Chapter 08 - Breaking the Collar

When it was getting near sunset, we were within sight of the village. Lordan and his group arrived not long after we had pulled the boats from the water, turned them upside down, and covered them.

"If we are going into the village, we had best do so now before they close the gates for the evening," I told everyone, "otherwise we'll have to camp out here tonight and go in the morning."

The clouds seemed to have heard and they made the decision for us by starting to send down a light rain.

"I don't fancy spending a miserable night in a cold rain if I don't have to," Minxie said.

"Do you think Alnakh would have enough room for all of us?" Red Moon asked.

"I'm sure that he would be able to find enough accommodations for all of us," I said thoughtfully, "I've never known him to turn anyone down for a place to sleep during inclement weather."

"At least we could get a good meal," Night Song said licking her lips, remembering the food served the last time we were there.

"We should be gettin' Foxie into a decent bed for the night," Kurietta suggested firmly.

"Okay, well, let's get moving then. When we get to the gate I'll ask for someone to fetch Salzar...maybe he can join us and fill us in on what's been going on since the last time we were here," I said.

It didn't take us but half an hour or so to make it to the east gate of the village. By that time, the rain had started coming down a little harder, so the guards at the gate let us through without asking many questions. I asked if Salzar was on duty tonight, but he wasn't, though he had standing instructions to be fetched if we came back. I let the guard know that we were going to Alnakh's inn and would like Salzar to meet us there if possible. He sent the messenger to get Salzar who was likely at home, and we made our way to the Glass Dove Inn.

When I opened the door to the inn, there were few people there due to the weather. The air was inviting with its familiar scent of food and cozy warmth of the fireplace. Alnakh was behind the counter and Nezcha was cleaning tables when we all walked in and shook off the water from our cloaks. Nezcha was happy to see me, though she looked in wonder at the size of our party. She had never seen this many of us at once, let alone ever seen any of Lordan's group. Alnakh came over to greet me personally and I introduced him to the whole group.

"You have certainly brought a lot of friends with you tonight, my friend," he said after the introductions were made.

"We're hoping that you might have enough room for us all tonight--it's rather wet out and we decided that at least a good meal and someplace dry to spend a night or two would be nice," I said.

"Well, this is a first, but you are certainly welcome to stay," Alnakh said happily.

"Great. It's been a long, hard trip--at the very least we could use a good meal tonight, a place to sleep and another good meal in the morning, though we could probably all stand to get cleaned up a bit sometime or another, tonight or tomorrow, doesn't matter. Oh, and you and I have a few items of business to attend to when you get the chance," I said the last more quietly so just he could hear.

Alnakh nodded his head and smiled, knowing what I meant.

As we sat at the back of the main room near the fireplace, those of us who had never been inside a Wastelander building before looked around and checked out the room. Most of the older buildings in Cedar Knoll were constructed along the lines of Eastlander buildings since the original population here were Eastlanders, until the Wastelanders arrived and either drove away, killed or enslaved them. The newer buildings were of Wastelander design, though the earlier buildings influenced their style. Alnakh's inn was one of the original buildings in the village, as were most of the buildings along the main street. There were many days when I helped Alnakh make repairs to the inn when he first acquired it, twenty turns of the seasons ago. That was also about the time that I met Salzar; he was much younger then and had hurt his leg, which I healed for him, and we have been friends since. People in the village got used to seeing me helping Alnakh work on fixing up the old inn, and I got to know the local shopkeepers. It wasn't long before I started making trades in Cedar Knoll. I mostly traded the herbs, salves, and little clay pots that Red Moon made because there was a fair demand for those things. In return I would get finely woven items, things made by melting sand into what they called 'glass', and some local delicacies. Some of these I would keep to take home to my own village, though most I would take to our cousins in the northern mountains, and trade for gems and the finely wrought metal items they were known for. On my return trip, I would again trade some of these items from the mountains for other things here in Cedar Knoll and a few smaller places along the way, and return home usually with some good deals. I had a good reputation as always being fair and honest, so I was greeted well by those who knew me. A few of my people, after hearing of my dealings with some of the Wastelanders, started to make some trades themselves. With one of the major trade routes running by the eastern border of The Great Forest, we started to have dealings with others from places farther away.

Alnakh and Nezcha brought out drinks and food for us all and we ate heartily. Lordan and his group had never tasted Wastelander food before, so they were a little hesitant at first trying it. However, they quickly discovered that the food was to their liking, and they seemed to enjoy it. Thankfully, what was on the menu that night was not something of the spicier variety...that would have been too much for most of us to handle. Dahmietra got her wish for some fresh baked bread with a lot of something called butter, which she said was made from the cream that floated on top of the milk produced by certain animals. It had an interesting texture to it, though by nature our kind ate mostly meat--preferably fresh--with some vegetables and fruits. The Woodland People by comparison, ate a more varied diet depending on what was available by season.

While I was eating, a thought occurred to me about Dahmietra: it was not very long ago that she was worried about being seen in a village of her own people, being dressed as she is. And now here she is, wearing the clothing that Moon Dancer made for her, sitting in the main room of an inn in a Wastelander village, and enjoying a good meal and seemingly not even being concerned about the few others who were also in the room. Of course, she was surrounded by large number of friends and traveling companions who would not hesitate to protect her, but maybe since her experiences at the gathering, she may no longer care what her people thought of her appearance. She did seem at ease and was talking and laughing with the others, so perhaps she had taken the "rebirth" part literally. I made a note to myself to ask her later if she had thought anything about being in the village.

"You're being rather quiet, dear," Red Moon asked, giving me a gentle poke.

I smiled at her, put my arm around her waist, and gave her a little hug.

"Just thinking," I said.

"You think too much...relax a little already!" she chided me with a grin.

I whispered in her ear, "When I can get you alone under the furs, there is only going to be one thought on my mind, my love."

Red Moon gave me a sly grin and asked quietly, "And just what might that be?" I whispered in her ear again and she started giggling and wagging the end of her tail.

"I'm going to hold you to it, you know that don't you?" she said poking me with her finger.

I gave the bottom of her ear a little nibble and said, "I'm counting on it," which caused a little shiver to go through her.

"Oh, you can be such a tease, dear!"

I just sat there and grinned while I slipped my hand under the table and started slowly running my fingers up her leg, starting at the knee. About three quarters of the way up, she clamped her hand down on mine and gave me an exasperated look.

"Stop!" she whispered.

I just grinned a little more and stuck the tip of my tongue out. Grimm, who was sitting across from us, glanced over at me and arched an eyebrow slightly. I tried my best to get an innocent grin on my face, though Grimm knew me too well for that. He shook his head a little and grinned back in a way that asked, "You just never stop, do you?" I slightly shrugged my shoulders and kept on grinning. Grimm rolled his eyes, though I could see a little smirk on his face.

Foxfire seemed to be doing better, now that she was inside somewhere warm and dry and got a good meal in her belly. I noticed that her aura was starting to come back, though it was still at a low enough intensity that most would not immediately feel any effects from it. She still kept her cloak on with the hood up over her head as she did before when we were last here.

After we finished eating, Alnakh went upstairs to get rooms ready for us. We were going to have to four to a room, so he got his son to help him pull out extra bedding and cots from storage that would normally be used during times of disaster or trouble. I assured him that anything would be better than sleeping under an oilskin cloak in the rain. When the rooms were ready, we went upstairs and figured out who was sleeping where for the night. Alnakh said that he would try to get at least a few baths ready for those who wanted it tonight, and would have more available the next day. We got settled into our rooms, with Red Moon, Dahmietra, Warri and I all sharing one of them. One of the first things I did was to count out the number of coin the High Cleric gave as the rest of my payment for making sure Dahmietra was brought to their gathering. The bag felt much heavier than the first one he gave as the "down payment for services," and I quickly found out why. When Red Moon asked what was in the bag that I was untying, I told her what it was which quickly got Dahmietra's attention. When I opened the bag and emptied its contents out on the little table in the room, both Red Moon and Dahmietra gasped--I could only stare at it, not quite believing my own eyes. Warri stopped what he was going and got up to come take a look for himself.

We looked at the contents totally dumbfounded, not saying a word, until Warri--using his mind-speak ability--said to the three of us, "Sire, if I may, perhaps it is best that you do not tell anyone about this."

I looked up at him and nodded my head, and then began counting. I checked and rechecked my count--it was a sizable fortune by anyone's standards: fifty-one gold coins and five large gems! There was also a small slip of paper that was in with the coins and gems, it read in the Common Tongue, "For keeping safe the most precious of all, and freedom too, to those who deserve it most." After reading it, I let the others read it, too. I picked up one of the gold coins and looked thoughtfully on it.

"For Nezcha," I said quietly.

Red Moon, with tears in her eyes, took my hand and nodded her head. Dahmietra grasped my other hand and Warri's; Red Moon completed the circle by also taking Warri's other hand. The others agreed simply by nodding their heads that the one extra coin should be used to free Nezcha, which itself would be more than enough to cover the cost of her bond price. As for the rest, we would keep it hidden and not say anything about it. I would have to find a way to get it changed into silver coins, which were far more common and more easily handled without drawing much attention. The gems were treasures in and of themselves, being the size of the average bird egg. I put all but the extra coin back into the bag and tied it up, placing it back into my belt pouch near the bottom. I certainly did not expect to receive anything near this amount when the High Cleric first struck the deal with me. I figured that he would simply give half up front and the other half later, but certainly not such an extravagant amount as this! The gems I could take to our mountain cousins who are renowned for their intricate jewelry and have them made into something worthy of their size and quality, which would then likely fetch a huge sum in the cities of the Eastlanders. The sale of just one such piece of jewelry would likely allow Dahmietra to live a life of comparative ease. All of this would have to be decided upon later after we got home and could have the time to discuss what to do.

"I'm going downstairs and have a chat with Alnakh about a couple of other issues, and also if Salzar shows up I can find out what else has been going on. Do you want me to bring anything back with me?" I asked everyone in our room.

"You go ahead, dear, I think we'll be fine" Red Moon replied.

"Okay, well, lock the door behind me. I'll be back as soon as I can," I said.

When I closed the door, I waited until I heard the lock turn and make a satisfying "click" before heading downstairs. On my way, I saw that the one room was still closed with a sign posted on it, saying in at least three different languages, "Out of Service."

When I went back downstairs, Alnakh was helping Nezcha clean off our tables, so I went over to them and said with a grin, "Good, just the two people I was looking for." Alnakh and Nezcha gave each other a puzzled look, wondering what I meant by that. I sat down in my usual place and motioned for them to come and join me. "You might want to get a particular box out of your desk, my friend," I said still grinning.

The light of understand was beginning to shine in Alnakh's eyes as he turned to go to his desk and fetch the lock box he kept the money in for Nezcha's bond price. I patted the seat next to me and had Nezcha sit by me. When Alnakh returned with the box, he set it down on the table and seated himself across from me. I paused for a moment and then reached into my pouch; when I pulled my hand out, I placed it palm down on the table.

"I think this will be more than sufficient," I said, and then slowly withdrew my hand revealing what I had placed on the table.

Alnakh and Nezcha both stared in wonder. I pushed the gold coin with a finger towards the lock box.

"First thing tomorrow morning, we are going to go and have that thing removed from around your neck, Nezcha. You're going to be free at last," I said with determination. Nezcha could hardly believe her eyes at what she was looking at or what it represented. "Go ahead, pick it up and hold it, dear," I said.

She held her hands to her mouth and looked in wide-eyed wonder at Alnakh. She had never seen a gold coin before, though she certainly had an idea to its worth. Alnakh nodded his head for her to go ahead and pick it up.

"Who knows when you might see another one," he said with a big smile.

Slowly Nezcha reached for the coin, and hesitated a little before touching it. She carefully picked it up and was surprised by the weight of it.

