-----Though the sky remained cloudy, the temperature continued to build. As the horses were finally readied for the five adventurers, the warmth was almost too much for those wearing metal armor. The only offer of relief came from a gentle breeze that blew across the hill.
-----“I can feel the building of the Rage,” Lovan snarled as he lifted himself into his saddle. The storm priest then looked skyward and watched the movement of the grayness above them.
-----Dilton sat in his saddle silently and a sullen frown came across his face, either reflecting pain or concern.
-----With his saddle on, Thunder shook his head letting his mane catch the breeze. The stallion whinnied as he waited on his master.
-----“On to Kulendra?” Garrison says as he looks across at the Gorian.
-----"On t'Kulendra." Sol affirms with a nod as he swings himself up onto Thunder's back. Though Sol showed little sign of discomfort from the heat, he noticeably leaves his plate helm off, taking the time to place it on the horn of the saddle. As the others ready themselves, the warrior beckons for Garrison to once more take the lead, "We'll stick off th' road by day... aside from that, guide this storm t'our friends."
-----To the villagers nearby, Sol gives a wave of goodbye and calls out, "Thank ye all fer th' respite."
-----Jeilin, with some help from Dilton, proceeds to valiantly try putting herself atop the horse and have it move about once in a while in the direction she wants. By the time the group is ready to move out, one can see the priestess riding somewhat unsteadily along, not helped by what seems to be her talking to the horse and pointing out things up in the sky and around the landscape.
-----The few stable hands present wave to Sol and the others as they ride off. Little is seen now of any of the prisoners they had escorted here. Most were still being attended to in separate homes and buildings. As the party starts off down the hill, it was apparent the villagers here had done a good job of making the village look vacant. Brush had been gathered from the surrounding area and placed in various places surrounding the crest of the hill making the place look forlorn and barren.
-----Jeilin’s horse suddenly slips off the trail road leading down the hill and almost moves headlong into a large shrub hiding a villager on watch. Dilton rides up alongside her just in time catching the horse’s bridle and leading the priestess’s horse out of trouble.
-----Smiling, the warrior gives her a few quick impromptu lessons. “Ye gots t’hold onta th’straps,” he instructs, illustrating with his own steed’s bridle. “When ye wants th’horse t’turn ye needs t’pull on the side o’ th’strap what turns ‘is head in that direction.” Laughing, he adds, “Ye still gots t’steer yer beast.”
-----Sol finds he has to hold Thunder back as the stallion bobs his head as if the horse were ready to gallop out across the plains. Still, he had to wait a bit for Dilton and Jeilin behind and, on the other hand, not let Thunder run past the woodsman in the lead.
-----“Yeh,” Dilton suddenly croaked out enthusiastically, “Yer gettin’ the hang o’it!”
-----Jeilin was now having better control of her horse though Dilton continued to ride close to her.
-----Now coming to the bottom of the hill on its western side, a field of tangles and brambles stood there to greet them.
-----“Sh’!” Garrison warned quietly. “This is where I saw movement earlier this morning.”
-----On a hill to the north of the large tangled field, the ruins of a village stand quietly in the daylight. The woodsman squints at the far ruins and says out loud, “That’s only a mile away from our friends hidden in their village.”
-----“Little for us to worry over!” Lovan suddenly says a bit too loudly. “Battle is to the north. That is where we should bring the Fury of the Rager home!”
-----Garrison looks at Sol and gives a weary smile as he shakes his head.
-----“Pull yer strap!” Dilton suddenly croaks out from behind. “Not that way!” he warns as Jeilin’s horse wanders toward the tangles.
-----"I have t'stop assuming everyone can ride." Sol mutters audibly as the warrior's shoulders hunch in an obvious wince to Dilton's latest cry. He pushes Thunder towards the tangles in a canter, whilst waving for Garrison and the others to follow him. To the hunter, he explains, "One look through th' tangles won't put us off our time that much."
-----Pulling on the straps the other way as Dilton instructed, Jeilin tries to turn the horse around. Then, very carefully, she nudges it, pulls on the straps, and seemingly experimenting with every technique taught to get it back towards the road, bit by bit.
-----"Well," the Zanyrian girl says from somewhere behind the disheveled hair that has fallen over her face. "My horsey friend here likes to wander, just like Shakalee."