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Old 07-03-2006, 03:00 AM   #19
piosenniel
Desultory Dwimmerlaik
 
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Rôg was glad of the chance to slip off his horse. She was a pesky thing, the dun mare was. And like many of the female persuasion, she seemed to have it in for him. It was not that he demanded much…just to keep up with the others and preferably have a relatively smooth ride while doing so.

But she was twitchy; her skin seeming able to move quite independently of her bony frame. And she knew when he was just drifting off into a doze, his attention lax. She would flick her hide, like a series of roiling waves moving across a treacherous sea…then, snicker yes that was the word, not nicker as a proper horse would do. But curl her great hairy lip up off her prominent teeth and seem to laugh at him…wickedly… And were he to actually lose his seat and fall from her, as he had on a few occasions, she would stop and glance down at him. Her dull brown flanks spasming as if she were laughing to herself. On such occasions she’d give a decided snort,too…confirming her low opinion of him.

‘I’ve ridden far better than you,’ he growled at her as he swung his leg across her back and slid down to the ground. ‘Camels, they were. Great Ships of the Desert. And high spirited and independent as they might be, still they were in no way as obnoxious and cantankerous as you, madam.’

As he walked toward where the others were gathering at the discovered entrance to the cave, pointedly ignoring her, she stretched out her neck and nipped him hard on the hip. He hobbled the remainder of the way until he reached the edge of the group.

Rôg peered down into the darkness of the cave, seeing no movement. Nor did his ears pick up any sounds of life within, save for the faint skittering of a rock dislodged perhaps by the retreating footsteps of some lizard or small rodent. There was a faint, lingering scent borne on the dank air from the cave, a mannish scent, but it was old.

‘Well, it does seem quite empty, of those of the two legged variety,’ he said, stating the quite obvious. ‘They were here and have headed out,’ he went on, his eyes flicking about the area for any hint to their direction. ‘Should someone go in? Would that be helpful, do you think? Might there be any clues to where they’ve gone? Or should we just look about for tracks and see if we can follow after?’
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