-----Raven looks toward the thorp and then says, "Depends if there is any game around here. If a wolf is hungry enough they'll go after folk. Unless these wolves are not just common wolves, like some evil wolves I've heard folks talk about. Worgs they called 'em."
-----Raven watches the slavers to see what their next move is.
-----Rinda gives a shudder as she says deep in thought, “Maybe the guards have dropped off a prisoner to feed to the wolves before.”
-----“Those bloody bastards,” Strolum hisses in shock at the idea.
-----“If they’ve done that,” Garrison adds grimly, “that might draw more wolves in around this part of the country.” With a sigh, he says, “That would help their cause with more defense during the night. We better watch ourselves.”
-----In a few moments, it is apparent the wagons have stopped among the small buildings of the thorp. More of the guards appear to move around in the moonlight taking up positions for a nightly watch. Even though the line of sight is obscured by buildings and the dark, there seems to be no evidence that the slaves are being unloaded from the wagons.
-----Sol doesn't appear convinced about the wolf problem. With a wave of his hand, he disregards the issue and gestures for everyone to listen. Quietly he mentions to Raven, "Can ye find out where th' bulk o' th' guards are going t'be? We'll need t'know a'fore we start anything. We might as well wait till they've well an' truly started t'fall asleep too."
-----It had been a few queasy moments of the normally placid horse panicking that made Whisper slide off the beast as soon as it seemed safe to do so. His own two legs had usually been good enough, and he did not like the feeling reliant on something else for the purposes of traveling.
-----Turning his attention to the little village, Whisper began to study the watch positions, seeing how they were clustered, and looking for gaps that he might exploit.
-----In the next moment, the other scouts dismount and run silently across the plain to better observe the small thorp. Whisper joins them and they all keep low to the ground else the rising moon would betray their positions.
-----In the next hour, the scouts return and report that the main cluster of guards seem to be camped toward the center of the thorp. Small groups of guards patrol the roads leading east and west out of the thorp. Oddly enough, less of the guards are seen along the southern edge of the thorp, closest to the party.
-----Raven says, "We need to get those slaves freed. Sooner the better before any of the slaves are killed."
-----Raven looks towards the thorp, "Let’s sneak in and inflict some pain on those slavers. We all ready to do this?" Raven's right hand rests on one of his swords.
-----"They're not likely t'kill any now... Not after they've just settled down, but yes, th' sooner we get in there th' less they'll suffer." Sol uncharacteristic placidness still prevailed. He eased stiff muscles, still getting used to his plate armour, by rotating his shoulders.
-----It gave him a moment longer to rearrange his thoughts, and to try and focus his attention. Like usual, his plan was made up on the spot, "Raven, let's face it, th' majority o' us heading in would only spoil any attempts at stealth. Ye reckon it would serve better if ye take Whisper an' anyone worth a damn at keeping quiet and get as close t' th' slave wagons as ye can? I'd give ye say, half an hour, a'fore I come on in and make a lot o' noise. Soon as that happens, ye come out o' hiding an' secure th' wagons." Sol holds up a hand to indicate he had not finished yet. His body language was clear, questions will wait till the end.
-----"Th' others o' us can split into two groups. One'll come in an' reinfore ye, an' th' other can be more o' a roving group, wi' a focus on killing any spellcasters that might be wi' th' enemy. Once th' first group has gotten t'th' wagons t'ward off counterattack, ye can join me in whatever rightful carnage we can wreak." Sol smiled and nodded, spreading his hands questioningly, waiting for feedback, approval or lack thereof.
-----This was likely one of the few times when Whisper needed to absorb and detangle the warrior's brogue. It also seemed one of the lengthiest speeches given by the human.
-----Leather creaked as Whisper resettled his arms and armour. The knowledge of what was to come made the dagger sheathed under his arm feel all the heavier.
-----Snapping his fingers still seemed the most expeditious way to get attention, so he did so, nodding distinctly in concordance with the Gorian's plan.
-----“We must be quiet, but we must also be quick,” Rinda warns. “The moon shall cast long shadows upon us. Perhaps the light from the homes will cover us more from the guard’s eyes.”
-----Very quickly now, Raven, Rinda, Whisper and Garrison move out on foot. Garrison stays back a bit as he fears his chain mail will give them away before they reach their first prey. The other three scouts quickly move farther ahead, keeping lower to the grass.
-----As Sol and the others look on, they see the scouts occasionally stop to get their bearings and ease their muscles from their stooped movements. Still they continue to advance and finally make it to within a few yards of where perhaps less than a half-dozen guards cluster guarding the southern border of the thorp. The small dark mass that is Garrison can be seen holding back a few more yards behind.
-----At one point, alarmingly, the guards’ attention seems to be drawn to the southern plain and those remaining with Sol tense as perhaps the scouts have been discovered! The guards hold torches and the points of light sway and flicker as the soldiers peer into the dimly lit surroundings. Suddenly, a howl breaks the night from the east of the village and the motion of the torches stop. Sol then recognizes the howl belonging to Raven’s wolf as the noble animal succeeds in drawing the attention away from the scouts.
-----Just then, as if on signal, a sudden commotion is detected and the torches the guards hold drop to the ground. The night back at this position remains still and no alarm is raised among the small homes. In a few moments the unmistakable forms of people cling to the buildings as if spying and peering into the middle of the thorp. The forms then disappear around the edges of the building. Raven, Whisper and the other scouts have succeeded so far!