The Proper Ways (Part 5)

            Battles usually come in 3 phases. Planning, preparation and engagement. The plan was simple. The men had the element of surprise. That plus the fact that they had more men and elves on their side meant a rush attack was the order. The preparation also went well. Human mages could control air, fire, wood or water. Whereas male mages can control all 4 to various degrees; female mages called witches can usually control only one of them, usually with amazing power and control.

            Elvish mages however are different. They are enchanters. Orven knew that his sword and light leather armor were all enchanted by female elves, making them sharper and stronger. He knew of elven families who kept their female mages in the house, doing nothing but enchanting items for sale. Rumors were that this was why males were allowed many wives for the female mages do nothing expect their enchanting.

            Whereas females enchant things, male enchant the living. As the elf mage intone his spell, Orven felt his spirits lifted. His body was now stronger, faster. Planning, preparation, now for engagement…and it all fell apart.

            The plan went well at first. The men sneaked up on the camp. Six arrows later, the two guards were dead. Then one of the sleeping women woke up. She must have some elvish blood in her because Orven thought the men were as quiet as they could be. The men rushed the camp as the women stirred. Orven was at the front of the rush as 2 women came to meet the charge. Orven met one of them and feinted for her head. As the woman’s sword went up to defend her, Oven went down to one knee and stabbed into the woman’s gut. Qroish might have orders to take the women alive, but in battle who was to say what is needed and what isn’t needed to win. Orven twisted his blade and then pulled it out. The woman fell. She will not live long.

            Men overtook Orven as the battle continued. Arrows flew over him before hitting their targets. Always, the arrows were aimed at the woman’s arms and legs; Orven was still disgusted by the no deaths order. Suddenly, a wall of snow covered the camp. Blinded by the snow, Orven stumbled forward. He can hear the screams and shout from the men and women beside him. Battles are still ongoing despite the wall of snow.  

            Before he knew it, Orven came out of the snow. And straight into trouble! In front of him were the air witch and 2 other women. One look and Orven knew that the wall of snow was done by the witch. One look was all he got as the 2 women charged towards him immediately.

            One sword against two is never good odds. The women attacked Orven relentlessly, trying to push him back into the wall of snow. Orven went into full defensive mode, waiting for a mistake from the women or for the spell to come down, whichever came first.

            The mistake came first. His mistake! A slash came too down and Orven parried it with ease. Orven then countered with a swing at the woman’s face. She backed off as the second woman came in for an attack. Her swing was at Orven’s head, but Orven was ready. He ducked under the swing, took a step into the woman and…slipped in the snow! Orven pushed out his hand to avoid dropping face first into the ground. The woman saw her chance and raises her sword for the chop. With his free hand, Orven pushed off the ground and slammed into the body of the woman. She stumbled backwards into the other woman who was coming right behind her. Both women stumbled in the snow as Orven took the on the attack.

            3 quick steps and a thrust to the heart took out the first woman who was still recovering from the fall. Orven pulled out his sword as the other woman came around her falling comrade. She attempted a wild swing at him as Orven jumped back. He wasn’t quite quick enough as the sword cut his chest. His leather armor prevented the wound from being too deep and the woman followed up with a thrust with her sword. Orven parried and took a step backwards. Thinking that she got her opponent on the ropes, the woman took the bait. She stepped in towards Orven, trying to force the attack. But Orven was ready for her. The woman looked shocked as Orven jumped into the woman and thrust his sword through her guts. As he retracted his sword, he looked for the witch.    

            Later, his follow men would praise Orven for his great courage. Seeing that her protectors had fallen, the witch dropped the snow wall and blasted Orven with an air spell. However, as Orven flew through the air now, all he could think of was, “I am so out of practice.”

Epilogue

 

            Jar tried to relax on her bonds. She was tied spread-eagled on the floor of the stable. Since her master’s returned from the quest, the family had returned back to the homestead. Rebuilt by the Keeper, the new homestead was even bigger than the old one. However, there were less people in the family now since the attack. Even Tord was still at the Keep. Her master had enrolled him in a respected warrior school there. It was strange as her master had trained all his sons himself before. Her master gave no reason to the women and it was not Jar’s position to ask.

            Her master decided that he would like to have new sons and since the start of winter all 3 women had being tied to the floor with only a straw mattress beneath them. A thick cloth covered their head blinding them. There in darkness, the women await their master for breeding.

