Harvest 15, 6105 RTR

After Kaalaas's return, she examined the corpses of the dead monsters, and pronounced that they were not Abaddon hogs. "Similar, maybe. But the shape of the head is all wrong. Abaddon hogs have flatter skulls, and tusks, not these horns. I don't know what under the Procession these were." Looking at the long horns and their claws, she shakes her head. "Not that the name would be apt even so. Hogs, indeed. These creatures are mohra, not pigs."

Disturbed by the strange creatures, and concerned that more might be lurking " – Abaddon hogs travel alone or in pairs, but if these aren't hogs – " they packed up camp and rode on for another hour into the night. The plains where they finally stopped to rest looked indistinguishable from the ones they had left behind, apart from the absence of eight-legged corpses and the furrows they had left in the grass.

Seven or so hours later, the two executors rise with the sun, and resume their pursuit. Kaalaas grouses about signs they may have missed the night before, riding in the dark, but eventually she appears satisfied that they are still on the right track.

Now, as the afternoon wears on, the surrounding countryside has turned from flat plains into rolling hills, with patches of forest dotting the landscape. When they crest one rise, the mountains of the west are visible. In the distance, to the north, they can hear a rumbling, vaguely like thunder, though the sky is clear. Kaalaas reins in her Drokar, frowning at the muddle of track in the road before them, and a single paper bag in the dirt.

The lady draws her Drokar to a stop several steps behind her superior and tilts her head, floppy ears perking. "Riders, perhaps? Or a stampede? I certainly hope we are not hearing the herald of more of those creatures. First Ones know they make fine trophies, but they are hardly worth the risk," comments Elise in a low voice. While the Executor Majoris inspects the road she turns to gaze across the landscape as she speaks, sweeping her gaze around to check their surroundings.

"Regardless I think we should likely leave the road, do you not think so?" adds the lady after a moment of consideration.

The Kavi dismounts. "These are Rhian prints, not Drokar," she says, snidely, as she steps forward to examine them. "And there aren't enough for a procession. No … this is just one Rhian, walking back and forth over the road a few times." She crouches to look at the paper bag, then pulls out a crossbow quarrel from her case. "Why should we leave the road?" she asks. The distant rumble continues, steadily, and Elise catches a glimpse of something moving around the trees to the north when she does her scan.

"Likely due to the likelihood something large, or somethings legion, are moving … and I fear they are quite close by indeed," explains Elise. She nudges her mount with a spur, gently directing it to begin back to the east. "And ma'am, that bag could well be a trap for a tracker such as yourself. You make a handy target."

As she speaks, Elise keeps her gaze scanning the north, glancing off to the other cardinal directions now and again. A hand slides down her robe and gathers up the crossbow there, unlatching it from her belt and taking it up.

"And what is a bag going to do to me?" Kaalaas asks sarcastically. "Explode?" She prods it with the point of the crossbow bolt – and it bursts apart.

Nothing more than a bit of powdery dust comes out of the bag, however, wafting down over the Kavi, who sneezes. "Ugh. Sage?" she sniffs, brushing at her nose to get the powder out.

Over the slope to the north appears a single gray-black streak, disappearing again into the small valley there. Then she catches a creaking sound from the trees to the northeast. An arrow flashes by overhead, soaring towards the northeastern stand of woods.

Elise's expression suddenly turns grave, and she flicks a glance at the Kavi. "Poison?" she suggests. "One Rhian tracking over the same area, and a mysterious and tempting bag. What say you? Poisoned or not, we have company. Arrows … hunters perhaps … there." The lady indicates by nodding towards the rise in the southwest.

Meanwhile the lady continues to the east, towards the cover of the nearby hill, while she plucks a bolt from her quiver and leaves it ready between the lengths of her fingers. Her hands rest on the weapon now, one on stock and the other ready to crack the weapon as danger dictates.

The arrow gets Kaalaas's attention, and she pivots as she rises to her feet, squinting at the cliff to the southwest of them. "Lousy shot if it was meant for us," she mutters, but dashes back to her Drokar just the same. When Elise glances in that direction to indicate it for the Kavi, the poodle glimpses a humanoid form on top of the cliff. However, intent as she is on moving in the opposite direction, she doesn't give herself time to identify it positively.

