Just to be fair, it could be the deer.
More than once, I've seen the deer from Lake... Allun(?) follow someone running south, and the cows take up arms (er, hooves) in defense of the town. Alas, they are often not as capable warriors as the deer (I think it's the size of their horns/antlers). This is especially true if someone has lured one of the cows farther north to make feeding her (only) easier.
The character being followed may not even notice the blood-thirsty deer on their trail, especially if they can move quickly through the transitions.