[Orual]

Óin squinted up as the clouds parted to allow some sunlight to filter onto the beginnings of the company. Not all of them were present, but the group was getting steadily larger. He shifted his cloak irritably on his shoulders and folded his arms over his chest.

The day was quite nice, actually, dry and getting pleasantly warm as it progressed away from the chill morning. There was not enough air movement to be called precisely a breeze, not now, anyway, but it was certainly enough to keep it from getting too hot. The rose fingers of sunrise still clung to the horizon, and it was shaping up to be a good day on which to start a journey.

Óin looked over at one of the other dwarves, a younger fellow named Maron, if he was not mistaken. He walked over to him, looking up at the sky appraisingly. "Not a bad day," he said grudgingly. Maron looked at him--it was an odd comment coming from Óin, who was known to be not entirely thrilled about the expedition--and Óin shrugged. "Well, it isn't. Even a mistake of an adventure needs a good start. Don't you suppose?"