FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

I woke up with a start from something hitting my face. My eyes swiftly opened to see Dresnath's tail resting just in front of me. Connected to it was Dresnath, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, facing away from me. Apparently, I had turned a one-eighty in my sleep. I swiftly swatted his tail away, getting his attention at the same time.

He looked over at me with a slightly apologetic look. "Did my tail get you? Sorry, it sometimes has a mind of its own."

I yawned and sat up, the covers sliding down my chest fur. I replied in a groggy voice, "Hit me right in the face."

I noticed his smirk as he chuckled. "It's got good aim, too, I guess." I rolled my eyes and he stood up. "I'm gonna go grab some breakfast. Feel free to join me." He walked out of the room. I got up and stretched a bit. My leg was feeling so much better than yesterday. I tested it out by putting more of my weight onto it and only felt a dull throb rather than the sharp pain of yesterday. I was certainly lucky that Dresnath knew magic. I went over and looked through my bag for my pouch of coins. I counted it out and saw that not a single coin was missing which brought a smile to my face. I put a few in my pocket and headed out of the room.

As I had expected, Dresnath had brought me to a tavern. It was a decent size with a couple of patrons already up and having breakfast. Soon after I entered the room, I heard a boisterous voice call out, "It lives!"

I looked over to see who was talking and saw a large, middle-aged bull man behind the counter serving Dresnath an omelet. He wore simple clothing that had several stains on them. He was clearly talking about me, though, as his eyes we directed at me as he spoke. He motioned me to go over to him. "Have a seat, kid," he said welcomingly. I smiled and sat on the stool next to Dresnath. "How's about some breakfast," he offered. "On the house."

"I would love some," I said gratefully. "Could I get some scrambled eggs and some water?"

"Course ya can," he replied kindly. He turned and called out to the back room, "Hey, Barb, scramble a couple eggs for the survivor!" I could hear a woman call out "got it" from the back room. The bull then grabs a glass and begins pouring some water from a pitcher, which I begin drinking.

Dresnath spoke up, "Erebus, this is Rick. He owns the place and has been incredibly generous with his prices for us."

"Oh," I said, "I'm very grateful, Sir."

Rick let out a boisterous laugh. "Please, just call me Rick," he said after his laugh. "And it's kinda hard to charge so much when Dresnath here was just trying to save you. We look out for people here, and I'm happy to lower my prices for someone like him."

Dresnath chuckled, "Oh, come now, Rick, it's not that big of a deal." Dresnath turned to me and continued, "He seems to have some kind of notion that I'm comparable some high-standing royal knight that goes around looking for people to rescue. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

"Don't be so humble," Rick continued. "Sure you might not be a knight, but you still saved the kid's life. Certainly more worthy of boasting about than what some of these guys' stories I've heard."

Dresnath smirked, revealing a few of his fangs, "Well, it helps that it's actually true and that I have proof."

Rick gave another one of his loud laughs and clapped Dresnath on the shoulder. "You got that right, dragon!" he said still laughing. He turned to me and said, "I've heard more fish tales than the number of fish I've served here." He noticed that I had finished my water and quickly refilled it for me.

A cow woman comes out and places down a plate of delicious-looking eggs. A strong aroma rose from the plate that caused me to salivate. "Smells great," I said with a smile.

The woman, who I assumed was Barb, grinned and replied, "Thanks, I added a little extra seasoning just for you."

I took a bite and couldn't help but give a soft sound of delight as I savored the flavor. "Tastes even better than it smells," I complimented after I swallowed.

I noticed her prideful look at her cooking skills as she replied happily, "Well, aren't you a kind one. Would you like anything else?"

I shook my head and politely answered, "No thank you. This is plenty." She smiled and went back into the kitchen. Or at least, that's what I assumed it to be. I quietly continued to eat the eggs, savoring the fine seasonings that Barb was so kind to add to it.

"So," Rick began curiously, "what is a young man, such as yourself, doing wandering around the forest like you were?"

Dresnath chuckled. He said in an amused voice, "Good luck, Rick. I couldn't get him to tell me either, and I saved his furry hide." I scratched my neck and looked away. I felt a little embarrassed now. He made it sound like I was being ungrateful, but I just wasn't comfortable talking to him about that particular subject.

Rick didn't give up easily though. "C'mon," he insisted, "it's the least you could for us. Just sate our curiosity and we'll call it even." I didn't speak. I simply bit my lip to calm myself down. The last thing I wanted was to tell the tavern keeper to shut up and mind his own business. "How about a hint?" he prodded.

I was just about to tell him off, but, thankfully, Dresnath interjected before I could. "C'mon, Rick, the kid's had a hard week. If he doesn't feel comfortable telling us what his story is, he doesn't have to." A wave of relief washed over me and I took a deep breath to calm myself.

"Alright, alright," Rick finally relented. He didn't seem upset about it, more like disappointed. "I can take a hint. I'll let you just enjoy your meal then." He got up and walked back to where Barb was.

Dresnath gave me a sideways look and joked, "Apparently he can't take a hint. Otherwise he would've stopped asking after the first time." I couldn't help but laugh at that. "There ya go. You need to relax a bit."

I turned on the stool to face him. "Thank you for that. I just..." I trailed off.

He put his scaly hand on my shoulder. It felt oddly comforting. "I get it," he responded. "Everyone's past belongs to them, and it's their choice whether they want to share it or not. Some things are much more private than others." It was clear that he was speaking from experience. It almost seemed as if he wanted me to ask just so he could say it's private as a joke.

I smiled and placed a hand on his. His scales felt oddly cool to the touch, but it was a pleasant coolness. "Thank you," I said sincerely. "For everything." He flashed a toothy smile back at me, showing off his sharp fangs proudly.

"I was more than happy to help out," he replied, going back to eating his meal. "Besides, now I have a traveling companion, and, trust me, that's something you really want." I gave him a look to continue. "I mean, solitude can be nice for a while, especially if you're trying to just get away from things, but it can get boring having no one to listen to my bad jokes."

I couldn't help but laugh. "At least you know your jokes are bad," I said with a genuine smile. I continued to eat my scrambled eggs hungrily, barely taking breaths between bites.

Dresnath chuckled at my fast pace. "Don't choke there, kid," Dresnath warned with a slight chuckle. "You certainly are hungry this morning."

I gulped down the mouthful of eggs that I had in my muzzle before answering, "Pretty sure that you would be too if you were asleep for forty-eight hours." I quickly resumed eating.

