Ani would perk up when they'd spot Lirika and her crew. That made her stop to contemplate whether she should be excited to see them or not. Are they getting too comfortable? At this realization, the swordmaster would shift from comfortable to suspicious, putting up a guard. She'll stand at her usual position behind Vushaar and near Talaak, keeping an eye on Lirika and her group's mannerisms, and scanning their immediate area to remain alert.

Lirika gives a fanged grin as you all come within speaking range. "Greetings once more." Her face turns serious as she continues. "We've been tracking the Desecrator, but he turned back east recently. We think he may be heading back to the Eska Mountains, where the Kalaak hail from."

Talaak is decidedly not overjoyed to see Lirika and her pack again, though he doesn't seem to be overtly distrusting of them either. He keeps his normal, mildly disgruntled expression on his face, keeping a lookout for any other interlopers that might be eavesdropping in on their conversation.

"Whereby they may begin bunkering down, if not further bolster their ranks." Vusgaar comments on grimly while folding his arms over his chest. "Are there any chances of us cutting them off before reaching these mountains? Or even ambushing them within them if we move at fast pace?" He asked, even though the answer seemed rather obvious and grim. "And beside the Kalaak, are there any potential... I hesitate to use the word, but other allies we can recruit within those mountains?"

"We can try, we know the Tundra better than the barbarians," Lirika says thoughtfully. "And there are dwarves of the Dorann Holds in the Eska. But the Dorann are pretty isolationist, they haven't shown any interest in helping before this, and their mountain holds are underground, out of the Kalaak's reach. I doubt we'll find much assistance there."

"Right... them." Vusgaar bites back a growl, though some of it still rumbled in his throat for a moment. "We should do our best then to cut them off before they reach the mountains. Decrease odds of dwarven neighbors find some excuse at last to trouble with surface matters. But if need be at time. They are to considered." He suggests, and yet that agitated wrinkles to face doesn't quite fully leave it with admission.

Talaak grunts before speaking, "Then we make haste. If we do not reach them before they reach the mountains, our job will become more dangerous. In the meantime, we need to begin preparing for that eventuality. A few runners to inform your allied tribes, in preparation for the worst."

Ani would tilt her head in consideration to the suggestion of the Dwarves. Agreeing with Vusgaar and then Talaak when he chimes in with a suggestion, she would begin doing some stretches, limbering up 'to make haste'.

Lirika nods, face twisting into a frown. "I already sent one runner back to the Council to inform them we were closing in. I don't want to decrease my force any more than that. Now, if you will be joining us, we should get moving."

"We shall indeed, Lirika. For once more, our prey is one, and so shall we be to see to its falling." Vusgaar stated as much, prompting the Catican to take the air in readiness to keep an eye on surroundings once more. In a final nod, Lirika is given the go ahead to lead the way.

The next few days are hard travel, tracking the group of Kalaak. You fall into a rhythm as you follow the tracks, waking up early each morning, one of the shifters transforming to initially find the trail again, then traveling through the day, with only a break for lunch, and finally making camp just after sunset. The shifters shift through the day, to help keep to the trail and make sure the Kalaak aren't looping back.

OOC: Everybody please give me a Survival to determine how fast you catch up to the Kalaak.

Survival: 14

Survivor Man: 21

Ani Survival: 8

I've survived before, yeah: 7

Vusgaar's Survival w/ help from Catican: 16.

The group moves quickly across the Tundra, managing to avoid the occasional aukrak and any other obstacles.

The evening of the second day, you spot the light of several campfires in the distance. Lirika narrows her eyes, baring her teeth. "That's them."

Clearly unable to orient herself properly while travelling across the tundra, she decided to fall into shadowing their survivor man Deme. She'd peek out from behind him to look. "Do we wait for the full cover of darkness?"

Vusgaar eyes the distant camp with a degree of trepidation in his eyes. The moment of weakness passes with his gaze hardening and narrowing as Lirika's did, before he looks to the others. "We need to take them surprise. Get in close enough for those with but blades to sink them deep before they can properly act, and the one we're after slipping away. Suggestions?" He looks as much to Lirika as he did to the rest of the Edgewalkers. "I can make it so that one or two of you can see in the dark in case things go awry, and pursuit takes you away from the campfires. But no more than such."

"There are a few spells I could cast that will help us in this situation. I could make one or two of us invisible, I could make all of us stealthier, I could make one of us much faster in terms of moving and fighting, or I could conjure up lightning to strike them with."