"Whatever is left over from that, plus what you already have collected in your box, should be given to her so that she will have something to get by on," I suggested.

Alnakh nodded his head and unlocked the box to open the lid.

"Well my child, you will be able receive fair wages now in whatever job you choose to do and you will also have proof that you are legally free," Alnakh said with almost fatherly pride.

Nezcha held the coin for just a little longer before gingerly placing it in the lock box with the silver coins that were in it.

"I don't know how you came into possession of that much money, and it's an awful lot, but as the saying goes, don't look a gift animal in the mouth," Alnakh said.

"Well, suffice it to say that a lot of effort by a lot of people went into fulfilling a promise to give freedom to those who deserve it most," I said, smiling.

Alnakh closed the lid of the lock box and locked it with his key. Making sure that it was locked securely, he got up and put it away in his desk drawer, which he locked using another key and came back to the table. Nezcha threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly. I hugged her back and held her for several moments.

"How can I ever thank you?" she said at last with tears in her eyes.

I smiled and said, "Live a decent life, have a family of your own someday, and come visit us at least once."

She covered her mouth with her hands in astonishment.

"Y-you mean, come to The Great Forest?"

"You will be greeted as a friend," I said grinning. "And that goes for you, too, Alnakh. Might not hurt to get away for a few days and take it easy," I said.

"So, you think things have calmed down some in the area?" he asked cautiously.

"It's still a little early to tell if we were able to change anything or not, but our people will be keeping a very close eye on things, I can assure you of that," I said, "but you're still welcome to come and visit whenever you are able to. Just follow the river all the way to The Great Forest and there will be an outpost just inside; tell them who you are and they will see to it that you are guided to my village."

Alnakh and Nezcha just sat there, not quite sure what to say next, when Salzar came in and saw me sitting at the back of the room next to the fireplace. I waved my arm for him to come on back and join me.

"Nezcha, would you be kind enough to bring me some tea and also something for Salzar?" I asked as he was walking across the room.

She tapped the table, smiled, and said that she would be right back with it. As Nezcha walked past Salzar she greeted him and inquired, "Good evening, Sergeant Salzar...your usual?"

Salzar nodded his head and said with a wink, "Walking through rain can still work up a thirst."

"Ah, Mist Runner, you old wolf...I see that you made it back," he greeted me with a big smile.

I stood and clasped his arm, "It seems that I can't stay away from this place for long. How are you, you old crow?" I asked with a big grin.

"I just finished my meal when the messenger came knocking on my door to let me know you had come back. I hear that you brought a lot of friends with you this time," he replied.

"We decided that a warm, dry place to rest was better than a wet one," I said still grinning.

"That's true enough. Ah, where are my manners? Good evening to you, Alnakh! How is business this night?"

"Good evening, Sergeant Salzar. It was slow, as I expected it would be due to the weather, but Mist Runner brought many friends with him this time which is a nice surprise," Alnakh replied.

Nezcha returned with our drinks and a plate of the little sweet cakes.

When I looked questionly at Nezcha about the sweet cakes, she smiled and said quietly, "Her way of saying 'thank you' for taking her home the other night."

I looked back towards the kitchen and saw the old cook standing in the doorway. She gave me a little wave and smiled, so I gave her a little bow in return. My gesture caused her to flash a toothy smile and give a quick little curtsy before disappearing back into the kitchen.

"Seems that you've made quite an impression on the old gal," Salzar chuckled.

"I believe so, my friend," Alnakh agreed cheerfully. Salzar took a drink from his tankard and said suspiciously, "Speaking of women-folk, is that one of yours still with you?"

I thought for a moment and then it dawned on me, "Ah, you mean Night Song?" I asked with a sly grin.

"The same," he replied.

I pointed straight up, indicating that she was upstairs. Salzar sighed and then I said, "I can let her know that you're here and asking for her."

Salzar's eyes widened and he almost spilled his drink, "No, no, that's okay...," he said quickly.

Alnakh chuckled at Salzar's reaction.

"Well, I suppose that it's a good thing that you already have a mate, my friend. You can never quite tell about Night Song...she just might get a wild hair and decide to see how adventurous you might be," I said laughing.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Salzar said nervously, looking towards the stairs.

"Personally my friend, I think she just enjoys pulling your tail, so-to-speak," I said.

"I wonder how life would be if our womenfolk were as 'adventurous' as yours are," Alnakh said still chuckling.

"A lot more interesting, no doubt, but don't tell your mate I said that," I said with a smirk.

We had a few more laughs about other things before finally getting down to discussing the latest news.

"Those two that you caught the last time you were here...we couldn't tell who they were more terrified of, your large friend or their master," Salzar said while rubbing his chin, "though we did eventually get a name, but it was no one that we have ever heard of before."

I arched an eyebrow and asked, "That name...it wouldn't happen to be 'Khel-Sehk' would it?" I asked.

Salzar got a confused look on his face and replied, "Why, yes...how did you know?"

"We had a run-in with him a couple of days ago," I replied, "at The Gathering."

Salzar and Alnakh looked at each other in astonishment and then Alnakh asked, "You were there?"

"Oh, yes...and with the very girl that those two were looking for," I said quietly. Before either Alnakh or Salzar could ask I said, "I have been her protector for some time now."

"What became of her?" Salzar asked.

"Oh, she's safe...in fact, not only does she know which end of a knife to hold, she's also starting to take lessons on how to fight with a staff," I said with a grin.

"A girl who can fight? That's unheard of!" exclaimed Salzar.

"My friend, there is a Skunatii female among our party who is no bigger than Nezcha, yet she could face and take down at least five of your best warriors in moments; it is she who is training the girl in the use of a staff," I said with amusement. "Oh, and Night Song...she's one of the best close-quarters fighters I've seen; in fact, if this room was packed and there was an all-out brawl going on, she'd have the room cleared in a very short time. There might not be much left of the room by the time she got done, but the fight would most certainly be over and she would be the only one standing," I added.

"I've heard stories about how your females can fight, but ours...they just don't have it in them," Salzar said shaking his head.

"You might be surprised at what they are capable of, my friend, if given the chance," I said.

Salzar thought on that for a while.

"I suppose you may be right, Mist Runner," Alnakh said. "Our society has done a lot to keep our womenfolk subdued over the past one thousand turns of the seasons, but yours it seems treats both males and females equally. Even among the Eastlanders and some of the southern lands, I've heard, their womenfolk have much more freedom than ours do. Such was not always the case among our people, though--in the oldest of writings of our people, long before the time of Dahmel-Tur, we had more balance among us. It seems that over time we have diminished in some ways as compared to others."

I grinned at Alnakh's words because it echoed the sentiments of the High Cleric.

I patted Alnakh on the shoulder and said, "My friend, if more thought as you then there may be hope for your people yet."

"You really think so?" Alnakh asked.

"I have learned that at least some of your religious leaders on both sides realize that not only is there a problem, but they also know the cause of the problem, and it is the same as you just described my friend. If enough of your people come to see this and can find the willingness to change, then--perhaps--they can begin to undo the damage that has been done and heal old wounds. It will take some time, and at least part of the problem has been due to the meddling of the Dark Blood Clan," I said.

"I have heard that name, though only as a story used to frighten children and make them behave," Salzar said.

"They do indeed exist...in fact this Khel-Sehk we spoke of was one of them. They are an ancient evil--their race dwells in the deep, forgotten places of the world. Above all else, they seek power and they will manipulate or destroy any to achieve it, and thus they have done with your people for many generations. Dahmietra, the girl I have been protecting, she had the courage to stand up to Khel-Sehk in front of your assembled leaders. The strength of her conviction surprised him and caused him to back away from her a bit, though he ended up trying to attack and ultimately paid the price for it. He will not be causing any problems in this world ever again," I said of our encounter.

"So, he's dead then?" Salzar asked.

"Not only was his body killed, his malevolent spirit was also utterly destroyed," I replied.

Alnakh and Salzar were dumbfounded.

"All those who were in attendance--leaders, their helpers, the guards, even the cooks and laborers--all were given a very special and very powerful message; what they choose to do with that, we shall see, though I hope that they will choose wisely in the days to come," I said.

"So what do we do now?" Salzar asked.

"For the time being, I'd say continue to keep an eye on those hills west of here. One of our hunting parties should be heading this way in case help is needed. They were given instructions to head out in three quarters of a moon's time after we left, which was half a moon ago, and it would only take them three or four days to arrive. They could arrive early, depending on what might have happened since," I said.

Then Alnakh asked, "What of the other folk who are traveling with you?"

"Ah, glad you brought that up," I said, "the six of them came here with us because I want to introduce them to the merchants I know here. They're interested in seeing if they could perhaps start making some trades. Their villages already do some trading with the Eastlanders, and since this village is on a river that connects to a larger river east of here, it could lead to some good opportunities for Cedar Knoll. That outpost of ours that I mentioned...we have plans on turning it into a trading post since it is near the main trade route and also just two days upstream from here."

Alnakh was thoughtful upon hearing this.

"I may have to hire some more help to handle the increased business," he said with a grin.

"Well, something to think upon at any rate," I said.

"So, you think this sleepy little back-water village could become a center of trade, eh?" Salzar asked.

"Anything is possible if you are willing to try," I replied.

We sat and talked quietly about other things for a while...family, life in the village, the weather, and other small talk. Eventually I decided that I should get back to the room so that I could be with Red Moon and Dahmietra.

"Well, Alnakh, Salzar, I think I will head back to my room for the night; my mate will be wondering what is keeping me so long down here. Be sure to let me know in the morning when we can take Nezcha to whatever clerk's office she needs to be taken to so that she can finally be rid of that wretched collar, Alnakh."

Salzar looked surprised to learn of this.

"What is this? She is to be freed?" he asked happily.

Alnakh replied, "Yes indeed. After receiving a generous donation, her bond price is met and she can be free at last," Alnakh said proudly.

"Well, a happy day it will be then! We should celebrate the occasion...if you will be around for a while longer, Mist Runner," Salzar suggested heartily.

"I wouldn't miss it, my friend," I said with a big smile.

I stood up to leave just as Nezcha came to check on us to see if we needed anything else. Both Salzar and Alnakh stood, though Salzar gave Nezcha a quick hug. "I just heard the news, little one! I am happy for you!

"Thank you, it was quite a surprise to me, though the best one I've ever had," Nezcha said with a big smile.

"We will go right after first meal is finished if that is okay," Alnakh suggested.

"Sounds good to me," I said.

"I can wait until then," Nezcha added.

"If the Capt'n will let me, I will try to meet you here then, otherwise I will see you in the early evening," Salzar said.

"Well, a pleasant good night to you all, I will see you in the morning," I said taking my leave, and headed upstairs to my room.

Warri let me back into the room when I returned since he was closest to the door.

"Well, did you have a nice chat with Alnakh?" Red Moon asked as she got up to give me a hug.

I nodded my head as I held her and said, "Yeah, you should have seen the look on Nezcha's and Alnakh's faces when I laid that gold coin on the table," I said, inhaling slowly and deeply, savoring her scent. "I let Nezcha hold it in her hand so that she could look at it, and then she put it into the lock box. It's more than enough to pay her bond price. What's left over from it and along with what has already been collected, Alnakh is going to let her keep. As soon as the morning meal is done, Alnakh and I are taking her to whatever clerk they need to see so that she can be set free. Salzar said that he would try to be there, too."

"So Salzar did show up, then?" Red Moon asked.

I gave her a kiss on the lips and said, "He showed up after Alnakh put the lock box away. The three of us sat and talked a bit about things. I told them a little of what happened, and asked Salzar to keep an eye towards those hills west of here for the time being. I also mentioned that I wanted to take Lordan's group around and introduce them to the merchants that I know here to see about possibly starting to do some trading with them."

"So, what did they think of the idea?" Red Moon asked.

"I think they warmed up to the idea pretty well," I replied smiling.