"True, true," he said. Then, with a devious smirk, he continued, "Although, my hunger wouldn't just be for food."

I inhaled sharply in surprise, which wasn't a particularly good idea considering how I had food in my mouth. I began coughing away, trying to dislodge the food from my throat. Dresnath quickly began hitting my back to help. After I got it out and caught my breath, I asked somewhat irritated, "Really?!"

Dresnath laughed proud of himself. "Oh, c'mon," he ribbed, "you know it's true." I couldn't help but blush. How could he be so blatant about it? Was this how people acted outside of my little fishing town? Was he just a lot bolder than others? Was he... hinting at me?

Luckily for me, the door to the tavern opened and distracted us both before I had a chance to respond. A squad of soldiers clad in chainmail and helmets walked in with purpose. One in particular, a black-furred panther with a scar on his cheek, stood out. His helmet was different than the others, clearly signifying a higher rank.

I could hear Dresnath growling bitterly as he saw them. He whispered to me, "Found our job for today." I was confused. What was wrong with the soldiers? Surely they wouldn't need our assistance. I looked over at Rick and noticed his nervous expression. Why would these soldiers cause him distress? If anything they should make him feel safer from the extra protection.

It wasn't long before I understood what all the fuss was about. The leader of the troops strutted up to the bull and spoke with frightening authority, "My name is Sergeant Reid and my squad and I require quartering and food."

Rick looked very uncomfortable, which seemed strange to me. A large influx of gold from the soldiers should've made him eager to assist, but he seemed very reluctant. "Look, sir, times have been hard and I can't afford to feed and house you. I don't even have enough rooms to house your men."

The panther glared at him. "If you need more rooms, then I suggest you remove some patrons."

"You can't do that," I blurted out as I stood up, pushing back my stool. "You can't just kick us out because you decided you want the rooms" Rick looked surprised at my outburst, and Dresnath sighed and rubbed his temples.

The sergeant glared at me, causing me to freeze in fright. "Quite a mouth on you, pup." He placed a clawed finger on the bandages on my chest. "I bet you got your injuries because you don't know when to shut up."

In a flash of movements, Dresnath gripped Reid's wrist and held it firmly getting a surprised, wide-eyed glare from him and his troops. The troops rushed over with their hands on their hilts. Dresnath growled lowly and retorted angrily, "He got those injuries from bandits in the woods that I had to deal with because you and your girls are too busy intimidating hard-working men for free food and lodging to do your damn jobs!"

The cat growled angrily. "I should have you hanged for laying your filthy claws on me, cur!" He tried to wrench his hand away, but Dresnath held it firm in a death-grip as he stood up, measuring about a good few inches taller than him. I hadn't noticed how tall he was until he was glaring down at the too-proud panther. Reid glared right back up at him and growled threateningly, "Release me!"

Dresnath did the opposite though. He tightened his grip and pulled him closer to him. One of the soldiers drew his sword and pointed it at him threateningly, although he didn't speak, probably assuming that his action was enough. My dragon friend leaned his head next to his and whispered something that I couldn't quite make out to him, but it didn't seem friendly judging by the panther's expression. He then pulled back and asked calmly, "Do you understand?"

The cat hissed angrily and nodded, pulling his hand away again, Dresnath allowing him to this time. He then walked out without a word, his troops looking confused, but following. After they left, the dragon sighed and sat back down. I sat down too, feeling embarrassed about making Dresnath have to do that.

Rick spoke up. "Damn, kid, that's gotta be either the ballsiest or most reckless thing I've ever seen." He patted me on the back, making me blush as I realized just how stupid I was to try and argue with soldiers. "And Dresnath! I've never seen anyone send a troop packing like that!"

Dresnath didn't seem as thrilled. "I doubt that's the last we'll see of them. Erebus, finish up. Soldiers like this always bring trouble. We're going to make sure they keep the trouble to themselves." I immediately began to gobble down the rest.

"Wait," Rick said surprised, "you're gonna try to keep the soldiers in line here?"

"Yeah," he replied, "They have no right to demand free stuff just because they're in the military. People like that piss me off."

"Hell," Rick said happily, "you keep those pricks from doing anything to the people here, and you can consider your tab even. Those bastards have been coming here every month on their rounds, same people every time. And each time they coerce us into giving them free food, lodging, and supplies. Even tried to have their way with a few of the young ladies here."

"Bastards..." Dresnath growled angrily. "Don't worry, Rick. I'll make sure that they change their ways. One way or another." He stood up and went into the room. I was just about to follow him when he returned with both of our swords. He tossed me mine, which I caught clumsily. He strode out of the tavern with purpose and me following behind him. The town that the tavern was in seemed fairly small considering how most of the buildings were only one floor. No doubt we were still near the outer towns, the ones farther away from the larger cities that cluttered the middle of the country.

We barely walked outside before Dresnath pulled me into one of the alleyways. "What the hell were you thinking mouthing off to soldiers like that?!" he growled. "He could've killed you in twenty different ways!"

I lowered my head in shame. "I'm sorry," I mumbled, "I just didn't think it was fair that they were going to kick people out so that they could sleep there."

"Of course, it's not fair," he said nearly hissing, "but soldiers don't care about what's fair or not. They only care about themselves."

"I thought that they were supposed to protect the people," I replied softly. Awake for less than twenty-four hours and Dresnath had to save my life again from my foolishness... I was pathetic.

He sighed. "Damn, you're sheltered, aren't you?" He almost sounded sorry for me. "Soldiers never patrolled your town have they."

I shook my head. "Only a couple guards," I said. "They were always really nice, too. Always made sure to protect us when we needed it." I kicked the dirt as I kept my eyes glued to my paws. I couldn't even look at him because of how ashamed I felt at my complete and utter ignorance.

He sighed again. "You've got a lot to learn, kid," he said. "Here's your first lesson. Soldiers aren't here to protect us. They're here to keep an eye out for possible spies and invaders from other countries and report it to the capitol. They're also supposed to search for and take care of bandits, but the only thing they do to them is take bribes. They don't give a damn about our safety. So long as it's not a foreign threat, they won't do a damn thing about it." I could hear the anger and bitterness in his voice. "Now come, we're already far behind them." He pulled me out of the alley and began heading in the direction that they had left.

I still kept my eyes down. I stared at his paws to make sure that I was following him. I felt like an utter fool, even if there was no way for me to know about it, I felt like I should've. I had a lot to learn and had to learn quickly.

