-----Raven nods. "Let's move on. Like you, I don't want to camp in this ogre hangout." Mounting his horse, Raven once again starts to trail their prey.
-----Raven looks back as Sol talks about the bone men. A smiling Raven says, "Remember to the time when you rushed into that cave full of dark cultists? I would have paid anything to see their faces when they saw a lone warrior attacking their temple." Raven chuckles, "What a grand image."
-----Everyone then mounts up and leaves the ancient stones behind. Riding out on the trail road, Sol and Thunder set a steady pace while Raven occasionally stops to check the tracks in the road.
-----After a half-hour's time, the road leads them past a large swampy area on their right filled with standing pools of water and dense vegetation in places. Tall leafless trees the color of bone white reach upward like skeletal fingers toward the deepening blue sky. To the east, they see open plains and the other road leading straight south.
-----Within another half-hour, twilight creeps across from the eastern sky. Leaving the swampy area, a wooded hill is revealed to the west at a distance of about two miles. A slender stone structure seems to rise just above the trees there. The setting sun seems to silhouette the structure among the trees.
-----Romney looks around as Raven stops to check the trail once more. The guard speaks up saying, "We should set our camp soon. Shall we set up camp here?"
-----Sarah shrugs, not having any knowledge of such things. She reaches into her backpack and lets Chessie out. "Stay close tonight, baby." She coos to him. "Mommy's worried about you around here." She says very seriously to her cute, fat, little owl. Chessie squawks confidently and takes off a short distance to pounce on an unsuspecting mouse. Sarah smiles.
-----"Garrison, I don't think you've met Chessie yet. That little cutie is my familiar, I'm sure he'll like you."
-----In a few moments Chessie has devoured the mouse and flies back to Sarah.
-----Sol turns to look at Sarah and he stares at her in fascination. More so than usual, that is. The lanky Gorian waves a hand in a vague gesture towards the stone structure on the hill and says, "Camp. Fine, yes...up there."
-----Sol thinks a moment longer and finally asks the mage the question he'd been building up to, "Familya? Is that like some sort o' relation?"
-----"Yeah, you could say that." Sarah smiles euphorically at Sol. "He calls me 'momma'. It's the most heartwarming feeling there is. We can sense what each other feel and we can sort of communicate. We're linked."
-----Sarah ruffles her baby's feathers and feeds him. "He likes being fed." She says to Garrison.
-----"That's fer sure." Sol smirks before he finally turns his attention to the stone structure. The warrior then realizes what's happening and spurs Thunder forward so that he can check if the campsite is safe.
-----Garrison smiles warmly at Sarah's owl. "More o' my company, that's for sure," he says as he watches the owl gaze around with large eyes.
-----Romney and Abram stand a few feet away from the road. "This spot should be secure," says Abram as Romney nods.
-----Romney continues the thought. "Aye, we can watch both approaches on this road from here and any places that would hide an ambush are a good way from us." The guard waves his arm out indicating the large plain they are on.
-----Raven nods. "Yes, let's camp here. We should keep a low fire tonight. Being on this plain we stand out a bit and it wouldn't be too hard for someone or thing to see us." Raven looks towards the stone structure, "We can look at the stone building in the morning if we want to."
-----Raven grabs his bow. "I'll try to find us something to eat." Raven heads off with the wolf to hunt.
-----Sol dismounts and once everyone else has done the same, he begins to settle the horses down for the night and gives them a general check up. After Sol finishes with that, he pulls off Thunder's saddlebags and dumps the contents on the ground. Coinage, and a lot of it. He adds more gold coins from his backpack and once done, starts dividing piles evenly.
-----Looking up from dividing the coins, Sol says to Garrison, "We have three watches during th' night with two on duty at all times. Yer welcome t'take someone else's spot or sleep th' whole night."
-----"I'd be glad to take a watch," Garrison replies. He then looks up toward the deepening sky. "Looks like the stars'll be out. I bet we get a few clouds a'fore morning though."
-----Rinda runs off behind Raven.
-----Romney instructs Bradley and Shema to scour around the area and gather some wood for the night's fire. A few single trees are seen scattered here and there across the plain. It is toward them that the two guards ride.