The trees soon gave way to the main pathway. It was relieving to see as it meant that the knights hadn't lost their way in the forest. From here, they could follow it back to the village and continue forth with their journey. Though, the threat of the nobles was still concerning. The three knights broke out from the forest and came to stop as they reached the pathway. All were breathing harder from their sprinting but otherwise were fine.
Penelope let out a breath and eyed their surroundings. "I think we got away completely unnoticed." she observed. For a moment, the knights fell silent as they listened to the forest around them. However, there was no footsteps or rustling besides the distant commotion of the camp. Penelope lifted her gaze to the sky watching as smoke began to fill it. It caused her to smirk a bit as she thought of the scrambling nobles.
"Great. Now where's that damned thief?" William grunted. It was clear that the older knight still didn't hold any respect or faith in the thief just yet. Penelope shifted her gaze to Abraxas. He was so quiet and laid back that it was a bit hard to tell if he was the same or not. "I'm not sure. Probably finding some way to get out of that sticky situation. Anyways, you two should go ahead." she said giving a stubborn look. It was clear she had no intent of leaving Crow behind or letting him escape if he actually decided to try it. He had fooled her once after all.
"I'll stay back and wait for the thief. If he gets in trouble I'll help him and if he decides to try and run, I'll stop him. But those nobles might regroup and try to attack us again, so it's best if at least you two go get weapons to fight back." She advised with a narrowed gaze as she looked over her shoulder into the forest. There was some hesitation but William gave a curt nod of agreement with her plan.
"Alright." William said with a small nod. Abraxas blinked and took a step forward. "Oh, if you're going to wait, you should take this." He knelt down and pulled a dagger out of his boot then handed it off to the female knight. She gave a surprised look. Penelope had been rather sure that all weapons had been confiscated.
"They're nobles, not trained guards. They figured he wasn't too dangerous and forgot to check him for concealed weapons." William explained with small scoff. The older knight gave a prideful snicker. "They beat us in numbers not skill."
The two male knights then headed off in the direction of the village leaving Penelope to wait alone. It wasn't smart to stay out in the open so she quickly took cover in the shadows of the forest. Knights normally didn't rely on things such as stealth but that didn't mean she was incapable of it. Penelope may not be an expert like Crow or other thieves and criminals, but she was still able to utilize the cover of the shadows.
She moved quietly, watching where she put her feet with care. The knight had decided to back track just a little to make sure the plan had run smoothly. Now armed with a dagger, she felt just a tad bit safer. If enemies came her way, Penelope would be ready to strike.
As she continued to move forward, Penelope began to pick up on the sound of footsteps. They were soft and hard to distinguish. If it were Crow, he'd likely be alone unless he was being pursued. Unfortunately, she just couldn't make out if it was just one person or not. She'd have to get closer.
She moved forward towards the footsteps. Her plan was to remain in the shadows until the person, or persons, were in sight. Just as she was moving so carefully, Penelope accidentally messed up her footing. A fallen stick snapped loudly under her boot, causing for a small panic. She'd rather have the upper if it were an enemy and she possibly just ruined it. Penelope, in a panic, launched herself at the assumed enemy. Her cover was probably blown and she'd rather have the first attack.
