Eye Spy

[Amrundirn(#29212)]

The faltering light finds tents erecting \'neath the clear sky many folk are busy about various tasks in what is more and more beginning to look like an encampent beside the ancient road of the Men who once lived here. A light breeze out of the east stirs the grasses, causing the straws to rustle and hiss as they waver in the wind.

[Gurtir(#30678)]

\"Sir!\" A man tells another upon the perimeter of the encampment the address of his speech sitting upon a rock by the roadside cloaked and hooded. \'Tis Amrundirn, Ranger.

\"We found some hints, but nothing conclusive. Some one, or--...\" The man\'s voice lowers, \"--...Or something is out there.\"

� As the camp is raised in its geometrical precision, detachments of the Hosts of Gondor stand sentry around the on-going work, sharp eyes fixed on the distance.�

� Gurtir paces by one such group of defenders, the words of the men of Ithilien reaching his ears and deepening the frown upon his brow.�

[Ceredir(#1394)]

The lands here once were and may still be at least somewhat beautiful, but a forboding sense of danger lays over all. If these men of the West have the sense that they are being watched, then their instincts prove right: No army has Mordor sent after them--either that or the men of Faramir\'s company, in ranging these lands, have prevented any large groups of orcs and fiends from making it to the road. And yet, deep in the brush off the road, eyes glint now and then, catching the last rays of the sun.

At the top of a small rise north of the camp, the orc Mlung lies flat on his belly, eyes narrowed to slits, dark cloak (either an earthen color or filthied to that hue) hiding his form. He sniffs the air he watches the men below and sneers silently.

[Midhwen(#29054)]

Wrapped up in a cloak, Midhwen makes her way towards the perimeter, eyes darting from side to side as she gets closer to the edge. Soon enough, she is stopped by a guard.�

�\"I am looking for the Ranger, Amrundirn and Captain Gurtir, of The Seven Stones Company. I was told they were both nearby.\"

[Hash(#19030)]

�From behind a sizely boulder near the outskirts of the camp, a dark, boney hand reaches out to grab the side of the rock, with an ashen grey head peering out from behind the same side shortly after, in the direction of the Ranger and his companion. A glistening red eye blinks once at the view, before the figure it belongs to withdraws away from plain site again, and inches towards the left side of the boulder, pressing its body against the rock and twitching an ear, attempting to listen intently on the goings on near the camp.

[Amrundirn(#29212)]

\"Have the sentries alerted and doubled, and spread the word,\" Amrundirn answers. \"See to it.\"

He rises thus, a glance on the lady healer over yonder. He sighs, a hand raised to push the cowl from his unhelmed head. \"Over here!\" He calls as his subordinate makes his way toward the camp.

[Gurtir(#30678)]

� \"You hear the Ranger my words match his.\"

Gurtir tells one of his Hostmen after Amrundirn has spoken, offering the Ranger a brief nod... ere his name is called. He turns to face his camp then and the approaching healer.

\"How may we help?\"�

[Midhwen(#29054)]

At the Ranger\'s call the guards let her pass, albeit grudgingly. She approaches then, a wry expression on her face as she faces the two cousins. \"By visiting the Healer\'s Pavilion, Captain, would be the simplest way. Neither of you have had your wounds looked at recently.\"

[Ceredir(#1394)]

A sniff, then a snort. Mlung, close to the ashen grey orc, wrinkles up his nose and then whispers in a voice surprisingly low for an orc. \"How many? Can you count them? Same as before? And...I\'m hungry....\"

[Gurtir(#30678)]

� \"I have your cream, I have been using it.\", Gurtir replies at Midhwen frowning, darkness crowning his brow, \"And please, to come to the very fringes of the camp after us? \'tis not safe.\"�

[Hash(#19030)]

�Twisting its head around to face the brushes off the side the road, and then the accompanying Mlung just a few feet behind, a slight frown forms upon its forehead as the neighbouring orc questions the servant about the details of the camp. A lowly hiss is then muttered by the smaller uruk, \"I saw no more than two at the edge of the camp.. there must be more coming.\" Inhaling a whiff of the air, the thin figure then turns it attention back in the opposite direction, peering around the boulder to spy again on the two figures, only to find that there are now at least two or three more, including the healer and the guards.

[Amrundirn(#29212)]

\"I share the Captain\'s sentiment,\" Amrundirn says, his glance on Midhwen brief his tone not wry, the gleam in his eye perhaps a token of amusement. \"In any case, I am not about to drop my trousers for not out here.\"

\"I feel... unrest,\" The Ranger murmurs even then, his gaze passing to Gurtir, perhaps not oblivious to the threat that lurks in the twilight after all, \"Do you not as well, cousin?\" He shakes his head, a snort.

