Because the woodsmen were generally large, and their ax heads narrower and thicker, Fortis had little trouble distinguishing his guide once they were out from under the awning. The warder was an aged man. He was yawning and stretching under the blanket draped across his shoulders. His arms were crossed before his face, hands clutching the corners of the cover, elbows extended high, and his head was turned slightly. Clearly the man would rather still be in bed. Fortis barely heard the sound of the gate being closed as the herd of boots in front of him mixed with a few words in the local patois, and the occasional snort of laughter.
Fortis kept his attention on Stephen in front of him, as the lad seemed very much just another part of the workforce. At one point the path narrowed between several pairs of large trees, and Stephen slowed a bit, opening space between himself and the workers, then suddenly darting left in the middle of the defile.
They labored forward on a narrow path for a while as the gray light of dawn filtered through the trees. Fortis realized Stephen had a small pack bulging low under his cloak, and the ax handle rested against it on one side. Stephen kept his right hand in front of him, holding something Fortis could not see. The pace was quick enough he didn’t want to risk turning to see, but he heard the muffled footfalls of George and Stanley behind him.
It was full daylight when they halted at a wide spot in the trail. Stephen turned, and it was then Fortis saw he held a small, light crossbow in front of him. His was the nose with the scar. He smiled at Fortis, but said nothing. It was not quite a whisper when George said they could remove the cloth booties. Standing his lance against the nearest tree, Fortis took a moment to balance himself with the load on his back, but managed it. George took the booties and stuffed them in Fortis’ pack. He then produced his water jug and offered it around.
“Are you doing well, Fortis?”
Nothing was hurting, but he knew his muscles were going to scream if they stopped for too long. “I’m okay for now.” He remembered the jerky and began gnawing on a stick, which suddenly awoke his hunger.
George reclaimed his water jug and took a long drink. His brow was slightly damp, compared to Fortis’ dripping. The two hunters showed no evidence of having done more than a light stroll. George reached out and readjusted something on Fortis’ pack. “Keep your water handy, especially while you eat that jerky. Drink a little between each piece, but don’t guzzle.” Fortis felt to make sure his hand could find it.
“In less than a kilometer we’ll join a wider road. It’s not the main road, and it’s not much used. Still, if we are going to have trouble, that’s where it is most likely.” With that, George pulled out his bow, and placed three arrows in the clips near the grip. The hunters checked their crossbows and bolts. Then Stephen turned and strode off down the trail. Fortis grabbed his lance and followed.
Once on the road, Stephen slowed a bit, drifting to the left side. He glanced back and indicated with his hand for Fortis to remain in the middle, several steps back. Glancing back, he saw George several meters behind, and Stanley on the right farther back.
While the others obviously paid close attention to their surroundings as they marched on, Fortis focused his mind on George’s advice about registering a full awareness of the background noises and smells. The road was moderately hard packed, but carpeted in pine needles. There was the faintest crunching sound from twigs generously mixed in, and the strong smell of resinous sap. There were birds, unseen but making occasional calls. The insects flying around didn’t seem to make any noise Fortis could hear.
But his mind was poorly trained for this, and a part of him returned to swim in that ocean. He lost awareness of the time passing, and was brought up short when Stephen suddenly raised a hand. The young hunter’s stride changed and he stepped quietly forward, looking off into the trees. Fortis gripped his lance in both hands nervously. Satisfied it was nothing, Stephen seemed ready to move on. He had half turned when his body snapped back around and he fired off a bolt.
Fortis found his heart hammering, watching the woodline, but knowing he was unlikely to see anything the others missed. He glanced at George, who was studying the place Stephen’s bolt had gone.
The tension still high, Stephen motioned them to continue forward. Slowly and warily at first, they eventually returned to a more watchful march. Off in the woods behind them, there was a faint, whining growl. Fortis glanced back at George, who mouthed the word, “predator.” Fortis surmised Stephen had wounded the creature and it fled.
While it didn’t lessen his fear, he assumed it was another when it was Stanley’s turn to whip around the other side of the road and fire into the woods. But this time George and Stephen joined in, as they sent several missiles in short succession into the trees. A couple of them struck wood, but there was the distinct sound of bipedal running and human panting. Fortis caught a glimpse of movement; nothing more.
In a stage whisper, George spoke, “Excellent shooting, lads!”
The twins merely grinned in response. The three took care to resupply their clips. Then, after a few more moments of silent celebration, they continued their march. George moved up close to Fortis, placing a hand on his cowled head.
“The predators are all over the place, so we are bound to see at least one every day. We are bigger than even the largest, and four of us together makes them cautious. We wounded the first one, so it won’t be back. But the time it took to deal with it allowed whomever was following us to catch up, and approach from the other side. We didn’t strike him, but he won’t be back before we stop, if at all. At the same time, he’ll have to deal with the predators.”
“And we will have our little electric fence?”
“Of course. But we are going to push just a little today, so lunch will be late. Would you like me to get you some more food or water?”
Fortis took him up on the offer. He knew when they finally stopped, he would be too tired to eat.