Jar’s heart beat a little faster when she heard the sound of footsteps. There can be only one reason; her master has entered the stable. A moment later, Jar heard her master’s order, “This one.” Jar heard moving footsteps. Both daughters of her master were moving to assist her master.

Jar’s heart jumped as she felt her skirt being lifted by the girls. Her master had chosen her! She felt her master entered her without ceremony. She desperately wanted to close her legs behind her master but this was impossible as the bonds were just too tight. She tried to tighten her muscles, to make it more pleasurable for her master. Then, she felt her master released his seed inside her. Just like that, it was over.    

Her master came out of her. Next thing she knows, the cloth was lifted from her head. The light was painful to her eyes but Jar smiled as her master was beside her with his member just above her mouth. Without a word, Jar lifted her head and cleaned her master. She made sure she licked every part of her master’s member.

Her master then stood up and the thick cloth was pulled over her head again. Jar heard her master exiting the stable with his daughters in darkness. Just like that, with no words, no kisses or even a smile, her master’s visit was over. Again Jar tried to relax. Tied motionless, there was nothing to do but await her master’s next visit.

THE END

The Proper Ways (Part 4)

            As Jar sat on the floor, she asked the question. She already knew the likely answer but that has never stopped her before, “Are the girls in the veil?”

“Yes, same as here I’m afraid.” Suz signed. “Their exact words were, ‘As the dorms you will be living in are considered public areas, you must don the veil at all times while in the custody of the Keep.’”

“So the girls are also in their veil full-time?”

“Yes”

“They must hate it.”

“They are old enough to know that it is not their choice.” Suz intoned. “They are women. They obey. Like us, they must not complain”  

“You sound like you disapproved?” Jar said.

“They should have kept the girls with us. The family should be together.”

“The girls are too young to do our job Suz. You know that.”

“But they are our girls! We should be together.” Suz also shouted the words. “By the way, where is Foz?”

“She is taking a walk.” Jar smiled beneath her veil. “Trying to walk off the spanking I just gave her.”

“A spanking? Why?” Suz’s eyes widen in surprise.

“She asked me to. Something about she being more rebellious without the master around.”

“Oh…she’s still unhappy about the master going on the quest?”

Jar’s sadness came though in her voice, “Her sons didn’t die on the raid.”

“I’m sorry. Riven and…”

“They are dead.” Jar said with finality. “I just want master to kill the bitches who killed my sons.”

Suz kept quiet. What could she say? Riven and Leven sacrificed themselves to save them; and her own son, Tord. What could she possibly say? Luckily, the man who walked into the dorm saved her from doing anything.

All eyes went to the man who walked in. Jar knew him immediately. Overseer Tyrell was a human in charge of all the women under the Keep’s care, which means he was their stand-in master.

“Women,” Tyrell’s booming voice sounded like thunder. “All eyes and lips to the ground”

            All the women kneeled and kissed the ground before them. Jar wondered what this was about. In the twenty odd days she has being under the Keep’s care, the overseer has only stepped into the dorm about 4-5 times.

            The overseer walked into the dorm, and Jar was surprised that there was another pair of footsteps behind him. Curiosity kills the cat, and Jar kept her eyes on the ground. She may not see what happened, but she can hear the exchange.

“Stand up Jud.” The overseer’s voice was unmistakable.

There was a moment’s silence before the other person spoke. “This is the one?” A man’s voice! Jar was thankful she was fully covered; it would not do to tempt the man with their female bodies.

“Yes Sir Talon” the overseer said. “She is just 18 summers old. Young and healthy enough for any work, but old enough for breeding, if you so chooses.”

So this was a marriage contact! The overseer had called the other male Sir; so this means he was either an elf or a half-elf. Jar knew that the girl Jud was an orphan whose parents were both dead. With no relatives to go to, the Keep had taken care of her since her childhood. Now, there was finally a master for her. Jar felt happy for the girl, at least until Sir Talon said his next words.

“Pull down your veil woman.”

An uncomfortable moment began. A woman’s value was in her work, not her face. This could be bad. Luckily, Overseer Tyrell did not miss a beat. “Do it girl.”

“Not bad,” Sir Talon said after a moment. “Not ugly enough to disgust me, or beautiful enough to disarm me. She will do.”

