As the night wore on, Xavier's mind pondered the map back on the wall, the distances and speeds he had traveled and his estimate of his quarry.  It was of course possible they had fled in another direction, though his instincts told him otherwise.  Even a hard march would not have them here for several more hours and he didn't exactly see that group as a hard marching sort.  As he thought he began to make his small corral a bit more secure from the wild creatures of the forest.  He weaved some of the fallen vines together and sharpened sticks to place into the ground across the opening he had hacked through the brambles.  It wouldn't keep a determined attack at bay, but would at least slow down the odd wolf or two if they came at them from the darkness.  A fire would be better, but that would make him too obvious to his quarry and they could easily avoid him.  He then went to his frightened horse, soothing the animal with words and gentle stroking along it's head and neck.  When he had it calmed enough he encouraged it to lay down on the soft bed of leaves within their small corral.  He continued to pat the mare until he laid himself down, using the creatures neck as a back rest.  He would risk a small amount of sleep, it was possible they would do the same before getting this far, and even he couldn't stay up all night then fight 2 witches and a thief in the morning.  He trusted the nervous horse would stir and wake him if anything exceptional happened or if their perimeter was threatened.<br/><br/>As Xavier slept his dreams came, he had always had dark dreams from time to time, but lately they have become more frequent and more intense, more vivid.  In his dream he hunted the same quarry, but now it was not to bring them to justice.  He had much more wicked designs on the two witches, dark tendrils reached out for them as if they were his arms and hands but looked nothing like human hands. And the thief? No he wouldn't consider it with a male, but there she was screaming like the others, but somehow the thief was a girl.  Not just any girl, but the dark haired beauty he had met and bedded then couldn't find again.  In his waking hours he pined for her, thinking maybe she was the one even though she was drunk at the time.  He thought he had loved her, but she was gone before he woke the next day.  He searched for her the next time he was in town, but she was nowhere to be found.  In his dream he would make her pay for rejecting him, but then he felt the world shifting beneath his feet.  He woke to feel the horse startled and climbing to her feet, he gripped his sword reflexively then eyed the cross bow just within reach.  He scanned immediate area for whatever had spooked the mare.