I quietly spoke up after a few minutes. "So, uh," I began timidly, "what's quartering?"

"Quartering is when the soldiers demand to be given free rooms and food because they feel like they deserve it just for being in the army," Dresnath explained. "It used to be mandatory that people would have to allow it, but that was stopped a couple years ago. Most of the army still demands it though, and will threaten and coerce tavern keepers to do it if they have to, as you recently saw."

"How do you plan on stopping them?" I asked.

"Hopefully I can keep them in check with words," he replied, "but if it comes to it, steel will do just as well." His pace quickened, making me look up and notice a soldier going into a different tavern. Dresnath was quick to follow with me following behind him.

We must've gotten in just after Reid finished his demand to the tavern keeper, a short arctic fox with slightly messy fur. The fox was not pleased with the demand. "You can't just keep barging into our taverns and demanding free food and beds," he said angrily. "If you want to stay, you'll have to pay."

Reid glared down at the fox, clearly trying to intimidate him. And it was working. "Are you really going to kick out soldiers who are merely doing their jobs to protect our country?" It may have been phrased as a question, but it sounded much more like a threat.

Dresnath walked up to Reid again, pushing his way through the soldiers, who were surprised to see him. He grabbed the feline's shoulder with his draconic claws and forced him to turn around. He growled angrily and stared him down. Reid's intimidating voice sounded polite compared to what came out of Dresnath's throat. "I thought I made myself clear earlier. Now either leave the good man alone or pay for lodging." Even though it wasn't directed at me, I shivered in fear. "Or have you already lost all your money to prostitutes from your inability to charm women?"

Reid's eyes went wide before glaring back at him. "How dare you!" He pushed Dresnath back, although unable to push him back far, and drew his sword and pointed it at my friend's chest.

"Oh, please," Dresath rolled his eyes. "If you had the stones to attack me with that, you would've done so already." He used one finger to push the blade to the side. "Now which is it? Do you have the money to pay, or have you had to use it all to buy women?"

The tension in the tavern was palpable. All eyes were on the two of them. Every patron had stopped eating or drinking, the soldiers had their hands on their hilts nervously in case they were called to arms, and the fox, who had backed up a bit, looked around nervously, clearly hoping that the scene wouldn't drive his customers away.

It felt like time had paused in the room. Everyone was motionless, and the silence was deafening. I flinched when the panther hastily sheathed his sword and pulled out a bag of coins and placed several golds on the counter. "I assume this will cover everyone and the meals."

The fox inspected the coins and nodded. "It will cover it."

Dresnath whispered something that I couldn't make out before the sergeant went to sit with his men at a table. I was completely blown away by how well he handled that. I couldn't help but run up to him and say, "That way incredible!"

The fox was more than happy to join in, "Seriously, sir, that was unbelievable! How the hell did you manage to pull that off!?"

Dresnath chuckled, "I've dealt with those kinds of people before, so I've had a bit of practice. I doubt that they'll try to pull the quartering thing again."

The fox grabbed one of the gold coins and held it out, "Please, take it. You've more than earned it."

Dresnath smiled and happily took the coin, "Thank you, it was a pleasure assisting you. Hey, you wouldn't happen to have any oranges would you? Because I would just love some freshly squeezed orange juice for me and my friend." I quietly walked over to him at the mention of me.

The fox smiled friendlily and replied, "Sure thing, on the house of course."

Dresnath grinned back and said, "We'll just be over at a table." He and I walked over and sat down at one of the empty tables. It felt like the oak wood had been recently wiped down.

We barely had sat down before I spoke up, "That was impressive. How in the world did you manage to get him to listen to you by insulting him?!" I probably sounded much more excited than I meant to, but I was truly impressed.

He chuckled at my eagerness. "I know the type," he replied. "The only thing that he cares about more than his authority is his ego. He couldn't resist proving that he didn't need to spend his coin on women by showing how much coin he had." He laughed a bit. "Probably gave twice as much as was necessary, too."

I couldn't help but laugh along with him. "And you got paid and entire gold coin for taking the guy down a peg," I added.

He flashed a toothy grin, leaned back, and placed his hands behind his head comfortably. "Yeah, it can be a really fun job at times."

"Looks like it," I said. "So, what are oranges?"

Dresnath nearly fell backwards in the chair when I said that, barely catching himself with his feet. "Wait, you've never had oranges before?!" I merely shook my head. "Then you are in for a treat, kid. It's a fruit grown to the south in the hotter climates. It's sweet and tangy and quite tasty. You must've lived in a really small town to not get southern fruits like that."

The fox came over and placed a tray with two large glasses and a pitcher of orange juice on our table. He smiled and said cheerfully, "Here you are, sirs. If you would like anything else, please don't hesitate to ask." He went back to the counter just as another patron came up for assistance with something.

I noticed that Dresnath stared at him as he left. After he took a sip from his glass, he smirked and asked quietly, "Think he's interested in me?"

"Well, you just boosted his sales from losing money to making a huge profit with no guarantee for any payout for yourself," I answered in an objective tone. "That along with your peculiar and vibrant scales, I'd say that you'd draw most people's attention." I took a sip of the juice and grinned. "This _is_delicious." I took another sip and savored the golden citrusy liquid.

Dresnath gave a light chuckle before giving his playful response, "I meant as a potential lay, silly."

I nearly choked, yet again, on my drink from his dirty comments. After I coughed up the juice I inhaled, I complained in irritation, "Could you _please_not say stuff like that while I'm drinking?!"

Dresnath laughed amused by himself and replied, "But it's so much fun seeing you get all flustered." He took another long gulp of his juice and licked his lips. "And you still haven't answered my question."

I couldn't help but blush slightly from talking about this kind of thing with him. "To be honest," I said, "I didn't even know you were attracted to males."

He gave a toothy smirk and nodded. "I get that a lot. It's the whole big, strong dragon thing, isn't it?" he asked. "Most think that we're too masculine and dominant to even consider us attracted to males."

I blushed even more now. I always hated it when people act differently to people because of preconceived notions based on their species or appearance, and here I was doing that exact thing. "I'm sorry," I apologized quickly, "I didn't mean to assume."

"It's fine," he replied still very cheerful, "most people tend assume that others are always attracted to the other sex because it is the norm. I take no offense. And to be completely open, I'm actually attracted to both males and females, although I do have a preference for males."

