[Closed] Ranger Danger

Barley crouched low and felt the soil, a man had walked here. He was tracking a human who supposedly was a criminal to the lands and was seeking refuge with Ex-Lord Hadrian. Barley glanced up and ran to the nearest tree, something was out there. Barley scanned the forest only birds and leaves were moving, he put a hand on an arrow in his quiver. Barley ducked and rolled to the left as an arrow pierced the tree he was near, Barley let loose an arrow. It flew straight through branches and almost hit a bird, his arrow sunk it's tip into the bark of a tree. His target had moved, Barley jumped down into a ditch and crouched as an arrow flew past him and pierced the heart of a dirty ragged man who had his sword out. The man fell to the ground and wheezed out his last words.

"The.... Hunter will... kill you... wild man." The man went limp and a horrid stench filled Barley's nose. Barley frowned and climbed out.

"I can't believe i had to help you, Barley." A grinning man in the usual ranger clothing helped Barley out.

"Heh, I could've taken him." Barley joked and patted Garth on the shoulder.

Barley strode into the ranger camp along side of Garth. Barley walked over to the fire in the center and sat down. He was handed a bowl of some stew that had the usual meat herbs and fat, he nodded to Garth who gave him the bowl. Just as he started to eat, a man with graying hair and a neatly kept beard came and sat by Barley.

"There was a disturbance in the forest last night." The man spoke to Barley, the man was named Coventry he took up giving assignments to the rangers.

"You want me to go investigate?" Asked Barley.

"You and Garth."

"Yes, sir."

"Be quick about it."

"Okay"

after being told the details of the disturbance Barley and Garth jogged out of the camp.

Barley crouched low and scrutinized broken tree limbs on the ground, something large had ran through, he looked at the tracks in the dirt. A large group, he looked closer, running from something. Barley beckoned Garth over and pointed to the tracks.

"Centaurs." Garth whispered.
"Why where they running?"

"I guess thats what we have to find out." Barley said and got up.

They continued following the tracks and by night fall they found a wall of woven foliage. Barley pause and listened to the forest. Most travelers and others not accustomed to the forest would hear a ringing, but Barley heard more, the forest talks but most people don't know how to interpret it. Barley scanned the wall, made by centaurs. He followed it, it curved, until he found a crude hole that seemed to be smashed and hacked open, definitely not supposed to be there. He beckoned to Garth and climbed in, Garth investigated the oval shaped room and noticed that there had been two people in here a few hours earlier. He investigated further, one taller than the other, the short one had fell while entering. By the taller one's feet he was not only tall but large not fat but muscular and a skilled. Barley realized that the room had no purpose. He grumbled and crawled out after Garth, he wanted to investigate the pair further. Barley scrutinized the dirt again and found the trail of the pair of travelers. They followed another set of tracks until the travelers' tracks stopped. Barley frowned and looked at a flattened and bloodstained patch of weeds. Very fresh, a injured centaur lay there but was helped, by the travelers, tracks of the travelers led off with the injured centaur. Barley peeked at an unusually short man, a muscular man and a bleeding centaur. But he noticed that Garth wasn't with him, he did the "ranger call" to others not a mossfield ranger will hear a bird call, it was for if rangers were separated or need to communicate. No answer, he had to leave the short man was going to patrol the area. Barley searched for Garth, he found what he wanted to find but not what he had hoped. Garth lay in a small ditch unmoving with an arrow in his chest. Whoever shot him was very skilled bowman, then he realized he was being watched. Barley dived into the foliage and hid until he felt it was safe. He went back to the travelers' camp and saw that the large one was shaking the centaur awake. He listened with his keen hearing and hear the conversation.

Barley sprinted back to the camp with urgent news. Once back at the ranger camp he tole Coventry what he had seen and what he hear and most of all the battle plan of the assault on Alister.

"Should we help them?" Barley asked Coventry.

"No, but we will help any refugees escaping into the forest." Coventry replied as he drank soup broth.
"Our numbers are too small to be of any help in any battles even though we are more skilled than most rangers."

Barley nodded and continued eating the stew.

Barley pressed his ear to the ground and listened. He heard marching, the marching of an army, Hadrian's army. The battle plan was wrong, Barley rushed back to the ranger camp and reported to Coventry.

"Should we warn Alister?" Asked Barley.

"No, we won't make it time." Said Coventry.
"Gregor, Fran, and you will go to the edge of the forest and wait for anyone lucky enough to escape."

Barley, Gregor, and Fran nodded then rushed off.