Huddled in the snow lodge they had erected,Rhedad fretted and fumed silently,his feelings all too clearly mirrored by the grim expressions on the faces of his warriors.
When they had set out on their mission a week ago,they had expected to track down and slay the Wood elf Sentinel within a few days.How wrong they had been.Discovering his trail had been easy enough,for even a ranger as skilled as Sentinel,could not escape the keen nose of Gulk the smallest orc in the group,who had a sense of smell as keen as that of any hound.What they hadn't reckoned on however,was a blizzard that had flung mssiles of snow and ice everywhere,just as Sentinel had waked into the little ambush they had planned for him.At that moment Redad had been tempted to follow the advice of his second in command and to give the order to risk firing a poison tipped arrow at the Elven ranger.
Fortunately,his better sense had convinced him otherwise.Sentinel's skill with his blade was legendary among the dwarven Companies who had seen him kill 5 times his number,single handed.Rhedad was only too aware that he wouldn't be able to collect the bounty on the Ranger's head if he lost his head to the elf's blade.Besides,contrary to what everyone thought of orcs,Rhedad was not going to throw away the lives of his most trusted and skilled warriors on a gamble.As their leader,he was responsible for their welfare and safety and he would not let their mates become widows,thanks to his impatience and stupidity.No,close combat with the dread Ranger had to be avoided.It had to be a well aimed arrow or skillfully hidden trap.But that was impossible with the blizzard raging around them.It was anyone's guess how the Ranger could calmly stride on in this horrid snow storm.Maybe he really was part demon as the dwarves claimed.Well, demon or not,Rheadad would kill him and then leave this wretched place for good.But that would have to wait till this &^%$@ of a blizzard cleared.Until then,all they could do was wait.