He put the oldest one in charge second only to the maid.  He said if there was any funny business, he would know.  He has spies in the woods.  Rutus Shiloh and Endermon knew he was talking about Endermon, but none of the group of shifters knew that.


    They looked around nervously and swore to be good.  Once that was taken care of, Endermon took her crew once more to the edge of the village.  With a final warning to behave or he''d know, they saddled up and began their trek into the mountains.


    Endermon knew it would be a day or two until they reached the base of the mountains, not to mention all the false paths and pitfalls the mountainfolk had placed there to deter thieves and other such unpleasant types.


    So she asked if Rutus would like to take the lead when they got to the mountains.  Yes it had been a while, but she still remembered where she grew up and had free run of all the trails, so while on flat ground, Endermon was in charge.


    For the first little bit Dresden complained about being uncomfortable in the saddle and Endermon said he could go without a horse, and he kept fidgeting, but otherwise quieted down.  Well he did until he started talking about the group of shifters he led.


    The others rolled their eyes and let him go on.  And then promptly tuned him out.  Thing is, he didn''t seem to notice no one was listening.  He finally finished as they came out of the tree line.  Endermon said to stick to the edges of the meadows as much as possible.


    The mountain ranges were coming up and they didn''t want to waste time crossing meadows when they could just go up a mountain path.  Rutus agreed, but was understandably distracted.


    She was getting to be known as a really good blacksmith, and had to turn people away to be able to keep instructing at a pace she was comfortable with.  But she didn''t know if her mountain family would either approve or encourage her work.


    It wasn''t that they didn''t believe in her abilities, it was that blacksmithing was a largely male dominated field, so it was rather unusual for a female to want to pursue it.  She was just worried about that.  The others hurriedly reassured her that she had nothing to worry about.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    After that they rode on in silence until everyone needed a break from riding.  It was early evening so they decided to make camp and stay the night.  They worked together to make dinner, and soon they had a decent meal all set up.


    They ate and settled in to sleep.  They woke up to a thin layer of dew on them.  They stoked the fire and warmed up while coffee and breakfast was being made.  Finally everything was ready and they set off once they ate.


    As they got closer and closer to the mountains, the terrain got rockier and less stable.  They took to walking the horses at times.  Rutus at this point had taken the lead and said it would be easier on foot.


    Shiloh volunteered to take the horses back down, but Rutus said there was a stable a little ways away where they could keep their horses  until they were able to come back and get them.  The owner was a friend of hers so it should be fine.


    With Rutus''s guidance, they got the horses to the stable and then continued going up the mountain.  Rutus pointed out traps and told them which trails to take.  At one point, they stopped for lunch and had to be careful not to drop anything.


    Because mountain critters were far more dangerous than flatland critters.  And even though they had Endermon, it was better to keep any waste to themselves.  After eating, they made their way to a plateau that had a clear area with trees surrounding it.


    Endermon recognized it and found the tree that she nearly got axed next to.  Rutus apologized once again, and Endermon said not to worry about it.  Then Rutus said the easiest way to get around was the tunnels in the rock.


    Her place wasn''t too far from where they were, so a little bit of walking got them to an opening in the rock.  It was dark for the first little bit, then torches lined the walls.


    After a few twists and turns that they wouldn''t have been able to make by themselves, they found themselves in a brightly lit cave with a fire and several faces looking at them in surprise.