Thornmaker made a sound suspiciously like a snort. "We don't need a lookout in the trees. We know our own territory."
"I'm not on lookout duty," Sebastian replied with a casual shrug. "Just enjoying the sunset. The view is quite spectacular from up here."
Hammerfall looked up with interest, his weathered face crinkling into something that might have been a smile beneath his thick beard. "Never took vampires for sunset admirers."
"There are many things about me that might surprise you," Sebastian replied with a hint of amusement.
Hammerfall chuckled, apparently untroubled by Sebastian's presence. The dwarves Ironhand and Steelfoot exchanged glances but remained silent, still forming their own opinions of their unusual ally.
Boarstaff finally found his voice. "Those are warrior braids," he observed, unable to keep a hint of question from his tone.
Sebastian touched one of the braids, a strangely self-conscious gesture for someone usually so contained. "Ochrehand's work," he said simply. "She seemed to think they were... appropriate."
"Ochrehand gave you warrior braids?" Thornmaker's voice rose with disbelief. "The shaman herself?"
"Is that unusual?" Sebastian asked, though his expression suggested he already knew the answer.
"Shamans rarely perform the braiding," Boarstaff explained, still processing this development. "Usually it's a battle-mentor or elder warrior."
"She said something about transformation," Sebastian replied, his tone deliberately casual. "And walking between worlds."
Hammerfall unconsciously touched his own beard, which bore three intricate braids woven with silver thread. "We have our own traditions," he said. "First braid when you take your first spouse. Another for each after that."
"Three spouses, Hammerfall?" Rockbreaker asked with interest.
"Aye, and all of them could out-fight most warriors here," Hammerfall said proudly. "The holds believe in strength in numbers, in all things."
Ironhand displayed four braids in his darker beard, while Steelfoot had two. "It shows the clan you're worthy of trust," Steelfoot explained. "If multiple people choose to bind their lives to yours, you must have something worth offering."
Rockbreaker nodded sagely. "The journey-braid. Reserved for those who straddle realms." He glanced at Thornmaker with what might have been amusement. "Seems fitting enough."
Thornmaker looked ready to argue further when Sebastian suddenly straightened on his branch, his entire demeanor changing. His posture became alert, head turning sharply westward, eyes narrowing as he focused on something beyond their vision.
"What is it?" Boarstaff asked immediately, recognizing the shift.
"Riders," Sebastian replied, one hand raised to shade his eyes against the setting sun. "Coming from the west. Desert garb and mounts from what I can see."
Thornmaker's hand moved instinctively to his weapon. "How many?"
"Perhaps twenty," Sebastian answered, his voice cooling into the precise tones he used when reporting tacticalinformation. "Moving openly. Not trying to conceal their approach."
"Horses," Hammerfall said with a dismissive snort. "Pretty things, but useless in real terrain. One loose rock on a mountain path and down they go, along with their rider."
"Aye," Ironhand agreed. "Delicate creatures. Good for flat travel maybe, but try taking one into battle on a proper slope. They'd break their legs before the enemy even showed up."
"Give me solid boots and my own two feet any day," Steelfoot added. "More reliable than any beast when the fighting gets real."
"The desert alliance," Rockbreaker said with a satisfied nod. "About time they arrived."
"Can you tell which clan?" Boarstaff stepped closer to the tree's base.
Sebastian shook his head. "Too distant yet. But they fly banners. Red and gold, I think, though it's hard to be certain in this light."
Boarstaff made a quick decision and began scaling the oak with practiced efficiency. He'd climbed that particular tree countless times over the years, using it as a vantage point during previous patrols.
"Look at him go," Ironhand said with amusement, watching Boarstaff scale the oak. "Like a great green bear trying to be a squirrel."
"Orcs and their tree-climbing," Hammerfall shook his head. "Big and clumsy as they are, it's a wonder more don't fall."
