Saeryn and the boys
At the back door they had broken their group, their attentions wandering to those things that brought a memory in their wake. Remembering the iron shoes of orcs and the stamping feet of the Dunlendings, Hama and Eodwine focused on the trampled earth before the doors. Too many marks for a decent tracking... A bewildered Falco examined the door.
"Now these kinds of marks... what kind of slip-shod, half-trained, molly-coddled fools would carry a blade dulled enough to gouge like these?" asked the hobbit. P'raps t'was sharp at the first, but dulled with the scraping? he thought to himself.
Further away, Saeryn walked, half bent, examining the ground. Was that blood? She saw the end of something, half buried in the dirt. Removing her belt knife, Saeryn pulled the dirt away with the tip.
"What in the world?" she asked herself quietly. Hearing the question, Hama walked over, carefully sidestepping any tracks. He knelt beside her and pulled the thing from the gound.
"Well I..." he laughed aloud. "Come, Eodwine, we have found the culprit!"
Spinning on his heel, Eodwine half ran to the two. Falco turn and sauntered over. Saeryn began to giggle helplessly. Eodwine looked at the more or less crescent shape Hama held in his palm. With a glance for permission, Saeryn took the claw from him, showing the other two.
"Friends, your unwanted visitor was but a bear." Hama laughed. "P'raps two, but look towards the rubbish, and at the claw marks in the door. An attack indeed."
Eodwine's face paled before flushing. "That... that woman!" he cried. "Taking advantage of our good will to... to... to play a prank and make us look the fool. 'Tis like... 'tis as good as crying wolf and... why that old crone... an' before breakfast as well!"
"Ah Eodwine, we see where your heart lies. Come, let us eat and make merry. We've been played the fools and must now think of a suitable vengeance. I smelled a berry concoction on my way in... P'raps 'tis not too late." Leading his friend by the arm, Hama led the way to the Great Hall.
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