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Ryan, Dan, and Tim took three others with them. They headed directly towards the church following what seemed to be the quickest path; however, instead of getting to the church, they found themselves deeper in the woods and lost. They could no longer see the church or anything other markers. It was dark and only getting darker. They could hear animals howling and whining. They couldn't decide which would be worse, the animals or the enemy's army.
They continued down their path looking for any signs of location or direction. Every now and again, they stopped and Dan would mark a tree or two. His mark was a circle and a triangle. This would at least warn them when they were going in circles.
Then Dan came across a tree with a strange marking. It looked like it was an animal's paw. Only a human could have created the mark. It freightedDan, Tim, and the same band of men that had followed. Who left the mark? Where they friendly? Could they help the men? Or would they kill the group?
Ryan had gone off to explore the surrounding area. The group gathered around the tree with their weapons drawn.
When Ryan got back, he asked what was the matter. He had found hopeful clues and the actions of his group members puzzled him. After their explanation, Ryan examined the mark. He laughed. Then he explained the mark. Four years ago, a Tailen team had been traveling in these woods and got lost. Their team mark was a paw. The tracker would stop and mark every so many trees just like Dan had been doing. After this team had be broken up, the mark was lost or forgotten. Its use banded. The team had made it out of the woods alive every trip they had made into it. Ryan told the group they should follow the mark, as it would lead them to saftly.
Not knowing what else to do, the group agreed. They followed the mark. The woods got thicker and thicker. It got so dark that they could hardly see a hand in front of their face. Then they were in a swamp. It smelt horrible. The burning sulfur made their eyes water and their noses run. But it was a great relief to the group. They knew this swamp and how to get through to the Tailen kingdom, which was their home.