Campfire
Campfire
----> Tilwic kicks away the most courageous of the seabirds. Tharg and Conner have already begun searching for signs of their adversaries. “Tharg,” Conner calls as he pulls the pontoon higher up onto the beach, “find scent!” But his dark-haired partner is already running his sensitive nose across the leaves and branches of the jungle’s outskirts. SNIFF-IFF-SNORT! SNIFF-IFF-SNORT! Tharg has a determined look chiseled into his face.
----> Meggana, standing beside Tilwic, Alasdair, and Cyrdan, looks over to the cave and suggests that they might take a quick peek at the surrounding area from the top of the reef. “Plus, I want a peek
in the cave,” she adds. “Don't want anything following us.”
----> Cyrdan stares absently at the monkeys jumping about from tree to tree. Tilwic comments on their unusual pink faces, and adds that these are the Baragonian Macaques that Uther was speaking of. They are a rare species that can only be found here on Baragona.
----> Alasdair has been going on and on about Uther and how intuitive the old man was. “Do you suppose he has some kind of crystal ball or something?” He is amazed that Uther had known so much about the group. “He was right about everything: the fight at the beach, me being a bard…" He turns towrd Alliandra, "He didn’t fail one, single time!” While everyone else (with the barbarians being a probable exception) thought the old man’s observations were unusually insightful, they are not quite as amazed as Alasdair. Alasdair believes there to be some sort of magic involved.
----> Meggana passes by where Grant is still sitting down on the rocks, letting the surf run into his hands and then quickly splashing it onto his face. Covering her mouth with one hand and hiding a smile aimed at the nauseous Grant, she walks away toward the cavernous outcropping. Stopping just short of its gaping entrance, she calls over to where Tilwic and Cyrdan stand staring at treeline full of gray-haired monkeys. “This looks like it goes on for a bit.” She enters the antechamber and immediately calls out toward the group. “We have a warm fire here!”
----> Grant forgets his nausea, now almost passed, and brandishes his hand axe on the way toward Meggana. She has exited the cave, holding her bow taut before her. She bites her lip as she begins to look frantically about the trees above her and the jungle around her for signs of life. Only the monkeys are there, scurrying about the lower limbs.
----> Cyrdan and Tilwic quickly join them.
----> “This fire hasn’t been neglected for very long,” Cyrdan adds after inspecting the orange cinders. “See that sand? Someone left and kicked that sand on the flames before leaving it. I’d say no more than a half-hour since it flamed out."
----> “Our boys?” Alasdair asks from behind the gathering. He takes his weight from his staff of driftwood and gives it one swift twirl before allowing it to rest its tip on the ground. He begins twirling his dagger with a freehand and mimics Tilwic’s skillful juggling, though not as fluidly as the priest.
----> Tilwic kicks a few empty crabshells from the ashes. “My boys,” he replies.
----> “Maybe those crabs were killed by our boys using your boys’ spears,” Alasdair suggests with a slight did-you-ever-think-of-that-smarty-pants? attitude.
----> Cyrdan drops to one knee and scoops up one of shells, inspecting the three slits neatly cut into the sooty carapace. He nods to Alasdair, confirming Tilwic’s conclusion.
----> “How many of your friends came here? Were there enough to take care of some pirates? If not, maybe Cain and Johnny Simon killed the Marryk and took their spears,” Alsdair continues.
----> Tilwic doesn’t answer. He ceases his dagger twirling act, but remains silent.
----> “What is the nature of your mission here?” Alasdair continues. “If we knew, it might be easier to help you. We’re in your debt, after all; if it weren’t for you, one of us would have had to remain with Uther.”
----> Tilwic’s answer comes with expression. “I’m here to obtain information. The Marryk summoned me to find their reconnaissance team.” He slides his dagger into the opposing sleeve of his robe and a shiiing sheathing noise is obvious. “The team consisted of eight members, all highly trained elven warriors. It is improbable that they could have fallen prey to a handful of pirates.” He pauses for a moment. He breathes in as if to say more, but does not.
----> Meggana looks nervous, biting her lip and scanning the trees. “Tharg, what have you got?”
----> Alliandra has joined Tharg and Conner at the opposite edge of the beach. She turns to face Meggana’s hailing and then returns and nears the cave.
----> “He says he smells a cat,” the cleric states plainly. “I’m not sure what that means.”
----> “He smells a cat?” Grant asks in a disbelieving tone. “How's that?”
----> “He said, ‘Me smell pussy’,” she answers in her best Tharg imitation, “and I took that to mean ‘cat’.”
----> “What the hell is that supposed to mean?!” Alasdair demands. “He smells a cat? Out here?!”
----> “Jungle cat,” Meggana answers, smiling. “Not kitty-cat.” The comment draws snickers from the group.
----> Tilwic, still twirling his dagger, informs the party that while jungle cats are prevalent in the areas surrounding Deepbush and Hok Liggle (the Abishai Jungle), they are nonexistent here on Baragona.
----> “Yeah? Well, tell that to the Barbaric Bloodhound over there!” Alasdair exclaims, pointing down the beach at Tharg and Conner.
----> They follow the bard’s finger and look just in time to catch Conner running after Tharg into the dense green bush. Tharg emits a whooping sound that sounds much like the baying of Gerald, the old hound at Uther’s place.
----> “No, wait!” Grant hollers and runs after them.
----> But it’s too late. They have disappeared into the jungle.
----> “Damn,” Cyrdan curses. His longsword, too, is drawn. It does not appear to weigh down his elven frame at all as he runs toward them.
----> Alasdair joins the pursuit. “Always something with those two,” he mutters.
----> Meggana takes off after them and yells for ‘someone’ to stay with the boat.
----> Only Tilwic and Alliandra stay behind, watching the seabirds circle and swoop.
