<blockquote><div><cite>Allie wrote:</cite>"Hey, don't worry about it! We can practice this schtick on the road for awhile so's ya get the hang of it. And since you're the one who's s'posed to be chasin' me.."</div></blockquote><br/><br/>A slight bit of tension hung over Ureck when Sherani didn't return the understanding response he had been expecting, the collie fearing that he had again struck a wrong chord with the shifter. It was usually not like him to flirt the way he did, teasing at possibilities he knew neither of them really meant to commit to, and as fun as it seemed before he could see why he normally didn't indulge in such things. It had only served to make an usual proposition all the more awkward, and he didn't want his chance to make amends to falter to easily.<br/><br/>However, it wasn't long before the dog was again put at ease, seeing Sherani seem to accept his words at face value and treat their friendship as what it was: a friendship. The usual anxious look on his face was replaced by a happier grin, his tail wagging softly behind the two of them as the relief of setting things straight (for now at least) filled his mind. With all he had already set himself up for this day, he was glad he could at least fix one trouble with relative ease, so glad he almost didn't notice she shifter take off beside him.<br/><br/><blockquote><div><cite>Allie wrote:</cite>"Catch me if ya can, buddy-boy!"</div></blockquote><br/><br/>Letting out a chuckle, he shook his head slightly before letting a smirk cross his muzzle.<span style="font-style: italic">Eh, you only live once,</span>he thought before promptly taking off after the shifter...<br/><br/><br/>Of course, with the athleticism city life had granted him, it didn't take long for Ureck to fall behind the shifter as he attempted to pursue her, the collie eventually deciding it best to turn his sprint into a stroll lest his lungs give out on him. He would have probably descended into his usual rounds of deep thought in most other circumstances, but partially from the shifter's teachings back at the campsite he found his attention focused on the gnoll scout nearly as much as Sherani. A number of times, he had been tempted to call the interloper out, yet the more dominant realistic part of him decided he didn't know nearly enough about them to make a good judgment call and ultimately settled on giving the occasional disapproving tough look to keep their unwelcome visitor at bay.<br/><br/>Once the gnoll disappeared for good, however, Ureck was allowed to let his mind wander about the forest he had found himself in, taking in the stunning scenery and the sense of serenity hanging over the entire scene. From the tall lush canopies of leaves that hung overhead to the criss-crossing streams from which he took a long cool drink during their break, everything felt free and unrestrained, yet perfectly at harmony with one another. It felt so ironic to him that those in Espen sought so hard to structure their lives, yet they could never achieve anything close to the unity of the wild, instead miring themselves in tensions and ill-will to wire their lives with chaos. And it was this chaos that had entered his life when he first met the Grangers, the chaos that would forever taint his thoughts of the forest whenever the light of the sun was hidden...<br/><br/>Fortunately for the collie, Rak's misguided attempts to pursue every creature they stumbled across was plenty to distract him from such musings, the fox eliciting more than a few chuckles from the dog as he watched him pounce this way and that. Despite his size and standoffish nature around strangers, Rak's image in Ureck's mind was growing increasingly lighthearted, the vulpine's playfulness nearly infectious to the dog who, despite outward appearances, was still quite young in body and heart. Rak's final escapade with the rabbit (and the rabbit's den) left Ureck with a moment to recuperate as Lilium aided her companion, a moment to take a deep breath of the crisp air and listen to the wonderful sounds of-<br/><br/><blockquote><div><cite>Kitts wrote:</cite>*KAAATHOOOOM!*</div></blockquote><br/><blockquote><div><cite>Kitts wrote:</cite>"Thor be praised! BANDITS IN THE FOREST!"</div></blockquote><br/><br/>The collie froze immediately in his steps, his eyes wide and ears perked as his attention snapped towards the resounding explosion that had rocked the forest. His entire body grew tense as he scanned the area immediately around them, trying to detect the source of the boom that had shaken the air. Then, another explosion, and this time the collie was able to pinpoint the direction they came from, the screams of pain, the battle cries that followed... A raid! And it was close!<br/><br/>This day had just become a lot more interesting...<br/><br/><blockquote><div><cite>Akiada wrote:</cite> "We have to help them! We can't just leave them to be preyed upon by bandits! To say nothing of the fact that we've got an opportune chance to attack the bandits who are apparently out there. While they're focused on their victims. We can drive our blades into their exposed flanks and save ourselves the worry of them attacking us later. They'll never see it coming! Plus bandits totally equals free food that tastes a lot better than travel rations."</div></blockquote><br/><blockquote><div><cite>Allie wrote:</cite>"Ya had me at 'free food. Besides, I wanna see who's dumb enough to try exploding my forest. They're gettin' a Falteen welcome part, Sherani-style!"</div></blockquote><br/><br/>Even before his teammates had finished discussing their plan, the collie's mind had already begun to weave around another one entirely, one a great deal more subtle than the plot that has sprung to the wolf and shifter's mind. To Ureck, their current situation bore the alarming taint of doubt: they had little information about the specifics of the battle they were about to engage themselves in, no indication as to how their enemies were arranged, or even who their enemies were! While he knew Sherani was at her best when her fists were in range of her targets, and he had confidence that Rafe knew what he was doing, the dog ultimately settled on a different tactic, one that seemed to work decently during their previous tussle with the street gang, and one he could certainly refine now. Removing his crossbow from its sling with a deft flick of his wrist, he soon stalked along with the rest of his compatriots, his tail flicking in anticipation...<br/><br/><div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">Surprise round action: Draw crossbow (free action due to Quick Draw) and move 50 feet.<br/><br/>Initiative: 1d20(16) + 4 = 20</div></div></div>