The invisible enemy - Chapter 1 - #1

Chapter 1
_XI APRILIS MCCCLXXII _


Footprints. They listened.* They heard. Soon, the prints {or tracks} will be erased. The smell will persist. The hunt is about to start.

The transporters activated themselves, a basket full {or basketful} of shining stones** on their backs. Those loads pushed drove*** them tirelessly toward the ground. Attached to their belts, the pickaxes hit their thighs. The straps compressed their chests, limiting their breathing. Even if they are weakened, they continued to walk on the “death way”****. The path moved them closer them of to St. Denis Church, the seigneurial {or feudal} village. Soon, they left the Dark Fangs forest behind them. The men were silent, but nothing prevented the {or their} footsteps to from resonating in the woods.*****

*Sounds as though there's a progression (or cause and effect) between actions here (hearing something that they're listening for).

**Since it's a basketful, it sounds as though there's probably more than one.

***When you wear someone down (such as to the ground), we use the verb "drive".

****You could also say "their death march" here. It's a little more colloquial.

*****When referring to the forest, it's always "woods" (never singular)