Overseer Tyrell pounced. “Excellent. Jud would be yours for the lowly dowry of 90 gold pieces.”

“You are jesting, Goodman Tyrell. 20 gold pieces”

“The gold is to the Keep, not to me.” The overseer pretended to consider. “75 gold pieces then”

“You are trying to beggar me Goodman. 40 gold”

“I’m afraid the dowry can’t be lower than 60 gold pieces, Sir Talon.”

“I can buy a cow for that price. 50 gold pieces is my final offer.”

“Done”

            Jar heard the clasp of hands between the two men. The marriage has been agreed on. Then Jar heard the unmistaken sound of a slap to the face.

“Put back your veil woman,” Sir Talon said. “Are you trying to tempt me with your face?”

            Jar heard Jud falling to the ground in subjection. Sir Talon would be a hard master. As the two men walked out of the dorm, Jar felt envy for Jud. A marriage to a hard master is the dream of every woman. Envy is a woman’s greatest sin, she remained herself. She will need to ask Suz to give her a spanking.

           

The quest was finally looking up for Qroish. After too many days of fruitless tracking, his scouts had finally located the female raiders. Ten human women all armed with one witch among them. That witch was some ‘air mage’ with control of the wind. She was using the wind to cover their tracks in the snow, explaining why there were so few tracks for the elves to go on. The women set up camp for the day, not knowing that this was the last free day they will ever have. The day was looking up for Qroish and it was about to get…better.

            Orven approached the elf quietly (or as quietly as a human could) and stood at attention. Qroish nodded for him to approach.

“What can I do for you, Goodman Orven?”

“It is regarding the raiders, sire.”

“Oh,” Qroish said. “I know of your desire for vengeance Orven, but I’m afraid we have standing orders. No deaths unless it could not be helped. All females captured turned over for retraining and re-education by the Keep, after which they will be turned over to the men who captured them.” Qroish paused for a moment for effect. “I cannot just…”

“I understand sir.”

“Oh…?”

“There is a redhead among the raiders. I want her.”

Qroish remembered the reports from the scouts and the divination from the mages. There was a redhead among the raiders. That’s what you get when woman don’t veil. Getting unwanted, even dangerous attention from men. “Why?”

“She has my son’s sword.” Orven’s words said everything.

“You cannot just kill her Orven. I will not turn her over just…”

“I want her alive and in my…care.” Orven spitted out the last word like poison.

 “Oh…”

“The Keeper offered me my choice among the raiders, did he not? I want that redhead.”

             Qroish quietly think of a reason to reject the Goodman, but no reasons were fore coming. The Keeper did offered Orven his pick and Orven has made his choice. He will treat the woman badly, but she is a woman; so that’s not a good reason for rejection. Sighing, Qroish said the only thing he could. “Done”

The Proper Ways (Part 3)

In the mountains…

            The quest was not going well. Homefire Keep has ordered a band to hunt down the raiders. Although he wasn’t a soldier, no one questioned Orven when he demanded to be put in the band. 

            An elf named Qroish was in charge. Like most male elves, he was tall, lean and had an over-inflated opinion of himself. Orven have no problem with that however, far too grateful to the elves for freeing his grandfather to bitch about something so minor.

The band was doing well with everyone knowing his role. The elves were the magic and scouts, the humans were the muscle. As they say, the brains and the brawn. However, they had some problems thus far tracking the raiders through the mountains. Orven thought that was the reason he was summoned to see Qroish, so he was surprised when the ‘talk’ took another turn.

“You are jesting?”

“No, I am not.”

“I’m here to kill those women. Not take them as wives.”

“I understand but, Goodman Orven, you have just lost 2 sons. Taking an extra woman will help you replace them.”

“I already have 3 women. All relatively young, healthy and all of them are still of breeding age. I do NOT need another woman.”

“Another one won’t hurt. Perhaps a young female then. Not too young of course but…”

“No!”

“Having an extra body will help…”

“Forgive me Sir Qroish, but why are you so interested in my family affairs.”

“…The Keeper feels responsible for your sons’ death.”

“The Keeper is the ruler of Homefire Keep and we were under his protection. But the only ones to blame for my son’s death are those raiders, no one else.”

“Still you were under the Keeper’s protection. He feels that he owns you an apology for failing his duty.”

