Blood-Mane trudged diligently through the blizzard covered mountains, the thick snow muffling his footsteps. Down below in the valley he could see the party of humans creating a trail of tiny footprints as they marched ahead. From his view on the mountain they looked kind of like ants traveling in a line, and he assumed they probably looked about the same up close. He was sure that they must be freezing without thick coats of fur like himself. Keeping careful watch, the troll questioned if perhaps they would eventually just stop moving altogether, and he would descend down the mountain to find an army made of solid ice. The thought created a slight grin underneath the beast's giant nose.
His thoughts turned to food, as a rumble that would terrify armies rattled from his stomach. Searching around the mountains in this area proved scarce for snacks, as the local wildlife seemed to be not nearly as well equipped for the cold as the tasty mammoths and frost-tigers that lived near his cave in the north. Another quick scan of the area revealed only the party he was following, and not even a footprint of another animal caught his sight.
Blood-Mane, discouraged, turned back toward the band of humans to see if they had frozen solid yet. However, they continued to move forward at a steady rate. The dark army of humans on dark horses unnerved the troll, though he was not sure why. They were definitely small, though they seemed powerful and creepy somehow. The thought helped encourage the troll to stay at a distance in the mountains and not disturbing the lot of humans.
Blood-Mane's eyes traveled over the rest of the group. The odd group of humans riding bears traveled below. The bears were large and sturdy, and the troll wondered if perhaps they might loan him one bear as a snack. It was unlikely they would part with their rides, though, and Blood-Mane decided it probably wasn't worth making them angry to find out. In the sky above them, the strange, flying creature glided, appearing to the Blood-Mane to be the most powerful of the army, and remained the only one of the creatures below that currently made sense to the troll as someone who might be summoned for this sort of task.
As Blood-Mane continued to affirm his decision to stay at a distance, a small motion caught his eye. Off, not far in the distance, he spotted a deer. It would not be a substantial meal by any means, but would be better than nothing. He walked carefully behind boulders, moving as stealthily as a giant troll could, in the direction of the deer. Despite his efforts, though, his movement succeed in startling the animal, and it took off across the mountain slopes.
Determined and hungry, Blood-Mane pursued his one chance at a decent snack through the jagged rocks and half buried trees dotting the snow-covered landscape. Eventually, he managed to circle around the animal, somewhere lower down the mountain, and crouched for a while behind a boulder. After some time of waiting, the deer began to get closer, traveling slowly down the sides of the mountain slopes. Fortunately, right at that moment, some sort of signal of light shot into the air nearby, startling the deer right down toward the motionless troll, who crouched under a large rock just large enough to cover him.
After a while of waiting, the deer made its way to the rock where the beast waited, and Blood-Mane managed to grab his snack. Biting the deer in half and chewing his tasty meal, Blood-Mane stepped out from his hiding spot, hoping to finish the rest of his meal more comfortably. As he began to take another bite, he heard voices talking about something to do with barbarians.
Blood-Mane looked down, mid-bite, and realized that he had, in his distraction, managed to run right into the humans he had been following.
His thoughts turned to food, as a rumble that would terrify armies rattled from his stomach. Searching around the mountains in this area proved scarce for snacks, as the local wildlife seemed to be not nearly as well equipped for the cold as the tasty mammoths and frost-tigers that lived near his cave in the north. Another quick scan of the area revealed only the party he was following, and not even a footprint of another animal caught his sight.
Blood-Mane, discouraged, turned back toward the band of humans to see if they had frozen solid yet. However, they continued to move forward at a steady rate. The dark army of humans on dark horses unnerved the troll, though he was not sure why. They were definitely small, though they seemed powerful and creepy somehow. The thought helped encourage the troll to stay at a distance in the mountains and not disturbing the lot of humans.
Blood-Mane's eyes traveled over the rest of the group. The odd group of humans riding bears traveled below. The bears were large and sturdy, and the troll wondered if perhaps they might loan him one bear as a snack. It was unlikely they would part with their rides, though, and Blood-Mane decided it probably wasn't worth making them angry to find out. In the sky above them, the strange, flying creature glided, appearing to the Blood-Mane to be the most powerful of the army, and remained the only one of the creatures below that currently made sense to the troll as someone who might be summoned for this sort of task.
As Blood-Mane continued to affirm his decision to stay at a distance, a small motion caught his eye. Off, not far in the distance, he spotted a deer. It would not be a substantial meal by any means, but would be better than nothing. He walked carefully behind boulders, moving as stealthily as a giant troll could, in the direction of the deer. Despite his efforts, though, his movement succeed in startling the animal, and it took off across the mountain slopes.
Determined and hungry, Blood-Mane pursued his one chance at a decent snack through the jagged rocks and half buried trees dotting the snow-covered landscape. Eventually, he managed to circle around the animal, somewhere lower down the mountain, and crouched for a while behind a boulder. After some time of waiting, the deer began to get closer, traveling slowly down the sides of the mountain slopes. Fortunately, right at that moment, some sort of signal of light shot into the air nearby, startling the deer right down toward the motionless troll, who crouched under a large rock just large enough to cover him.
After a while of waiting, the deer made its way to the rock where the beast waited, and Blood-Mane managed to grab his snack. Biting the deer in half and chewing his tasty meal, Blood-Mane stepped out from his hiding spot, hoping to finish the rest of his meal more comfortably. As he began to take another bite, he heard voices talking about something to do with barbarians.
Blood-Mane looked down, mid-bite, and realized that he had, in his distraction, managed to run right into the humans he had been following.
