[color=Sandybrown] [h2]Zahir Rahel[/h2] [/color] 

For not the last time on his trip up north Zahir asked himself what the fuck he was doing this far out. This wasn't part of his original promise, hell it wasn't part of any promised he'd ever made. He should be back "home" guarding that safe little village, making one or two more rounds before the night claimed what was left of the days activity and then it could be just him and the few other guards sitting around that old campfire by the main gates. Even now he wondered just how old that thing was, how many generations of guards had sat around it and drunk the cold nights away in friendly silence. After all he was the oldest guard there and even he didn't know when it had first been set down. 

Despite the fact he'd never really told any of his fellow guards much, if at all, he still really did like them. They drank with him and rarely spoke much, maybe that was why he liked them so much. 

As he walked, he could feel a faint twinge in his right arm, a small dull pain which washed up the length of his limb before fading away again into miriad of other senses which assailed his body. Maybe he really was too old for this sort of stuff, maybe he really should have stopped when he'd first had doubts, back at that chipped bit of wood masqurading as a sign. 

When he got back he was really gonna have to do something about that, maybe make it another little project to busy up his day...

But no ammount of thoughts about little village signs and the best ways he could repair them was going to distract him from the real reason he was putting his life on the line. Other idiots would almost certainly have heard of this beast and try to go after it and while he couldn't stop every fool who charged into stupid situations. He could still help those in situations he knew about. 

One of these days it was gonna get him killed, leastways, that's what everyone else kept telling him. Still he'd made it past sixty years and if that didn't earn him the right to indulge himself now and then, what would? 

Still the North Road lay ahead and with it, the others who'd decided to undertake this expidition. 

[hr]

He was one of the last to arrive, that he was certain of, unless there was a host of other recruits hidden over one of those wind-blasted hills. Ahead stood a few other figures, all younger than him, which he supposed was probably for the best. A whole team of old adventuerers who's top speed wasn't what it once was probably wouldn't be the greatest for running down some monster. 

Zahir was in his own way, rather amused to see that most of the currently gathered group looked to be about half his age, maybe more in the case of that bowman. He'd certainly expected younger minds to be attracted to this kind of danger, this group certainly looked less like the thrillseekers he'd been expecting. Then again he really shouldn't be that surprised, everyone has their own reasons for doing what they do, he knew that well. 

At least a gathering spot meant he could stop for the moment and with a sigh of relief he swung his little satchel, carrying all his essentials like food, water and bedding to the ground. A second later he was raising a hand in greeting and putting on his most welcoming tone, knowing that his mask at first glance rarely got the warmest of greetings. 

[color=sandybrown] "I see I'm not the first, which all things considered is probably a good sign. I presume we're all here to pursue that creature, if so I must be thankful for finding myself in such good looking hands." [/color]