The Valley of Yeshen

The Valley of Yeshen, episode 3, season 1

Leorneth Led Morlithis and Fieraneth through the Yeshen Valley. They could hear behind them the vicious yearning growls for blood of the Kiernane as they hunted them.

They were beginning to tire, and Leo knew that they wouldn't be able to keep running much longer. The Kiernane had their scents now, so they knew they couldn't hide. Even if they did outrun them, it would only manage to delay the inevitable.

He knew there was only one way to lose these ferocious enemies. They had to mask their scents long enough to escape.

He frantically searched the forest floor for something that would be able to give them an advantage. A patch of mint or a dead carcass—anything that would throw off their scent.

His eyes darted back and forth as he ran, scanning the forest so fast that he almost missed them: a patch of mushrooms several yards away.

"Come on!" he ordered and darted toward the large mushroom patch.

The instant he came to the edge of the patch, Leo dropped to his knees and started grabbing mushrooms, smearing them on his leather armor and fur.

"Come on. We have to cover our scents. Squish as many as you can on you," he said.

The two didn't need Leo to explain. They had already followed suit, knowing that they needed to mask their scents.

They spent the next few seconds frantically squishing and rubbing the mushrooms all over their bodies, then dropped flat and started rolling and rubbing against the mushrooms, all the while inching their way farther into the center of the mushroom patch.

"Leo, look," Morlithis said and pointed to a small ditch just a few feet away.

Leo nodded, and the three crawled their way through the patch and took cover in the ditch.

The pack came into view then, just as they scrambled into the ditch. They poured into view like a title wave smashing against a wall as, one by one, they suddenly stopped and sniffed the air, smacking into each other as they skidded to a halt.

The three ducked behind the ditch and waited, ready to make their stand. Several of their enemies stepped closer, sniffing the air around them, and the three crouched lower. They heard the sniffs of the Kiernane. They heard the growls. They heard the steps closer, but they dared not look. Then they heard huffs and growls, followed by footsteps fading away into the forest.

They waited several moments, hearing more footsteps padding away, then returning. Hearing the guttural growls of the Kiernane as they moved about, growing louder, then softer to one side, then the other side. They still dared not move an inch, fearing that the slightest noise would reveal their location to the bloodthirsty hounds.

After what seemed like hours, they finally heard the last of their hunters give up. As quietly as he could, Leo slowly peeked his head out over the ditch. The pack had left.

Although the threat was gone, none of the three moved from their concealment for several more minutes until, finally, Leo cautiously stood to his feet, raising his battle-axes in preparation for battle.

He waited.

No attacks came, and he relaxed his grip.

Morlithis and Fiera both relaxed as they saw Leo release his axes.

"Looks like we are clear," Leo said. "But I don't know how long this will work. We will need to keep moving. They will surely be searching for us."

***

The three companions traveled without rest for the remainder of the day, and as dusk fell, they neared the waterfall, quickly spotting two dozen of the Kiernane standing guard around the entrance.