The acrobat giggled at the mercenary's response. Her aunt would weave wondrous tales for her when she was a girl, and she had wished for them to come true - to be a valiant queen atop a dragon, slaying evil wizards to the adulation of the townsfolk. Part of her still enjoyed the fantasy.
Rukh picked her way through the woodland with care, just about keeping pace with her lumbering companion. Her eyes were narrowed for sight of a trail, her gaze flickering between the ground and the way ahead. She could not see any spoor of man; the soil was hardly packed between the massive roots of the trees and the light was fading. Already the sun was the colour of blood, and would become more vivid as the darkness approached.
She stopped as her comrade stooped, and she inched forward to look at his find. She stepped forward, scanning the ground. There was a tiny compress in the soil, where it was churned slightly. This meant a turn. Judging by the angle, Rukh surmised their prey had turned slightly to the west.
"He went this way," she motioned as she spoke in a hushed voice "A good find."
She moved on nimbly, though not as quickly as they had been in the morning. Her eyes were fixed to the ground, following the sparse clues they had been given. Her hand was never far from the hilt of her blade, and her mouth was set in a grim line.
Suddenly, a yelp rent the air in the distance. And again. Immediately she crouched and craned her head, straining to hear what it was. It sounded again, but closer.
"They have dogs!" she hissed, her hand tight on her sword "Do we fight or hide?"