"So, Darina, what do you see?"<br/>"Shut up. You'll give us away."<br/><br/>Far from the commotion, shielded behind an outcropping, scouts from the New Reds waited for word, some guarding the perimeters of their makeshift base, the others guarding one particular tree, looking up at their vantage point. They had just finished setting up this camp when the redhead ordered them to be on alert. They trusted Darina when she made such warnings, even when they were sure there was no immediate or perceivable threat. A few minutes after she issued the warning, the sounds of distant gunfire echoed their way.<br/><br/>While they took up defensive positions, Darina scaled the tree. For what felt like a long time she stayed quiet, her sharp eyes trained on the other side of a large clearing. The Reds shifted uneasily, glancing now and then at one another, then at the redhead, before keeping their eyes peeled for anything that might come at them. Their best man, or in this case, woman, seemed to have forgotten she had companions, absorbed in whatever it was that was causing the sounds.<br/><br/>Then Darina laughed.<br/><br/>Puzzled, and a little irked, the men looked up at her as she climbed part of the way back down to them. "You wouldn't believe what I'm seeing. And smelling. Mother-mine." She glanced down at her comrades at last. "You see that hill over there? Through the redwoods?"<br/>One of the boys cursed at her. "I can barely make anything out!" Seeing the grin on her face, he grunted again. "Stop showing off, shalun."<br/>"And stop calling me that, or I'll cut off the worm between your legs. You would've seen it had you not lost the binoculars," Darina called back with a grin, before peering through the thicket again. "There's a commotion. Two groups, maybe hunters or foragers. And they just fought off a pack of bears."<br/>"Say again? I thought you said bears."<br/>"You heard right, Oleg. Goddamn," Darina shook her head. "You'd think this place has run out of surprises. But that's not all. There's also some kind of--golem ambling about with them. Not sure if part of their crew. Goddamn."<br/><br/>Rather than share in her amusement, the Reds looked uneasily at one another. Bears, hunters, and some freak of nature. Nobody said the word mutant around Darina. She may be a looker, but Lord can the woman punch.<br/>"Any sign of the Mystics?" one asked.<br/>"Can't tell from this far. Could be, with gear like that."<br/><br/>Darina left her post, climbing back down to them. Bears hunting in packs was madness, but Dar had seen it with her own eyes. "So what now?" Another asked. They had gotten word that the Mystics were getting bolder with their raids, claiming turf that didn't belong to them. Up until recently, they had respected the New Reds' boundaries. The leaders were concerned that they must have acquired a substantial pool of resources for them to risk so much. Either that, or they were really desperate. Both weren't good. If there was something that really irked Darina, it's bandits overstepping their limits. Just recently they had gotten word of a raid in these parts, but no sign of any Mystics. "Dar? Do we keep tracking them? What about the bears?"<br/>"The bears aren't our problem--yet. But there could be others. We had better clear the area." But Darina didn't move yet. They've gotten a whiff of their trail, though if she could get just one good lead on those bastards, they could close in. This new setback would hinder that, though. As the scouting party discussed reporting back, the thought of going back empty-handed annoyed her.<br/>"They're either from that faction, or have at least come across some sign of them," she argued. They looked at her like she was crazy.<br/>"You said it yourself; we're in danger here if we stay. The Mystics could've gone this way, but they're probably gone now. You would've seen them by now if they were anywhere near."<br/>She glanced in the direction of the hill. The hunters were professional. That strange man--whatever he was--was something she hadn't seen before. "I say we tail them. Learn more. If we keep our distance, we'll be all right."<br/>The man named Oleg grunted again. "Your funeral, Dar. I'm not stayin' here. Anyone else want to go back can come with me."<br/><br/>When their argument was over, only three other Reds remained with her. As far as Darina could tell, the hunters haven't moved too far from their position. "Sure hope you know what you're doing, eagle-eyes," Artem muttered as they followed her lead, leaving the cover of the outcropping.