Thraim puts his heels to horse and trots up ahead of the group about forty yards.

The road is clear ahead of you, and the gloom under the trees is gathering, as the sun continues the journey to the eastern horizon.

It does not surprise Semina that Thraim took the lead, knowing his skills are perfect for the job.  She examines and waits for the others to follow.  'I have had enough excitement for one day,' she sighs 'I'll let the others deal with any consequences that may occur.'

Pending the others, Semina begins to move Icerick up the road keeping in line with Thraim's movements, but staying back enough not to be a bother.

(OOC:  Semina will stay near the back, incase something decides to rear its ugly head, other then that she will keep a close eye on Thraim, but her ears are listening to as much as she can around her.)

(OOC: So we've got a group up ahead scouting and everyone else is following behind?)

(Looks to be that way.  So far:

Thraim:  Forward group
Semina:  Forward group
Heathcliffe:  Slightly behind Forward Group

Where is everyone else?)

(In the middle of the main group. I'm squishy)

From what you can tell, there is no activity on the road ahead, and the woods around you, to the extent you can hear, have quieted down.

Thraim moves ahead of the group enough so as not to hear their noise and be distracted by it.

You are unable to hear any unusual noises.

Thraim continues moving forward, keeping alert for any signs of the group that they are following.

You can find no signs of them.  Are you continuing on until nightfall?

I would say yes, unless someone else has another idea or something that they want to do.

Semina keep her eyes upon Thraim's location.  She keeps a good distance away from everyone so she can hear for activity.  She positions herself behind the rest of the party, and starts to let her guard down as the day flounders away.

Everything seems to be normal as far as she can tell, and even Icerick settles his nerves.  Semina pats the horse on his shoulder, and looks for the sun's position.  'I hope we make good timing the rest of the day,' she ponders. 'I can't wait to camp tonight, for I need to meditate and stretch the bones.'

The day passes uneventfully, with the sun sinking further into the west with each mile.  As dusk approaches, the animals settle in, and the nocturnal animals start to stir.  You begin to see flashes of green watching you from a ways off the road, and the calls of the birds take on a more sinister sound.  "Tekiki-ki! Tekiki-ki!" are the sharp screeches and replies from all around you.  If anything, the chill that falls over the woods is more oppressive and stifling than the heat of the day.

About two hours after your encounter with the bandits, the path is barely discernable, and an hour after that, the woods are ptich black outside the radius of light provided by your torches and lanterns.  You see flashes of movement just outside the light, but you can't tell if it is the same animals following, or different animals taking interest as you ride forward.

It is around eight o'clock at night when you come upon what passes for a clearing in the dense woods, but in reality, it is just a somewhat thinner semi-circle ten yards along the road and fifteen yards into the woods at its farthest point, but there looks to be enough room for horses and a fire.

Thraim slows his horse down and looks at his weary companions.  He was hoping to catch sign or sight of their quarry before nightfall, but now they can't continue without fear of giving away their position.

"I think that we should camp here for the night.  What do you think?" Thraim says to the group.

Thraim seems thoughtful for a moment in his saddle and then says, "I think that I should scout ahead on foot and try to find the location of our quarry.  I want to know their position in relation to ours."