On the Road

Whoever it was, they did not put any effort into covering their tracks, neither coming nor going along the same path. Following them should not be hard.
It does look like they used the noise as cover to run off, though. So the party will need to make haste if they intend to catch them.

With all the talking, investigation and decision making you would expect your quarry to have a better head start, but it does not take long before you spot a figure ahead of you, running hunched over and breathing hard.

It appears to be an old woman, you see fear on her ashen, lined face as she glances over her shoulder at your group. She tries to run faster to get away, but it does not make much difference, if you continue at this rate you will catch up with her in less than a score of seconds.

- Meht -
As you come within arms reach of the woman she drops into a defensive crouch and silently cowers before you.
Not only do you not recognise her, you have never seen anyone with such a grey skin color either.

What to do? thinks Meht. He feels in his jacket for Oli, but—unusually—gets no impression from him of trust or mistrust.

She's an elder though, and she looks unwell. And the morning's check of his other traps have netted he and his companions enough food for the moment.

"Greetings Aunty," says Meht. "I mean you no harm, and if you are hungry you can keep whatever was in my trap. But the trap itself is special to me and I would like it back."

Still looking terrified --and not at all mollified by your words which she does not even appear to have heard-- the woman silently and fearfully holds out a few rabbits and what appear to be all your remaining traps set in this direction.
She has obviously been making her way down the row, collecting traps and trapped along the way.

None of you have ever seen the woman. Her ragged clothes do not look like anything you have seen before either.

- Meht -
The woman stares, uncomprehending, at your words, and flinches away when you try to hand her the two rabbits, dropping them on the ground, but then snatching them up and clutching them close to her cowering form as it becomes clear are leaving.

---

- all -
You know the road the caravan is set to take and should not have any difficulty catching up to it. Gathering up the nets won't make much difference to your lateness, and having some more fish to show for it will help your excuse.

As the group walks back through the forest to rejoin the caravan, Leiland says "That was odd, not at all what I was prepared for. Should we ask around the caravan to see if any one has heard of an elderly woman going missing?"