"Damn, this guy is so nonchalant about these things," I thought to myself. "Openly admitting that he's bisexual, and I've only known him for less than twenty-four hours. How can he be so casual and comfortable with it?" I drank some of my juice to try to avoid feeling the need to reply to him.

He didn't move from the subject though. "So, do you think he'd be interested in some fun?" he pressed.

"Well, clearly I'm no good at reading which sex people are interested in, so I doubt that my guess would be accurate," I replied.

"Ah, you're no fun," Dresnath joked waving a clawed hand at me. I gave a confused look. "You've been sheltered for far too long, my friend."

"How do you mean," I asked still very confused.

He began explaining, "When a friend asks if they have a chance to lay someone, you're supposed to talk them up and give them the confidence and courage they need to go for it whether or not they actually have a chance. Not that I need any extra confidence." He laughed at his own joke. "You must've lived in a _very_small town if you've never done this kind of thing."

I nodded. "I lived in a small fishing village to the west of here," I answered. "I wouldn't be surprised if it's not even on maps of the country. We had a total of less than one hundred people and trade fish to traveling merchants and nearby farmers to get other goods." I finished off the rest of my drink and wiped my muzzle with my arm.

I noticed an odd smile plastered on the reptile's face. "You've got a lot to learn, Erebus," he said happily, "and I've got a feeling it'll be fun teaching you." Suddenly his expression reversed. "Get up and follow me." He swiftly got up and quickly walked out of the tavern. I had to scramble to catch up with him. I looked around to find him and barely caught a glimpse of his spaded tail leading into an alley.

I looked down the alley and saw Dresnath rushing towards one of the soldiers. It took me a second to register what exactly was happening. The soldier, some kind of canine from what I could tell, had pinned a young sheep girl the alley wall with his hands on either of her shoulders, clearly threatening her. "Let go of her!" Dresnath shouted as he drew his sword. The dog took one look at dresnath before bolting off down the alley and around the corner. Dresnath called back to me, "Cut him off!"

I was a bit startled that he was already including me in his plans, but I listened to him. Drawing my sword, I rushed down the street, keeping an eye on the alleys to make sure that he didn't get away. I was honestly surprised how I managed to keep pace with the soldier. It was probably because he was wearing that weighty armor while I had only my trousers. I was just glad that Dresnath was able to heal my leg, otherwise I wouldn't have made it more than ten feet. But it felt like my leg was even stronger than before as I flew down the street. After I felt that I was ahead far enough, I bolted down the alleyway. When I saw him sprinting in front of me, I thought that I might lose him, but, out of instinct, I leapt forward and rammed my shoulder into him, pushing him into the wall. The clang of metal on stone rang out into the air as his body collided with the bricks.

The soldier gave out a surprised shout of pain as his head was knocked around inside his helmet. The knock seemed to put him in a daze because he slumped onto the ground and groaned. I stood back a bit and pointed my sword at him. "D-don't get up," I said. I meant to sound tough, but the stuttering completely ruined it.

I jumped when I felt a clawed hand grasp my shoulder. I turned around and saw Dresnath smiling at me. "Great job, kid," he said happily. "You've got the instincts for the job." I hadn't even noticed that the dog was trying to get away until Dresnath shot his tail out and wrapped it around his neck. "Where do you think you're going, mutt?" The dog tried grasping at the tail, but couldn't wrap his fingers around it. Dresnath pulled his helmet off to look at his face. With the obstruction gone, it was clear that he was a yellow lab. Dresanth chuckled, "You are not gonna do well in prison. With that face, I bet one of the big ones will do what you were planning on doing to that poor woman."

Dresnath sheathed his sword before he removed the lab's sword from its scabbard. "I'll take him from here, Erebus," he said. "Why don't you go back to Rick's tavern and rest for a bit. Don't want your wounds opening back up."

I nodded timidly. "Alright."

"Don't worry, I'll be there in about an hour or two." He heads out of the alley and turned away from the direction to our tavern, dragging the corrupt soldier with his tail.

And then I was alone. I didn't know why I was so conscious of being alone all of a sudden. I had been alone in the forest for about a week and I hadn't felt alone like this before. I took a breath before starting the walk back to the tavern. As I walked, I could suddenly feel the strain that the run had done to my already injured body. My leg felt fine, but my torso was on fire. I placed a hand on my bandaged wound to try and soothe it to no avail.

I meandered back to the tavern and quietly snuck in. I didn't feel like talking to Rick right now. His overexcitedness about Dresnath and me irked me. So instead I slipped along the wall and escaped into my room unnoticed. I unstrapped the scabbard from my waist and set it down next to my pack which I then took and carried over to the bed where I sat. I opened it up and brought out a wooden box. I opened it out and gave a slight smile.

"Well," I said, "at least my journal survived the mugging." I took out the leather-bound journal along with the quill and bottle of ink. I had always found the idea of journaling interesting, but never had any idea what to write about in them. That is until I underwent this journey. Now I'd been writing down what's been going on. Granted, the first week was fairly boring since I was just alone in the woods, but I finally had something interesting to write in here, and I had a feeling that there'd be a lot more to come.

I began describing what had happened in the forest in great detail. Every action and emotion poured onto the page faster than I thought was possible. I then began talking about Dresnath and how he had rescued me from that deadly situation, about how kind and funny and generous he was, about how he stood up against the soldiers even though he didn't need to and wasn't even promised a reward. He was a different kind of mercenary, one of a completely different caliber. And I wrote how nervous yet excited I was to travel with him. And about how he gave me a sense of safety that I hadn't known since I left my small village.

It had been a while since I'd put my journal away and began resting on the bed, hoping that the throbbing in my chest would soon subside. I was replaying that encounter with the guard over in my mind. My shoulder was a bit sore from ramming into the armor, but it was exhilarating stopping the guy. I could see why Dresnath chose this as his career. I'd heard stories of bounty hunters being cold and merciless, only caring about the amount of money they'll make off their victims and believing that they're above the law. But Dresnath was the complete opposite. He had no promise of reward for helping those tavern keepers, but he did so anyways. And he had no clue whether he'd be compensated for saving that young sheep lady from the soldier, but he didn't hesitate a moment when confronting him. He did what he thought was right, just because it's what should be done.

'Or perhaps I'm giving him too much credit,' I thought to myself.'He's been doing this a long time, so he may have just been playing the hero card to get even more out of the guy while still looking like he did it out of the goodness of his heart. He could've went after the stray soldier in hopes that he could get a fee for saving the girl.' I sighed. Both sides were very feasible explanations for his actions, and it was impossible to know for sure which was correct. I'd like to think the first was true.