Red Moon kissed me back, took my hand, and then pulled me over to one of the beds to sit down. "

These seem rather small," I said eyeing the bed somewhat suspiciously.

"Well then, dear, I guess we'll just have lie really close together," Red Moon said with a sly grin.

I looked over at Dahmietra and Warri, who were looking somewhat embarrassed by Red Moon's statement. I pointed a thumb in their direction and raised an eyebrow. At first Red Moon was a little confused by what I meant, but then it sank in and she chuckled when she realized that there were only two beds in the room.

"This could be a little interesting," Red Moon said with a grin.

It's not that both Dahmietra and Warri hadn't already entertained the thought privately in their own minds, and had shared those thoughts with each other a few days earlier, but now they were faced with the reality of the four of us in one room that only has two beds. Even though the thought again raced through his mind, he wasn't sure if either he or Dahmietra were quite ready yet for that sort of thing...even in the company of two adults who had become almost like family to him. Dahmietra also had the thought running through her mind, and like Warri, wasn't sure if she might be ready just yet to share a bed with a male that she felt an attraction towards...even if nothing was going to happen, especially under the noses of her protectors-turned-parents.

Before Warri had a chance to offer to sleep on the floor Red Moon told both Dahmietra and Warri, "You two are old enough to make your own choices, and you've both already had to make some pretty tough choices since we've been on this little adventure. Mist Runner and I both know that you like each other a lot, and we trust you not to do anything foolish or that you're not ready for, don't we dear?"

I nodded my head in agreement.

"It may be another moon yet before you both go through the Coming of Age rite, but I suppose it's okay with us if you two wish to try being together if that's what you want, as long as you follow the usual customs of course," I continued with a little grin.

Dahmietra and Warri looked at each other and then at us.

"I...don't know what to say, Sire," Warri said hesitantly.

Dahmietra wasn't quite sure what was meant by "the usual customs."

"Well, you can say 'good night', because I'm putting out the light and going to sleep," I said and proceeded to do just that.

The bed was not large enough to stretch out on, nor was it particularly wide enough, but Red Moon and I made do and snuggled closely together and pulled the covering over us. Dahmietra and Warri sat there in the dark for a bit not quite sure what to do next. After a minute or so of nervous hesitation, Dahmietra grabbed Warri's hand and gave it a squeeze.

As soon as she felt his presence in her mind, she thought the question, "Did they just give us their blessing to start courting if we wanted to?"

Warri replied, "Well, I suppose after a fashion, if I understand the meaning of that word."

"So, what do you want to do now?" Dahmietra asked.

"I suppose we should get some rest. I can sleep on the floor, if you wish...," Warri offered politely.

"I think this bed will be a lot more comfy if you didn't," Dahmietra thought back.

When I awoke early the next day, there didn't seem to be much light coming around the edges of the cloth covering over the window. I could smell the faint scent of food being cooked in the air, which was making me a bit hungry. Red Moon lying beside me was causing a different hunger to stir within me, but that would have to wait a while longer. I kissed her gently on the side of her neck and she wiggled a little bit, which was about all the room we had on the bed. I raised my head up a bit and peered over Red Moon to see if either Dahmietra or Warri were up yet. I grinned when I saw the both of them lying together on the other bed. She had removed her boots, pouch and knife, but otherwise remained clothed. Dahmietra lay on her right side, facing towards us, as was Warri, though he had his arm over her--on the outside of the covers.

I whispered in Red Moon's ear, "Good morning, dear...sleep well?"

She yawned and tried to stretch a little, "Well it was better than sleeping on the ground...a little cramped, though, but at least I got to have you beside me all night."

Red Moon rolled over onto her other side so that she could face me, causing me to have to scoot back almost to the edge of the bed so she could do so.

"How are you this morning, my love?" she asked me quietly.

"Hungry."

"Oh? And just what are you hungry for this morning?" she asked with a little grin.

I whispered in her ear my answer. Red Moon had to suppress a giggle.

"Is that all you think about first thing in the morning?" she asked coyly.

"Only when I'm with you," I said, licking my lips slowly.

"Ooooo...stop! You're going to drive me wild doing that!" she whispered in exasperation.

I just grinned at her and whispered back, "I plan to."

Red Moon nearly crossed her eyes and then kissed me forcefully for several moments until she had to get some air.

"You're bad, you know that?" she asked panting a bit.

"But you love it," I replied slyly.

"Oh, don't you know it!" she whispered back with a big smile and then kissed me again.

"Uh, if you want, we could let you have the room by yourselves for a while. We're thinking about going down to see what they have to eat," Red Moon and I heard a soft voice coming from the other side of the room.

We froze in mid-kiss and popped our eyes open wide and realized that Dahmietra and Warri were awake.

With our mouths still together, Red Moon managed to say, "Ah, shhur...whe'll beh dahn in a beht."

I let go with one hand for a moment, just long enough to give a little wave. Dahmi hurriedly pulled on her boots and gathered the rest of her things as Warri headed for the door. They slipped out into the hallway and shut the door quietly behind them, and then leaned against the wall for a moment. Dahmi heard Red Moon giggle and then say something that made her blush.

After a moment, Warri shook his head and said quietly, "My parents are the same way."

They started walking down the hall towards the stairs when they heard another door open. Night Song came out of the room she was in and quietly shut the door behind her. She gave a little wave to Dahmietra and Warri and caught up with them.

As she passed their room she paused very briefly, swiveled an ear towards the door, and said quietly with a big grin, "Sounds like someone is having fun."

"Good morning, Night Song...we're going to see what is being served for first meal. Want to join us?" Dahmietra asked.

Night Song chuckled a little and jabbing a thumb towards the door said, "I can tell you what's not going to be on our menu this morning."

Dahmietra's face turned a shade red at Night Song's comment.

"There's nothing like a good hot meal to start a cool, rainy day. Let's see what they have this morning, shall we?" Night Song asked with a grin.

The three walked down the stairs and saw that there were several people there having their first meal of the day, as well as Sire Grimm Tooth and Kurietta who waved them over to join them. The Wastelanders in the room stopped and stared at Night Song and then at Dahmietra. Night Song didn't think anything of it, though Dahmietra couldn't help but to notice the looks she got from the way she was dressed. She did her best to emulate Night Song by walking with her chin up and back straight, with an easy gait. One middle-aged man who was dressed in the fashion of the Dhal-Shan Sect got an ugly look on his face as Dahmietra passed by, and made a grab for her. Before he could lay a hand on her, Dahmietra quickly grabbed his wrist with her left hand, pulled her knife with her right, and held it to his throat.

"Touch me, and you will lose something more than your arm," she said in a low and very cold voice.

The man's eyes grew very wide for he saw the bloodstained blade of the knife she held at his neck. Dahmietra had forgotten in the confusion of things to clean her blade, but it proved to make her point all the more potent. Grimm, Kurietta, Night Song, and Warri--along with everyone else in the room--watched the scene play out intently; you could hear a small pebble drop.

Night Song slipped in behind the man and then leaned down and said in her usual sultry voice, "You know, sweetie, I think you'd better do as she says...she gets a little cranky when some idiot tries to play patty-fingers first thing in the morning before she has a chance to have any tea. Now, be a good pup and mind your own business...before she slices and dices something you'd rather keep."

The man glanced back at Night Song and then looked up at Dahmietra who still held her knife to his throat while glaring icily at him. Very slowly, he raised his other hand and spread his fingers to show submission. Dahmietra snorted and started to draw her knife back, but then quickly stabbed a piece of meat off his plate with it and bit into it while he watched in shock before walking off. Dahmietra sat down next to Grimm, finished eating the piece of meat she commandeered, and then put the knife back in its sheath, still glaring at the man. She put her arm around Grimm and tried to act normal, but he could tell that she was trembling.

Very quietly, she said, "Sorry...I was afraid someone might try something because of the way I'm dressed. I had to do something quick otherwise I could have been beaten, or worse."

Grimm smiled and patted her leg under the table and said, "You did just fine, Dahmietra. I think he might not be quite so quick to try that again because you didn't show fear."

"But, I was afraid!" she said quietly.

"You did what you had to do, despite being afraid--that's courage, Dahmietra," Grimm said reassuringly.

"Not to worry, girl, even if you didn't get a chance to do anything to protect yourself, that guy would never have walked out of here," Night Song said with a big toothy grin.

Grimm poured Dahmietra some hot tea and added a little honey to it before handing it to her. She drank it down as quickly as the temperature of it would allow before setting the cup down. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out, trying to calm herself. Warri waved for Nezcha to come over and then poured himself some tea. When she was able to come to their table, Warri asked what was available to eat.

"This morning we're having sausages, fried potatoes, eggs, cheese and bread," Nezcha said as she rattled off what was being served.

Warri wasn't sure what all that was and neither did the others, but Dahmietra nodded and said, "That sounds really good--I'm really hungry." Before she left to head for the kitchen, Nezcha leaned down and said quietly,

"By the way, that man...he's got quite an attitude. Master Alnakh has had plenty of words with him before for trying to stir up trouble in here. About time somebody knocked him down a peg or two." She grinned and left to get their food.

Grimm translated everything that happened for Kurietta and she laughed a little saying, "Gee, Grimmster, Dahmi sounds like she might have some spunk in her after all."

Grimm thoughtfully rubbed his chin a moment and said, "Perhaps."

"Well, do you think we should go and get something to eat?" Red Moon asked quietly as she stroked the fur between my ears.

"I suppose we should," I said after a moment.

"If we were home in our own den, I'd be inclined to just lay here for a while...maybe even go again," she said with a sly grin.

I looked at her a little sideways and asked, "What's it take to wear you out?" Red Moon stuck the tip of her tongue out at me and said, "When we get home, I'll show you."

"I have a feeling that I'm not going to be able to walk right for a while after that," I said with a look of mild resignation.

"Probably not," she agreed with a wicked grin.

"You're insatiable, you know that don't you," I said.

Red Moon laughed quietly and said, "Only because I can't get enough of you, my dear."

"Sigh, I guess we'd better go check on the youngsters and get something to eat," I said as I got myself disentangled from Red Moon's legs and the covers. We freshened up a bit, got our things back on, and then headed down to the main room.

We saw Dahmietra and Warri sitting with Grimm, Kurietta, and Night Song having their meal. There were some Wastelanders sitting at some of the other tables, and Nezcha was busy checking on the various tables. Alnakh was by his desk behind the counter collecting payment from a customer. We walked over to where Grimm and the others were sitting and found a seat. Nezcha saw us and motioned that she would be right over.

"Good morning," I said cheerfully.

"I see you finally decided to come down and join us," Grimm said with his usual seemingly deadpan expression.

"Where's Foxfire?" I asked.

"She's still asleep...Brown Leaf is with her, in case you're wondering," Grimm replied.

He saw the look of relief on my face when I heard that she wasn't left alone in the room.

"Have any of the others been down yet?" I asked.

"Not since we've been here," Grimm said between bites. As soon as Nezcha had the chance, she came over to greet Red Moon and me.

"Good Morning to you, Mist Runner, how are you this morning?"

"Good morning to you, too, Nezcha. I'm fine, thank you. Red Moon, this is Nezcha, who I've told you about; Nezcha, this is my mate, Red Moon," I said making the introductions.

"Happy to meet you, dear--Mist Runner has told me a lot about you," Red Moon said smiling.

"Thank you, it's a pleasure to meet you at last," Nezcha said. "What can I get for you two this morning?"

"I guess I'll have what everyone else is having, what about you, dear?" I asked Red Moon.

She looked at what the others were eating and said, "That looks good, I'll try it."

Nezcha excused herself so that she could go and fetch our food for us. I could sense that something was up because everyone was feeling tense.

"Okay," I asked in a low voice, "what's going on? Everyone's tense, I can feel it without trying to."