There's a faint "paffing" sound from the stand of trees, repeated over and over again, similar to the noise the paper bag made when Kaalaas popped it. The quiet sound is almost lost in the growing rumble – which by now has gone on far too long to be thunder. It reminds Elise of the noise the Abaddon 'mohra' made before they attacked her.

"There is a human on the rise to the southwest, though I wager he is not here for us. Such an awful shot against a stationary target when surprise would be his – no, I think not. I do think whatever he hunts now is a concern, and it comes this way," says Elise as she directs her mount towards the nearby hillside. It makes fine make-shift cover, though she still isn't sure where the danger lies. "Perhaps we should hail the man."

"A human? Out here?" Kaalaas scrambles onto the back of her Drokar. She glances briefly to the northeast, and squeaks in alarm. "Mother of thousands!" She spurs her Drokar forward, and with a sharp whinny, it bolts west along the road, ears flattening against its head at its rider's sudden alarm.

Rather than risk turning and becoming a sitting target, Elise spurs her mount in to a high trot – accelerating that it might break in to a full run more quickly. Her direction remains east, though she abandons the cover in favor of the open land to the southeast where she might be free to maneuver. Before she moves quite far at all though she whips her gaze around to the north to see what startled Kaalaas so.

Out of the stand of trees to the northeast emerge gray and black serpentine streaks, running on a blur of short legs that nonetheless seem to be quickly eating up the distance between them and the hill the two Executors halted on. Like a dark, moving carpet, they ripple forward.

First Ones preserve us! The lady registers the wave of living flesh with a look of surprise, and being quite glad now that she is moving for the most part away from these creatures. Ease gives way to concern, and she tries to gauge if they're in pursuit or have another agenda.

Another arrow arcs near Elise, this one falling to the earth several yards short of her. There's a strange effect happening among the creatures Kaalaas called "mohra" – as they stampede southwards, little clouds of dust powder will puff out in front of them sporadically. Whatever causes the dust clouds, the result makes whichever individual animal ran into it turn aside. The net effect is to channel the herd southwest, and away from the poodle's current position.

Assuming Kaalaas doesn't need orders to attack a hostile target, and also suspecting any hollering might well draw a heard of angry monsters in her direction, Elise stays quiet about the archer and leaves him or her to the Executor Majoris's judgment. For now Elise continues to the southeast, watching.

A few of the Abaddon mohra, near the end of the stampede, spots the movement of Elise's Drokar and break from the pack to pursue her. The vast majority continue, channeled into the valley between the hill she had earlier rode upon, and the cliff opposite it, as more of the puffing dust clouds discourage the monsters from running too far to the west. There's a distant bleating noise, barely audible over the roar of the herd.

Elise leaves her mount at a trot for the moment, allowing the creatures that now pursue her to gain some ground while she arms her crossbow. When the creatures draw within thirty yards she releases a shot, then breaks her mount in to a gallop eastward with the intent to circle wide to the north and eventually move westward.

As the mohra give chase, one sets off another cloud of powder, but with a live target to pursue, the dust serves as less of a deterrent. One gets into range for the poodle to try a shot, but her aim, from the back of a running Drokar, is abysmal, thunking into the ground a handful of yards behind her own mount. The Drokar gladly speeds into a gallop, and starts to pull away from the monsters.

The lady snorts at her own shot, poor as it was. She begins the process of reloading regardless and continues leading the monsters on.

The mohra don't give up easily, and two of them anticipate her circling maneuver, and begin cutting the inner curve, shaving yards off the distance they need to cover. The Drokar stretches its legs, fear lending it speed, as it brings its rider to skirt the south eastern edge of the trees the creatures stampeded out of, moments ago.

Crossbow reloaded the Gallee takes aim at the closest monsters and releases another shot, hoping this time her aim is better. Her course eases her around to begin west where she hopes to gain ground over the straightaway and perhaps catch up Kaalaas.

The bouncing of her galloping mount does little for Elise's aim, but this time the bolt at least grazes the leg of the nearest mohra. It squeals, faltering in its pursuit. The Drokar is forced to slow, as well, as it charges down-slope into a little valley.

The Drokar almost skids against the grass as it heads down, but manages to keep its footing. Unfortunately, it loses a lot of ground quickly in doing so, and one of the remaining mohra pounces, body uncoiling into the leap. In the split-second as the Drokar struggles to get moving again, it looks like the monster is going to land right on top of them.