The road to Kynesgrove was a bumpy one for Casfina, particularly because she hadn't ridden a horse in over ten years. Since coming to Skyrim she typically walked or took a carriage, as having to be responsible for a living thing seemed like too much work, and horses were too noisy anyway. There were rumors in the Dark Brotherhood that there was an undead horse as quiet as the grave, but of course Astrid had never like her enough to confirm those rumors. When she first tried to mount the horse back in Whiterun, she fell clean over the other side. She was caught by the stablemaster's son, but her pride was wounded. So much for the badass image she tried to project. Luckily, once she got herself straight on the horse, experience kicked in and it was smooth sailing from then on. She even started to become attached to the horse when it kicked a wolf in the head and the creature died instantly. The conversation on the way was mostly one-sided. She listened when Soren talked but didn't contribute much. She wasn't the talkative type. But she<span style="font-style: italic">was</span>the paranoid type, so she spent the entire trip on the lookout for any signs of trouble. About midway through the journey, she spotted a cave next a pond that was being fed by a waterfall that was off the beaten path. On closer inspection, she noticed the entrance was littered with ugly decorations, such as goat and spriggan, and grotesque shrines made from elk antlers. There could be no doubt that it was a hagraven den.<br/><br/>"I take it that's the witch cave you told me about?" she said to Soren.  "Let me go in first to scout out the place so we're not going in blindly." She got down from the horse and made her way to the cave. Once inside, she blended into the shadows, and was able to move around without making a sound. She took note of all the hagravens' locations, and silently poured a mixture on the ground in front of the tunnels. She ended up using her entire stock of it, and made a mental note to pick up more alchemy ingredients the next time they were in a city. She quietly made her exit and returned to Soren outside. "There are five hagravens total, along with several skeevers and spiders. One is near the entrance and the rest are in tunnels. I figure you should go in and get the first one's attention, while I strike at it from the shadows. I also poured a combustible liquid near the entrances of the tunnels. If the other's hear our fight and come running, we hope that they use fire magic near the liquid so they go up in flames, which should at least slow them down."