Winter. The Lands Of Farque.
The short tailed hawk wings it's way north over the forest.
It soars up high into the morning sky to get clear of the dissipating fog.
Above the thinning fog, the morning sky is clear and sunny.
The hawk lets out a screech of freedom as it continues northwards away from the town of Gildin Dale.
For the most part, looking around at what's in the clear sunny sky.
Which is nothing apart from some other birds, who keep well clear of the predatory bird.
After awhile, the short tailed hawk drops down in altitude as the fog continues to thin out.
Even above the tree tops, the fog is only in patches here and there. As the sun warms up what started off as another cold winter's morning, here in this part of northwestern Farque.
As it wings it's way northwards, the hawk moves away to it's right.
And after a few moments, it spots through the trees, a forest trail down below.
The short tailed hawk follows it for a little bit, then it spots the first figure on the trail, running north through the trees.
Saanea the witch opens her eyes after watching what her familiar is looking at on the north trail this morning.
The dark haired, pretty looking spellcaster who is from the Maldin Hills. Looks over at her lover, Tamric Drubine the field commander.
Who is looking at the open backdoors of the town hall. Where one of the recruits throws another over their shoulder to the floor.
As Shur Kee the monk takes one of the groups this morning in unarmed combat training.
The young field commander in the armies of Farque looks back this way. Towards the grounds, where another group of recruits is on the second course this morning.
The nobleborn teenager originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin sees that the hillwoman who is his lover, has opened her eyes again. So he makes his way over to her.
"They're all on the trail heading north" says Saanea the witch in reply to Tamric Drubine the field commander asking her "How's that other group going this morning?".
The young field commander who is a senior officer in the armies of Farque, who before this winter, never thought he would be training young army recruits, nods his head, and asks the spellcaster "Dorc and Percy?".
Saanea closes her eyes, and again looks through the eyes of her familiar, which is flying above the forest to the north of Gildin Dale this morning.
The short tailed hawk looks down, and after a moment, it circles a clearing, where it spots a large, heavily armoured human, yawning as he leans against a tree, looking back in the direction of the nearby trail.
The hawk continues northwards, and after a couple of miles, it reaches the bluff.
At the top of the hundred foot rock wall stands a large green figure, who is taking a piss off it, whilst chuckling about something to himself.
"They're in position" dryly says Saanea the witch after she opens her eyes.
Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by those who know him well.
Doesn't bother to ask his lover what she actually saw to get that tone in her voice. He figures it's something to do with Dorc da Orc.
Instead he looks away to their left, where on the edge of one of the paths that follows the courses out on the grounds, here to the west of the town of Gildin Dale.
Sits the undead wardog Axe, who returned sometime in the middle of the night. After being gone from town for nearly two weeks.
"Axe do you want to go and keep an eye on Dorc and Percy this morning?" asks the son and former heir of a previous knight of castle Drubine, which is found in the forested north of the kingdom of Sarcrin.
The massive canine who is lying there, watching the group of recruits on the grounds this morning, making their way through the second course.
Turns his head and looks at the two humans standing nearby.
Axe, who Tam knows can be extremely lazy at times. Gets up and stretches. Before he barks once for yes.
The undead wardog wanders off at a walk, going by the couple. As he heads northwards along this side of town. Heading for the trees that lie in that direction.
Field commander Drubine knows that the massive, black coloured canine, who like all the Farqian wardogs, whether they be living or undead, has a short, stubby tail.
Sees Axe's tail wagging furiously in anticipation as he disappears amongst the trees to the north.
The nobleborn teenager from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin guesses Axe will get to the end of the north trail at the bluff well before any of the recruits who left at dawn this morning.
"Could you continue to keep an eye on the group on the north trail?" asks the young field commander, who gestures to the recruits out on the grounds, who are doing the second course this morning.
"I'll watch this lot" adds the senior officer in the armies of Farque.
"Of course" says Saanea the witch, who smiles as Tam kisses her on the cheek before he heads out onto the path that follows beside the second course on the grounds that lie to the west of Gildin Dale.
The dark haired, pretty looking practitioner of magic, who is in her early twenties, steps back and sits upon the edge of a large rock that's beneath one of the trees on this side of town.
Saanea closes her eyes, and looks through the eyes of her familiar, which is flying above the forest to the north of Gildin Dale, on a morning that started off foggy and cold, but has slowly warmed up, and is now only chilly.
Sir Percavellé Lé Dic glances up, and is sure he spots a raptor of some kind, a hawk he thinks. That's circling the clearing he's in.
It moves off, and he looks in the direction of the trail. And spots the first of the recruits making their way north this morning.
He sees that it's Hamblin, who as usual, leads this particularly group of ten recruits. Who have been living and training in the town of Gildin Dale for the last six weeks.
The former paladin in the order of the Knights of Sanit Mar-che sourly smiles as he sees that the teenager has spotted him.
The nobleborn knight who hails from the kingdom of Druvic, who was hoping to surprise the recruits, well at the least the first of them.
Crosses the clearing, and with a wave in greeting, sir Percavellé Lé Dic calls out "Hurry along now young chap!".
The heavily armoured knight who in his opinion got up far too early this morning, to make his way up here, continues with "Take a care for that disgusting pile of green dung, who thou shall find up on the bluff this morning, wot".
As Hamblin nods, then runs by, the former earl of Lé Dic, mutters to himself "That smelly beast is probably up there doing something foul as usual".
Then sir Percavellé Lé Dic or Percy as more often than not, those who know him well, call him.
