[The Bronze Wood] The Return, and The Visitor (Samael)

[Sturlin]

Sturlin considered this for a moment as he adjusted some of the stones around the fire pit. Once the stones were in order he decided that yes, this was the time to go to bed and call it a night. He stood and brushed the seat of his pants off with his hands and stood awkwardly, searching for a polite way to say just that. Soon he settled for adding, "Yes. If you wish in the morning I could guide you back to one of the main trails. I will not take you all the way to Syliras, but it would not be difficult to find from there."

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"I would appreciate that," Sam said, standing up too. "I'm just going to make sure Horse has everything he needs and tuck into my bedroll. Promise I don't snore or anything." That was followed by a brief smile.

Horse heard his name and snorted, shaking his mane in anticipation of some attention. He could be a bit of a hedonist.

[Sturlin]

The bald man nodded and ran a hand over his scalp as he took a last absent look around the campsite. His left hand twitched again when he waved farewell to Samael with his right. "Good evening then," he said as he checked the safety of the fire and then headed towards his tent. As he walked away he was sure to take his bow and arrows with him.

Once inside he only lightly secured the front flap of his tent in case he needed to make a hasty exit, say he were to hear the guest riding into the darkness with Francis and a sizable collection of the hunter's personal possessions. With that thought on his mind he stretched his arm as far as he could without leaving the tent, hooked his backpack with a finger, and snagged it into the tent with him. Then he lay down to stare at the canvas above.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

After Sam saw to Horse's needs, murmuring good night to him and scratching him behind the ears, he unrolled his bedroll next to the fire and climbed in. Though spring had come, there was still a chill at night. He slept with his scimitar beside him just in case. Sturlin seemed nice enough, but the better thieves and murderers were probably the ones who didn't look suspicious. He stared up at the stars waiting for Nysel to find them out in the woods.

[Sturlin]

The night passed rather well for Sturlin. In spite of waking up every few hours to make sure that his body and possessions were still all in working order, he woke feeling surprisingly rested. Usually up a bit less than an hour before dawn, he briefly checked outside the tent to see if Sam was sleeping or awake. Regardless he began gathering up his valuables and weapons to carry with him as he guided the young man toward Syliras, though if his guest was still asleep he'd be more quiet about it.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sam was of the habit of waking up with the dawn, but when he heard the stirring of someone other than Horse, quiet though Sturlin was, he woke up too. He drowsed for a little while once he knew it was safe.

"Mornin'," he mumbled as he finally got out of his bedroll and started rolling it up.

[Sturlin]

"Good morning Sam." His demeanor was more friendly now that he had additional proof that Sam could be trusted as a camp mate. Still it would be good to see him go. It would be difficult to conduct his experiments if he had some man and his horse underfoot. Once his things were gathered and his bow was in his hand he turned toward Samael and said, "I have eaten a few hard biscuits, you should have breakfast from your provisions before we set out."

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"I'll gnaw on something as we go," he said. "Just a minute." He shuffled off into the woods for a morning call of nature, washed his hands, and returned, getting Horse all ready to go. It wasn't long before Horse was saddled and Sam was in it, eating another of his apples. Horse bolted his down in the blink of an eye. "I shouldn't need too much help. Just get us going in the right direction and let me know where to turn off."

[Sturlin]

He offers a nod and a mocking salute, leading the way on foot with an arrow held against his bow. As they walked he gave his companion simple tips about how to locate the camp again, such as pointing out a few distinctive features of terrain in the area. He also pointed out that you should keep a careful eye on the tracks and scat in the area; this close to the city there were not many large predators, but one should always be prepared to find one and deal with one in an emergency.

Of course this was a shallow area of the woods and the trails were far from labyrinthine. It took only between one and two hours to take Samael to an area where a straight shot to the city was not difficult to navigate even for those who did not know the forest. Luckily there was no need to use the bow and arrow, or scimitar for that matter. Once he had offered a string of last minute directions he extended his good hand up to the rider and said, "Good to have a visitor, watch your back in the city."

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sam did him one better and slipped down nimbly from Horse's back to clasp wrists with the man.

"I apologize for intruding upon your solitude, and I thank you for your hospitality. Say hello to Mister Pickles and Francis for me."

With that, he smiled and led Horse off.