The others looked nervously at each other, not being quite sure what should be said, while Dahmietra looked down at her plate and picked at her food. I felt the strongest emotions coming from Dahmietra--a mix of fear, anger, uncertainty and sadness. I scooted closer to Dahmietra and put my arm around her...she flinched a little, which I thought was odd, so I tried to calm her and get her to talk.

"Dahmi, something's bothering you...just be calm and tell me what's wrong," I said gently.

I could feel her shoulders sag a little and she let out a little sigh.

She hesitated for a bit, and then started talking in a quiet voice, "Do you remember what I said might happen if I were to walk into one of our villages dressed like this?"

I nodded my head and waited for her to continue.

"Well, one of the men in here from the Dahl-Shan Sect--they're the stricter sect of our people--he gave me a hateful look and tried to grab me as I walked by," she said.

"So what happened next?" I asked gently.

"I got mad and without thinking, I grabbed his wrist and pulled my knife out and put it to his throat...then I told him that if he touched me he was going to lose something more than his arm. I guess I had forgotten to clean the blood off my knife the other day and he must have seen it on there because he got really scared. Then Night Song came over and said something to him and he held his hands up, so I let go. I don't know why I did it, but I stabbed a piece of meat off of his plate with my knife and bit it and then walked on over here and sat down."

I could feel Red Moon's ire start to build, which could be a dangerous thing--you don't threaten a female's cubling, even if not born to her, regardless if the situation was handled by others or not.

"But you didn't hurt him," I said. Now Dahmietra was feeling shame.

"No...but, I think I could have! I was really mad...and really scared, too," she said nervously.

"I understand, Dahmi. Remember when I told you about Bane Flower challenging me in front of everyone when we first arrived in our village, and how she had left me no choice but to do something about it? If Grimm hadn't come along when he did, I would of even though I didn't want to. I guess this was kind of the same thing in a way. That individual chose to do something stupid, and you had to do what you felt that you needed to do in order to protect yourself. In the process, you showed that you were strong enough that you were not going to be bullied, and he had to take you seriously and either back down or face whatever consequences. Fortunately, I guess Night Song happened to be close enough to help out, and hopefully he won't try that again," I explained.

"Sire, Nezcha said that that particular male had tried to cause trouble in here before on several occasions, and the owner had some words with him about that," Warri said.

"Who was it, Dahmi?" Red Moon asked.

She pointed with her fork and said, "That's the one."

Red Moon turned to look at the one Dahmietra was pointing to, saw who it was, and very quietly snarled. When I saw the hair on her back start to rise, I quickly grabbed her arm.

"Red Moon...I know what you want to do, but don't. Please. Dahmi dealt with it in her own way...let it go, at least for now. I'll tell Salzar about it when I see him later.

"No one messes with my cubling and gets away with it," she said coldly, still fixing her gaze on the man.

"Beloved, I understand, but if you do something now these people will think it's an unprovoked attack on your part and that will cause more trouble. Everyone in here likely saw Dahmi deal with him; it's over and done with, as far as they're concerned. She did the right thing at the right time--she quickly put him in his place and forced him to submit in front of everyone even though he's bigger. I want to put some hurt on him just as much as you do, but...not...now," I said quietly but firmly.

"Mist Runner's right, Red Moon...it's been dealt with for now. Knowing these types, he'll probably want revenge for being humiliated in front of everyone--if he tries something later, he's all yours," Grimm added.

I felt Red Moon relax a little and saw the hair on her back come down.

"I...guess you're right. But if he dares try anything again, I will hunt him down and nobody better try to stop me!"

Grimm looked straight at Red Moon, and with his usual deadpan expression, he said, "Wouldn't think of it."

When Nezcha brought our food out to Red Moon and me, Grimm asked if he could have a plate and a cup of tea to take upstairs for someone.

"Sure, I'll have that right out for you," she said happily and went off to fetch it. After a few minutes, she brought out another plate and the cup of tea and then went to check on the other tables.

"I'm going to take this up to Foxfire--I'll be back shortly," Grimm said.

I nodded my head and before he slid out from behind the table, Grimm gave Dahmietra's arm a gentle squeeze. She looked up at him and he smiled at her. Dahmi flashed him a quick smile and put her other hand on top of his for a moment. After he got up, he kissed Kurietta quickly and headed for the stairs. Kurietta sat back down to finish what was left of her meal and watched Grimm--she had a suspicion, and she was right. Grimm stopped momentarily and leaned down to say something to the man who tried to grab Dahmietra. I watched, too, and felt the man suddenly feel fearful. Grimm was only a moment, and he headed on to the stairs without looking back. Several others in the room also saw Grimm stop and say something quietly to the man, though no one heard what was said. He quickly got up and put some coin on the table, giving a nervous glance back towards us and left hurriedly. Grimm had poked the top of the man's shoulder with one of his claws, which caused immediate discomfort--it wasn't enough to break the skin, but it wasn't a gentle touch either.

He spoke quietly into the ear of the man with his deep, gravelly voice, "You made a grave mistake this morning, trying to grab that girl. Her adoptive mother, who is immortal, is now your most dire enemy because you had to be an idiot. Enjoy your day."

When Grimm got to the top of the stairs and was out of sight of everyone, he smiled as he walked on towards his room.

Grimm knocked quietly on the door a few times and announced that he had returned, so Brown Leaf got up and unlocked the door for him. As he came into the room, Foxfire woke up and yawned, stretching as best as she could in the small bed.

"Hi Grimmie!" she said sleepily.

"Good morning. I brought some food up for you," he said.

"Oh, that's so nice of you! Just set it this table here...I think I need to get up and do something," she said sheepishly.

Foxfire pulled the cover off of her and sat up as Grimm put the plate and cup down on the table by her.

"Mmm...say, that smells yummy. What is it?"

"Nezcha said it is sausages, fried potatoes, eggs, and something called 'bread'. There's some cheese and also some hot tea," Grimm replied.

"It's pretty good, actually," Brown Leaf, said, "I went down with Snow Spear and Smoke Fire, and we ate before everyone else."

"It certainly looks good. Gee, these people sure do have some interesting food," Foxfire commented.

"Indeed. The meat is particularly tasty," Grimm agreed.

Foxfire stood up and got a little light-headed, but Grimm steadied her until the fuzziness passed.

"Thanks Grimmie," she said, giving her brother a hug.

Grimm kissed her on top of her head and then let her go take care of her morning business.

While she was behind the screen she said, "You know guys, despite how different we are from these Wastelanders it's amazing how many things are the same."

"In some ways, I suppose so," Brown Leaf agreed.

"We respect our females a lot more than they do, particularly certain ones," Grimm added.

"Did something happen, Sire?" Brown Leaf asked.

"Yes, unfortunately--one of their males tried to grab Dahmietra when she came down to eat with Warri and Night Song."

Foxfire finished what she had to do and came out from behind the screen with a concerned look on her face.

"Is Dahmi okay?" she asked.

Grimm smiled a little and related the story of what happened, including Red Moon's reaction when she found out and what he had said to the man as he passed by his table.

"Well, that was certainly bad of him to do that!" Foxfire said with a frown.

"I agree, though I would have liked to have seen the look on his face. I'm sure he wasn't expecting that reaction from Dahmietra," Brown Leaf said.

"She seemed to handle it well enough, though I know it was troubling for her," Grimm said.

What he hadn't said to anyone yet, was the look he saw in Dahmietra's eyes at the moment she pulled her knife. He thought it best to wait until he could speak privately with Mist Runner about it.

"I'm going to go back down for a while...will you be okay up here for now?" Grimm asked both Foxfire and Brown Leaf.

"Sure, Grimmie we'll be okay. You go run along," Foxfire said as she sat down and picked up her plate.

Brown Leaf gave a little wave and grinned as Grimm headed out the door. She locked it behind him and then went over to look out the window just to see what she could see while Foxfire enjoyed her meal.

Lordan and his group had slept in a little later than they normally would have. They arose and cleaned up a little before venturing out of their rooms.

"Well something smells good down there," Minxie said sniffing the air.

"I hope they have enough left for us," Jex said rubbing his belly.

"It shouldn't be that late in the morning, yet," Shilar said hopefully.

About that time, Grimm Tooth came out of his room and met them in the hallway.

"Sleep well last night?" he asked with a slight grin.

"That bed sure felt better than the ground...it was nice not to have a root or something under your back all night," Dennella replied.

"Or having something try to crawl in with you," Fen added.

Grimm smiled and said, "That's always annoying. I believe you are the only ones who haven't had first meal yet."

"Well, then I suppose that we'd better get down there before they quit serving it," Lordan suggested while trying to hold back a yawn.

Most of the morning crowd had left by the time Grimm came back down stairs with Lordan and his group, and Red Moon and I were nearly finished with our own meals. Nezcha was busy clearing tables while Alnakh's son helped by sweeping the floor. Alnakh himself had been busy at his desk, though when he finished his work there, he came back to join us.

"Ah, good morning to all!" he said cheerfully.

"Good morning, Alnakh. Rather busy morning you've had today," I greeted my friend.

"For the most part, business was good, but...," he looked at Dahmietra and continued, "I must apologize for the incident earlier, miss. Tah-Noor is...,"

"Meat to be wasted," Red Moon interrupted quietly.

"...not a very pleasant fellow on the best of days, and I've had trouble with him on more than one occasion," Alnakh continued, giving Red Moon a nervous glance. "I think I'd better bar him from coming back since he has a habit of causing trouble," Alnakh added.

Nezcha came over see if Lordan's group wished to eat, which they did of course, so she scurried off to the kitchen to get them their meal. As she was leaving, Alnakh asked her to bring him a plate of food; she nodded her head and continued into the kitchen.

Minxie leaned over to Lordan and whispered, "I think something must have happened earlier."

Lordan nodded his head and whispered back, "I think you're right."

Nezcha came back out after a while with a large serving tray loaded down with food. She set down plates for Lordan and his group, then for Alnakh and one for herself. She picked up the empty plates on our tables and put them on the tray, and then set the tray down on a nearby table so that she could eat with Alnakh.

Salzar finally arrived and joined us, asking only for some tea since he had his first meal at home. After our initial usual banter, I told Salzar about the one called Tah-Noor, and what he tried to do to Dahmietra.

Salzar uttered a sharp word in his native tongue and said, "That old pile of...why he's been nothing but trouble, always trying to stir something up, thinking he's better than everyone else. He's a self-righteous little slug--he and his cronies!" Salzar told Dahmietra, "Young lady, in my opinion, you did the right thing. I'm surprised that someone hadn't done something like that to him a long time ago."

Red Moon thought to herself, "If I get my way, he'll get what he truly deserves."

I was just about to change the subject to something more pleasant when the bell on the front door rang, signaling someone was coming in, or going out. Night Song, who was facing away from the front, swiveled an ear towards the door to listen--it was an automatic response on her part.

Three males came in and one of them said in a loud voice, "There! That's the one! The shameless, brazen little wench!"

Tah-Noor had returned with a junior cleric of the Dahl-Shan and one of his friends, looking for Dahmietra. As soon as Red Moon heard the words, she snarled and raised the hair on her back. Salzar, Alnakh and the others all looked to see who it was.

Night Song smiled as she was lifting her cup to her mouth and said, "Don't worry, I got 'im...," and drained the contents.

Quick as a flash, she spun up and out of her seat, hurled the cup with force, and hit Tah-Noor squarely in the middle of his chest, knocking him flat on his back. She quickly snatched up another cup and nailed Tah-Noor's friend, sending him on the floor. The junior cleric stood there, not believing his eyes, as Night Song already had a third cup in her hand and lightly tossing up and down with a completely wicked grin on her face. "Twitch and you're next," she said happily.

Red Moon seized the moment, getting up and slowly, menacingly, walking towards the men quietly snarling. The junior cleric made some sort of sign with his hands as Red Moon approached. She jabbed his chest with a finger and said in a stern voice, "SIT!" He nearly fell over backwards as he fumbled for the closest seat and sat down hard. The other two, Tah-Noor and his friend, were moaning and writhing on the floor.

