Meeting A Hunting Group

As I made my way down along the river, I kept my eyes open for signs of Ogruks.  I assumed that they'd probably be following the river, and that if they were Ogruks, there would be a good chance they were heading to the lands of the Gurgam, which were in the hills behind me.


It all felt a little odd - if I'd seen their fire all that way off in the distance, then they will surely have seen mine?  If they're hostile then they cannot have seen it, otherwise they would have been hunting me down.  This thought lifted my spirits slightly - either they're not hostile or they've not seen me.


I crossed the mile or so of open ground as quickly as I could, trying to stay out of sight, using the rolling land to keep me hidden, but always keeping in sight of the river.  Occasionally I'd catch a glimpse of movement.  Whatever they are, they seem to be coming in my direction.

Moving like this meant I made slow progress.  After maybe an hour of walking, the undergrowth along the bank of the river here became thick - there were no trees, but many scrubby bushes  (and more berries, which I ate as I sneaked along).  Moving through this was even slower, but it gave me plenty of cover, and I moved more directly towards where I thought they'd be.  I've already said I'm not the most graceful and silent of movers, so I knew I'd have to take care not to be spotted before I was ready.  But I am out here alone, which works to my advantage if I do not wish to be seen.

Then I heard the voices.  They seemed off in the distance, but in my mind they were right upon me.  They were not Gurgam voices, they were speaking the common tongue.  If anything they sounded Hznaman, that was a relief - they weren't instant enemies.  I started to shake, I'm not sure if I were scared or excited.  I've not spoken to any of the free races for such a long time.  I stopped moving forwards, and found a suitably sized bush to hide under.

I've tucked myself under the bush and I've been straining to see out.  I want to know how many of them there are and what their demeanour is before I try to speak to them.