[h3][color=00a651][b][center]Malkus[/center][/b][/color][/h3]
[Center][color=00a651][b]Location:[/b][/color] Road north of Salarn, somewhere lost in the forest.
[color=00a651][b]Interacting With:[/b][/color] No one.[/center]

Malkus woke up with a start. What woke him up was actually his own snoring. He had been scouting the area for soldiers and threats, humans, orcs, animals, and monsters. He found many tracks that he was fairly certain belonged to warriors on both sides, and fortunately most seemed to be heading away from the camp, giving no impression that they found the camp. Not that Malkus was good at figuring out information like that. While he's able to track footprints easily enough, trying to discern their purpose through footprints is next to impossible for him. He was just glad that it looked like the tracks weren't heading towards the camp, and were only passing through.

But in between his searches Malkus stole bits of sleep. He tried not to sleep longer than twenty or so minutes, though at some point he did collapse on the forest floor for three hours. Between each rest he would spend about ten minutes watching out for scouts, occasionally heading back to the camp just to see how they were doing. He only saw Sona on watch for a few minutes before he left, and by the time he came back she was asleep.

By scouting the nearby area Malkus also grew much more familiar with this part of the forest, and could quite easily maneuver through even the thickest of brambles and find good spots where nothing short of magic could find him. But he was extremely tired, not quite exhausted, but certainly not at his top form. While he was certain that if push comes to shove he could likely find the strength to run or fight, as soon as he could get the chance to sleep without anyone slitting his throat or looting his body, he's going to drop like a rock. But right now he still needed to be awake. Partly to watch over Sona, mostly because now he needed to find breakfast.

Unfortunately for Malkus, identifying edible food in the wilds wasn't something he learned to do in Neverwinter. He's seen plenty of vegetables that grew in a forest, but most of those things looked much neater in the market than it does in the dirt. More often than not if he really needed food he'd just steal it from a vendor or even rob a house just for a snack. During one of his trips back to the camp he debated sneaking in just to swipe food, but chose against it. The chances of him getting spotted may have been slim but it's a chance he wasn't willing to take. Thus Malkus had to settle for a less-then-stellar diet, which he's at least used to. He ate bugs like grubs and slugs, disregarding any possibility they might be poisoned. They tasted horrible and Malkus was tempted to vomit a few times, but desperate times called for desperate measures. At least the stuff he was eating was alive. He once ate a rotting rat carcass when he was a child, so eating a few slimy insects weren't going to kill him (Immediately).

After getting his fill of bug buffet, Malkus returned to the camp. As per usual he remained hidden, this time hiding in the branches of a tree. He didn't disturb a single leaf as he moved through the branches, as he was as nimble as a monkey. He saw one of those at a circus once, and those things were very good at sneaking around and acrobatics. Once he was close enough to get a good look at the camp Malkus noticed that some were starting to wake up. It was about time that they'd get moving, since he's fairly certain they didn't come here to become druids. He saw one of the camp members, some sort of human, mention heading into the trees. Malkus hid but fortunately the woman didn't go near the tree he was in. But by hiding, he lost track of her. He would have to keep his senses even sharper to ensure she didn't get the jump on him later.

Everyone else seemed to be asleep and suddenly an urge grew in Malkus. That urge was simply hunger. No amount of insects could ever fulfill this empty void in his stomach, and he could smell the remnants of the camp's dinner from the night before. His mouth unconsciously salivated. Logic and reasoning told him that this wasn't worth the risk: that camp was no doubt full of trained and skilled warriors, not to mention Sona, and even if one was asleep that one woman was awake. For all Malkus knew she may be watching the camp after detecting his presence. But it was that same logic and reasoning that told him, quite pointedly, that he was [i]starving[/i] and that most of the camp was asleep anyways. He only needed a few things, as he could live off a light meal so long as it was actual food for once. Dried fruits, stale bread, even alcohol if it means that he can get something reliable to drink. Of course he wanted more, but he couldn't be picky. He just needed to figure out if it was worth the risk.

So slowly, ever so slowly, Malkus got out of the tree and crawled towards the camp. He imagined himself smaller than an insect, not just physically, but existentially as well. Surely if he was just an insect, the people of the camp would ignore him and he could grab even a mere morsel to extend his constantly dwindling life. He came closer to the camp than he even did before until eventually he got so close that if he left the bush he was hiding in there would be a stretch where he would have no cover, not even darkness. So he waited and watched. He needed to know where the food was at, and no else might be awake.