"Night Song, if this other one tries to get up, hit him again," she said coldly.

"Why, it would be my pleasure," she said still grinning wickedly.

Red Moon reached down, grabbed Tah-Noor by his clothing, and hoisted him up off his feet. She let out a fierce, loud growl, barring her teeth that caused him to mess himself.

"You...that girl is my cubling in all but blood, and just what do you think you were going to do to her, hmm?Answer me, dog wretch!!!" she yelled while shaking him.

I got up and started walking towards Red Moon; Grimm was suitably impressed (and rather surprised), and Kurietta was in awe.

Warri reached out in his mind to Dahmietra and thought, "I would not want to be that person right now."

Dahmietra was glad that Warri was with her in her mind, though she reached across the table to hold his hand.

"People like him are disgusting, vile and hateful...they carry in them all of the worst qualities of the followers of Dahmel-Tur. Still, I'd rather see some other way of turning them around if it's even possible. Unfortunately, force seems to be the only thing that gets through to some."

Salzar started to get up, but Alnakh bade him to stay, "I don't think now would be an opportune moment to come between them, my friend."

Lordan and his group watched the spectacle in complete silence, not moving a muscle. Red Moon continued her rant since Tah-Noor seemed to be unwilling to talk.

"What is it with you people? You think you can just walk in and start dictating to people whatever your twisted, perverted little minds can think up? You're_sick_! What does it take to get through to that festering rot you call a brain? And you!" she yelled at the young cleric, "You idiots keep pumping the minds of others full of hate! This Dahmel-Tur you think so highly of...he was a raving madman! And you are too stupid to figure that out! Ooooo...I have a mind to strip those robes off of you and whip your bare tail all around this village for being so stupid, and twice, too!! But as for you, little slug, you so much as look sideways at my cubling again and I will hunt you down and feed your wretched carcass to the things that swim in that river, a little at a time!Do you understand me???" Tah-Noor fearfully nodded his head and she dropped him onto the floor.

I stood by her side and said sternly, "I had hoped that you learned your lesson the first time, but apparently not. Here you are again, still tempting our wrath by messing with our daughter. That's right, the girl you were all set to inflict your misguided stupidity on just happens to be ours...oh, she may have been born of your kind, but her parents gave her away to a bunch of clerics when she was little. Small-minded clerics like you," I said pointing to the young cleric. "She was nothing more that a playing piece in some twisted little game of theirs, so--and to make a long story short--she ended up in my care and my mate here and I have decided to adopt her as if she were one of our own. She's one of us now, and like it or not, if any of you dare try to do anything to her ever again, it's going to go badly for you...very badly. You see, not only will it anger our people, who most likely will come looking for you in force, I just also happen to be a friend to your High Cleric, and I don't think he would take too kindly of it, either. The last person who tried to attack our daughter did so right in front of your little 'Grand Council'...let's just say that he didn't survive his mistake." The junior cleric's face turned white. "Now then, the sergeant of the guard is sitting right over there and I'm sure that this little stunt of yours has got his full attention, though if I were you, I'd be far more worried about what my mate is going to do to you. You see, she's being deadly serious in that she won't hesitate to hunt you down, Tah-Noor, so you'd better understand that very clearly. And while she's doing that, I will come for you little cleric...why? Because you and others like you have been feeding this slug's mind with all of the vile religious hate, fear and loathing that you can shove into his ears, and there just is no good reason for that nonsense to be going on. Now, a dear friend of ours gave all of your big religious leaders a very important message and--hopefully--they'll take that message to heart and start changing some things. But until then, as long as you are spewing your message of hate and fear and so forth, I'd be watching over my shoulder if I were you because we're immortal...you're not. And we never forget."

I let my words sink in for a bit and then looked at Red Moon.

She looked at me and then said loudly, "Sergeant Salzar, these idiots came here to try and take my cubling and harm her...that's not going to happen. Is there something they could be charged with under your laws?"

Alnakh nodded his head so Salzar stood up and made his way to where Red Moon and I were standing.

"Well, I'm sure I can find something to hold them on easily enough," he said, "I'll have to call a couple of other guards to come and help take them down to the guardhouse, though."

"I will assist you," a deep voice said from behind. Salzar quickly looked around and saw that Grimm had made his way to where we were standing. Given Grimm's size, Salzar was certain that he could very easily handle two of the offenders. "You take the robed one, I will take the others," Grimm stated.

"Right, well follow me then," Salzar said as he took hold of the junior cleric's arm. "If you try to make a run for it, you won't get two steps, understand?" Salzar said to the cleric. He nodded his head emphatically, looking rather terrified at Grimm. "I'll be back as soon as these three are put into a comfy little cell," Salzar stated.

"Thanks, my friend. We can stop by later to make a statement if you need," I said giving him a pat on the shoulder.

Salzar nodded and headed for the door with the cleric in tow.

"Thanks, Grimm," I said with a grin to my old friend. He smiled a little and leaned down to say something, "I'll have to add a cup to the list of things Night Song is good at throwing."

I laughed and said, "Better hide the dishes, then."

Grimm chuckled and said, "Agreed." He grabbed the other two troublemakers by the back of their collars and hoisted them up. "Resist and I'll hand you to her," Grimm told them flatly. They both shook their heads with wide eyes. Grimm walked off half dragging the two troublemakers, easily catching up to Salzar, and followed him to the guardhouse.

After they left, Red Moon shook herself and then gave me a hug.

"Thank you, dear...for standing with me," she said quietly.

"I'm always here, my love," I said and gave her a kiss.

She smiled and then looked down at her pendant for a moment, held it and then looked back up at me and said, "I know."

When we got back to the table, Red Moon hugged Dahmietra tightly for a long time and gave her lots of kisses.

"Oh, my sweet cubling...," Red Moon said as she stroked Dahmietra's hair, "I'm sorry all of this foolishness happened."

Dahmietra looked up with tears in her eyes and said, "Thank you for not letting those men take me away."

"I'd never let that happen," Red Moon said.

"And neither would I," I added.

Dahmietra threw herself at me and hugged me just as fiercely as she did Red Moon. When she finally let go, Dahmietra gave Night Song a hug as well.

"Thank you for your help," Dahmietra said.

Night Song was a little surprised, but happy that she was able to do something to help.

"Not a problem, sweetie," she said with a big grin, "I'm just glad that I could help." We all sat back down and the others finished their meal even though it had cooled.

"Well, I think that's enough excitement for one day," Alnakh stated, chuckling as he did so.

"Looks like I owe you for a couple of cups," Night Song said to Alnakh.

He patted her on the arm as he shook his head and said, "Cups are easy to replace, a life cannot be. If the price was only that of two cups to see Tah-Noor get what he deserved, then I will gladly forgive the cost. Think nothing of it, my friend. The young lady is safe, and that is what matters."

"Gee Red Moon ya sure gave that guy the what-for," Kurietta said with a meek smile, "I sorta feel sorry for him in a way because every night he's going to wake up imagining yer pearly whites nippin' and rippin' on him."

"I hope he does," Red Moon said with a little grin.

Kurietta grimaced a little and said, "Hey Misty, remind me not to get on her bad side, okay?" "

Well, I wouldn't want to get on your bad side, either," I said playfully.

Kurietta half smiled and half pouted, putting her hands on her hips and retorted, "Now, ya know I don't have the big chompers like ya do."

"No, but I still remember the yelp that one person let out when you bit him on the leg...just before you added insult to injury with the other end," I laughed.

Kurietta thought for a moment, but then remembered the incident.

"Geez, Misty, ya _do_remember everything, don't ya?" she asked sheepishly.

I just smiled and nodded my head. Warri had interpreted for Dahmietra what was being said using his mind-speak ability. Dahmietra imagined what might have happened and giggled. Alnakh wasn't quite sure what we were talking about and I saw the look of confusion on his face.

"Grimm, Kurietta, and I had quite some adventures together long ago when the three of us were wandering and visiting parts of the world that we hadn't seen in a while," I told him.

"Ah, had a bout of wanderlust, eh?" Alnakh asked.

"I'll say they did!" Kurietta exclaimed. "We met when they came through my village one day while we were having a big celebration. I was doing a dance when I saw these two huge guys who I'd never seen their kind before, watchin' from the back of the crowd. After my little show was over, I just had to go meet them so I walked right up and introduced myself. Eventually I ended up traveling with them and we went all over the place! I had never done so much walking before in my life, let alone ever heard of most of the places we went. Geez Misty, how long did we travel together? About seven turns of the seasons or so?"

"About that," I agreed.

"It was a lot of fun, though some of the winters were a little tough, especially up in the mountains to the north. I wonder how much it has all changed since then," Kurietta mused quietly for a moment and then looked over at me with just a hint of sadness in her eyes.

I reached behind Dahmietra and held my hand out to Kurietta and she took it.

"Some things change, but some don't," I said reassuringly. "Although, I think one of the funniest things was when you tried to teach Grimm how to dance," I said with a smirk.

Kurietta busted out laughing when she remembered how that went.

"Oh, I wish I could have seen that!" Red Moon exclaimed and started laughing herself.

"Sire Grimm Tooth, dancing? Hoo! Now that's something I would pay to see!" Night Song joined in laughing. Dahmietra was almost in tears from laughing so hard, Warri tried to suppress a chuckle, Minxie, Dennella and Fen also were laughing hard while Lordan, Jex, Shilar, and Alnakh all were chuckling. Nezcha came over to see what was so funny so I told her about how Kurietta, who is a dancer, tried to teach Grimm how to dance once.

Nezcha's eyes widened and she said, "You mean...," and she indicated his height with her hand, "and...?" she tried to imitate his large, muscular build with her arms.

I said, "Yep," and Nezcha quickly put her hands to her mouth and started laughing, which caused Kurietta to become almost hysterical with laughter.

"Oh...ya shoulda seen...it was...oh my!" was all Kurietta could get out.

"Alnakh, you've never seen a Skunatii tribal dancer perform before, have you?" I asked amid all of the laughter.

"No, I can't say that I have," he replied.

"Oh trust me my friend, if you ever saw one like Kurietta here dance, you'd never forget it," I said with a sly grin.

Eventually Kurietta got so out of breath that she had to calm down.

"I...haven't laughed so hard...for a long time," she finally managed to say between deep breaths.

"Me neither," admitted Dahmietra. "

Nothing like a good laugh to brighten one's spirits," Alnakh said smiling. He looked around and saw that we were the only ones currently in the main room of his inn. "And speaking of happy things, shall we go take care of a little long overdue business Mist Runner?" he asked me.

"Ah, yes indeed!" I said.

I was just about to tell Red Moon that I was going to leave with Alnakh and Nezcha so that she could be freed, but she anticipated it, saying, "Go ahead dear, we'll either be here or up in the room when you get back."

I hugged and kissed Dahmietra and then got up and did the same with Red Moon.

"Hopefully this won't take too long," I said.

Alnakh told his cook that he was leaving for a short while to run an errand and that he was taking Nezcha with him, and then he went and got his son to watch the front for him. Alnakh got the lock box out of his desk and put the gold coin in a small bag that he concealed in his clothing, and locked the box back up and put it back into his desk drawer, which he also locked. After fishing out some papers from a compartment, he rolled them up and also put them in a hidden pocket, and then removed his work apron. I waved to Red Moon and Dahmietra and we went out the door.