There were a few knocks on the door before it opened and Dresnath walked in. "Hello again, Erebus." He sat down on the bed next to where I was lying. "I got that soldier to the jailor and told him what happened. It's gonna be political warfare there, but I have a feeling that this town isn't going to let him go just because of some threats by the captain."

I nodded. "That's good," I replied. "I can't believe he tried to do that. It's sickening."

"Yeah, well, that's the world we live in." He turned around to face me with his legs crossed. I placed hands behind my head and relaxed as we spoke.

"It's not the world I lived in," I muttered. "The village I grew up in was peaceful. Everyone knew everyone and no one was going out trying to rape a random girl. Drunken fights and vandalism by the unruly teens were the worst that usually happened."

His eyes narrowed a bit. "No wonder you suck at fighting; you've probably never been in a real fight before." I was about to protest to defend myself, but I didn't have any good points to bring up. He was right; the worst fight I'd been in only consisted of a few swings before we were separated by the adults. "Don't worry about it; it just means that we have more work to do. But first," he stands up and smiles, "we're gonna do some shopping." He tosses me a couple silver coins. "Your half of the reward money. I saw you brought a fair amount, so that should be good for getting anything you need. Don't worry, I didn't take any."

I got up and grabbed my bag. "Yeah, I noticed," I replied. "Thank you for that. A lot of people probably would've tried to help themselves to it as a 'reward.' So, do we have a destination for when we leave."

"Mmm, not yet," he replied. "I'll look around some more and see if anyone needs a courier while you get what you need." He came over next to me and grabbed his bag that was next to mine. It was much larger and seemed to sag with the weight of what's in there. He had to be very strong to carry that on his back for long spans of time. "Oh and," he fishes about another silver coin and hands it to me, "first shirt's on me. I still feel bad about losing your entire wardrobe."

I smiled and took the coin. "You're forgiven," I replied sincerely. "They were mostly rags anyhow." I strapped my scabbard back on my belt and we headed off to the market.

"So, I'll grab what I'll need and grab some food, and you'll get yourself some clothes," Dresnath said as we neared the market. "Try to get light fabrics, it'll help keep you cool when we're traveling. And avoid getting any single garment for more than a silver, maybe two. If it's higher than that it's just plain extortion."

I nodded and made mental notes of what he'd said. "Thanks for the tips."

"And watch out for pickpockets. This town seems decent, but there's always someone ready to take advantage of those unaware." My hand instinctively went to the pocket where my coins were. Still there. I kept my hand in that pocket to make it impossible for anyone to reach in. "And maybe you can ask around and see if anyone knows anything or can help in any way with your quest. Just a thought."

My eyes lowered and I felt slightly guilty. Here he is bending over backwards to help me with what I need to do, but I haven't even bothered to tell him. "Right..." I said. "So, you're really not mad that I don't want to tell you?"

Dresnath shrugged. "Not really," he answered. "Your reasons belong to you and you alone. It's your choice whether or not to tell me or not. I'm sure you'll tell me when you're ready. Just remember that I'll probably be able to be much more effective at helping you when you decide to." He stretched his arms a bit; his short sleeves left his arms in view and left them in plain view for me to see his muscles flex as he moved them. I could feel the skin under my fur get a bit hot, and I immediately looked forwards again. "But for now, I'll trust you to tell me what you need from me, and in return, I expect you to help me with any jobs I take in any ways you can."

"And what do you think I could do to help?" I asked, feeling the sense of uselessness eat at me. He was stronger, smarter, and much more skilled than I was.

"Not sure, but you sure did a good job catching that soldier." He gave me a smile. Oddly enough, that simple smile and observation cheered me up immensely. I _had_done a pretty good job with him. I honestly surprised myself with how I managed to catch up to him. Sure, he was handicapped with his armor, but I was also recovering from recent injuries, so I would say we were pretty square.

I smiled and scratched the back of my neck a bit. "Heh, thanks," I replied softly.

"And don't think I'm gonna keep paying for our food and rooms," he said in a friendly tone. "I'll pay for the supplies this time, but next time we're splitting it, 'kay?"

I smiled and replied, "Understood. I'll go look for some clothing shops then."

"Hopefully I'll be able to find a delivery someone will need me to make. We'll meet back here in an hour." I nod in acknowledgement and head off to find a clothing store.

The marketplace here was much better than back home. Although, to be fair, it was much smaller than this town. Back home we had one shop for clothing, one for general goods and a couple stores and stands for food. All of the stands were fish stands, but that was to be expected. Luckily, I loved fish. Here however, I could see more stores and stands than I thought could be sustained in this town.

After a few minutes of wandering around, I found a clothing store that looked cheap. I headed inside and saw several stacks of clothes ranging from hats to boots and everything in between. There certainly wasn't this much variety back home. There were several other customers looking around.

"You look like you could use a shirt, or do you just like to show off?" a voice to the side of me said. I could hear the amusement in it, though I couldn't be certain whether it was from my lack of a shirt or her own joke. I looked over and saw a lioness tending the shop; she looked to be in her mid-twenties. My ears reddened a bit in embarrassment.

"Yeah," I replied, "I had a bit of a run-in with some not-so-friendlies in the woods. Lost all my clothes except for these."

Her ears perked up, clearly interested in seeing a very potential big sale. "I'd be happy to assist you with what you need, sir," she offered.

"Erebus," I said as I held out my hand.

She graciously shook it and replied, "Linda." She turned and called up the stairs behind the counter. "Anna, come here please."

Another lioness, this one looking to be around my age came down. "Yes, Lin?"

"Watch the counter for a bit, please," Linda requested. Anna agreed and took Linda's place. Linda stepped out from behind the counter to assist me. "So what are we looking for?"

I looked around as I talked. "Well, I'm going to be traveling a lot, so I'm going to need clothes easy to move in." The clothes here looked pretty basic, which boded well price-wise. They were mainly solid colors on inexpensive fabric, ranging in sizes.

"Alright, then," she trailed off and heads over to another one of the stacks, motioning for me to follow. "That mean you'll need both light and heavy clothes depending on the weather. And we have a decent selection of cloaks, too. You might want one in case it rains."

"Yes," I agreed, "that would be great."

