fireinthedust
Explorer
The fire was the only light in the forest, and burned as brightly as it could in the cold. Something about the air allowed its smoke to thicken like steam, so that only huddling very close to it allowed any of them warmth enough against the chill. Thick logs had been rolled next to it, and the Mule from the wagon under its blanket had been munching contentedly while the group made their usual discussion back and forth across the fire.
The scholar who'd hired them was a young man for one of his depth of learning: early forties with enough wisdom that a patch or two of hair had gone white. He tended to wearing more than enough of the thick robes he'd brought, mostly due to the cold, with a studded leather jerken beneath for more official protection. He was not the sort for adventure, and throughout the journey he seemed good at anything but the practical: while he knew much of the wilderness' history, he had failed to realize how much of it was covered in dirt until the first night they'd made camp. While he had many opinions on cooking and the nature of different ingredients, he'd managed to ruin any meal he attempted to cook, and nearly burned water when he'd put it on to boil. Still, his coin was real to the touch, and the map he'd shown them seemed to lead somewhere by the landmarks on their route. As a patron, he would do, except for his annoying need to be there with them on this little trip.
Perhaps it was the days surrounded by adventursome types, but when the wolves first howled he was the first to grab a brand from the fire and wave it about.
Ah, yes, finally some action. Not that I want to tell you blokes how to do your jobs, obviously, but what does one normally do for this sort of... thing?
At the edge of the firelight, and from the sound of things just beyond, furred shapes moved about. Soon glowing eyes could be seen from the shadows, and some flickers of the firelight made sharp teeth glow.
The scholar who'd hired them was a young man for one of his depth of learning: early forties with enough wisdom that a patch or two of hair had gone white. He tended to wearing more than enough of the thick robes he'd brought, mostly due to the cold, with a studded leather jerken beneath for more official protection. He was not the sort for adventure, and throughout the journey he seemed good at anything but the practical: while he knew much of the wilderness' history, he had failed to realize how much of it was covered in dirt until the first night they'd made camp. While he had many opinions on cooking and the nature of different ingredients, he'd managed to ruin any meal he attempted to cook, and nearly burned water when he'd put it on to boil. Still, his coin was real to the touch, and the map he'd shown them seemed to lead somewhere by the landmarks on their route. As a patron, he would do, except for his annoying need to be there with them on this little trip.
Perhaps it was the days surrounded by adventursome types, but when the wolves first howled he was the first to grab a brand from the fire and wave it about.
Ah, yes, finally some action. Not that I want to tell you blokes how to do your jobs, obviously, but what does one normally do for this sort of... thing?
At the edge of the firelight, and from the sound of things just beyond, furred shapes moved about. Soon glowing eyes could be seen from the shadows, and some flickers of the firelight made sharp teeth glow.