The rain had more or less stopped and it was just a light drizzle, not enough to need our cloaks. Alnakh said that the office we needed to go to wasn't too far down the street from his inn, so it only took us a short while to get there. When we stepped inside, as usual the first thing I noticed was the smell--Wastelander buildings always had a disagreeable scent about them to our kind, although Alnakh's inn was something of an exception. I noticed movement off to our right and saw a large, strongly built (for a Wastelander) male wearing leather armor who slowly stood, crossing his arms and trying to look intimidating. I looked down at him, curled my lip, and gave a low snarl. I pointed at him and then at the chair he got up from and said "Sit!" in their language. Apparently, my point got across to him because he sat back down right away and seemed a little apprehensive from that moment on. Nezcha tried not to grin while staying close to me. When we stepped up to the clerk's location, he was sitting at a small desk behind a wrap around counter, with a low divider on top and a cutout area. He acted disinterested with our presence. After a few moments, he asked without looking up from his work,

"Buying, or selling?"

Alnakh replied, "Neither," as he withdrew the papers from his pocket.

The clerk finally looked up at us and immediately noticed me standing next to Alnakh and Nezcha...and looking at him intently.

"I'm here to pay the bond price of this girl," Alnakh stated.

"I take it that you are the slave's owner?"

"Yes, it's all right here," Alnakh said with a little sarcasm as he thrust the papers towards the clerk.

The clerk looked over the papers and finally said, "They appear to be all in order." The clerk pulled out a record book from his desk and looked something up. "The bond price is four hundred-eighty in silver, plus another twenty for administrative costs. That is a total of five hundred silver pieces."

Alnakh reached into his hidden pocket and withdrew the small bag, opened it up and deposited the gold coin on the counter.

The clerk's eyes lit up at the sight of the gold, though before he could reach for it Alnakh slapped his hand down on it and said sternly, "You owe me five hundred in change and I want to watch you count it out in front of me."

"If the count is off or if the paper stating that Nezcha is free is not perfectly filled out, I will start breaking things: arms, legs, faces...you get the idea," I said flatly.

The clerk gave me a wide-eyed nervous look and quickly nodded his head in understanding. He went to the back portion of his work area and opened the door to a small vault, opened a box, and began counting out coins and putting them into a leather bag. When he had finished, he closed the bag, then the box and shut the door to the small vault. The clerk returned to the counter and again counted out the five hundred coins slowly and carefully in front of Alnakh and me. Alnakh recounted the coins himself and arrived at the same number, five hundred, as the clerk. He slid the gold coin to the clerk who hurriedly picked it up, put it into the small vault, and locked it. He picked out the necessary papers and filled them all out in a neat handwriting, entered the transaction into his ledger book and called someone in the back. The clerk had Alnakh sign a paper, which he also signed, and then stamped it and gave it to Alnakh.

"Here is the certificate of proof that your now former slave is free," the clerk said.

The clerk called out again to someone who was apparently in a back room and asked him to come up front. A burly old male came out of a back room wanted to know what the clerk wanted. The clerk told the man to remove the slave collar from the girl because she has been freed. The older man grumbled and went back into the back for a bit, and then came back out with some tools. He started to say something rude as he came around the corner of the counter, but then he saw me looking down at him with my hands on Nezcha's shoulders. His demeanor suddenly changed to one of apprehension.

"Remove it...carefully," I said to the old male.

He nodded his head and had her sit on a nearby chair so that he could remove the collar. It took him a few minutes to get it off since he had to cut a piece of metal. When it finally came free, Nezcha caught it and rubbed her neck where it had been for so long a time. There was a mark around her neck from the constant irritation, which if left unattended, would always be a sign that she was a former slave. The old man started to reach for the collar, apparently so that it could be reused, but Nezcha quickly handed it to me.

"A reminder...," she said with a smile as I took it from her.

"I think I can get rid of another 'reminder'...," I said, and placed my hand gently on her neck. I summoned my healing magic and before everyone's eyes, the mark around her neck disappeared--it was as if she had never worn the collar. The old man gave a surprised little grunt and walked off, looking over his shoulder as he headed back to where he had come from.

"Let's go celebrate, shall we?" I asked--both Nezcha and Alnakh smiled and we headed out the door and back to the inn.

Grimm and Salzar had returned before Alnakh, Nezcha and I came back, and the rest of our group had come down to sit and talk. As we headed towards the back of the room, I grinned and held up the collar by one end and jiggled it. Instantly everyone broke out in loud cheers, howls and even a couple of whistles. We all crowded around Nezcha and gave her lots of hugs and kisses. The old cook came out from the kitchen with a big smile on her face and we made way for her. She gave Nezcha a long hug and kissed her on the cheek, and then she pulled a small object out of her apron pocket. The item was an ornately decorated hair comb that looked very old. The old cook handed it to Nezcha, who looked at it carefully.

"Oh, this must be a family heirloom...I can't possibly...," Nezcha started to say, but the old cook interrupted her.

In a dry and raspy voice, she said quietly, "You keep, child."

Her old eyes were filled with tears, but her face was smiling with love and happiness.

"Thank you," Nezcha said very quietly and gave the old cook a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Again, howls and cheers rang out, and Shilar pulled out a small bone flute and started playing a joyful tune on it. Fen started doing a little dance, which Minxie and Dennella soon joined in, dragging Jex and Lordan with them. It wasn't long before we all were dancing, though Grimm was content to sit and drum on the table with his hands. Alnakh's wife and two daughters upon hearing the music looked out from the door to their quarters to see what was going on. Alnakh saw them and waved for them to come and join us. They had never seen any of the Woodland People before, though they did know me, so they cautiously came out and joined us.

"Today Taminya, we celebrate freedom!" Alnakh cried out happily, as he put his arms around his wife and hugged her.

I held up the collar so that she could see it, and then she understood why we were celebrating. Taminya said something to her eldest daughter who then ran back to their quarters, only to come out again in a short while with a small round hand drum that had metal disks in slots around the narrow frame. She started to keep time with it to Shilar's music, gradually adding little flourishes and shaking it so that the metal disks added their own distinctive ringing sound. Soon Taminya was dancing in a style of the Wastelanders and Shilar shifted his playing to something more appropriate. It didn't take Minxie and Dennella long to get the hang of Taminya's dance style and they began to dance alongside her, easily matching her moves. Night Song joined in, too, as did Brown Leaf and Fen. I looked over at Kurietta and could tell that she was itching to show off some of her dance moves, but her lack of an appropriate outfit kept her from it. Wearing only the tunic that Dahmietra had given her, it just wouldn't allow for certain moves to be made from her usual dance routine. When the females had finished with their dance, there were more howls, cheers, and applause. Then Foxfire removed her cloak and walked into the middle of us. She started with one of her more lively songs and began to dance. I felt her aura was back in full force, though she seemed to be actually controlling it in some way that she had not been able to in the past. Foxfire's fur shimmered with a soft silvery glow and her graceful, fluid moves soon had everyone in rapt attention--except, of course, her brother who is immune to her effects. When she finished that song, she sang another one that was slower paced and her moves became even more mesmerizing as she wove her way through the whole group, touching briefly each and every person. Foxfire's last song was one full of hope, love, and enjoying life in all of its many forms, quickening slightly as it went along, and ended with a flourish that gently radiated light in all of the colors of the rainbow. When the light faded out, Foxfire stood fully upright and snapped her fingers. Everyone blinked and shook their heads a little, but we all remembered everything clearly. Grimm started slowly tapping his hand on the table and then I joined him, followed by Red Moon, and then shortly we were all howling, cheering, and applauding. Foxfire bowed deeply three times and then walked up to Nezcha.

"Hello sweetie! I told you that the next time we met you would be free from that dreadful collar, and now here we are and you're free!" she said happily.

Nezcha looked up at Foxfire and slowly recognition came to her face as she looked into those intensely blue lupine eyes.

"I...I thought you were a dream...!" Nezcha managed to say after a moment.

Foxfire smiled gently and said, "That's okay, sweetie...I'm quite real and I'm right here."

Foxfire gave Nezcha a hug and held her for a while. Nezcha felt how soft and warm Foxfire's fur was and also the scent of the fresh air after a storm and of delicate flowers, and she also had the feeling of being deeply cared for and safe--like when her own mother used to hold her as a small child.

"Well, I don't want to keep you from your celebration, sweetie. Go enjoy yourself!" Foxfire said with a big smile.

After Nezcha left Foxfire, I went to have a word with Grimm's little sister.

"Wow that was quite a performance, my dear! How did you manage to keep us from having our brains turned to slush?" I asked.

"Oh, hi Mist Runner! Did you really like it? I think maybe I'm finally getting some control of it," Foxfire said as she was reaching for her cloak.

"I did really like it," I said, "that was fantastic, especially since you didn't have time to practice any."

"Oh, I never practice--I just do whatever comes to me," she said.

This particular bit of information amazed me.

"You mean, all of those performances you've done for our celebrations, you've never rehearsed at all for any of them?" I asked.

"Yep, that's right! It's all inspired at the moment," Foxfire said happily.

"That's amazing," I said shaking my head a little in wonder.

It wasn't long before Alnakh had to start getting things ready for the midday meal, so he asked Nezcha if she still wanted to work; she agreed to, jokingly saying that she didn't have anything better to do for now. She did stop for a moment and rub her neck thoughtfully, then got a smile on her face, and headed to the kitchen to help the cook. Salzar had to get back to his duties so he said his goodbyes, though not before Night Song got a chance to mess with him again. She had positioned herself so that she was right behind him, and as soon as he turned around to head for the door, he ran face first into her.

Night Song lightly grabbed his tunic with one hand and using her other hand put a finger on his chest and slowly moved it down while saying in her most sultry voice, "You know, if we keep meeting like this, we might have to do something about it."

Salzar's face turned red with embarrassment because of her very close proximity.

"Uh, I...have to return to my duties," he managed to say.

Sweat was beading up on Salzar's forehead and he was trying to back away, but she had a hold of his tunic.

"I understand duty first...but we can always play later," Night Song winked and slicked her lips slowly.

"I...really need to be going...," he said nervously.

"Well, okay...if you must. But you know, even though I'm only twenty four thousand turns of the seasons old--give or take a few hundred--I'm sure that I could probably teach you a few interesting things," she said in a rather suggestive manner.

Night Song cupped her hand under his chin, brought her nose to almost touching his, and said, "Woo."

She let go of his tunic and slowly slipped her hand from his chin and slipped past him, brushing her hip against him, and making sure to flick her tail against him. Salzar hurried out the door and as soon as he got a ways from the inn, he stopped and pulled a kerchief out and wiped the sweat off his face, head, and neck.

"She just doesn't stop, does she?" he thought as he collected himself. "What did she say, twenty four thousand turns of the seasons, give or take a few hundred? And she

thinks she could...oh, that's too much! I'm going to need a

long_holiday..._"

Brown Leaf saw Night Song apparently trying to have a little fun with Salzar so she decided to say something to her about it.

"Got a thing for that guard now?" Brown Leaf said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Oh, Salzar? Nah, he's just fun to mess with, the way he gets flustered and all," Night Song said grinning.

"It looks to me--and to everyone else, for that matter--that you're really trying to get something going with the poor guy," Brown Leaf observed.

"Now why would I want to do that?" Night Song asked.

"Duh, that's my point, dear...he's already has a mate, and little ones, too from what I've heard. And while he seems like a nice enough person, for a Wastelander, you've heard Dahmietra say how they treat their own females and you've seen it yourself already this morning...not that he's like that, but still, why even bother messing with him? Maybe you ought to quit trying to go after ones you know you can't have," Brown Leaf lectured.

"Now, you should know me...," Night Song started to say but Brown Leaf interrupted.

"Better than anyone else, yes, I do. And I also know that you're getting that 'itch' again, and without Mistress Fire Weaver's little potion to calm things down, you're going nuts--well, you already are, but that's beside the point. Anyway, you've got somebody a little closer to home that's interested."

"Like who?" Night Song asked putting her hands on her hips.

"Well, Smoke Fire has been talking to me and...," Brown Leaf started to say.

"Yeah, I know he has, I've seen the two you getting a bit cozy lately," Night Song interrupted with a little sarcasm of her own.

