He liked having a horse for once, Ishtul quickly decided, as he was soon speeding across the landscape, leaving the cave with his pursuers far behind. He carried on for a few hours, pushing the horse to its limit, before finally deciding that he had put enough distance between himself and his enemies to take a short rest.
Clambering awkwardly off the horse, he tied it to a nearby tree (proving incredibly difficult with only one good arm), making sure the horse had enough slack to reach a nearby patch of grass. Patting the weary animal on the nose, Ishtul walked to a tree and sat down with his back against it. He pulled out the bags that he had stolen from the fools following him and started rummaging through them, identifying his spoils.
First out were the medical supplies, sorely needed, as his broken arm was starting to go numb, and the makeshift bandage on his leg had fallen off with all of the hard riding. Quickly wrapping real bandgages around the wound, he managed to secure it as best as he could with one hand. Next up was the arm. Examining it closely, it looked in pretty bad shape. The skin above the break was being pushed up by the bone beneath it, and the entire area had turned an angry purple hue. The bone would need to be set before any healing could be done. Placing the roll of bandages between his teeth, Ishtul laid his broken arm on the ground, holding it in place with his leg. Grabbing his forearm with his good hand, the Hunter braced himself for a few moments before wrenching it upwards, forcing the bone back into place with a sickening crunch. Ishtul clenched his teeth as he waited for the pain to pass, nearly biting the bandages in two. Once the worst was over, and he could concentrate once again, he quickly placed a splint on his arm, and tied it in place. That should do him until he could make it to town, where he could hopefully find a real doctor.
With his injuries now taken care of, Ishtul grabbed some meat out of the pack. Though it was cold, he hadn't eaten in over a day, and wolfed it down hungrily. Most of his needs now satisfied, the Hunter wished he could take a quick nap, but couldn't risk it, seeing as his pursuers would have all the more reason to follow him now.
Wearily getting to his feet once more, Ishtul headed over to his new horse, who was happily grazing. Replacing the saddle and repacking his bags, he untied the beast and mounted up. Issuing a quick kick to his steed, he resumed his journey to Luskan, who's gate he could just begin to see coming over the horizon.
...
Standing once again in Luskan, Ishtul quickly remebered why he loved the city so. With so many thieves, pirates, and cutthroats, the Hunter felt right at home. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a pickpocket working his trade. Always interested in observing an amatuer try his hand, Ishtul sidled up against a building wall to watch the fun. It was quickly apparent that the man was truly a rookie. The "accidental" bumping of an old lady, helping her up with one hand, whilst rummaging through her purse with the other. The man had no class at all. The worst part was that, as he walked away from the scene, he had the nerve to look proud of himself! As if he had just pulled off a major heist! It was time to show this wanna-be how it was done. Quickly merging into the crowd, Ishtul made steady progress towards the thief, who was busy dropping his haul into the pockets of his tattered pants. After finishing the storing of his loot, the man started to walk off, not noticing Ishtul passing behind him. It would be a few hours later, as the thief made it home, before he would discover his pockets to be mysteriously, and completely, empty. Walking off, Ishtul grimaced. While he had seemed overjoyed before, the man had only acquired a few gold pieces from the old woman. Looking down at the meager supply of gold in his hand, he wondered if he should have just let the man have his prize. "Well," he thought to himself, "at least it'll get me a night at the inn".
Heading to the city's local inn, Ishtul's coin turned out to be just enough to buy a room for the night. Thanking the innkeeper for his hospitality, he headed up to his temporary home and began removing his gear. With all of the bags put away and the door securely locked, Ishtul began undressing. Taking off his shirt, he noticed that his arm was mending nicely; the swelling had gone down, and it wasn't causing him constant pain anymore. Unfortunately, he knew it would take quite a while for it to heal completely. He estimated it would likely be about a week before he would be back to normal. Considering he had lost the wolf's trail, and his Master hadn't given him any real timeline to follow, Ishtul didn't feel like his week here would be better spent elsewhere. Besides, he knew where the wolf was headed, and could really follow him at any time he chose. For now, however, it would be rest and relaxation for a while. While a week was a long time to do nothing, he was sure he'd find some way to keep busy here. With this comforting thought in mind, Ishtul settled down for the first full night's sleep he had gotten in a long time, feeling perfectly safe.
