The Iron Teeth

Along Twisted Paths 3

No one had said it directly, but from listening to people talking Blacknail swiftly came to the conclusion he wasn't invited to join Herad's expedition. That wasn't going to stop him though. He was looking forward to visiting a human city again too much to let a simple lack of permission get in his way.

So as night fell and everyone went to sleep he started scheming, and he quickly came up with a fool proof plan. The best way to make sure he was included in the party sent to Daggerpoint was simple; he wasn't going to ask. If no one knew he was there they couldn't tell him to go back.

The next morning when Saeter was getting up to get ready to go Blacknail was nowhere to be found. The hobgoblin had woken up even earlier than usual, and had quickly made his way out into the woods as if he was checking the snares or hunting.

However, he had no intention of doing his usual routine. As soon as he was out of sight and safely hidden in the forest he stopped to make sure no one else was around. Blacknail then stealthily crept through the bushes around the edge of the camp.

When he got to the road he selected a nearby tall tree that overlooked the area, and then he scrambled up it. The bark of the tree was grey and rough, but once he got up into the branches it was easy climbing. Climbing trees took a lot less effort since he had become a hobgoblin because his limbs were so much longer.

Once he was a couple dozen feet up he stopped and hid on a particular leafy branch that gave him a good view of the surroundings. Then the hobgoblin simply waited for the expedition to leave.

It only took a few minutes for something to happen. Unseen, up in the tree Blacknail watched Herad, Saeter, and the rest of their group pour out of the camp and head down the road.

As he watched he caught a brief glance of red hair. Wait, was that Khita? They were taking that useless human whelp and not him! Why? The hobgoblin glowered down at them from his leafy perch.

When they were out of sight Blacknail smiled gleefully again though. He'd show them how sneaky he could be. It was time for him to put his plan in action. He hastily climbed down to the ground, and then hurried back through the woods to the far end of the camp.

Once back in the clearing he calmly walked over to his campsite and packed up some of his things. If he had done it before hand it would have alerted Saeter. There was no way his master would have missed something so obvious.

That done he picked up his pack and once again strolled over to the back of the camp. He got a few odd looks but no one said anything. Not that a lot of people usually struck up casual conversations with him anyway.

Once back in the woods he once again circled through the forest towards the road. He stayed hidden and out of sight among the trees for a few minutes as he moved parallel to the road. He didn't want anyone in the camp to see him leave, but moving through the brush was slow so he soon had to move onto the road.

By this time Herad's group had quite a lead on him, but the hobgoblin could keep track of them by their scent. Even if they left the road he wouldn't have any trouble finding them.

As Blacknail jogged down the road in pursuit the scent grew stronger until he knew he was almost upon them. The hobgoblin then slowed his pace and grew careful. It would be very bad for him if he was spotted now.

When he finally caught up he risked only a quick glance at the humans, before falling back out of sight and continuing to track them by scent. Herad was leading the way and dressed in her usual attire. Saeter was walking directly behind her, and the rest of the bandits followed him. They all had long hooded traveler's cloaks meant for keeping people warm and dry.