<strong>Eshalu - in the wilds of Dra Sirdu, at dawn</strong><br/><br/>Despite Eshalu's misgivings, the night passed without incident. It was soothing to be close to Aeryn and Reliyian - the rhythm of their breathing and the warmth of their bodies helped restore her sense of purpose. Though she knew she had failed to find the Saurian alpha's trail at night, she felt hopeful that the dawn would bring another opportunity. With the passage of night, she saw in her twilight state of semi-conscious dreaming the bizarre, malformed creature waddle its way into the campsite, tentacles flailing, and begin to gorge on the reptilian cadavers. Something in the back of Eshalu's subconscious had willed her to awaken swiftly to a higher state of alertness, but the bizarre intruder's beahviour did not appear predatory. It had made no attempt to conceal its approach and appeared simply to be a scavenger - a vast and landbound vulture.<br/><br/>Eshalu slept and awoke only when the last stars had begun to fade and the sun was beginning to crest the horizon. Her first instinct was still to invoke the Great Mother and it took her a moment to recall why that was inadvisable on the accursed island. Instead, she drank liberally from her waterskin and retrieved a tightly wound curl of dried bark from a pouch hanging by the side of her waterskin. She soaked the bark in her mouth and began to chew - a powerful, almost overwhelming taste of aniseed. That would act as an antiseptic and an appetite suppressant. She inspected her spear and each of her blades and, when she determined they were in battle-ready condition, she rose and stretched - languid and feline, nothing like the contrived motions of humans she had once observed preparing for an archery drill.<br/><br/>When she heard Aeryn dismiss the captive spear-lizard, Eshalu's lip curled into a slight smile of satisfaction. By the time the creature had scampered away through the thick undergrowth, she immediately began to examine the trail. It would doubtless lead them back to wherever its lair was. There would, at least, be a chance of finding Lazerette there.<br/><br/>"Is this your plan?" Eshalu whispered to Aeryn when she was certain their former captive was out of earshot, "I can try to fall its trail now - it appears these Cold Ones form clans and that the great one I wounded was their war-chief. It will return to its lair and we can track it now that is daylight."<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">Roll Result: Eshalu rolled: 4d6<br/>Comment: Eshalu - notice check to follow released spear-lizard's trail<br/>Result: 6, 6, 2, 1,<br/>Net result: +2 (+0 dice rolls, +2 Notice skill), expending one <strong>Fate Point</strong> to increase the result by 2, total of <strong>+4</strong> a <strong>Great</strong> success<br/><br/>TUP, per your post in the OOC thread Eshalu should now have <strong>1</strong> Fate Point left</div></div>