As Alfaru and his companions made their way along the road to Avveel, the albmot took stock of his surroundings.  They were passing through a relatively empty stretch of land just past the Rocky Gate.  Further down the road, the field became greener, but here the foliage was a bit thinner due to the shallow bedrock.  As he was looking around, he noticed a skinny young boy just a stone's throw away near the foot of the mountains that the group had just left behind.  Alfaru couldn't tell what the boy was up to, but it seemed none of his companions had taken notice, or if they had they paid the child no mind.  Alfaru, however, couldn't help but be curious.  What exactly was the boy doing?  And where were his parents - there was no sign of anyone else anywhere nearby save Alfaru, his companions, and the boy.

Letting his curiosity get the better of him, Alfaru slowed his pace to drop to the back of the group, then stepped off the path in the direction of the boy.  He stayed a short way from the boy to avoid attracting the child's attention, but did try to at least get close enough to find out what it is he was doing poking around under the rocks like that.  Alfaru stepped lightly and carefully on the sparse vegetation that marked the margin of the field as he kept his eye on the boy, taking care to stay out of the child's line of sight if at all possible, while still making an effort to get close enough to see what the child was up to.