They exited the ranch from the side gate. Kai didn't seem bothered by the fact that they were heading into trouble. She would stop to sniff at a patch of scrub grass or watch a jackrabbit, but she was perfectly at ease. The raptor didn't seem to mind when they found the first set of paw prints.

Sam'uel slid out of the saddle to get a better look. The cracked, dry dirt perfectly preserved the paw print. It was wider than his hand and a bit longer too and it wasn't alone. The print pointed toward the ranch. Those nearby faced just about every direction. The print that he had first noticed was bigger than the others.

* Skill Unlocked – Basic Tracking

* +25 XP

A new notification hovered over each print.

* Gnoll

"That's helpful," he whispered.

The tracks led to a cluster of scrub grass that ran up the slope of a hill. It transitioned into a copse of scraggly trees. Dry shrubs dotted the space between the brittle branches. The sparse vegetation continued on turning into a grouping of evergreen trees.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

It was tempting to draw his revolver, or to try out the new shotgun he had acquired. Unfortunately, that would completely ruin any stealthy options. Sam summoned his inventory and equipped his hatchet. It appeared on his belt connected via a leather loop, rather than his hand. He drew the axe and felt its weight. The handle was curved slightly and had horizontal grooves that stopped about halfway up. It was topped with a thin metal wedge for a head.

* Hatchet

* Condition - 10/10

* Range – Melee

Sam turned to face the raptor.

"Kai," he said. "Run on home if there's trouble. Try to stay out of sight, okay?"

Kai squatted down and settled into a comfortable position. Her coloring and the layer of dust from traveling provided excellent camouflage.

"Good girl," Sam said.

The elf turned back toward the tree line. He stayed low and moved slow, doing his best to use the landscape around to help him stay unseen. The world around him dimmed as he made it to the edge of trees.

* Racial Skill – Forest Stride

* Wood Elves move silently through forest area

Sam smiled as the text faded from in front of him. That was helpful.