\"Nevermind, it is probably just the wind.\"

[Midhwen(#29054)]

\"The salve is no replacement for a healer\'s care. As for you Ranger, do not think I missed your limp this afternoon.\" A howl of wind dispels the bravado and sharpness of tone that is instilled in every healer, to use when dealing with troublesome soldiers. \"Believe me, I would rather not be out here, but I was sent to remind you to come within the next day or so.\"

[Gurtir(#30678)]

� At Amrundirn\'s words, Gurtir falls silent, gazing once more into the forest, attentively, and then closing his eyes briefly as he takes a deep breath... his eyes lock on Amrundirn as he nods.�

� \"A very ominous wind.\"�

� Then he looks again at the healer, shaking his head with some displeasure, \"As soon as everything is set, you have our-- my word, at least, that I will visit the Pavilion. I have been busy, you know?\"�

[Hash(#19030)]

�Lifting itself up as if to stand, the lowly orc sneaks a few steps further to the side of the boulder, knocking a few pebbles on the ground as it moves its feet, inching towards a smaller about two yards away, to get a better view of the camp.

[Ceredir(#1394)]

\"Ware, you idiot!\" Mlung hisses. \"These tarks have sharp eyes and ears! Can\'t you hear their words? They are leery, scanning the hills for us! Do you want to give us away!\"

Long speech snarled, Mlung now creeps to his left, then picks his head up cautiously--and immediately ducks back down.

\"Females!\" he giggles. \"They have a female! Tasty!\"

[Midhwen(#29054)]

\"I understand Captain, but in your case, it would take a moment or two to check for infection and to change the bandages.\" Her voices softens. \"Thank you, I hope you will make the same promise, Ranger?\"

[Gurtir(#30678)]

� And this is how Hash would see the Gondorian camp: the tents still being erected are organized so that every nine would form a square block, with small paths between each formation of this sort. Banners flutter in the air, marking the companies they represent.�

� Not very far from each other, describing a circle around the camp, there are torches and groups of sentries watching the distance, hands by their weapons as Amrundirn and Gurtir\'s word is passed to them: alert and more move to join them in their vigil.�

� Gurtir nods at Midhwen. \"It will be done.\"�

[Amrundirn(#29212)]

The Ranger\'s green clad -- though its color grows more and more difficult to discern in this light -- hand is raised urging silence. He answers not.

[Hash(#19030)]

�Ignoring the companion\'s exclamation of caution, the servant orc moves with feline-like silence as it scurries across towards the smaller rock, crouching back down to hide its body, and ducking its head to avoid from fear of being spotted by the now curiously silent group of Gondorians.

[Gurtir(#30678)]

�Gurtir likewise feels silent, his gaze sweeping the landscape once more, with renewed intensity. Something catches his attention... either movement or a trickery of fading light and wind, and he gestures for Midhwen to leave, pointing the distance with his chin to Amrundirn.�

[Midhwen(#29054)]

A quizzical look is aimed at the Captain, but the young healer only pauses for a split second before walking briskly back towards the centre of the camp.

[Ceredir(#1394)]

\"Seen us!\" Mlung\'s curse is like the wind again, more caution. \"You...\" Barely a noise at all, and he gestures for the second orc to stay where he is. Then he takes a rough-hewn bow from off his back and draws a black-fletched arrow from a bag. In a very low voice, he speaks his plan. \"I will go over to that side--\" indicating a point opposite the second orc, \"and distract them with arrows. You get the woman. We need to dinner to keep up this work.\"�

And Mlung pads off, crouching low, his sharp black in the growing darkness.

[Amrundirn(#29212)]

That hand falls to Amrundirn\'s side grasping the hilts that hang there.

He looks thither, where the Captain points. Narrow his eyes, for a long moment he stares thus. Rocks, rocks, grass... is that all?

A glance at Gurtir.

A nod.

[Hash(#19030)]

�The subservient orc misses the preceeding gestures between the Captain and the healer, as it keeps its head bowed from behind the boulder. A feeling of fear grows within the orc from hearing Mlung\'s outcry. Had she given their position away already? So soon? Nodding obediently at the armed orc\'s plans without turning to look in his direction, Hash remains frozen behind the rock as she waits for the \'twang\' sound of a shooting arrow, ready to go through with the said plan at any given moment.

