Swamped

Your first thought is to scramble below the walkway, but a sudden and distinctive hiss suggests that's a worse idea than risking capture. So you scramble upwards into the nearest tree's canopy instead, watching and waiting.

In your haste to flee, you knock down a vine and leave it hanging across the walkway. A patrolman soon comes along and nearly steps on the discarded vine, but notices it just in time and picks it up.

Hells. They're shining the lantern towards the trees now, probably trying to figure out where it came from. You hide yourself deeper in the leaves, not daring to even look - they might catch a glimpse of your eyes if they did.

Then you remember the raft.

If they're looking around thoroughly, they're sure to see its remnants, and there's no chance for you to do anything about it now. Your only hope is that they mistake it for driftwood. If they go on full alert, you're definitely in trouble.

After an agonizing few minutes, though, you just hear their footsteps on the walkway again. You grant yourself a sigh of relief before peeking out to confirm that yes, they're moving on.

Even better, from here you can clearly see the Bogknight base. It's not as far as you feared, though still a good distance if you stick to the walkways.

When you see the patrolman walk far enough away, you take a chance and climb down, moving carefully and deliberately. It wouldn't do for your footsteps to expose you, after all.

As you get closer, you slip into another tree, hoping to get an eye for when the next patrol approaches.

Unfortunately, Shorty panics and screams as you enter what he thought was a good hiding place. You clap a hand over his mouth, but the damage has likely already been done.

"It's Legs, you damned fool," you whisper at him. "I'm here to find out what happened to you two. Though I suppose I'd best drag you back now that I've found you."

He pulls your hand off.

"Not without the boss."

You roll your eyes.

"It's not worth the trouble. Sooner or later we'll take one of theirs prisoner and then we can bargain for him back. It's his own damn fault anyways, we're not supposed to all fight at once." You smile a little as you think about how Rider's going to let him have it for that.

"I'm not leaving him behind. You want to leave, go ahead."

You're just about to make your retort when you spot a flash of light out of the corner of your eye.

"No time to argue, your shrieking's drawn the knights. We'd best move fast, before they find us."

"You scared me!"

You just glare at him as you think about how best to handle the knights.