“Ha. You elves are strange. I will have my vengeance, Tord is under training in the Keep and the Keep is taking care of my women. The Keeper has already helped me enough.”

“We could use your help here; your son would have his training even without this incident and your women would be worked hard in the Keep. To do all those for you are only proper. The Keeper wants to give you something extra.”

“Those women’s death in my hands is all that I will need.”

“You are sure, Goodman Orven.”

“Yes I am.”

 In the Keep…

            Foz waited patiently for her sisters. As usual, she was struck with the job of cart-puller. Usually, she did not mind the job. As she was the biggest of the 3 woman, it was only natural that she pulled the cart. Tonight, she was more than a little grateful.

            As their master has gone on his quest, he left his 3 females under the care of the Keep. In exchange for food and lodging, the women would help in the public works of the Keep. This was a system designed for women with no masters to help care for them, usually orphans or widows.

Or men who left their women behind on a stupid quest of vengeance.

            Foz knew that it wasn’t proper for a woman to have such thought but she can’t help it, especially in their current position. As the new girls under the Keep’s care, the 3 women of Orven had the dirtiest job. Men or women, humans or elves, people still have to shit and piss. That means that every household in the Keep has a bucket of shit and piss they have to get rid off everyday.

Every night, the Keep would send out teams of women for night-soil duties. In their coat, pants and veils, the women would pull a cart with a big tub on it. They go to every household in their sector and collect the buckets. Pouring the shit into the big tub, they will then pull it out of the Keep for disposal. As the new girls, that was their job.  

            Jar came into view with the bucket. Suz lifted up the cover as Jar poured the disgusting contents into the tub. The smell was nothing short of horrible. Foz was glad she was as far away from the tub as possible. Suz quickly covered the tub as Jar went back to return the bucket to the household. When she returned, Foz picked up the cart and pulled.

            It was the last household in their sector and Foz now headed for the disposal site. She set a quicker pace than usual as she wanted to get rid of her cargo as soon as possible. Her follow sisters-wives were running behind her with some difficulties. They aren’t used to all this running. Foz resisted the urge to go faster and slowed down for her sisters. Foz knew that she needed to be punished before she starts making big mistakes. Thinking improper thoughts like she had been were usually nothing but trouble. Very soon, thoughts would turn into mistakes. Foz wondered who she should ask to give her the spanking. Suz was devoted to their master and made sure none of the women did anything to embarrass him. She would give her a sound thrashing, but Jar was the eldest of the 3 women. By right, she should be the one giving the spanking.

            The 3 women left the Keep proper and headed to the disposal site. The road beyond the Keep was well maintained and they had no problem reaching the site. The wizard was already at work.

Women of the Keep had dug a deep pit at the site. Other teams had reached the site already. They had poured the contents of their tubs into the pit. The shit and piss of the entire Keep was in the night air…but not for long.

 The wizard cast his spell. A ball of fire shot from his hand into the pit. Before long, the pit of shit became a pit of fire. Foz knew that the pit had been enchanted by the elvish mages beforehand to keep the fire going. Magic is a strange thing. So few people had it, and every race has a different ability. Elves can enchant items while humans could call fire or ice from the air.

Before she could finish the thought, the fire had burn itself out. Foz pulled the cart forward. Time to get back to work.

The Proper Ways (Part 2)

Foz set a good pace as usual, so Orven sat back in the seat and relaxed. The cart was designed to carry things from the market, but also for comfort for the cart-driver. The whip in his hand was unused until he saw the towers of Homefire Keep. Sitting up, he readied himself for the performance.

When they reached the outer guard-post of the keep, Orven flicked the whip. A nice cracking sound echoed from Foz’s behind. The 2 guards on duty nodded as Orven passed. Orven politely did likewise.

As they traveled towards the market, Orven made sure to whip Foz a few more times. In his experience, Orven found that people were less likely to cheat you if they believed you are a harsh master. So Orven maintained a stony face and gave his eyes a glazed look. When he was younger, his sword sensei said that he had a killer’s eyes. Orven intended to prove his sensei right.

Foz stopped at the entrance of the market and kneeled. Several stalls were already opened and Orven stepped off the cart. He looked at Foz and pointed his finger downwards. Foz looked at the ground and settled herself for the long wait.

