Swamped

"The underbrush shouldn't be that bad, actually," Dean says. "Most creatures that bother going in there are prey species looking to hide. The few predators that go in there regularly are the smaller ones, who need to rely on the element of surprise to catch their prey."

"They still might make noise if we frighten them," Mary says.

"I can only think of two or three species we might encounter that could potentially be loud enough to be heard all the way over there. And all of them will be facing depleted populations after the last rain."

"Well, The Dean knows his animals," Walter says. "If he thinks it's a good bet, that works for me."

"I don't like it," Tom grumbles. "What if there's some weird hungry creature we've never heard of in there? It wouldn't be the first time that sort of thing's caught some unsuspecting knights."

"Then it will leave signs of its presence. I'll keep an eye out for anything unusual."

"Like what, a trail of animal carcasses? We just had rain, we'll find those anywhere the scavengers haven't hit yet."

"I was thinking more along the lines of droppings. Those have a tendency to linger."

"Enough, Tom," Jackson sighs. "Dean's made his point - if there is something weird, he'll spot it early. I'm good with Dean's plans, any objections?"

"Yes," Tom grumbles.

"Huh? Oh, sounds fine," Stacey says, pulling herself out of the water.

"I think Dean's made a good case," Mary says. "So is anyone bothered other than Tom?"

The only person who hasn't spoken up is you. Are you with Dean, or do you have any concerns you want to raise first?