and Aaron and Chessie.
-----As the sun sets, a familiar smile crosses Sarah’s face and Chessie emerges from her pack. Sarah can hardly contain her delight at being with her baby owl buddy once more, kissing and cuddling it like there is no tomorrow. All the while Chessie is munching on beef jerky. After a few minutes of cuddling, Sarah raises Chessie to her face and gives him a mental message. Chessie flies away in the direction of the keep with a whole chunk of beef jerky in his mouth.
-----As Sol enters the makeshift camp, he dismounts and leaves Thunder with the other horses. He looks slightly haunted and has an unsure expression on his face. Sol walks over to the others and talks slowly, "Their guard has relaxed. I guess they were expecting us t'make an appearance, but they may have decided we aren't showing."
-----He frowns before continuing, "But something's wrong. A couple o' hours into my watch, all forest sounds stopped. An' I could swear I was being watched, but I...maybe it was just me, but with all that we've seen an' done, I doubt it. At any rate, we may have t'be extra quiet, since our noise cover has gone." Suddenly he grins and adds, "This is goin' t'be a rush."
-----Raven walks over to Sol as he speaks. Raven frowns, "Damn, this keep might be full of those crazy dark bastards. I don't know that this being a rush, but blood will flow this night."
-----Raven speaks to the group, "We might as well setup a watch and try to get some sleep if you want. Oh, and no camp fire tonight."
-----"I'll be back in a moment. Time t'prepare." With that Sol, still smiling, heads just out of sight of camp. Raven then returns to training the wolf.
-----Sol returns to them after a short while and some in the party do attempt to sleep. Kazel sits down beneath a tree and appears to spend most of the time staring off into the darkened forest.
-----Soon a gibbous moon shines down on the party and Rinda stands up. "Tomorrow night the full moon will rise and the Hunter is to be honored," she says to no one in particular. Looking over at Raven, she says, "If we were back in WilderHaven, Broactor would take the change and give thanks for the peace you have brought to the animals. Now on this night we hope to bring the Hunt upon those who are the Prey."
-----The huntress glares around the quietness of the night as if she would suddenly become a feline predator and stalk off. She mysteriously falls silent and continues moving around the perimeter of the camp, ever watchful, seeming to draw on the senses of the night.
-----Hours later, when the moon sinks lower and the light shines dimly through the branches, those on watch awaken the rest. Rinda quietly walks around to everyone. She carries a small wooden bowl partly filled with a mixture of mud and water.
-----As she approaches each of the adventurers, she tells them, "This is for when you meet your prey this night. The Great Hunter will know you for the mark you carry." With that, she applies to all who allow her, markings on their faces. Amazingly, each time that Rinda dips her fingers in the mixture the colors are different. When she finishes, she says, "Just before we meet our prey, look for me so that I can call the spirit of the Great Hunter upon us."
-----Raven lets Rinda mark his face. Smiling at Rinda, he says, "Thank you Rinda. I have a feeling we'll be needing the blessings of the Great Hunter tonight." With that, Raven moves forward to lead the group to the keep.
-----Seth allows Rinda to put the mud on his face - anything to protect him. He silently mounts up and follows the others making sure his sling is free and ready.
-----The Dread Pirate rouses as everyone begins their preparations for the 'storming'. With a disgruntled expression, he allows Rinda to daub her magical mud on him and comments, "Alright, now we need to take a wide flank around the most covered side of the keep. Keep in mind that the eye is attracted first to motion, second to color. So move slowly, even if you think you are perfectly concealed from view. As far as that goes, I'd be a lot happier if we staked the horses out right here. They’re way too large not to attract the attention of even the most lackadaisical watcher. We should also knot the rope up. It'll be a lot quicker climbing for everybody. If Seth be willing, he and I can also hold the bottom of the rope steady. That'll help too. So Seth will be second to last to go up and I'll be last. Above all keep silent. If ye need to say something once we start flanking around the keep, then either hand signal it or whisper it to the next person in line and have it passed on. Also, about ten minutes after we enter the forest and start our flank, we'll come to a complete halt for five minutes. This'll give everybody a chance to secure any gear that’s makin noise and acclimate yerselves to the sounds of the forest. That way ye'll know if there be any sounds besides us out there that don't sound natural."
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