Orven left her there and enter the market proper. As usual, the market was full of life. Trader’s voices shouted across the area as they tried their best to get anyone’s attention to their wares. Orven found his regular trader and showed him the rootflower plants. They haggled over the price but Orven had done this before. The rarity of the plant ensured that Orven will always get a good price, so he was patient. After all, there was more than one trader in the market so Orven was in the position of strength. After the price was settled, Orven used the money he just received and went to buy the goods the family will need. Living in the mountains meant that the family would need to buy almost everything from the market. There was plenty of time of course, so Orven was patient in his purchases.

He heard the rumors of the keep as he went on his buying spree. There was never a shortage of rumors in the market, but today there seems to be only one. There was a group of women raiders living in the mountains. No, they were human rebels led by a woman. No, they were women rebels led by a witch. No, they were both elves and humans among the rebels. Rumors flowed one after another and Orven got worried as the rumors continued.

60 summers ago, humans first arrived on Teachct from the Green Sea. The elves that were already on the continent never knew that there was another continent beyond the endless sea, much less another race. They embraced the new arrivals with curiosity in their hearts and wanted to know the human story.

They soon heard it. The humans that arrived had lost a war on the other continent and were escaping from their enemies. The new humans were from the Bright Empire. Led by women who ruled over their men, they ruled over the whole continent of Warren before a rebellion by the men changed everything. As the war was lost, the reminder of the Bright Empire escaped west through the waters.

That wasn’t all. The new humans had just lost an empire, and they want it back. The human women thought the elves would be an easy conquest. Elves were taller than humans, but even a human woman outweighed an elvish male. The humans launched a war against the elves. From Treachct, they would rebuild their empire and reclaimed their homelands across the sea. The women were dead wrong.

The elves proved to be a highly magical people. Every elvish solider went into battle armed with magical weapons and armor whereas the humans were but the scattered remains of a defeated empire. It wasn’t even much of a war as the elves easily swept the reminders of the Bright Empire off the map. The leaders of the humans discovered that there was no hope of victory and headed into the mountains.

When they arrived on Teachct, the Bright bought hundreds of male slaves with them on their ships. The elves did not wish to kill all the humans, but they needed a plan to ensure peace. They knew that the men of the Bright had no love of their women and decided to change the social order of the humans. Now human men have total control over their women. The plan has proven to be highly successful.

So much so that humans on Teachct have now proven to be nothing less than model citizens. Orven’s grandfather was a slave of the Bright, and he is forever grateful to the elves that he was not. If there is a rebellion, Orven knew who the human men would fight for, and it won’t be for their women.

Later…

Orven knelt over the body of Riven with tears in his eyes. On the way back to the house, he came across Tord and his women on the road. It only took a moment for his youngest son to tell the story. He was overseeing the women on the farm when the raiders came.

Riven and his other son Leven screamed to Tord to run away for help. Tord did as he was told and fled with the women. Orven immediately ordered Tord to take them to Homefire Keep. Running alone to the house, Orven hoped to be in time to help his sons.

He wasn’t.

Both his sons lie dead as the house was ransacked. His sons had bravely held off the raiders to buy time for Tord and the women to escape. When the guards from the Keep came, they found Orven crying over the bodies of his sons. Leaving him to his grief, they searched the area and found nothing. The raiders had run into the mountains. Only this time, it will be different. They will find no safety there. Orven will find them and they will die. As their father, it was only proper for Orven to have his vengeance. 

His sons will be avenged. This he vowed.

The Proper Ways (Part 1)

            The shock woke her without warning. Suz woke up immediately. Looking around, Suz saw that both her sisters-wife were awaken as well. As usual, the enchantments did their jobs. Smiling with her sisters, Suz got up and put on her clothes.

As with all women on Teachct, Suz slept naked. She first put on her long pants. Thick with fur, it help keep out the cold of the mountains. Then Suz put on her fur shoes, and then her coat. The thick coat reached just above her knees. Suz pull the hood on the coat over her head and covered her mouth with a white veil. It was the only color on her outfit as the rest of it was black. Once everything was done, the 3 women help checked each other. When in public, only the eyes of a woman were allowed to be seem, all else of the body must be covered. The women do not wish to be punished over such a mistake.

