Whatever her misgivings, Envoy Rilana took her task seriously. It wasn't necessarily the repercussions of failing Svarak and his knights that worried her, but the simple fact of not being able to live with herself if harm came to these people under her care. Harm she might be able to avoid. Still certain that she was not the right person for this, no matter what Svarak has said, she lead the group into the wilds, using a lifetime of wandering to help her guide them. It was an interesting exercise, forcing her to put intuition and instinct into words when one of the knights or civilians asked her about her choices. Mostly she rode next to Alya and Echo, finding the diminutive mute's presence comforting even without the distraction of conversation. But sometimes she rode next to Svarak at the head of the line, though she did not speak to him much. Instead, she spoke to Kona inside her mind, her placid expression sometimes cracking to reveal a smile or a frown when the invisible gryphon said something exceptionally noteworthy.

The only thing that offered her a majour distraction in those first few days was Cartrose's scream-raptor, which the druid found fascinating even though she wasn't sure a reptile belonged in the icy Frostfell at all. When the trail was easy and clear, she had a million questions for the Charr mercenary about his mount, and was both disappointed and relieved that talking to him didn't make her nearly as uncomfortable as Svarak did.

At night, she looked after her horse before she looked after herself, brushing him down and scraping all the ice from his fetlocks, picking stones from his shoe-less hooves and wrapping him with a fur-lined blanket before she turned in. She curled up with Ortha in her tiny tent and slept fitfully, dreaming horrible dreams.

When the expedition crossed into the greener woods, the darkness under the trees didn't bother her at first. Snow always had a tendency to make things look grim and gloomy as it settled on high boughs and blocked out the light, muffling the world. But when the mounts and Echo began to fuss, Rilana watched the forest around them with care. She expected wolves or direwolves. Or a leopard. Even gryphons or bears or cave lions. But she saw nothing exceptional. 

[color=00aeef][i]Kona?[/i][/color] 

[i][color=fff200]I sense nothing that you don't.[/color][/i]

[i][color=00aeef]You might if I let you out.[/color][/i]

But she wasn't quite ready to perform that trick in public.

[color=00aeef][i]Ortha isn't bothered.[/i][/color]

[i][color=fff200]Her instincts mean nothing in this place.[/color][/i]

It was true. The plate-skinned reptilian chimera was draped over Bruin's saddlebags, watching Echo with one head and the closest ram with the other, seemingly unphased with what was irritating the rest of the animals. Even the fjord-horse was tossing his mane, and when he looked sharply in one direction or the other, Rilana could see the whites of his eyes.

The moon fey's expression was stony in response to Svarak's words and she pulled Bruin off the trail.

[i][color=fff200]How helpful he is.[/color][/i]

[color=00aeef][i]Whatever it is, game passes through here often enough. But I don't see anything in the trees.[/i][/color]

It was wrong for it to smell so stale and stuffy. The air should have been crisp and fresh with the scent of sap from the trees.

The [i]trees[/i]. Rilana's eyes rose slowly, considering the woody limbs and trunks as though seeing them for the first time.

[i][color=fff200]"They"?[/color][/i]

[i][color=00aeef]Stars above, I hope that's not what he meant![/color][/i]

With a tone that was both calm and stern,[color=00aeef] "If everyone would just continue in single file, please. Slow and steady. Put your ram's nose in the tail of the one in front of you and keep going. No weapons, no torches, and no talking."[/color]