They heard voices and footsteps getting closer through the trees. Seren immediately gestured for Darion to stop, her hand raised, her eyes sharp. They moved behind a large tree, pressing their bodies against the bark, remaining completely still. Darion listened carefully.
There were a lot of footsteps. Not two or three people. A whole group.
Through the gaps between the trees, Darion eventually saw them. Around ten hunters were moving through the forest. They weren't dressed like soldiers. Their clothing was primitive-looking — animal hides, rough cloth, pieces of leather tied around their bodies.
Most carried spears, while others carried crude clubs, knives, or sharpened weapons. Their equipment was nowhere near the quality of anything Darion was accustomed to seeing around Percvale. They looked like people who had survived in the wilderness for generations.