The 3 women then head out of the stable. The moon was setting as they took the route to the mountains. Setting a brisk pace, they quickly reach the breeding ground. The cold mountain air causes the local rootflower plants to be underground most of the day. However, as the sun rises, the rootflower would come up aboveground to take in the sunlight. However, you can only find the rare plant high in the mountains. It was one of the reasons why the rootflower sell for such a good price at the market. Kneeling side by side, the 3 women crawled on their hands and knees over the ground. Looking at the ground the whole time for the tiny plants, the 3 women slowly crawled forward, slowly covering the ground.

The sun rose into the sky but the women knew better than to stop their work. Suz put every rootflower she found in the pocket of her coat. Then she heard the footsteps. She wondered which of the boys it was this time. “Stop!” The 3 women stopped their work. “Father ordered all of you back to the house.” The 3 women turned to the voice and bowed their heads to the ground. A few moments later, the order came. “Move”

The 3 women stood and walked back down to the house. Suz was careful to keep her gaze on the ground, but she took a quick glance at the boy. It was Riven, the oldest son of their master.

They reached the house quickly. No one wish to test the patience of their master. The 3 women kneeled in front of the house and waited. The smell of breakfast came through the door and Riven walked in to have his breakfast. Suz felt her stomach growled at the smell. She waited patiently for her master, too well trained to do otherwise.

Soon, her master came out of the house. Suz took a quick at him. A tall human with a hawk-like face, Orven’s hair was tied in a ponytail as was the custom for men on this continent. Dressed in a brown fur coat and pants, his sword was hanging from his sword belt. He looked every bit like the master swordsman he was. Suz quickly lower her head to the ground.       

She heard the plate being put in front of her. “Show me,” the master said. Keeping her head to ground, Suz reached into her pockets and put the rootflower onto the plates, like an offering to her god. Soon she heard the plate being taken into the house. Suz and her sisters kept their positions.

Her master came out again. Again, Suz heard a plate put in front of her. “I am pleased with your work today.” Suz felt pride at her master’s praise, and crush it immediately in her heart. A woman must not take pride in her service to her master; she is only doing her duty. “Eat,” her master ordered.

Suz lowered her veil and ate from the plate. Suz never asked what the food was made of, cooking was a task for men only on Teachct, all she knows is that the mixture in front of her tasted horrible. Still, it was made by her master so Suz happily ate it all up. As was proper for a woman, Suz ate without using her hands. She heard the sound a moment before she felt the pain. Behind her, her master’s son would hit her behind with the paddle till she finished her meal. Finishing with the meal quickly, Suz immediately put her veil back on. The beating stopped immediately. Suz glanced back, as much as she could with her head to the ground, and saw the small feet behind her. Suz knew that the small feet belonged to her master’s youngest son, Tord. Too young to be given a proper male name, he was still using his baby name. Suz felt pride that the boy which came out of her was growing into a man. Again, she crushed all feelings of pride within her. It just wasn’t proper.

All 3 women had finished eating and waited for the master’s orders. “Foz, get to the cart. The rest of you to the farm.”

Foz was the biggest of the 3 women, so she was always the cart-puller. Suz could hear her sister running to the stable to get the cart ready. “Move” At her master’s command, the reminding 2 women crawled toward the farm. As they crawled pass the door of the house, Suz felt a tinge of envy in her heart. A warm house, a nice bed, good food to eat, the lives of men were truly wonderful. Shame immediately replaced envy. Women must suffer and men must rule. It was proper. Suz immediately understand why people say that the hearts of women are evil. They say it because it was true. As she was crawling, she told herself to beg for a beating later from her master. Her shame demands nothing less.

The 3 wives of Orven had given their master 5 children, 3 boys and 2 girls. Both girls were already on the farm. Dressed all in black except for the white veil, they had been working on the farm as they were too young to go up the mountains. Like all women, they lived only to serve their men. They would never enter a house, never have a decent meal and their lives will be filled with pain and punishment. Suz hoped they knew this was only proper.

Suz and her sister only stood up when they reached the girls. Both of them were sitting by the side of the family’s small farm patch. The plants had been watered and there wasn’t much to do really. Suz and her sister sat beside the girls and did what all women do in this situation. They talked and gossiped.

After a short while, they heard a sound from the house. The master was leaving. The master was sitting in the cart with a whip in his hand. Foz was pulling the cart at a steady pace towards town. As the cart passed the farm, all the women kneeled and bowed their head to the ground. They only lifted their head when the sound disappeared down the road.