Knives

I couldn't understand what was being said, but none of it sounded friendly.  I thought it was best to try to take a peek without announcing myself.  Maybe the ambush uphill had made me paranoid, but it seemed prudent.

A quick look around convinced me that trying to go over the rocks wouldn't be a good idea, so I kept to the trail and moved slow and quiet until I could see.  I found a gap in the stone with a small scrub bush growing nearby that should break up my silhouette.  I could make out a half-dozen people dressed in furs and leathers.  They didn't look like the hunters from above.  These were...harder.  Leaner.  Most of them were angrier.

I still couldn't make out what they were saying other than the occasional word, but I picked up enough to make me feel like they were planning to attack the nearby town, Riverwood I assumed.  There weren't many of them, and if they thought they had a reasonable chance to get away with loot I certainly didn't think much of the defenses.

After a few minutes the crowd dispersed except for one woman.  I thought I heard a door slam from somewhere further down.  The lookout was angry and not really doing her job and it wasn't at all difficult for me to slip up behind her while she was moping.  One hand to mouth, knifetip to the throat, and my voice was cold, "Why so angry little human?  What are you planning?"

I could smell fear.  The heavy scent of fear lifted off her and I liked it.  "I'm going to move my hand, and you're going to tell me what is going on here.  If you do anything but that, I will kill you and find another mouse to squeak for me."

I moved my hand to her chin and squeezed.  "Squeak for me, human."

"Brassus wants us to attack Riverwood and sack it.  He says they're weak and we can raze the place and disappear."

The smell of fear was getting weaker, and I slipped my knife through her throat before she was finished speaking.  I shoved her convulsing body off the trail and into the brush.  It wasn't hidden, but humans couldn't see worth much anyway.  I bit at my upper lip...I didn't care about Riverwood, but some troubled part of me didn't feel like letting this happen either.  I moved down the trail some more and saw a covered entrance into the mountainside.

The area had been trashed, with pull carts and tools piled out of the way with no regard for using them again.  There wasn't much left of the door, and I approached it carefully in case someone was standing watch on the inside as well.  Chunks were missing from the edges and I looked through one of the holes to find nobody present on the other side.  I let myself in to hunt.