[Orual]

Ravion was awake early in the morning, before anyone else. It was not quite time for them to start preparing for the day's journey, so he spelled Raefindan and let his companions sleep a little bit more.

In the light mist of the pre-dawn morning, the Ranger went through his daily routine of stretches and exercises. He practiced with his sword for a while, brushed and curried Gond, and got all the troublesome details out of the way before they had to leave.

The sunrise painted the sky with surprisingly vibrant colours: magentas and bright oranges and yellows. It was lovely. And time to go. He hated to wake everyone up--especially Raefindan--but they could not waste time.

The company was getting tired, though. Raefindan had a limp and what Ravion hoped was not a cold; Aeron's shoulder was doubtless still sore; Mellonin and Gwyllion were not enjoying the hard days' walks that Ravion forced them on; and even the Ranger had to admit that he was pushing them all. Perhaps this was a good pace for a Ranger on his own. For five people, it was hard.

He shook Aeron gently, moving on quickly as soon as he knew the boy was awake. He knew that there would be teasing that day, but no point in starting it early. He then went to Gwyllion and woke her, then Raefindan, then Mellonin.

As he touched Mellonin's shoulder, he realized that she had been acting somewhat strange lately. He wondered why. Once he had gotten over the embarrassment of his tussle with Aeron, he had noticed something odd about Mellonin's behavior. He could not figure it out. He made a mental note to watch her while they walked.

"We ought to get started," he said. "The fire is still burning; we can eat breakfast, put out the fire, spread out the firewood, try to cover up our marks and then go. I hope to cover a good amount of ground today." He looked at the dismayed faces of his companions. "But it will be steady rather than fast. The last thing I want is ill travelers." He turned and went to Gond to get some food for breakfast.