[Ceredir(#1394)]

Do rocks scurry across the rise of the land? Blackness upon blackness moving through the night...and then suddenly looming up in the night. An arrow is released to arc into the dark sky and then fall with deadly black swiftness upon the small party of tarks. This is followed rapidly by a second arrow, and then the black shape hunkers down and runs in a crouch, heading away from the she-orc still hiding.

[Gurtir(#30678)]

� Sssss.�

� THUD. THUD.�

� One arrow burries itself on a Hostman\'s garment, while the other bounces off Gurtir\'s armor.�

� If Amrundirn\'s motion had made his hand fall down to the hilt of his sword, this is all it takes for him to draw.�

� \"Shields! Be prepared!\", the Captain calls, in prevention for further attack, and a horn is blown into the night- the noise of leather and steel echoes through-out the sentry lines.�

� The camp is at ready, and Gurtir beckons Amrundirn with a head gesture, striding to where the shoots came from.�

[Midhwen(#29054)]

The sound of the commotion causes Midhwen to stop and look back, several soldiers running past her to join the others snaps her out of her shock and she moves more quickly.

[Amrundirn(#29212)]

The Ranger\'s sword comes loose from it\'s scabard.

\"Care, cousin,\" He murmurs, his step unsure at first. He picks the pace up a notch, into a slow jog in the same direction the shots came from despite the uneven ground and the thickening dark.

[Ceredir(#1394)]

A cackling laugh echoes through the little hills here as Mlund laughs. \"Yes that\'s it, that\'s it. Come to papa,\" he snorts to himself. He risks pausing to quickly fire off more arrows--three in rapid succession, though he is now at a further distance from the camp. \"This way, my lovelies, and we will have tasty soft female tark flesh for dinner. If that snake of a sneak does her work...\" he hisses.

[Arashen(#24692)]

Shouts come from the direction of the Gondorian camp - many of them. Few men have slept without wearing their armor or with a weapon under hand - and they certainly do not fail in such vigilance when awake and making camp. Those pitching tents nearest the commotion run past the young healer to join Gurtir and the Ranger.

Others can be dimly seen coming behind them. Among them, the Squire Arashen - his gaze falls first on Midhwen, coming towards him but still several yards away. He draw his sword.

[Hash(#19030)]

�Slouching up a few inches in the darkness after the arrows had been shot, the smaller uruk takes in the view of the now-armed line of sentry and quickly gathering soldiers at the front of the camp. Too distracted to overhear any of Mlund\'s comments, Hash prompty ducks back down, assuming she should remain hidden there until the other orc has lead the soldiers far enough away from the healer.

[Amrundirn(#29212)]

A lucky shot, that orc -- one of the three arrows find a mark.

Or so one must assume! Since, one moment the Ranger is there, midstride, and the next he is not vanished amid the grasses.

[Gurtir(#30678)]

� Yet even as Gurtir and Amrundirn and a few other soldiers give chase to the archer-- one quickly gives up, an arrow protunding from his thigh-- many others remain, guarding the borders of the camp the men of Gondor are well versed in caution, little given to rashness.�

� \"Watch out!\", Gurtir warns his cousin even as he ducks away from the glinting tip that whistles towards and then past him-- into the Ranger?! The silence of the Ranger\'s fall gives no hint of it to Gurtir, who speeds on.�

[Ceredir(#1394)]

\"Form up you dogs! Hold your line! Hold your line I say!\" A harsh voice of an orc cuts through the night air, only now it seems to come from the right and even further away from the camp, from Midhwen and from the hidden orc-sneak. Mlung scuttles across the land, bow still in hand, snickering to himself as he leads the chase deeper into the surrounding hills.�

But a quick glance back must tell him that he is not so successful, the Ranger and Captain close behind him. With a sudden squeaked growl, Mlung lurches forward, trying to put on an ungainly spurt of speed. Then another glance backward is given in panic, and the Ranger is gone. Mlung smiles. \"Now! now!\" he cries. \"Attack!\" He races ahead, not bothering to crouch.

[Hash(#19030)]

�Sliding around towards the edge of the boulder, Hash takes advantage of the Gondorian\'s distraction and darts towards a nearby shrub, partly concealing itself behind the leaves and branches. Her one eye darts around the dark grasslands, in search of the healer the easiest prey to catch. But since she is apparently no where to be found, or at least the orc is in too much of a panic to notice the healer, Hash\'s gaze then lands upon the ranger, noticing that he seems to be quick on Mlung\'s trail. A moment of hurried thought goes by, and the slave orc thinks of a new plan of action.