She looked my body over a bit. I figured that she was just trying to get a better judgement for my clothing needs. I still felt a bit awkward, though. "These," she motions to a section of shirts one of the stacks, "should fit your frame well enough. The pants, though..." She turned me around by my shoulders, and I felt something loop around the base of my tail, making my tail jerk straight out. I blushed as I heard her chuckle.

"Relax, Erebus," she said amused, "just measuring your tail." The loop slid down and off my tail. "I don't get many customers with wide tails like this. I'll need to mend some pants for a better fit. Pick some out and I'll get to work while you pick out anything else you'd like."

I did as she asked and began picking out clothes that I liked. While she worked on the alterations, I had a much longer time deciding on the shirts, not that it took long. While there was a fair amount of stock, the choices were limited. The only choices I had to make was color and sleeve-length. It didn't take me long to choose a small amount, enough to be able to have a few outfits, but not so much that they become a burden in my bag. After that, I searched out the cloaks. The selection was small, but understandably so; one size fits most after all. As before, variety only came in color, so I found a dark red one that I liked and added it to my stack.

I headed back to the counter and saw that Linda had already finished and had the pants on the counter. I added the rest of the clothes to the pile. "This everything?" she asked with a smile.

I nodded and replied, "Yeah, don't want to be weighed down too much. So how much?"

She counted up what I got before answering, "Six and a half silvers." Wasn't too bad for the amount of clothes I bought, averaging out to about 7 coppers per item. Low quality probably saved me a lot. I handed over the amount needed and began putting the clothes into my bag. "You can change in the restroom if you'd prefer." She smirked before added in a teasing tone, "Or do you want to continue showing yourself off to people?"

"I'll take that offer, thank you," I replied. "Which room is it?" She pointed me in the direction of the restroom which I immediately went into. It took me less than a minute to quickly change into a short-sleeved shirt and one of the pairs of pants, both a dark tan color. She was right, the clothes fit me very well, and the hole for my tail was well-tailored. I stuffed my torn pants back into my bad. I didn't know what I'd do with them, but I kept them anyways.

As I walked back, Linda called out, "Fit alright?"

"Yes," I replied, "they fit very well. Thank you for assisting me." I slung my bag on shoulder and gave her a friendly smile.

"Well, aren't you a polite one," she said. She seemed somewhat amused at my manners. "It was a pleasure helping you with your shopping, and if you ever need new clothes and are in town, I hope you think about coming here."

"You'll be my first choice," I replied. "I should get going. Would you be able to direct me to a store with materials for letters? Envelopes, parchment, and wax for seals specifically."

"Of course. There's a general goods store not too far from here." She gave me directions and bid me farewell as I headed off. Surprisingly, I managed to arrive at the store without getting lost. It was a small building, two floors, but it looked compact between the two buildings next to it. The inside looked just as cramped, although, that might've had more to do than the amount of odd and ends the storekeeper, a vixen by the name of Scarlet, had out of display. She had things from hardware to recreational and even some clothes and jewelry that had been sold to her, probably with a huge markup from what she bought them for, too.

As Linda had said, Scarlet had what I required, parchment, envelopes, and a candle for wax, totaling one-and-a-half silvers. Scarlet told me that different candle waxes burned at different speeds, after I had mistakenly picked out one of the longer burning candles. Obviously, a fast-burning candle was ideal for using the wax for an envelope seal. Scarlet was also gracious enough to offer to allow me to use her table to write my letter, which I gladly accepted.

I sat down and began writing my letter to Jace. Before I had departed, I promised him that I would write when I was able so that he knew how my search was going and that I was still alive. It had been about a week, so I figured now would be a good time to write it before I left for the next city. I was about the seal the envelope when I decided it might be a good idea to tell him where I'll be heading, so I simply placed the unsealed envelope into my bag and left the store with a word of thanks to Scarlet.

I wasn't sure just how much time had passed since Desnath and I split up, so, seeing as how I already finished everything I needed to do in the market, I decided to head straight back to the inn. It took me a few wrong turns before I managed to find my way back there. I slipped back into my room and set my bag in the corner. Dresnath hadn't returned yet, so I had some time to kill. I decided to take Dresnath's advice and check to see if anyone could help me with my quest. I grabbed my journal from my bag and opened it, pulling out a piece of scrap paper that I had placed in there before I'd left. On it was a drawing of a serpent. The serpent was curled around in a circle, it's head was just short of its tail and one of its fangs were showing. Inside the circle the snake was creating was a sort of glyph or sigil, and I had no idea what the sigil represented. All I knew was that it was the only clue that I had.

I placed my journal back in my bag and exited the room with the paper. I went up and sat on one of the barstools. Rick came over and greeted me with a smile, "Hey there, Erebus, you and Dresnath take care of those bastard soldiers?"

I smiled and nodded, "Yeah. They went over to another tavern around here, can't recall the name, but they tried coerce the owner no noticing that Dresnath and I were tailing them. Dresnath managed to convince them to pay up front for everything."

"Hah!" Rick exclaimed. "That's what I'm talkin' about. As promised Your tab's even. And how 'bout I get you something to drink on the house as well. What'll it be, boy?"

I grinned, knowing exactly what I wanted. "Orange juice, please."

Rick chuckled a bit, "Coming right up, kiddo." He went to grab me a glass and poured me my drink.

I took a sip and savored the sweet liquid, giving a content sigh. "You might also like to hear that we caught one who was cornering a lady. And by caught, I mean we chased the guy down and tackled him to the ground before taking him to the jailor."

"Thank you," he replied earnestly, "this town owes you a debt of gratitude. If you need anything, just ask."

"Actually," I replied, "There is one thing you might be able to assist me with." I took out the paper with the design on it and placed it in on the bar in front of him. "You don't happen to recognize this, do you?"

"Hmm..." He picked up the paper and examined the design. "Don't know about the center mark, but the snake is close to the Ouroboros."

I gave a confused look. "The what?"

"The Ouroboros," he repeated. "The snake eating its own tail. It's sort of like a representation of life and death, creation and destruction, kind of like an infinite loop." He handed the paper back to me. "Where'd you get it anyways?"

"It's just something I saw a long time ago," I answered as I looked at the drawing again. "Thought I might try finding out its origin while I'm traveling."

"I see," he said. "Well, sorry that I couldn't be much help."

"Nah, it was a longshot anyways." I put the paper in my pocket and took another swig of my juice.

"So, how long you staying here?" he asked casually, refilling my glass for me.

"Not sure," I replied. "I decided to take up Dresnath's offer to travel with him, so it's up to him."

"What, you don't get a say?" he asked with a teasing tone.

