[Durelin]

Vlad knelt on one knee examing the ground before him for some sign of disturbance that could be called a track, left by those they were pursuit of. Snyd was thankful, for a moment, that their quarry was so hard to track, for it gave him a moment to catch his breath. They had been moving quickly for much of the night, as had been Melost, Khalad, and Fid. Vlad had pressed Jaheira and Snyd on, forcing them to run for hours on end. Snyd had needed much more prodding, but even Jaheira seemed sluggish in comparison to Vlad. Something drove the one-eyed man on, and more than just a thirst for the blood of his betrayers, as that was what gave Jaheira the strength to run with as much speed and vigor as she did. What drove Snyd on was the fear of being left alone, and nothing more. There was no other motivation that could possibly be driving him; nothing more.

"They are still almost a day ahead of us. They moved very quickly, and we were slow to begin trailing them," Vlad said gruffly, eyeing Snyd and Jaheira quickly, clearly suggesting that this was their fault. Snyd was too busy trying to catch his breath, crouched over and ready to empty his stomach, if need be. It certainly felt as if this would be necessary. But Jaheira was never too busy to respond to Vlad's accusations. "A late start caused by a delay of decision making, Vlad." For once, Vlad did not seem effected by this comment, not even angered. He still knelt, and though he stared at the grass, there was not a blade of grass he could not have examined yet. Another moment of silence followed, and Snyd was able to stand erect, though he still suck in air greedily. Looking ahead of him, he could see the number of trees beginning to grow, and beyond, on a hill, a group of large trees could be seen. Snyd acknowledged their beauty with a glance, and their size with another. They seemed very large, though how large Snyd could not tell at this distance.

"Wouldn't you expect the elf to head that way," he said, pointing toward the large trees that rose above the others on the hill and taking a deep breath before he continued, "straight ahead?" Now Vlad rose from the ground and turned, to look at him. Looking into Vlad's one eye, Snyd could feel Jaheira's eyes on him as well.

"Expecting and knowing are two different things," Vlad said, quite calmly for him. "We move again, so pick it up. We have gained ground, but not enough." Barely giving Snyd and Jaheira time to grab the packs of supplies they had been burdened with by Vlad's instruction, Vlad started running. He ran straight ahead, into the growing number of trees. "Is this what the grass told you, Vlad?" Snyd asked, too tired and angry at the fact that he had to run again to care if Vlad's anger was finally sparked. To Snyd's pleasant surprise, no spark could even be heard in his voice.

"No I know, Snyd. He did head that way, straight ahead of us."

"And what is straight ahead of us?"

"Straight ahead is our destination all along, Lorien."