�A prolonged, high-pitched howl of a wolf can be heard in the direction of Hash\'s hiding place, loud enough to be heard for at least a few miles in the forest. This curious wolf\'s howl has a strange, almost screeching-like sound to it, although for the most part it sounds convincing enough for Hash.

[Gurtir(#30678)]

�Gurtir is on Mlung\'s heels, or so he discovers as the seeming commander of the orc party starts yelling his orders. He increases the speed of his chase, now an imminent frontal crash against Mlung... the Captain raises his shield in front of himself, to block or bash, whatever might happen first.�

� \"Torches!\"�

[Arashen(#24692)]

The sound of arrows continues and Arashen removes his shield from his back, the task slowing him as he runs. He manages to heft it onto his left arm just as he and Midhwen meet. \"Behind me!\" the Squire orders, holding up his shield protectively over himself and the young woman \"They have help I\'m returning you to the pavilions.\"

Some sound vaguely like a wolf\'s howl rends the air. \"That is either one demented wolf or something else entirely,\" he mutters to the young apprentice healer.

[Amrundirn(#29212)]

A snap, as though a twig broken by a careless walker, might be overheard from whence that Ranger fell, A snap, and a stiffled groan.

Those two sounds one might hear there, were it not for the alarm elsewhere.

A swordhilt, tightly grasped by a gauntleted hand might be seen there also a head next -- Amrundirn rises fully on unsteady feet, he takes a staggering step, and one other, as though one drunk a hand pressed to his side.

[Hash(#19030)]

�Slinking off, away from its current position in the shrubs, the female orc arrives at another set of bushes nearinga few yards away from the outermost tent within the campsite, thinking the wolf howl had thrown them off track or at least distracted Mlung\'s pursuant Gondorians. As soon as she regains her balance concealed within the bushes, Hash pokes her head upward, squinting into the distance for any sight of the humans. From where the slave orc sits now, nothing short of arrow shots can be heard from her current position. Seeing that the plan of distraction did not work as planned yet again, Hash turns downards towards the grounds, and snatches a few large rocks in both her hands, before slowly slouching back up again and heading back in the direction of the others.

[Midhwen(#29054)]

Midhwen looks at the nearby tents and manages a shaky smile at the Squire. \"Thank you, but shelter is close by. I am sure your skills will be put to better use on the battlefield.\"

[Ceredir(#1394)]

There is the Captain with his shield before him, and to the other side, the apparently wounded Ranger. Mlung curses. \"Poor choices you give me, tarks. Tough, stringy meat or weak wounded flesh...\" Drawing a scimitar, the orc waves it through the air to try to keep the men away from him. He backs up slowly--then turns and tries to make a break for it!

[Arashen(#24692)]

\"It wasn\'t a suggestion,\" Arashen says, succinctly, \"Move back slowly, stay under my shield.\"

\"We don\'t know how many there are, where they are or where the next arrow comes from. The Healers\' pavilions are in the center of the camp, you will be safer there.\"

[Midhwen(#29054)]

\"As you wish.\" Midhwen moves slowly, looking around for a sign of the enemy. \"Have you ever heard a creature that sounds like that, Squire?\"

[Ceredir(#1394)]

� \"Weak wounded flesh?\", Gurtir repeats the orc\'s words as he stares at his foe, searching for an opening... a brief glance backwards is cast -men already run around bearing torches to light the night- and spots Amrundirn. Frowning, he turns back to face his foe... and there Mlung is, fleeing.�

� Without a second thought, he turns around, going for his kinsman. \"Hit?\"�

[Hash(#19030)]

�Hash at the moment is too far to see any details of the struggle within the forest. Silence takes over for long while, the orc remaining hunched down while deciding whether to run after the ranger and Mlung armed with merely a collection of rocks as weapons, or to remain here and continue spying on the camp for any sign of the female Gondorian, or someone else just as equally easy to try and capture. The distant sounds of human speech are heard from within the camp, and the orc peers into the cluster of nearby tents.

�A moment later, the dark figure takes a sudden dash towards the side of a small tent the first one near the edge.

[Arashen(#24692)]

\"No,\" Arashen replies, his eyes darting around in dark - striving to see in the dim light anything that might move. He takes a few more steps back as Midhwen makes room for him. \"It sounded as if whatever made the sound wished to imitate a wolf. But I know wolves, and that was not the howl of a wolf.\"

[Ceredir(#1394)]

The Captain\'s hesitation is all the Mlung needs, and the orc--small for one of his kind and swifter of foot, as if he is meant for spying--flies into the woods, zigging and zagging this way and that. And then from deep within the forest soon comes an answering cry of a wolf, sickly and odd, the type of noise that sends shivers down the spine.

