Beneath the Pines

The sun hung low in the great open spread of the sky, casting its golden light warmly down through the lush canopy of pine trees as the band of adventurers pressed onward, deeper into the dense and mysterious forest. A rich, earthy smell of moss mixed with the damp aroma of bark to make a fragrant mixture further enhanced by the soft, faint whisper of the breeze as it wove elegantly through the fragile needles high above. Even though the setting gave an aura of peacefulness and restfulness, there was a lingering strain humming through the air—a relic, no doubt, of the disturbing battle with the bandits the day before.