"Night Song, of course he's been talking to me, you scamp! Didn't you know that he's related to me?" Brown asked with exasperation.

"What?" Night Song asked incredulously.

"My sire's sister's first daughter's son," Brown Leaf explained.

Night Song was speechless.

"Smoke Fire and I grew up together and we used to go hunting a lot; since he only has brothers, I ended up being more like a sister to him than a cousin, and we've always been close. He's a little shy around others, so that's why he's been talking to me. At first he was interested in coming along on this little adventure only because he and I used to hunt together a lot and we make a pretty good team, but when he found out that you were also coming along, well that pretty much made up his mind for him."

"I've never seen him so much as get a twitch in his tail whenever I've looked at him," Night Song said a little quietly.

"That's because he looks up to Sire Grimm Tooth so much that he tries to be like him--you know, the strong quiet type. But he really does like you, just as much as..."

Night Song wondered why Brown Leaf suddenly stopped talking when she noticed that Fen was making her way over.

"Hey, are you girls up for a bit of a workout this morning? Minxie, Dennella, and Kuri are heading upstairs to get started. Why don't you two come join us?" Fen asked hopefully.

Night Song turned to Brown Leaf and asked, "Want to? It's not like we have much of anything better to do for now."

Brown Leaf looked at her friend for a moment and then said, "I guess so. I'll see if I can get some water to bring up. You go ahead, Night Song, I'll be up shortly."

Night Song detected the slight wistfulness in Brown Leaf's voice and cocked her head ever so slightly.

"Okay, I'll see you up there," Night Song said, giving her long time friend a "are you okay" look.

Brown Leaf simply nodded her head a little, so Night Song went ahead and followed Fen to the stairs. Brown Leaf stood there and watched until they went all the way up the stairs then she sighed and slumped her shoulders a little. Just as she turned to go find Nezcha, Brown Leaf was a little surprised to see Foxfire standing next to her.

"What's the matter, sweetie? Looks like something is gnawing at you a bit," Foxfire said.

"Oh, hi Foxfire...sorry, I didn't notice you standing there," Brown Leaf said with a bit of embarrassment.

"Hmm, then something must be gnawing at you if you didn't notice me...I don't really blend in very well, so I'm kinda hard to miss, unless it's snowing a lot," Foxfire said with a bit of gentle humor.

That brought a little grin to Brown Leaf's face for a moment.

"Want to talk about it, dear?" Foxfire asked politely.

Brown Leaf hesitated a bit, looking at the stairs, before saying, "Maybe later, this evening perhaps."

"Okay, sweetie, we can talk then if you want. I think we'll be heading home tomorrow, so just keep an open mind and try to have a good time," Foxfire said smiling.

She walked back over to where her brother was with her usual graceful walk. Brown Leaf wondered what Foxfire meant with her last comment while she went off to find Nezcha and some water.

The rest of us decided to split up for a while so that I could take Lordan and Jex around to meet the merchants I knew in the village. Red Moon asked if she could come with, so that left Grimm, Foxfire, Dahmietra, Warri, Snow Spear, and Smoke Fire to fend for themselves for a while. Grimm, Foxfire, Dahmietra, and Warri ended up going back upstairs, so Snow Spear and Smoke Fire decided to stay down in the main room and keep an eye on things there. They entertained themselves by telling stories and playing a little game that was given to Snow Spear by an Eastlander warrior he had made friends with. The game consisted of two hand-sized thin sheets of wood that were held together by metal hinges which allowed it to be folded in half for storage. When opened up and laying flat, the top of the pieces of wood were marked with a grid of dark and light squares upon which two sets of little stone figures were placed, one darker and the other lighter. Each type of piece had its own particular moves it could make, and the object was to move one's pieces in such a way to take out the other's pieces and capture the other's "leader" piece. Smoke Fire had never played this particular game before, so Snow Spear taught him the basics as well as some of the finer points of the game. They took their time playing, sitting is such a way that they both could turn their head to the side and see the front door, as well as one being able to watch the kitchen and the other the stairs going up to the rooms. Nezcha kept them supplied with something to drink and snack on while they waited for Mist Runner, Red Moon and the others to return. Alnakh was actually grateful that they stayed to help keep an eye on things because the midday meal tended to be the busiest, except for every quarter moon when it was the evening meal that tended to be the largest, and rowdiest.

As I took Red Moon, Lordan and Jex around to the various merchants I did business with, Red Moon was interested in finding out how popular her herbal preparations and small pottery items were. With her having come along, it gave the merchants a chance to meet the person who actually made the products they sold and discuss future orders. Lordan and Jex were introduced to each merchant and they got their chance to discuss the possibility of their own people coming to make trades here, what the local people had an interest in, and the items their own people have been making and trading among themselves as well as with the Eastlanders for some time. This was something that could open up other possibilities eventually, and it seemed that the merchants were interested in the idea. Given the availability of a water route, two days travel time to the main trade route west of the village, and the possibility of a trading post near the junction of the trade route and the river, got the merchants to thinking. I told them that we were looking into the problems that have been disrupting trade traffic during the summer and hoped to have that situation resolved soon. All in all, I'd say that the time spent meeting the various merchants was well spent, and the others agreed.

Brown Leaf made her way up the stairs carrying a large pitcher of water and some extra cups, and thinking on what Foxfire had told her earlier about keeping an open mind and trying to have a good time. She wasn't really sure what Foxfire meant by that, but then a lot of things that Foxfire says doesn't seem to make sense at first. However, Foxfire always seems to end up being right if one stopped to think about it. It's almost enough to give a person little tingles up and down their back. When Brown Leaf got to the room they were all in, she could hear Shilar playing his little flute as well as some laughing.

"Sounds like they're having a good time in there," Brown Leaf thought just before she knocked on the door.

It got quite and she heard someone walk up to the door on the other side.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Minxie, I brought some water up for us," Brown Leaf replied.

When she opened the door, Minxie asked, "How did you know it was me?"

"It's a knack," Brown Leaf said with a shrug.

"Minxie, if you scrubbed this room from top to bottom and splashed perfume all over, Brown Leaf would still know that you'd been in here--don't ask me how, she's just really, really good at that," Night Song explained.

"Oh. Well, come on in, no need to be standing there holding all of that," Minxie said with a grin.

"You can go back to playing again, Shilar," Fen said as Brown Leaf set the pitcher and cups down on the room's table.

"Okay, sis," Shilar said and started playing his flute again, picking up where he had left off, from his place behind the privacy screen.

Dennella fished something out of her traveling bag and lit it using the oil lamp in the room, placing it on a small dish on the table. Brown Leaf got a puzzled look on her face as she sniffed the scent of the smoke it was giving off.

"Incense...I get it from an Eastlander merchant; it helps to clear the mind," Dennella said when she saw Brown Leaf's expression.

The music Shilar was playing was a soothing, gentle tune, which surprisingly helped make Brown Leaf feel more relaxed. Minxie, Dennella, Kurietta, and Fen all took a spot on the floor and started to do slow, easy stretching exercises together. Night Song and Brown Leaf glanced at each other and then sat down with the rest.

"Just do what we're doing, slow and easy and just relax and clear your mind," Fen instructed.

They went through several different exercises, meant to stretch different muscle groups, and then they stood and did some more exercises while standing. As time went on, Shilar's playing started to pick up speed and the pace of the exercises matched accordingly. The stretching exercises blended into the moves that were the basis of the Skunatii style of fighting, most of which Night Song recognized. What she didn't know, however, was that many of the same moves were also part of the Skunatii tribal dance which when done at a certain tempo and with some embellishments, could also be rather erotic. Shilar's playing shifted to the dance mode, which allowed Kurietta to show off some of her moves. Neither Night Song nor Brown Leaf had ever seen the like before and soon found themselves caught up in the now wildly rhythmic music Shilar was playing, trying to match some of the moves the others were making, plus adding a few of their own. After a while, Shilar started slowing down his music until he returned to the original soothing and gentle tune he played at the beginning. After this "cooling down" period, they finally stopped and got a much needed water break.

"I don't know about you, but I've never had a workout quite like that before!" Night Song said to Brown Leaf as they were having water.

Brown Leaf smiled slightly and nodded her head in agreement, thinking back on what Foxfire had said earlier.

"That was rather...enjoyable, to be honest," Brown Leaf said.

"Kuri, you're gonna have to come to our village sometime and perform, and maybe teach us some of the ancient style of dancing," Minxie said.

Dennella agreed, "Yeah, that would be really great if you could."

"Well, geez...I can't make any promises yet, but maybe by next spring if I can I'll try," Kurietta said thoughtfully.

Grimm, Foxfire, Dahmietra, and Warri all heard the music coming down the hall from the room where the other females were exercising.

"Shilar certainly can play that flute well," Dahmietra said.

"Sounds like they're having a good time," Foxfire said with a little grin.

Grimm thought to himself, "Probably too good of a time, knowing Kuri."

After a few moments of just sitting, Dahmietra said, "I wish we had something to do--too bad there isn't anything to read around here."

Warri suggested that he could go down and ask the proprietor if he had anything to read. Grimm nodded his head to give Warri the okay to ask Alnakh, so he said that he would be back shortly and left the room. Foxfire lay back in her bed and started humming a little tune she remembered that their sire used to sing quietly when she was little. Grimm perked his ears up when he heard his little sister start humming the familiar old tune and smiled.

Ayoo, ayoo, ayoooo! The night is sweet,

Ayoo, ayoo, ayoooo! We come to meet,

Ayoo, ayoo, ayoooo! With love so sweet,

Ayoo, ayoo, ayoooo! Our hearts do beat,

Ayoo, ayoo, ayoooo! Blood burns with heat,

Ayoo, ayoo, ayoooo! We sing our feat,

Ayoo, ayoo, ayoooo! The dancing of little feet,

Ayoo, ayoo, ayoooo! The Circle's complete!

"Gee, Grimmie, you remembered the words!" Foxfire said happily, when she finished humming the tune.

Dahmietra clapped her hands a few times in applause after Grimm finished quietly singing the words, much to the enjoyment of both Foxfire and Dahmietra. He cracked a smile and gave a little bow.

"Do you two ever sing together?" Dahmietra asked.

Grimm arched an eyebrow for a moment before replying, "No, Foxfire is the singer in our family."

"But you have such a rich, deep voice, Grimm Tooth--it would be the perfect compliment to your sister's," Dahmietra said. "I think it would be great if the two of you would sing a song together sometime; it would be like two halves of a circle brought together--male and female, dark and light, fierce warrior and gentle nurturer. It would be like the balance between two opposing yet complimentary forces in harmony," she explained.

Foxfire and Grimm looked at Dahmietra and then at each other.

"Gee, Grimmie, I think she has a great idea there, maybe we ought to think about that sometime. It might be a lot of fun!" Foxfire said excitedly.

Grimm rubbed his chin for a few moments thinking about it, and then he got a little grin on his face.

"Perhaps so," he said.

By the time we got back to the inn from going around to the various merchants, the midday meal was being served, and most of the tables were being filled up. The Glass Dove Inn was a popular eating-place in the village during this time of day, even though there were some smaller shops where a person could stop and purchase something to drink and a quick, light meal or perhaps a special treat to take home. Some of the people I recognized as we walked in, and although they seemed surprised to see Lordan and Jex (not to mention Red Moon), they greeted us kindly. I saw that Snow Spear and Smoke Fire were still in the back, so we went back and sat with them.

"So how did it go with the merchants, Sire?" Snow Spear asked when we got seated.

"I think things went pretty well, actually," I replied.

"We're going to come back in the spring to make some trades, and if things go well then, we may come back in the fall to make some more," Lordan said optimistically.

"Yeah, we bought a few things to take back to show our people, so hopefully we may be able to get something going here," Jex added.

"It looks like Red Moon got plenty of orders for next spring," I said with a little grin.

"The way that one was staring at me, you'd think he'd never seen a female before," she said with a little sarcasm.

