[i][/i][i][/i][i][/i][h2][center][b][color=ed1c24]Novak[/color][/b][/center][/h2] Curious, they seem to be focusing on that area," Novak silently noted and he observed the patrols come and go. It was odd that the rat-folk soldiers would focus their patrols on that unimportant-looking wooded area outside of the town. Just what were these Krysa up to? There was a lot that didn't make sense. Why would they be harboring so much suspicion if they were convinced enough of Mie's guilt to lay siege to her caravan? It wasn't like the Kitsune and her Oni could be mistaken for anyone else. And just who were they looking for in the snowfields. His first thought was that it might be Haruno, but surely they wouldn't be looking for her so close to where she had broken out. Going in there would be risky. He already had a run-in with Lady Marushka, so getting caught poking his nose in more of their business would bring considerable suspicion on him. However, Mie and her people were counting on him, and he couldn't let down the people who took him in and taught him how to survive. He needed to know what these rats were up to, and what they were hiding. At about the halfway point between the patrols, Novak slipped out of the town and followed the guards' tracks, carefully keeping an eye on his surroundings. The next time he'd see Ayumi, he'd gesture at the fox to follow him. The guards' route shouldn't be too hard to follow, and Ayumi's sense of smell should keep them on track even if the footprints disappeared. He'd need to stay unseen though, and if he made any tracks in the snow outside of the guards' route, it'd alert them that someone else was out here. [@Rune_Alchemist]