[Ransom]

Volkmar groaned quietly and noisily sat on the nearest rock. The strain of moving for over twenty-four hours through rough terrain in armor had caused more than a small amount of physical discomfort. Now that Kalohern’s mad pursuit of Guthrin had stopped, the Ranger began to take stock of the situation. Despite the pain, the Ranger was quite sure that he could continue the pursuit for a time. Like most of his brethren, the elf possessed an incredible level of endurance that, in truth, annoyed Volkmar. He was a bit more concerned about the two other members of the party. True, Guthrin’s behavior was troubling. But Kalohern’s zeal to catch his errant brother would probably result in exhaustion, and a fight in such a fait would quickly turn fatal. Arenia was an enigma. She certainly looked like she was only a child, though her relationship with the peculiar Ent was most disturbing. But she was probably as tired as the rest of them.

He wearily stood, using his war hammer as a crutch to keep his weight off his injured leg. He hobbled as best he could toward the elf, making all possible attempts to hide their conversation with Kalohern. This was no great task, for the young man was still examining the mysterious ending of Guthrin’s trail.

“I would not question your decisions, friend elf, but our currant pace is simply withering. We have not slept and barely eaten for over a day. Should our foes fall upon us, we would be hard pressed to defend ourselves. Mayhap we could convince young Kalohern to rest for a short time while we ponder the mysterious disappearance of Guthrin.”

[ February 24, 2003: Message edited by: Ransom ]