Voices filtered through the trees.
They where human. The higher pitched one dominated the conversation. It spoke so quickly that it was difficult to make out what the meaning of what was spoken. But, the emotions of disgust, anger, and concern were clear.

The other voice was deeper and only put up a brief objection before falling silent. Gabs was unsure if it was because it surrendered or that it was useless to reason with the waves of emotional words.

Gabs peered from behind a tree and caught sight of Aldren and Saddy in the morning light. Aldren, head bowed, seemed to be willing himself to be small. His arms were wrapped around his shoulders as he stared at a fixed point of dirt in front of him. Saddy continually glanced at him with scorn as she readied her horse and cleared the camp.

“We’re going to see what happened to the men,” her voice held command. “If anyone is alive, we have to help. If there are dead, we owe it to their families to let them know.”

“No one is alive,” Aldren’s voice was much like a drop of rain in a thunderstorm – all but meaningless. “They’re all dead.”

“You can’t know that.”

But, he did. He knew that death had met every man and their blood saturated the dirt. He knew that several days has passed and, should there be a miracle that someone had survived, it was too late. He knew that he had abandoned them and he should be dead as well.

“Come on.” Her voice was irritable as she swung herself onto the horse’s back. “Let’s go. Show me where it happened.”