"Uh..." David scratched his head, adjusted his cloak, and took a step back down the path, toward the sound. "That sounded... close." Unfortunately, a glance back showed all three ladies doing the same thing, cocking an eyebrow and staring down the path, looking for the source. The path was dotted with lots of little hiding places, but nothing anything big could hide behind, and the path went on for a good while with no mountain curve to block their line of sight. There was nothing behind them.

Daoka clicked quietly a few times.

"Yeah, could have been a falling rock," Caera said. "But it didn't... sound like one."

No, it...