Juran took a moment evidently to size Julan up. [i]"A bold choice. Most apprentices choose the rite of the predator. It is usually easier. Not many can overcome a warrior beyond their years at his age. For the young, the difference between just a few years can be like the difference between a hackwing and a leviathan. He is not one of my hunters; he has not trained with them, killed with them, or bled with them. It is my right to refuse him, but...I respect your desire to submit to your people's traditions when it is not required of you, Julan. And I believe that the son of one of our own should have the chance to prove his worth. It is a decision that will anger some, I do not doubt."[/i]

[hr]

Once they found a place to stop, Ahnasha stashed away her dress and most everything else she had with her, apart from her leather satchel, which mostly held her potions from Sabine. Most of them were simply for healing or magicka, though she did have one rather enervating poison. 

The two of them were silent once they started tracking their prey, mostly out of necessity. Given the sort of prey they were hunting, remaining silent was even more important than usual. Ahnasha stayed behind Rhazii to observe his tracking ability and decision-making. Although, he could be forgiven for thinking he had left her behind at points with how quietly she was able to move. It was rare that Rhazii would be able to hear anything but his own footsteps, and Ahnasha never made any noise louder than a few rustling leaves. 

Tracking down a specific group of bandits was by no means easy, especially since they did not want to be found. Rhazii did not have as much experience tracking as Ahnasha, but she did not notice any glaring flaws watching him, or at least nothing that would warrant stopping to correct him. They spent several hours scouring the forest to the north of the road, and Ahnasha was sure to pay attention to any alternative prey, should their hunt have failed. They still needed to allow their beasts to feast, whether on animal or man. However, all they needed was to find one scent to put them on the trail: one that was far enough from the road to rule out travelers as being the source. It took about two hours, but Rhazii was eventually able to find that scent, which led even deeper into the forest. 

Their path through the forest only grew more certain as the scents they were following grew stronger, and more fresh. Eventually, Ahnasha felt that they were getting close enough that she finally stopped Rhazii with a simple tap on the shoulder. She scanned the area carefully for several seconds, then sat down on the ground among the bushes and other foliage to limit her visibility to any potential onlooker. She motioned for Rhazii to follow suit, and spoke at a whisper that was quiet even to Rhazii's ears. "It is likely that we are getting close. I haven't sensed too many unique scents, which is a good sign. We need to scout them carefully before surprising them. If there are more of them than I am expecting, then we will need to back off carefully. We are not going to take the fight if I am not completely confident we can win it. I have been impressed with your tracking so far, but I should probably take the lead from here. I believe that it is important we keep the element of surprise. Do you want to work on conjuring your sword while I can help?"