OOC; Setting is a forest in Meridian. The group has been traveling for a little bit

It would be a few day’s travel until they reached the main city of Post. Had he done the trip alone, he could’ve shaved off a day or two, but the traveling group was rather large and there was a horse drawn carriage. The carriage had the family insignia at the top with two windows, one of the side and the other on the door, covered with colored fabric. Inside was a noblewoman. Tirith hadn’t spoken to her yet. He only knew her in passing when he was given a run down of the request: escort her safely to her destination.

Usually, a party consisting of one or two guards would be more than enough, but the noblewoman had two companies and a few stragglers like Tirith himself. It was overkill to say the least, but he had seen people spend money on dumber things. Besides, if it paid enough to keep him alive for another week, Tirith wasn’t one to complain. His hand ran through the fur on Wolf’s nape. The animal walked closer to him than usual. It wasn’t used to large crowds. Tirith and Wolf were relatively recluse and spent the majority of their time traveling alone to gather odd materials or reconnaissance for a commission. When they did get the opportunity to travel with someone else, it wasn’t for an extended period.

Wolf bristled a bit and whined softly.

“Stop,” he ordered the group. There were a few mixed looks, but the carriage continued rolling. “I said stop.”

The coachman pulled the reins and the carriage stopped. Then, a hand pushed him and sent him staggering a step back. “What gives you the right, huh?” Face-to-face with him was the leader of one of the groups. They were so close he could smell the sour stench of rotting teeth and the yellowed roots. “I dun’ even know ‘yer name, but here you are tellin’ my people what to do — tellin’ me what to do.”

“We’re being followed,” Tirith explained. The wind had just shifted and suddenly Wolf was on high alert.

“Fallowed?” There was a grand gesture to look behind the crew and the trail behind them was devoid of life. The company leader shouted to the back. “Hey Vik, you been seein’ anyone else back there?”

“No, sir!”

“There ya have it,” he gave Tirith a rough tap on the chest with the back of his hand. “No ‘un but us.”

Wolf growled softly at the man’s manhandling, but Tirith put his hand on its muzzle and Wolf quieted down. “We should camp early and start the journey again once we rest. That way we won’t have to stop midway in the forest.” Meridian and Ante was the only place where trees could grow naturally. The rest of the world didn’t have enough sunlight to sustain plants. So there were very few trails in densely packed woodlands, but this was the fastest way South.

“Keep that mutt under control. Look, if ‘yer scared of’a few trees, why didn’t ‘ya say so?” The leader did this strange motion with his hand like he was drawing circles in the air. “Make room so — sorry didn’t catch ‘ya name.”

“Tirith.”

“Make room so Tirith can walk closer to tha’ carriage. Maybe that’ll put his mind ta’ rest. An’ keep an eye out for these tails we suppos’dly got.”

One of the men closest to the carriage walked towards Tirith to exchange positions. It was tempting to argue, but he ultimately decided against it. If people didn’t want to listen, they’d find a way to do it. On top of that, he couldn’t imagine making enemies of his coworkers was a good idea.

“Now if thas’ all, let’s get a move onit. I wan’ us to make this trip a short ‘un.”