Detlef's head jerks up at the noise, and blood drains from his face. It's not a soldier who followed the horse. It's a shepherd. It's the very shepherd that's been lurking around the village and he's been working so hard to avoid. A soldier might be easily convinced that nothing was happening, but the shepherd?

"The horse is, it's good. Not as spooked as it seemed." His voice sounds weird to him. He can't run in this weather; not only would it be cruel to whatever animal he had carry him, he's just not equipped to survive in cold this bitter. He doesn't have supplies enough, or layers enough. But what else is he supposed to do? ...and if he runs, there's so many soldiers who will be right on his tail, too. Can Shepherds be bribed? Does he have anything that would be good enough to serve as a bribe?

"Did you... want stew? There's, there's hot stew inside." Maybe being warm will help, and the Shepherd will see something inside that he wants and Detlef can just buy him off? Really, he should have tried to prepare for discovery a little better after the last time.