Awakening from my short rest about five hours later, I find most of my clan back in the cave and asleep. Sunlight creeps in through the vines that conceal the entrance to our cave, giving away the fact that the day has begun. Normally, our kind avoids the sun like they were vampires, but I am unusually curious today and ready to explore a new world.
Stepping out of the dank cave and into the daylight, I feel the warmth on my wrinkly green skin. Grinning, I swing my dagger around, enjoying the invigorating feeling of the sun’s rays. Adapting quickly to my new environment, I snap out of my gleeful stupor and begin to take in my new surroundings. Differences between the usual cover of night, and the vibrant spring of the day are quite clear.
Birds chirp out tunes, life is abundant and full of vitality, and the creatures of the night no longer await silently in ambush. Although much is different during the day, not everything has changed. Still taking in my new surroundings and keeping an eye out for possible dangers, I stealthily creep through the forestry, avoiding any powerful creatures that could easily snap me like a twig. Bears, big cats, and other unusually sized fauna being some of the many threats to watch out for.
After wandering around for a good amount of time, I begin to hear voices. The mirthful laughter, the complexity of their speech, and the absolute disregard for stealth can mean only one thing. Humans. Humans are hated amongst my kind for sending out subjugation squads to slaughter tribes of our people. Most of their kind are careless, weak, and stupid. But some of them are powerful and they have a scary ability to organize and an unending capacity for revenge.
There are many of them, from what I can make out from a safe distance, almost two dozen. Some of the humans are armed with large swords and axes, and protected by leather hides. With them are unarmed humans driving carts of wood, full of meat, flour, and other essential supplies, pulled by beasts of burden. Caravans such as these often travel through this forest’s rough dirt paths, heading from one town to another. As they pass by, I quickly make the decision to follow them, hoping to get my hands on some of the overflowing wealth of the humans. They are slow and loud and easy to follow, but I would be courting death to attack a group of humans this large in broad daylight.
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I follow them for the entire day, stealthily concealing myself in the foliage of the forest and staying a safe distance away. As dusk nears and the sun begins to fade, the human caravan stops their movement and begins to set up camp. Setting up their carts in a circular fashion, they secure a perimeter around the camp and light a fire. Lighthearted and festive, they all gather around the fire and converse with one another, feasting and drinking.
After a couple hours pass, the majority of the humans go to sleep and leave only two heavily intoxicated men to keep watch over the perimeter. Using the cover of night, I begin my plan to infiltrate the caravan. Easily slipping past the two lookouts who are barely awake, I enter into the inner circle of the carts.
Sleeping humans and trash from their earlier festivities litter the ground. The sounds of snoring and the low crackle of dying fires fills the camp. Without a sound I make my way towards the cart filled with food that I saw earlier. When I arrive at the wagon, I jump up and pull myself inside. Delicious scents and varieties of meats and other foods I’ve never seen before surround me. The others back at the cave would kill to have some of this food. After gorging myself on the enchanting smorgasbord of meats and cheeses, I decide that my best course of action would be to stay with the humans and continue stealing their stuff. Concealing myself at the back of cart, behind some barrels and under some tarps, I pass out.