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Marcus, paladin

Marcus pulls his crossbow to his shoulder, ready. Perhaps someone should scout the area, he suggests.

Nahin - Elf

Nahin will move forward with bow drawn scanning left to right. He will take a look at the carcass and see if the wound patterns match the other horse.

Buck moves ahead, cautiously watching the top of the hillocks, while Rory and Nahin spread out. Dak stands next to the wagon, hand on his sword, and Han surveys the area as well.

After several minutes of searching, Buck and Han both find some non-natural things. Buck locates a saddle that is off the trail, almost absentmindedly discarded. The saddle is scuffed up, and has several large stains on one side of it... looks like blood. Old, dried blood. Whatever made the stain lost a lot of blood.

In a small depression near the remains of the horse but well off the trail Han finds a bunch of damaged and discarded items - none servicable. They consist of:
Several ripped, stained and tattered blankets, some dented cookware and cutlery, some spoiled foodstuffs (meat, vegetables, etc.) some fragments of torn clothing, some with bloodstains on it, a lone boot, a dented bucket helmet, closer inspection reveals some scalp with black hair and an ear stuck inside it., a broken lantern leaking oil, and 3 empty shattered wooden crates with the words "Terril's Outfitters and Farm Supply, Red Larch - Westbridge."

As you further survey the area, you find evidence of a struggle, scuff and drag marks, dried blood on the ground, and small bits and pieces of the shattered crates. It looks as though the area was hastily or shabbily ransacked, and not much effort was made to hide the scene.

Nahin, your examination of the horse reveals two sets of wounds. Several jagged tears in the flesh are located on the neck and haunches. You surmise that these injuries would have been enough to bring the horse down. The most visible wounds appear to be more of the feline claw marks and smaller bite marks, which appear to have been made some time after the horse died. Looks strikingly similar to the wounds on good ol' Violet.

Other than the light howl of the wind, you hear nothing, and you see nothing other than the described refuse.

Marcus, paladin

Let's proceed cautiously. Eyes and ears open.

Nahin - Elf

Ya, there is something more sinister that a big cat about.... glancing at the leftover items: Whatever it is it's not interested in loot, I guess. He'll re-mount and keep his eyes peeled and bow at the ready.

Han Overfist, augur of Tymora

"I would think it goes with common sense but horses are large and not all that easy to kill, I would think to have spears, bows, and other ranged weapons at the ready in case whatever did this rushes us"

(Han looks to the supplies, and then he will offer that the meat would be wasted if left behind...)

"I just had a thought...while considering to salvage the meat...why is there meat?...I would think the meat would have been a magnet for any number of predators and scavengers...and yet here it is...so one would think there are no other creatures in the area or the one that did this knows it will be here for some other reason...or worse, that it is killing for entertainment"

After spending a few more minutes looking about and discussing, Buck mounts up again and says "Well, let's get going. We are on the trail of something."

You ride for perhaps three more hours, with the skies still free of snow, but the clouds building, sweeping slowly but steadily from the mountains. The sun disappears behind the thick clouds, and the wind picks up just enough to emit a low whistle, along with the chilling cold. The trail comes to a large gorge spanned by an ancient wooden bridge, about 50 feet in length. At the opposite end of the bridge is a sharp curve that winds out of sight. While the bridge is very old, it is made of thick hand hewn timbers, and looks very sturdy. Buck eyes the bridge and says, "I'll cross first. If nothing happens, come across." With that, he crosses the bridge, slowly picking up the pace as he sees it is safe. He crosses uneventfully, and as he gets to the other side, he says "C'mon. It's fine."

As you start to cross, Buck trots his horse just around the corner and abruptly returns with a sour look on his face. He says in a dry, disgusted tone, "Here we go." He motions to the curve, and you approach. As you round the corner, you see a large rockfall blocking the trail. None of the rocks are huge, but you'd estimate it will take at least 3-4 hours to clear the path enough to proceed.

Buck dismounts, carefully scanning the walls above on the gorge, then sheaths his axe, and says "Well, I guess we start clearing?"

Nahin - Elf

Hmmm... seems like a good place to set a trap. Lets be on our toes! Nahin will help start moving the rocks keeping a sharp eye out for whoever may have cause the slide.

"Agreed, my pureblood friend," Rory says to Nahin. He dismounts and likewise starts clearing the rubble.

Dak dismounts and starts chucking boulders down the side of the gorge, mumbling "stoopid rocks... Dak hate rocks in road..."
Grinkle also gets down and starts rolling smaller boulders off the edge as well, grunting heartily with the effort.

After about two hours of work, and tense staring up at the gorge walls and trail behind you, the work is completed. You are pretty exhausted, and daylight is fading. Buck shakes his head and says "Damn. We'll have to camp down the trail a ways. We can't chance the path after dark. It's a small campsite, but we can fit." He looks at you all questioningly as if to say "What next?"