[Gurtir(#30678)]

� Hash\'s dash is way too bold: past soldiers and torches and hard stares, the orc tries to go?! One Man at Arms spots the dark figure, accusingly pointing the drawn steel at the creature to mark it for his comrades.�

� \"Decoy!\", he cries.�

[Gurtir(#30678)]

� \"Yes into Ithilien. I cannot give chase anymore.\", Gurtir answers at Amrundirn, shaking his head even as he seeks for men of Ithilien, \"If you have not a spear, just let me help you back you will have a pursuit to send your scouts on afterwards.\"�

� The wolf howl sets the Captain\'s jaw tight, and he glances backwards in disconfort.�

[Ceredir(#1394)]

Mlung runs...but as he sees no pursuers follow him into the deeper woods, the orcs pauses and changes course to start to circle back around. He keeps wide of the Captain and injured Ranger, trying to come about and nearer to Hash to help her, but it will take him some time. His scimitar he sheaths again before he runs.

[Arashen(#24692)]

Arashen backs into the suddenly still young woman but his attention is drawn to the shout of discovery. He quickly finds the source and shifts his body to put himself in between the young woman and the dark crouching figure near the tent, holding his sword in a defensive position. \"Orc!\" he shouts, \"Orc in the camp!\"

But he does not move from the healer. \"Scout! We need a Scout!\"

[Hash(#19030)]

�Slipping across the gravel on the ground at the cry of warning from one of the guards at the camp entrance, the orc quickly realizes the folly of her decision and in a mere second spins around to begin running back in the opposite direction, heart pounding heavily in its chest as the uruk flees for its life, catching no more than a split second\'s glimpse of the healer and Captain just yards away.

[Amrundirn(#29212)]

\"Fine, fine,\" Amrundirn answers, yielding to his kinsman\'s aid. \"Take me back, then.\"

The shouts from the camp reaches him then if not so the would-be wolf howl, then those shouts narrows his eyes. \"Am I hearing what I think, cousin -- These orcs are mad? This is no army, so much is clear to me.\"

[Gurtir(#30678)]

� Arrows now fly from the Gondorian side, aimed at Hash as the she-orc tries to flee. Across the lines, word is spread and the Hostmen spread to prevent any further ventures into the camp.�

� \"Come then.\", Gurtir says on his turn, motioning to position himself under the Ranger\'s arm and thus better help him to walk, \"Yes... this is a terrible mess they are doing.\"�

� In response to Arashen\'s cry, men of Ithilien race forward from the depths of the camp, those who already were posted as sentinels giving chase to these creatures the Hostmen can\'t.�

[Ceredir(#1394)]

\"Stinking, stupid, sneaking....\" Mlung growls. \"Crawling into tark camp and trying to steal man flesh all on her own...\" the orc continues, seemingly forgetting it was his idea in the first place. Only halfway back to Hash, he stops his run, cowering close to the ground as arrows fall around him and men start to race his way.

\"Run!\" Mlung screeches. \"Run, dammit, or I will whip you bloody!\" With that, Mlung himself turns and runs, this time not stopping.

[Arashen(#24692)]

\"I don\'t think we have to worry about arrows anymore,\" Arashen says, lowering his shield as the men of Ithilien rush past him. \"Come, let us return to the pavilions.\"

\"They were looking for food, no doubt,\" as the Squire escorts Midhwen deeper into the camp, he sheathes his sword and returns his shield to his back.

[Amrundirn(#29212)]

\"Indeed,\" Amrundirn answers wearily led thus, \"I wonder...\"

[Hash(#19030)]

�It is thanks to Hash that the quantity of the orcish \'army\' is given away. The she-orc hurries the pace as much as she possibly can, nearly tripping over her own feet more than once as she runs back for the safety of the darkness beyond. Finally, the other orc\'s cries and screeches can be heard, and the she-orc changes direction towards where the shouts came from, slipping and sliding on the gravel and leaves in her path on the way there. She manages to dart far enough ahead of the nearest of oncoming guards, it appears - perhaps Mlung\'s threat of whipping was quite effective?

[Gurtir(#30678)]

\"Where\'d it go?!\" One of the pursuing scouts exclaims.

\"That way!\"

\"No no,\" The point man says. \"I see--...\" A pause, a sigh. \"I saw it. Gone, I\'ll be damned! The Captain will not be happy.\"

