There she was, lying under a blackberry bush and watching the bugbear troop doing normal sentry stuff. It was a good sized group. She and the other three could take them out but there were a bit more than she wanted to lay odds on. Avera thought about what she could do to whittle down their numbers to a more reasonable front. She pulled forward a bit to hear what the captain of this team was saying when she stopped at the sound of a snort. This rocky terrain masked the sounds of movement and with this group being rather loud, she had accidentally missed important signs. Her father would never have accepted her being this sloppy. She could almost hear the lecture.

Her head turned as she kept her body still. She didn't have to look far. Almost on top of her was a dire bear. It had just gotten there and started to eat the blackberries. It's nose wiggled with her scent, and it's eyes turned to her in surprise. It must have scented her earlier but could not see her under the bush. The smell of blackberries would have disguised her scent. At least she did have a good hiding spot.

With a roar, the dire bear's right paw came down where she had just been. Avera tumbled out of the bush to stand directly between the bear and the bugbear troop. At first the bugbears could only see the hobbit so a couple of them, including their captain, had run in to catch the small one. But the paw came down again, and Avera ducked in time for a bugbear to get caught in the line of claws. Blood splattered all over the little woman as much of the bugbear's torso ripped off with the swipe.

She moved to the bear's right as it's left paw came down, then the animal lifted itself to it's full height, and swatted down at the next bugbears with both paws. Under the animal she went as it fell to all fours. Another bugbear had stupidly figured that she was a problem and tried to use a pole to get her from under the bear. But the bear swirled on him not realizing whom the bugbear was attacking.

Avera crouched and ran on all four of her limbs until she got out from behind the dire bear. Then she stood and sprinted back towards her team. She had to get there fast so she took a short cut and ended up on a cliff face.

Ok. This was fine. She couldn't move back because of the fighting that was going on but the drop from the ledge was too much for her to just jump. She could see Casavir easily enough. If he could catch her … then she remembered that she had noticed roots under the ledge. She scampered forward to check out below the ledge.

nnn

The three men glanced about as they waited for Avera to come back from scouting out the area. They were starting to get worried as she had been gone for quite a while now. At least Casavir and Khelgar were concerned. Grobnar just danced about in tight little circles humming.

The sounds of a bear made both the dwarf and paladin look very concerned, but they were not sure which way to go. As they were about to go in the direction Avera had used to scout, the gnome started to sing.

"I don't want to be in a bugbear stew ..." The gnome bounced happily. Both of the other men turned to glare at him, "What? It seemed like a good song to sing right now. I don't know why you two are worried. She just got back and is peeking over that ledge up there." He pointed to a long ledge where the hobbit was working away, busily searching over the edge of the rocks.

Khelgar walked over to Grobnar, "Ye ok, lass? There be fighting going on and you look like … well, like a bucket of blood fell on ye." He watched as she felt around the bottom of the ledge.

"Oh I'm fine. It's just chopped to shreds bugbear blood and guts. Nothing I'm not used to, y'know." She continued to feel about until she found a root that was connected to the rock at both ends, "Just so you know ... we have friends coming for dinner." Her hands wrapped around the root and she flung herself forwards to swing over the end.

"Avera!" Casavir yelled then backed up as a bugbear careened off the edge, and fell in front of him. The paladin stepped forward and put the creature out of it's misery. He watched her carefully as she swung about on the vine.

More bugbears were coming onto the ledge. Some were at the top of the hill trying to kill an especially large dire bear.

"You told me there were no dire bears in the area, Khelgar!" The hobbit yelled while swinging back and forth, still holding the root. An axe swung down in front of her face and she made a startled squeek as it cut the root in two.

"Well, they must have bred back up. I guess the dragon didn't eat them all then."

The bugbear flung it's axe forward again, then fell with an arrow between the eyes. Her hands were slipping down the root so Avera let go. Casavir ran forward and caught her before she could hit the ground. His knees buckled from the momentum of her fall from such a high height, but he was only pushed into a crouch from it.

She smiled into the paladin's close face, and kissed the tip of his nose in thanks, "You are a lot stronger than I thought, my paladin." With a wink, she dropped from his arms and started to sing for their armor strength to be increased. Grobnar followed suit for competence, "Thanks Grobbie!"

"No problem, Avera!" The gnome grinned due to his good shot, "I think I'm getting the hang of that technique you showed me."

"Good!" She yelled as she flung her mace to the ready, "Keep shooting up there and we'll lambast these ones coming around the corner!"

Khelgar was in front of her in a moment, striking down the first bugbear to come around the bend.

"Bugbear bugbear, ugliest I know!" Sang Grobnar.

With a giggle, Avera joined in, "I'm gonna hit you on those furry, furry toes!"

"Their toes are not furry." Casavir announced grimly as he slammed his hammer into the side of a head.

Avera jumped over Casavir's kill as it fell, and slammed a kneecap that got in her way, "Doggone it ... you're right!"

Grobnar continued to make a pin cushion out of the foremost bugbear on the ledge, "So what now? I'm gonna hit you on your ugly, ugly toes?"

The dire bear was loosing steam, but kept moving onto the ledge with bugbears dangling from it. It was one impressive bear.

"Too many uglies." She backed up to Casavir who hit the bugbear that was coming towards her, then she rolled around his legs to his side and smashed her mace into one that was going after Casavir's side. She leaned against his hip as she hit the bugbear's arm a couple more times then whalloped the head as it started to lean forward.

"Actually, there isn't enough 'uglies' to fully express their ugliness, lass."

She grinned as Casavir bashed another bugbear, and she made sure it stayed down, "You have such a way with words, Khelgar."

"I aim," His fire axe came down on a leg, snapping and cutting it in half, "To please, lass."

Grobnar yelped as the bugbear he had been shooting fell a bit to close for his likes, "Didn't you two work on that song together?"

The hobbit hit another bugbear in the groin as Casavir's hammer pummeled into it's chest, "That was 'Bugbear Stew.' We didn't take all that much time on it, but I think it's liveable."

Khelgar backed up to get a good swing at an especially large bugbear, "So what did you take your time on, lass?"

Avera squeaked from a near miss to the head, "You are as bad as Neeshka!"

"I figured someone had to make up for her not being here." He took off a head, and side-stepped the splattering of blood.

"We had supper together." Casavir announced calmly as he finished off the one that almost took off his lady's head, "And discussed matters."

"What kind of matters, lad." Khelgar watched for more attackers but could hear none.

Casavir turned a steadied eye on the dwarf, "That is between Avera and myself." He slowly returned his hammer to it's place and watched as Avera dropped her backpack and used his leg as an anchor as she stretched her back. He gave her a half grin and shook his head.

"So did we get them all, lass?" He looked up at the body of the dire bear, strewn over two more live bugbears trying to get out from under it. He was amused that the gnome was still using them as target practice.

She rolled her head from side to side, getting out the kinks, "There are more further down the way but that seems to be all of them from the spot closest to us." She counted the bodies and nodded, "Yep. That's all I had seen but we should still be on guard. There might be scouts around. Birds have scattered because of the bear so I am not sure."

They took inventory of the damage they received, and were happy that it was minimal scratches and cuts. Nothing was too deep as to be much of a bother.

Khelgar dispensed of the dirty work, making sure there was no survivors, retrieving arrows and looting the bodies.

The group rested for a while then grabbed their packs and got back to their little jaunt.