Turns, and makes his way around behind the wide trunk of a tree, which he hides behind, hoping to surprise the next of the recruits to come along the north trail this morning.
After scratching his balls, and thinking about taking a shit off the top of the bluff. But unfortunately he doesn't need to take a dump at the moment.
Dorc da Orc looks up and murmurs "Huh?" as he spots an hawk in the morning sky above him.
The large ork sniffs again, then grunts as he watches the bird, that he now knows, isn't exactly what it seems to be.
"Come down here, and me will fucken eats you" murmurs the ork warleader who chuckles as he watches the hawk that he knows is the familiar of Saanea the witch.
The ork weaponsmith looks down away to his right, to the trail, and waits for the first of the recruits.
As this morning they're to come up the opposite way along the trail. As they're to climb down the bluff today, instead of coming up it.
The big, burly ork from the southern polar region of the world sniffs as he looks down at the forest, to where all but the last of the fog has burnt away.
The ork general in the armies of Farque sourly smiles, and mutters "Krom" as he catches the scent of something else approaching from the south, apart from the group of ten recruits.
The son of the previous matriarch of the wolf tribe of orks just shakes his head as he wonders who will show up here first.
If it will be the first of the recruits he's caught the scent of.
Or will it be the wardog Axe, who the large ork has caught wind of, who is moving at speed through the forest that's to the north of the town of Gildin Dale.
Up in the clear, sunny morning sky, Saanea the witch's familiar goes in a wide circle.
Between the forest clearing that sir Percavellé Lé Dic is waiting in. To the top of the bluff nearly two miles away to the north, that Dorc da Orc is on top of.
The short tailed hawk, looks down and amongst the trees, away from the trail.
In spots the fast moving form of the undead wardog Axe. Who disappears at time, and is nothing more than a blur as he speeds through the forest.
Back south in the town of Gildin Dale, the spellcaster from the Maldin Hills, the witch Saanea.
As she sits upon the edge of a rock beneath one of the trees on the west of town, just up from the grounds.
Opens her eyes, and briefly stands to stretch her legs. After walking around for a few moments.
The pretty looking hillwoman, sits back down on the edge of the rock. Closes her eyes, and watches what her familiar is looking at.
The short tailed hawk, that is actually a witch's familiar, and has circled back to the south, tries to keep pace with the undead wardog Axe, but gives up after a bit. As the massive canine is soon by the clearing that sir Percavellé Lé Dic is waiting in.
The former paladin is having no success in surprising the recruits as they come up the trail one by one.
Even though he tries to hide, the nobleborn knight's shining armour, and his bright white cape gives him away.
As he's spotted by each of the recruits running along the trail as they approach the clearing he's in.
The familiar wings it's way northwards again, and spots the blur of movement that is the undead wardog Axe, who is running in a straight line towards the bluff.
Unlike the teenage recruits, who are on the trail, that branches off to the west, as they're to come up and around to the top of the bluff, which they will climb down today.
The short tailed hawk as it makes it's way back to the hundred foot tall cliff face, that sticks up out of the forest.
Sees that Axe is now infront of the first of the recruits on the trail, who is Hamblin.
Back in the town of Gildin Dale, Saanea the witch with her eyes closed. Watching through the eyes of her familiar.
Spots the undead wardog run out from the trees near the base of the bluff, and leap upwards.
"Fuck" mutters Dorc da Orc at the top of the bluff who takes a quick step back from where he's been standing at the edge, looking down.
The large ork who just saw Axe run out from the trees below. Hears the massive canine growling and scrabbling at the bluff.
The ork warleader just before stepping back, saw Axe smash into the face of the rock wall, about half way up.
The big, burly ork from the frozen bottom of the world doesn't know how the Farqian wardog is going to get up the next fifty feet to the top of the bluff.
But the next moment, the massive canine comes flying up over the edge of the bluff, and lands on all fours just a dozen feet from the ork general in the armies of Farque.
The weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks winces as Axe looks straight at him.
Then spits out the large chunk of rock in his mouth. The undead wardog bit the cliff wall about halfway up to get some purchase, to propel himself up the rest of the way to the top of the hundred foot tall bluff.
Dorc da Orc or Dorkindle, which is his given name. Steps quickly out of the way, as Axe walks to where the trail comes up the west side of the bluff.
There the massive canine sits, and waits for Hamblin, the first of the recruits, to come up trail to the top of the bluff.
The warleader of the ork race shakes his head, then makes his way towards the trail.
Where he stands opposite Axe, and waits for the first in the group of recruits doing the north trail this morning.
The large ork is to keep an eye on them, as they climb the ropes down the rock face today, before they run the five or so miles back to town.
In the morning sky above the forest to the north of the town of Gildin Dale.
The short tailed hawk watches what's happening below. It sees the first of the recruits heading up the trail that goes up the side of the bluff.
At the top of which waits the undead wardog Axe, and the ork general, Dorc da Orc.
The witch's familiar turns back south, and in the distance, it spots the last of the group of teenage recruits.
Has gone by the clearing that sir Percavellé Lé Dic has been waiting in this morning.
As the hawk wings it's way southwards towards the clearing, it spots the former paladin sitting down.
As he waits for the recruits to run back by him, after they climb down the bluff. No doubt, hoping to surprise them, which he didn't do as they ran up the forest trail.
The short tailed hawk circles around on this clear and sunny winter's morning.
Watching one of the groups of teenage recruits, and two of their instructors, and an undead wardog, here to the north of the town of Gildin Dale.
As the army recruits from here in the northwest of the lands Farque continue their training this winter . . . . . .
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