"There is a good chance she just pushed herself too hard. Since no one is likely to sleep any time soon, I will let you all watch over her while I meditate and pray. Still, before I do..."

I put some extra life energies into her from my own healing reserve (20 hp) from Lay on hands.

The night passes with no issues as the morning comes along with another morning of cool crisp air.  None of the scouts report anything amiss and the day promises to be a nice day.  Soon everyone is awake and you set about to breaking camp to continue on your way. 

After we assure ourselves that Rachel is back to normal and the newly sprouted forest is healthy, I help pack up the camp. Renewing my few magical shortcuts and saying a quick prayer of thanks to Bahamut, I mount up and ride, leading where needed with the magical horseshoes. Ariel stays aloft but overhead, near enough to communicate and report on issues. 

Once Vickie makes sure Rachell and Cesaer have food and drink. she will get her stead ready and mount up and head out with the rest of the group.

I'll make sure to find a moment to speak with Rachel relatively privately, "Are you going to be okay? That looked pretty rough, and the road ahead isn't easy."

Rachel smiles weakly at Jason.  "I will be ok.  That took some out of me but I will recover and as we both know the road ahead will never be easy."

Big n Rich time...

Looking back at the progress made after seeing the sheer devastation to the grounds I happily accept the time we lost for the sake of restoring balance to this part of the forest. "That was some next level stuff you did Rachel, but we better keep moving. I have a feeling that this won't be the last time we see this and if we can build up our strengths more before then, we just might have a chance at stopping it from happening in the future, it'll be hard" I wink at her and clank my gauntlet to my shield, "but we have help."

The day passes quietly as you make further progress into the forest and heading in a northeasterly direction.  Soon the suns are setting but you can not see them through the dense foliage of the trees.  This same density is making it hard for your aerial scouts to be ale to see if anything is coming towards you as they have a hard time seeing the ground from above.   You do see a nice place to make camp for the night in a small clearing with a small brook running beside it.  The brook is moving in a south easterly direction.  

I look to the others for agreement on stopping here for the night. Most of the group has been camping together long enough that they know what to do, and the new guy Herschel definitely knew his way around a tent line, so I focus on getting my stuff settled. I was still hoping to get a few crafting projects finished before we hit the swamp, which meant another night working.

The camp is quiet and the night passes faster than Jason had hoped or it just seemed like that.  He is awakened by Thalica in an unusual manner but soon they both are dressed and ready for the day even if Jason seems a bit fatigued from less sleep than the others.  Soon camp is broken down and you are once again moving.  The aerial scouts are slowing moving you in a more north easterly direction more east than north as you head deeper into the woods. 

As the day progresses the scouts report back that they can hear something or somethings moving in their direction from the North.  they have not been able to spot them or it from the cover of the canopy but they are trying to be very quiet either. 

Passing the details over to the rest of the group as I get them. I prepare my weapons and be on guard. #Try and get a look at what or who we are facing, but keep distant and hidden! Use the tress for cover from any attacks, but try and act like the sparrow you are shaped from.# I ask my ersatz familiar. 

I look around for anything resembling a defensible position. Something as simple as a fallen tree might be helpful to act as a crude barrier. Trusting Grant and Ariel to get a closer look for the moment, I have Ping drop down and keep an eye on our rear, this might be a feint of sorts...

With the warning of possible danger, I will drop back to the rear and dismount. Quickly adjusting the carried gear as well as flipping the stirrups up to appear as if this is a pack animal, I then catch up to the next rearmost member, hand them the reins and slip into the trees on the left side of the road after checking the draw on my weapons and stringing the bow.

I will attempt to parallel the party as quietly but as quickly as possible. 

I will need stealth rolls from you Herschel  Move silent and such

17+3 for a 20 Move Silent

Soon you see a halfling and thirteen dwarves are being chased by giant spiders coming through the forest avoiding trees as they run.  The spiders are huge and they are slowly gaining on the fourteen.  It will be two melee rounds before they are upon you.  Make your decisions quickly.  Will you help them and fight the spiders or hide and watch the spiders continue to chase down their prey?

Something about the scene tickles in the back of my mind, but I have too much else to think about to think about it now. Need to negate their advantage in the trees... that clearing!

Wheeling my horse around I wave my arm and point, "To the clearing and make a defensive line! Quickly!" I call out to the dwarves and halfling, "Help this way! Follow us!"

As we gallop that way I call out to the casters in the group, "We need a barrier to go up just behind the dwarves when they hit the treeline, give them a chance to regroup. Flames, webs, whatever is prepped."

I ride my own enhanced mount the direction indicated, using the Horn of Fog to lay out a small area (10' square) obscured by it's magic near where we stop, headed towards the oncoming group, to provide some cover for anyone who needs it. I then dismount my horse behind the fog bank and coat my Great sword with Bladefire. 

Cursing in my (limited) Russian vocabulary I (hopefully) see whomever had the reins of my horse and remount, joining the dash to the clearing.

After dismounting I clear my thoughts and focus on my arcana, running thru my list of cantrips and spells. Based on current conditions I prep Flare and set my focus on the tree at the edge of the clearing in anticipation of the dwarves breaking into our area.