It had been a cold winter, fierce winds bellowed their ire from the Grey Mountains that ever watched from the north, bringing with them great amounts of snow. The trees of Mirkwood would wether the storm, but the people living amongst them suffered more harshly. There had been hunger and many had starved to death or had the misfortune to be outside too long untill their limbs gave out and they froze to enternal sleep. Yet it was not all, for outcasts and beasts had grown desperate and attacked outlaying farms, sacking grainstores or taking off the weak and unwary.
The chieftain of Honeyspot was a man of the people, he would swiftly send out some of his warriors to deal with them, men yet well fed in his mighty hall. Uruz was amongst them, leading on five others. "Breco, Ungvar .. Watch my back.", the man said with a deep frown as he held his axe tight in his hands, then his eyes fell upon the other two, "Sigan, Freolaf, at my side, be quiet." And the others would do as said, so they crawled through the woods, to the fifth he gave a whistle, and the large hunting hound Rorc stepped before him, sniffing the ground as the others sniffed the air. They had been chasing brigands for days and finally caught up with a band of ragged starving outcasts, driven from their tribes for all kinds of crimes, their last punishment was final indeed. Uruz had ever been one to charge in straight on when the odds were in their favor or even, sometimes even when outclassed completely. It had become a matter of courage to want to follow him willingly, for the big man always came through, but not always those that joined him.
Snow crunched beneath their feet, .. Uruz' own toes were blue as berries, yet he seemed not to notice much of it. His step no less swift then when he had first set foot out of the meadhall, Only Sigan seemed to grit his teeth, steaming air gouting out past his teeth, "Sure there are more? ..", he said eventually as impatience and three days of walking in the cold made him want to go back to his warm woman. Breco nodded, his head shaven aside from a braid dangling at his temple, "Sure as Freolaf's virginity.. If we had found those brigands in their full numbers the story may have not gone as well for us as it did." Freolaf ignored the snickering of Sigan and Ungvar.., "Just keep your eyes open and your mouth shut..", the redhaired man mumbled barely audible, "Look, .. mist is forming if those beasts heard you both we'd be in for it now." Uruz' broad hand rose, the others fell quiet. Rorc's tail was lowered and his head growled slightly, allthough there was a note of dismay in there, the hound barked and then yelped as it's own was answered by one more deep and horrendous! A promise of teeth and claws carrying with it. "Wargs..", Uruz mumbled and then they were upon the hunters! ...
