Everlong

The Trollclaws

Her companion traveled beside her silently, the conversation down to what was needed to be said and nothing more. The high mists of the hills were thick as the stomping of hooves echoed through the forest Olly and Peren now traveled through.

They found themselves asked to travel to Trollclaw Ford, a settlement in the mountain region, known for the insurmountable number of trolls that lived through the hillside. Olly was riding horseback beside Peren as they asked a couple of farmers to the side for directions and were pointed into the path of a upcoming dense thicket of forest. Olly could only chuckle at the farmer's obvious fear of the path, a thick hollow of wood that resembled a large claw coming forth.

    "Well, at least the Wicker Woods live up to its's name" Olly joked as they came up to the forest, the leaves bare even though spring was passing by into summer. Peren's steed neighed below him, unsettled by the wooded path, the thick brush pressing against the horses. Olly's own pony remained calm, a cream colored mare named her Rosebud. Olly patted softly to settle the animal as the crunch of branches and leaves echoed out through the barren woods.

    "Eye's forward Allana" Peren pointed at her as she looked up to see a cliff side coming into view. The forest just seemed to end as the cliffs opened up around them, the path now rocky and steep as it led downwards. A swirl of mist coated the ground, and cool air wafted up from the rocks hitting her face with a shiver.

    "We may need to get off and walk the horses down" Olly said rearing Rosebud to the left away from a crumbling part of the cliff.

    "We will be fine as long as you keep control" Peren sighed, his brow furrowing in frustration at his own ride, a black stallion he hadn't taken the time to name that reared away from the wall of the cliffs "We were already delayed once for this trip, I don't need another."

Olly tried her best with Rosebud, trying to communicate with the animal that if they moved together, they would get by the passage without fear. A good Ranger knew the difference between a creature that wanted to fight you, and a creature that was just scared. She reached out to the mount's soul, using her own steady breaths to match the horse. Her Rosebud grew calm beneath her, walking steady and slow along the cliffs as they descended downward. But Peren, barking orders at his own horse, began to stir the cliffside, making it unsteady as rocks above them began to crumble.

    "Peren calm down" Olly said in a low voice.  Peren whipped himself around and gave her a belittling look that made her deflate.

    "Don't even start Allana" he snapped "I just want to make it to the Ford and I cannot be distracted with your every anxious outburst."

    "I'm just saying you pulling on the stud like that makes him nervous, try to not rush and-" she started.

    "I am not making him nervous" Peren shook his head "You don't know the first thing about trail riding. I've been trail riding longer than you and I know when the horse is nervous. This horse is just a shitty stud I picked because last job we did you didn't charge the amount I told you to. We could have been riding Kings horse's if you hadn't gone soft and only asked for half the coin we told them."

    "I'm sorry Peren" Olly said deflating more "I didn't think it was right to charge them when it wasn't a ghost at all, it was just a-"

    "I know what it was" Peren interrupted "You don't have to keep explaining it. But we are not going to make good coin if you keep feeling sorry for people. How are we supposed to eat well and rest when you skirt people on prices I set?"

    "Fine" Olly sighed just wanting him to stop "Next job we do whatever price you say and I'll stand by it..."

    "Good" Peren said smiling at the top of the Trollclaw Ford came into view "Funny how they call it the Trollclaws and we haven't seen any signs of them. Maybe it's just all just blown up to scare travelers away, there's probably some good soil underneath these mountains-" Peren started off as Olly tuned him out, knowing he would go on like this for some time.