Francis sat on a tree stump, idly fiddling with a stick he'd found. He watched the birds fluttering about and singing their songs, and the squirrels scurrying to and fro. He sometimes enjoyed watching the little creatures go about their business, but even if he didn't, there was little else to do.
They'd sent out the ransom letter, and now they had to wait for the agreed-upon date. A few days had passed, and the mood in the air was stiflingly dull. To pass the time, several bandits had gone out on patrol to see if there were any other unfortunate travelers around. This included Morgana, who led a small team to stalk the nearby dirt road. He hated to admit it, but he was starting to miss her. His feelings for her were mixed, to put it mildly, but having her around at least kept things interesting. Now, he was bored out of his skull thinking of things to do.
"I wonder where my book ended up." He thought, looking around. "Most of these people aren't literate and it sounded like Faidh was the exception on that front. Did he stow it away somewhere? Or did it get lost in the piles of other stolen loot? I suppose they'd be more interested in pawning it off than reading it."
As much as he would've liked to dig around the various wooden chests and start the book where he'd left off, eyes were on him. Two guards stood only a few feet away from him, steadfastly keeping watch with spears in hand. His captors were being laxer compared to when he was initially captured, but they still wouldn't let him escape. The day when his ransom got paid couldn't come fast enough.
Just after the sun had reached its peak in the sky, he looked over his shoulder and saw the captain returning with her crew. She rested her big axe on her shoulder, and her iron helmet cast a shadow over her eyes. Standing by Morgana's side was a woman with disheveled blond hair and a longbow in hand. He'd noticed her previously, as she seemed to be closer with the captain than others, much like Faidh. He hadn't caught her name, however.
The whole team looked rather tired from marching around since dawn, and the looks on their faces indicated that they probably hadn't found anything worth reporting. He felt a sense of relief, for if nothing else, he'd no longer be idle.
"I don't suppose you found anything?" One of the guards asked.
She shook her head in response. "We saw a few travelers on the road, but they didn't look like they had much on them. Other than that, roads are pretty quiet today."
"There are plenty of squirrels for the cap'n to chase after, though." The blond woman beside her commented, smiling to reveal half her teeth were missing.
Morgana just shook her head in annoyance. "You try going after a squirrel in wolf form once, and you never hear the end of it."
"But it looked so funny, you were like a hound!"
Francis himself was rather amused by the mental image that had conjured. Without realizing it, he'd started to smile a little.
"And what's with that look?" Morgana asked, walking up to him. The noble's smile faded quickly once she got close. "You're looking like a squirrel yourself."
He quickly averted eye contact, as talking back was becoming increasingly difficult for him. He still didn't quite understand the feelings she inspired within him.
"So, what'll we do now?" The woman asked, fiddling with the string of her bow.
"Well, Maggie, since you're curious," she spun around to face her "with little else to do, I say we celebrate our good fortune and break into some of that ale and wine we got from the monastery raid! I wanted to save some of it, and now is as good a time as any."
"A last hurrah before we disband? I like it!"
The bandits started cheering, no doubt encouraged by the promise of good drink.
"Then it's settled!" She laughed. "One last feast before our final score!"
"I appreciate the enthusiasm, captain." Faidh announced, who had just walked up to join the conversation. "But right now all we have at camp besides the drinks is bread and cheese. You can't have a feast with just that."
"That's no problem, I can just go hunting again. I thought I smelled some game while we were out, shouldn't be any problem tracking them." She ruffled Francis's hair, before heading back toward the woods.
"Wait, going by yourself? And with only an axe?" He asked, tilting his head. While he was by no means a hunting expert, he'd attended a few hunts with his father and brothers, so he knew a few basics about the sport. One person with an axe was hardly adequate for a hunt of any kind.
"Let's just say my lycanthropy has affected my human form a bit." She said, stopping to look behind her. "I've got a heightened sense of smell, and besides, I caught a whiff of a boar earlier. I would've needed a combat weapon to deal with that, anyway."
"Catching a boar all on your own..." he muttered. A part of him wanted to see her try, but he disliked the idea of sneaking around the forest just to be potentially attacked by a wild hog. Best to leave it to the wolf.
"Trust me, with her on the hunt, we'll be having fresh pork tonight." Maggie reassured him, before taking her quiver off.
"I just hope she'll be back in time." Faidh sighed, crossing his arms. "Preparing and cooking that much meat isn't a quick process."
"I have a feeling we'll be going late into the night regardless." Maggie shrugged.
After that, he found himself bored again. Though this time, he had least had something to watch while he waited around. The bandits went this way and that, preparing for the feast. They got out what food they had stolen and rolled out the barrels of beer and wine.
After disappearing for another few hours, Morgana returned. She dragged the corpse of a large boar behind her, with splatters of blood on her armor and axe. Seeing her come back like that, Francis felt an odd sense of attraction welling in his heart.
"What'd I say?" She announced, gesturing to the dead animal.
"Good, now we can have a proper feast." Faidh observed, sounding relieved at this outcome.
