We have been in these 'Darkwoods' for two days now and I do not notice any difference in the sunlight," Lyranda said to Petra, "why is this place called that?"  "Ye be right about the sun, darlin'," the dwarf replied, "though there be spots where the tree's canopy be so thick, it is like night.  The place got its name a few centuries ago, mainly because of the evil that haunted this area."  "At one time, this was the home of the Orcs," Petra continued, "back then, the history scrolls say, they were a noble race of hunters and warriors.  Though they weren't too keen on strangers in their lands, if ye respected the forest, their ways and didn't bother them, they rarely would bother ye."

"What happened then?", the druid asked, "what caused them to become the beasts they are today?"  "The Lingering Dark," Petra sighed, "it was able to use its powers to corrupt the orcs, control them and turn them into its army.  Since then, even with their master dead, the corruption runs so deep in their blood, they remain the savages we see today."  "You sound as if you admire them, Petra," Cailin interjected.  "In a sense, I do, Cailin," the dwarf answered, "at one time, they were a proud and honorable people... now, I pity them fer the most part.  Perhaps one day, Light be willing, they will overcome the corruption and return to what they once were."

Trotting back from his forward scouting, Marren climbed on the side of Petra's wagon and told the woman, "there's an old Mountaineer outpost a couple of miles up the trail, be a good place to stay for the night."  "How do ye know it be a Mountaineer outpost?", Petra queried the man.  Reaching up to rub the back of his head, Marren replied with a slight chuckle, "shorter bed frames and low ceilings in the bunk rooms."  Smiling back at him, Petra replied, "aye, that be a good give-away."

A couple of hours later, the group arrived at the outpost and began to make preparations for the night's stay.  As Lilith began her incantations for the arcane shield, Marren called out to the mage, "Lilith, hold up a moment!  Before you seal us in for the night, I spotted some apple trees about a hundred yards down a side trail.  Fresh fruit would be nice to go along with dinner tonight."  "Apples?", Cailin said to the man, "Miri loves apples.  Wait a moment, I'll get a basket from the wagon and go with you so we can gather more.  Apples would be a nice snack for all of us while on the road."  Returning shortly with a basket, Cailin spoke to Marren, "alright, ready to go?"  "Don't take too long, ye two," Petra called out to the pair, "it'll be dark in an hour or so... and we'll be needing to get set fer the evening. Be careful!"

As Cailin and Marren began to walk where the man had spotted the trees, Cailin replied to the woman with a wave, "yes Petra, we promise to be back before dark."  Then whispering to Marren,  "I swear that woman is like a mother hen."  "I know,"  Marren replied,  "but it makes me feel good."  With a light laugh, Cailin said, "me, too.  Well let's go get those apples and get back before our mother hen lays an egg."  As the pair continued down the trail, they both began to snicker at Cailin's last remark.

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Cailin's Journey - - An Adventure In The Making
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