[Carrûn]

"----!"

Following closely behind Thoronmir, Awyrgan had failed to notice the whippy pine branch bend against his companion until it struck him squarely in the face. His string of raw curses drew a chuckle from the older man which was cut short by the foot which stepped firmly on the back of his ankle.

The pair had been walking all throughout the night into the early morning, pausing only once to check their bearings. They had subconsciously settled into a rhythm of sorts, switching off walking in front for a few hours each at a time in long sweeping fan-shaped paths. So far, their search had yielded few results which both relieved and frustrated them at the same time. They were moving beyond the regions the settlers regularly traversed, and the forest was getting thicker.

Horns in the distance behind them startled a small flock of birds out of the trees above their heads, prompting a small jump from Thoronmir. It was Awyrgan's turn to smirk. "Tane said the village would be having a hunt. I'll wager you a month of our wages I bring home a larger catch than you." The two shared the inside joke with the dry humor of a seasoned tracker. Not everyone could be king.

However Awyrgan's sly grin quickly faded and turned grim as he glanced slightly off their main path. Thoronmir saw it at the same time and both approached cautiously, senses alert.

Large footprints trailed out of the woods, through the wet dirt on the edge of the clearing and back into the trees. They were fresh, less than a day old. The rough imprint in the ground left little doubt in either of their minds. Hillmen were moving.

Silently the two moved into the thicket. Brushing away the undergrowth with his hand Awyrgan spread their map out in front of them. His finger ran lightly over it as he spoke. "We've traveled to about here." He tapped his fingers lightly on a ridgeline. "Going beyond here wouldn't allow us to check the other sides of the settlement. As much as I'd like to go further I doubt Tane would appreciate our being late."

He rolled the map up and placed it back in it's pouch. Thoronmir spoke. "We should wait here for a while and see if anything passes." Awyrgan nodded and the two moved until they were sitting back to back with both pairs of eyes scanning the regions outside of their thicket.

...

....Fire...

The sound of brush breaking brought Awyrgan out of a daydream and back to reality with a jolt. Beside him he heard Thoronmir mutter "A deer." Neither moved. Slowly Awyrgan drew his bow out and set it on the ground in front of him. Some yards away a large stag stood drinking out of a puddle. Awyrgan forced him self to wait as minutes felt like hours. Slowly he notched an arrow to the bow and picked it up, steadying it on the ground. He sniffed. The wind was still with them. Drawing the string back he held his breath, exhaled, and let the arrow fly with a twang. The deer fell like a rock. Thoronmir gave a somewhat congratulatory grunt. Awyrgan grinned. "Wait here."

There was little blood from the deer so Awyrgan moved it back into the thicket with the pair, disguising the ground as best he could.

He had only just settled down when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Something else was moving through the woods and he did not move like any animal. He heard Thoronmir whisper beside him, "It appears you are not the only hunter in these woods today." Awyrgan clenched his jaw tightly and the two sat, waiting.