"More like I don't have a predetermined destination. He's looking to see if anyone needs any deliveries made outside of town currently. I'm actually looking for a courier, too. Know any?"

Rick cocked his head to the right and gave me a quizzical look. "Why not just go yourself if you don't have a destination in mind?"

"Because," I sighed, "that's the one place that I'm not going yet."

"Bad memories?" he asked gently.

"No, not at all," I replied. "Nothing of the sort. I need a letter sent back to my brother. I want him to know that I'm still alright, but I just left from there and don't need to go back yet." I finished off my glass of juice and gave a sigh of enjoyment, wishing that we had this back in my village. "So, know any?"

"There aren't any in this inn, but you might be able to find one in one of the other ones. Although, they usually just stay the night and leave first thing in the morning."

"Right," I muttered, "thanks."

"No problem. Nice chatting with you." Without another word, he went to check on the other patrons.

Considering how I didn't have anything else to do out here, I slunk back to my room, closing the door behind me. I tossed my bag on the floor and removed the scabbard from my belt. Sitting down on the bed, I slowly slid the blade from its protective covering, admiring it. It needed to be sharpened, but I had forgotten to buy a new whetstone, so it would have to wait for now. Instead, I ran my fingers along the cool steel and along the engraving. "Honor above all." A tightness gripped my stomach as I clasped the hilt until my knuckles hurt.

A claw tapped my shoulder, causing me to jump up and turn around, holding my blade in a fighting stance. When I saw that it was just Dresnath, I calmed down and sheathed my sword. He stood there with a grin, "Good reflexes, poor hearing, and sloppy stance, though. Had I been intending you harm, you would be dead."

"I was lost in thought," It wasn't so much as an excuse, but rather an explanation for my absent-mindedness. I placed my scabbard on the floor next to the bed.

"What about?" he curiously prodded.

"Stuff." I grabbed the remaining coins from my pocket and placed it back in the coin pouch in my bag.

He put on a grin and teased, "Ah stuff, that very specific subject is always fun to think about." When he saw me roll my eyes, he just laughed. "Oh, come now, I thought that the witty sarcastic shtick would at least get a chuckle from you. Heh, anyways, I found someone who needed a package delivered. The town's about four to six days walk depending on our pace and how long we walk each day."

I nodded. I grabbed my quill, ink, and letter from my bag. "And what's the name of the town?" I asked, preparing to add a note to the letter.

"Astol," he answered, looking at the letter curiously. "What's that? Love letter?"

As I quilled my future location on the parchment, I replied, "Close. A letter to my brother. I wanted to let him and my family know that I'm safe and where I'm heading." After I put the parchment into the envelope, I lit one of the matches I bought and spread the flame to the candle. As the wax burned, I held it over the envelope, allowing the hot wax to drip down and sealing the envelope as it cooled.

He sat down on the bed next to me. "How long has it been since you left?"

"Seven days." I paused for a moment to sit down and then continued, "It only took me four days to be find trouble and nearly lose my life."

"You telling him that?"

I shook my head. "Not exactly. I'm downplaying it a bit. I don't want him to worry too much."

Dresneth smirked a bit and asked in a teasing tone, "Are you telling him how a heroic dragon pulled your tail out of the fire?"

I chuckled a bit and answered, "I might've mentioned you. I mentioned how when I woke up 'the creepy dragon had removed all my clothes.'"

He simply laughed with me before asking, sounding completely unoffended, "Did you seriously write that?"

"Nah," I snickered, "just wanted to see your reaction. You really just roll with the punches, don't you?"

Dresneth nodded his horned head a bit, "Pretty much. I tend not to worry about how others perceive me. Not like I can do too much to change their opinion of me." I felt his tail moving slightly, settling on top of my own. "So did you really write about me, or was that just for the joke? If you don't mind my asking, that is."

I nodded again with a smile. "Yeah, I wrote about you. The mysterious dragon who saved my life and then insisted for me to come with him so he could train me and help me with my quest."

"Heh, I like the sound of that," he mused, a smirk tugging at his snout. He suddenly stood up. "So, you ready to go find a courier for that and then head off?"

"Yeah," I said as I stood up. I grabbed my bag and blade again, putting them both on. "I'll go on ahead and check the taverns to see if there are any in them. You might as well check here to see if anyone needs anything taken to Astol; might as well try to get some extra deliveries if they're to the same place."

Dresnath grinned and gave me a pat on the back, "Already thinking like you oughta. You learn fast. Alright, you can go on ahead. Check the tavern where we helped that foxy owner. I'm not certain, but I think I might've saw a courier's satchel near one of the patrons."

I smiled at him and said, "Thanks for the tip. Whether or not a courier's there, I'll wait for you after I check. It would be counterproductive for us to try searching for each other throughout the town."

He and I headed out of the room with all of our possessions. "Agreed," Dresnath said, "I'll meet you there in a bit."

With that, we separated once again as I headed out and walked towards the other tavern. I only took a few wrong turns before I found my way back to the other tavern. I glance around the public space of the tavern and see that there are many of the patrons eating lunch; among them are the soldiers that Dresnath and I had intervened with. I quickly pulled the cloak from my bag and covered myself with the hood. Luckily for me, the soldiers were all clumped together on the east side of the tavern. I hoped that my new outfit would prevent them from recognizing me.

I walk up to the tavern keeper and quietly asked, "You wouldn't happen to know if there is a courier staying here, would you?" Without much thought, he pointed to one of the rooms. Of course, it was one of the rooms on the east wall of the building. With the hopes that they wouldn't recognize me, I walked around the tables with the soldiers, who had already decided that it was time to start drinking. I kept my head down as I passed by them.

I knocked on the door that the tavern keeper had pointed to. After several moments of silence, I thought that the courier might not be in his room at the moment. I was just about to turn to leave when the door was opened by a lean, male rabbit with light-brown fur. The man was a fair bit taller than me and seemed even taller with his erect ears. "Can I help you?" the rabbit asked as he looked down at me.

"That's what I'm hoping," I replied, "I'm looking to hire a courier." I held up a letter to show him.

The rabbit smiled and stepped aside, "Come on in and we can discuss business. My name is Calim, by the way" I nodded and smiled kindly as I accepted his invitation to enter his room, the rabbit closing the door behind me. He walked over to a small table that has a large map of the country and a book. "So, to where and to whom is the letter going?" he asked as he grabbed a grabbed a quill.

"My name is Erebus," I said, a bit belatedly as I lowered my hood. I walked over with him and looked at the map. It looked pretty standard with all of the major cities, big towns, and trading posts, but it also had a lot of handmade marks of other locations that I'd never heard of. I looked down at where my village was supposed to be and saw the location empty. "It's a small fishing village named Rorche right there," I pointed at the edge of the peninsula where my village lay. Calim made a small mark and labeled it with the name of my village before going to write in his book; my guess was that it was his ledger. "The letter goes to my brother, Jace Steele. He looks a lot like me, a bit taller though, and he works at the fishery. You'll likely find him there during the day, but if he isn't, just ask any of the people there; they'll be able to point you in the direction of our house."

"Good, good," he muttered as he continued writing in his ledger. "It's always nice to have a more precise location than just somewhere in the village. Not too far from here either. Probably could make it in less than two days. How does two silver sound for it?"

I had no idea the general price for couriers as I'd never needed one, but I figured that if he was asking rather than saying that would be the outright price that it might be higher than normal, so I took a shot and replied, "Seems a bit high for that short a distance."

Calim gave a smirk and said, "Worth a shot. One and five sound better?"

Not wanting to try my luck again, I nodded with a smile, "Yeah, that sounds better." I fished out a silver and five coppers, handing them to him with my letter.

He carefully inserted it into his courier bag. "Anything else?"

I shook my head, "Nope, that's everything. Thank you. May the wind be at your back as you travel."

"Same to you," he smiled and gave a courteous bow.

I turned and exited the room, closing the door behind me. I was about to put my hood back up to cover myself, but it appeared to be a moment too late. A couple of the soldiers had gotten out of their seats and were walking over to me. I figured that I had three choices. I could duck back into Calim's room and lock the door to try to wait them out, but considering how they were staying here that would likely entail waiting until dark. I could try to make a dash for the exit. I was fast enough to catch the guard before, but I was still healing and it would be risky. Or I could stand my ground and try to simply walk off, pretending to be undisturbed by their presence. They'd likely attempt to stop me, which would mean I'd have to talk my way out of the situation. I did a quick look around to see if Dresnath was here, hoping that he'd be able to help me out of this; he wasn't, though. I took a deep breath as I make my decision.

I began walking around the tables and towards the exit. As I expected, ready to draw my blade if they got violent. As I expected, the two soldiers, a grey wolf and a brown bear, walked into my path, blocking my way to the exit. The bear, who was the larger of the two, towered over me and asked threateningly, "And where exactly do you think you're going?" The wolf simply growled, which was threat enough as it was.

Steeling what little courage I had, I said in a simple fashion, "Just trying to leave the tavern so I can be on my way."

"Oh, so that's how it is?" the wolf growled, his fangs prominently showing. "You come into town and screw with the good soldiers of this country and then be on your merry way? It wasn't enough that you got our buddy arrested, but you had to show your screwed-up face in here just to taunt us?"

I took another look around, hoping that I had missed Dresnath. I hadn't. I had, however missed that there was a town guard, a ram, having a meal over at the bar. An inkling of an idea formed in my head. "Tell me something, are all your friends rapists, or was he the only one?"

Both of them glared and half-drew their swords, ready to strike at a moment's notice. The wolf stepped forward and snarled at me, "I oughta run you through right here for what you've done to our troop!"

I smirked and stood my ground. "You might want to rethink that," I cautioned. "That is, unless you want to join your friend in the jailhouse. And I'm sure that guard over there, the one eating at the bar, is just dying to put more of you away." The two of them looked over at the guard. "He's the father of the poor girl that your best buddie tried to have his way with. I'm sure that he's itching to put any of that bastard's buddies in with him, if he lets you make it there alive, that is."

The wolf bit his lip, clearly trying to decide whether it would be worth it or not. The bear was growling and staring daggers at me, although, he seemed to have already decided as he had sheathed his sword.

"So," I asked, "what's it going to be?" I paused a beat with a grin plastered on my face. "Are you going to try to kill me, emphasis on try because there's no guarantee that you'll be able to land a fatal strike before the guard takes you down. Or are you going to step aside and let me pass, giving the guard have no grounds to arrest you?"

"Graaargh!" the wolf growled furiously, slamming his sword back in its scabbard with some choice expletives. "You better hope that we don't meet again, or I-"

"Blah, blah, blah," I interrupted. "Stop posturing and step aside." With a few final glares and growls the two of them stepped aside and went back to their table. I quickly walked out of the door, nearly stumbling as I exited. All the fear and anxiety that I had been holding at bay hit me at once, literally tripping me up. I would've gotten a face full of dirt except I was caught by a scaly hand gripping my arm and pulling me back up. I looked up and saw Dresnath with a proud grin on his face. "Dr-Dre-Dresnath?" I stuttered.

"In the scales," he said with a smirk.

"Wh-when did you get here?" I asked, still nerve-wracked from the soldiers. I could still feel my heart pounding a mile a minute. Dresnath had to keep holding me up lest my knees buckle from under me.

"About five minutes ago," he admitted, "I thought it might be a good learning experience to see how you dealt with confrontations. Did you find a courier in there?"

"Learning experience?!" I exclaimed. "Those guys were looking for blood! They could've killed me!"

Dresnath rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Oh, quit being melodramatic," he chastised. "You handled yourself excellently. You managed to escape without a scratch and with your dignity intact. I'm impressed." He frowned as he saw just how freaked out I was about the whole thing. "Hey, you can relax. I was right here the whole time. I never would've let them lay a finger on you. Deep breaths, kid." Taking his advice, I took several slow, deep breaths. "There you go. You know that I would never let anyone hurt you, right?"

Without even a moment's thought, I replied, "I know. I just thought that you were still back at the other tavern. I was looking for you in there as soon as I saw the guys walking up to me." It took me a moment to realize just how readily I was to answer that. Did I truly trust him so much so quickly, or was it just one of those responses that weren't thought all the way through?

My self-aimed query was left unanswered as he broke my thoughts with his response. "I was right out here, watching you. Close enough to intervene, but just out of your sight to see how you would handle the situation. Bravo, by the way. Was that guy really the sheep girl's father?"

I chuckled and shrugged, "No clue, but they sure seemed to buy it."

Dresnath laughed and patted my back, "Learning already! You've got a lot of potential, Erebus." I gave a weak chuckle and nodded. "Alright, so we should get going. We've got a long walk ahead of us, and the sooner we get there the better."