"I could see why he did stare at you...," Jex started to think to himself, but then quickly dismissed the thought.

"The way these people dress, I wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't," the otherwise quiet Smoke Fire quipped.

I laughed a bit at Smoke Fire's comment, thinking back to when I first introduced Red Moon to Dahmietra.

"What's so funny, dear?" Red Moon asked me.

"I was just thinking of when you first met Dahmietra--you were poking her clothing and wondering if there was anyone under all of them," I said sticking my tongue out a little.

Red Moon chuckled a little and said, "I remember."

After a little while, Red Moon and I, along with Lordan and Jex, went back upstairs to let the others know that we were back. Dahmietra was glad to see us and gave both Red Moon and I a hug when we entered the room. She had been reading aloud a storybook that Warri had borrowed from Alnakh, translating it into the Common Tongue as she went along.

"How did things go with the merchants?" Grimm asked after we all said our greetings.

"It went pretty well, I think," I replied,

"Lordan said they'll come back in the spring and if it goes well for them, they'll make another trip in the fall, too."

"It looks like I'm going to be busy between now and next spring--got a bunch more orders for my herbal mixtures," Red Moon said.

"Maybe you could plant a garden to grow your own plants," Dahmietra suggested, "then you wouldn't have to walk all over to find what you need."

"Well, that's a thought, but we try not to disturb the natural order of things too much, especially within The Great Forest itself. The whole Forest is like a single living being--while it provides what we need, we can't just go moving parts of it around to suit ourselves. Besides, walking around looking for the materials I need to make my things is part of the experience of making them. If you want, maybe you can come with me sometime, and I can teach you a bit of herb lore," Red Moon explained.

Dahmietra thought a moment about it and said with a little grin, "I guess my real education started after I left the walls of the enclave."

"It's never too late to learn something new, Dahmi," Red Moon added.

We all made our way downstairs eventually and had what was being served for the midday meal. The crowd was rather well behaved this time--no one bothered Dahmietra at all, much to her relief. Towards the end of our meal, I noticed that the older man I had seen with the High Cleric and his assistant Taymak the last time we were here had come in, bringing two junior clerics with him. He made his way to my table, stopping to talk to various people along the way.

"Looks like we're about to have some company," I said quietly.

The man is the senior cleric in charge of the local temple, I had found out--I wondered what matter brought him to the inn in search of me.

"Good day to you. Forgive me for intruding during your meal...are you the one known as Sire Mist Runner, perchance?" the cleric asked.

I stood and gave the traditional greeting in the Wastelander tongue (much to the surprise of both the cleric and Dahmietra) and then said, "Yes, I am. Please, sit with us."

We made room for him to sit across the table from me and though he hesitated slightly, he sat down and introduced himself while his two companions took a seat at a nearby table.

"I am Kahl-Se'et Kh'rel-Mahb...we met under difficult circumstance the last time you were here, though we were not formally introduced at the time," he said.

"I remember. Please forgive my apparent hostility at the time," I said, dropping my ears down a little for a moment.

"It was...understandable, given the circumstances; think no more of it," he said politely.

"Would you care for something to eat or drink?" I asked.

"Thank you, no, I have already taken my midday meal...though, perhaps a little tea if I may," he replied.

I waved Nezcha over and asked her if she would get the cleric a cup for tea, so she headed off to get a clean cup for him. After he had a few sips of his tea, he got down to business.

"A short while ago a messenger arrived, having come directly from the Council of Elders after riding nonstop the whole distance. He bore two messages, one for me, and one that is to be given directly to you from His Holiness."

The cleric reached into his robes and pulled out a sealed message, handing it to me. I saw that it had the exact same wax seal that the other message he had left for me had.

"Must be rather important if he is taking such a chance to send a messenger like that," I said.

"Indeed," Grimm agreed. Dahmietra, Red Moon, and the others watched with interest as I carefully opened the message and read it:

Aelsar 03, y. 1000

Mist Runner / TGF

I trust this note finds you and your companions in good health. Your company was much welcomed when we last met for morning tea, and I look forward to our next chance to visit. Perhaps we may continue our discussion of planting seeds according to the moon--I found it most enlightening.

May the sun illuminate your path!

KKM

"Well, that was rather brief," I said after finishing reading the note.

"Perhaps we could meet later this evening...in a more private setting," suggested the cleric in a low voice.

Grimm slightly raised an eyebrow, as did I, though both Red Moon and Dahmietra had expressions of concern.

"Do you have a particular place in mind?" I asked quietly.

"We could meet here, around evening meal," he said, making a quick glance upwards to indicate upstairs.

I glanced over at Grimm and he gave a slight nod of his head; I gave Red Moon a quick look and she squeezed my hand once under the table. I did not sense anything out of the ordinary in the man, other than he seemed concerned about something.

"That will be fine," I agreed.

The cleric finished his tea, got up and said his good byes, and left with the two younger clerics.

"I wonder what that was about," Red Moon said after he left.

Still holding the note, I gave it a sniff and detected the same unusual scent that was on the other note he had left for me, only this time it was fresher.

"I guess we will find out," I said folding the note back up and putting it into my pouch. As soon as we finished eating what was left of our meal, we all went back upstairs to find out what the real message was on the note.

We all crowded into our room and shut the door. I told Lordan's group about the other note that I had received from the High Cleric with its hidden message, and that this new note most certainly had one as well. I lit one of the room's oil lamps, setting it on the table, and slowly passed the note over the chimney as Dahmietra instructed. Sure enough, the hidden letters appeared and Warri quickly wrote them down in his journal.

The Celestial Gates have opened and a Light Bringer has walked among us, performing a miracle by which those who were once blind now can clearly see. The ones who foolishly took league with Evil repent and beg forgiveness. We have slumbered in our dark dreams too long; we struggle to awaken so that we might stand again within the Circle and live in joy. The Message has been heard, but all lessons need teachers--the young will gather to seek the Ancients wisdom, following the one reborn.

"Gee, he sure doesn't write things very plainly," Foxfire said with a slightly confused look on her face.

"The clerics are particularly bad about that," Dahmietra said with a hint of disgust. "Fortunately, though, I've gotten a bit used to it. The first part is about you, Foxfire--I guess you gave them a bit of an eye opener they won't soon forget," Dahmietra said with a smile.

"The next part must be about those who I sensed anxiety in when the High Cleric confirmed what had happened at the inn," I suggested, "they must have had some connections, or at least some knowledge of, what was going on."

"If some of those clerics attending the gathering were in with Khel-Sehk some way or another, I would imagine that they would be falling over themselves to try and get out of whatever trouble they might be in over it," Snow Spear added.

"A possibility," I agreed.

"I guess maybe enough of them agree that there needs to be some big changes, and that they got the 'message'," Red Moon said.

"I think the last part has a bit about you, Dahmietra. Maybe they will try to have their younger people learn what's needed to change the way their society is, since they would be easiest to teach," I said.

"Oh, I hope they don't try to turn me into their next 'holy person'!" Dahmietra exclaimed.

"At least you are better looking than the last one," Grimm said with a little smile.

Dahmietra blushed a little at Grimm's remark, and I had to chuckle.

"Among us Woodland People, it was the younger ones who adapted the quickest to the tribes being mixed," Dennella said, "but to me it sounds like they may want the older races to teach their younger generations, much as you have shown Dahmi here how to live a different life."

Dahmietra thought on that for a moment and then said, "Maybe the best way to do that would be to have equal numbers of males and females from both sects in small groups of, say, no more than twenty or so. They could have a different way of dressing so that they all wore the same thing, and then do everything together."

"I would suggest that they all be taught how to read and write in not only their own language, but at least also in the Common Tongue, and taught how to think for themselves--to reason things through," Warri added.

"That's not going to be an easy thing to get through to them," Dahmietra said with a sigh.

"A little at a time, dear," Foxfire said patting Dahmi on the shoulder, "a little at a time."

For the rest of the afternoon we all took turns with using the bathing facilities and washing whatever clothing needed to be cleaned, and we got extra supplies for the trip home. When it came around for time for the evening meal to be served, we went downstairs to eat and to keep an eye out for the head cleric from the local temple. We had not been seated long before the cleric showed up alone--only this time he was dressed in more normal clothing and not in his official robes as he had earlier in the day.

"A pleasant good evening to you all," Kahl-Se'et greeted us when he had made his way over to our tables.

"And a pleasant good evening to you, also," I replied.

"May I join you for evening meal?" he asked politely.

"Of course, please sit," I said motioning with my hand to an empty seat we had kept for him.

When Nezcha came over to take our order, she recognized the cleric but knew not to call him by his title since he was in regular clothing. She took his order as well, and then went off to give it to the cook. While we waited, we engaged in pleasant small talk until our meal arrived. I could sense that he had something weighing on him, though he kept a highly practiced pleasant look on his face. After we ate our meal, we quietly went back upstairs a few at a time to not make things too obvious. He paid for his own meal and came up with Red Moon and me--Dahmietra having already gone up with Warri and Foxfire.

We crowded into a room as best as we could so that we could all hear what Kahl-Se'et had to say.

"Tomorrow the Grand Council of Elders--or 'The Gathering', as you may know it by--will come to and end and His Holiness will return here directly after. I have been made aware of certain things that have transpired since you miraculously disappeared in front of everyone's eyes. The revealing of Khel-Sehk's true nature, the glorious appearance of a Blessed One, the death and rebirth of the girl, the destruction of the servant of Evil and the receiving of The Holy Message by all present has made quite a profound impact. The Council cannot escape this time from having to make sweeping changes, and has for the first time unanimously voted to begin work on those changes. It will take some time, and there will be a lot of resistance by many of our people, but we have been presented a choice that we cannot refuse. We have been shown the error of our ways and it is a very difficult and painful lesson to learn. But, we must learn it nonetheless, if we are to survive as a people. If things had been allowed to continue as they were, we would most certainly be soon at war--not only with each other, but also with everyone else around us, and we would likely perish because of it. The changes we must make...we do not know properly how to proceed. This will be a difficult time for us, perhaps harder for some than for others, and we must find a way to overcome the old ways and seek help where we may. The Grand Council has agreed to send a delegation to each of the other races in hopes that we may begin talks and attempt to heal old wounds. But, we have the trouble to the south and west to deal with as well. If the Dark Bloods are behind these troubles, how do we stop them?" Kahl-Se'et asked at last.

"They undoubtedly know about the death of Khel-Sehk by now, and it's difficult to say what they might do next. We still have not been able to determine why Khel-Sehk was after Dahmietra, or just how many of your people are holed up in those hills west of here. We have patrols keeping watch along the trade route that runs by The Great Forest to see what we may learn about the activities taking place along it," I said.

"If any of your people from the hills seem to be coming in this direction in force with intent to attack this village, send word to us and I will see to it personally that help will be sent," Grimm offered.

Kahl-Se'et of course did not know what Grimm's position is among our people so I told him, "My friend Grimm Tooth here, is the leader of our Defenders--our warriors, if you will. When your kind first came to these lands and tried to attack us for no reason other than just because we are different, he led our forces against them. Of course since then, we have had fairly peaceful relations with some of your people, especially with this particular village."

"You would do that for us, despite what some have done recently?" Kahl-Se'et asked incredulously.

"Those few who have done wrong do not represent the whole village," I said.

Kahl-Se'et thought for a moment and then nodded his head.

"You are right, of course. I suppose that Cedar Knoll is perhaps a bit different from some of our other villages and towns in that we have been more lenient and flexible. We have not been quite so strict in our adherence to doctrine, and perhaps that might ultimately be a good thing as it will be at least somewhat easier to begin the changes," Kahl-Se'et explained.

"Some of us have been talking with the merchants here and most seem open to the idea of expanding trade to the point of making this village a trading center. Perhaps it could also become a center of learning as well," I suggested.

That prompted several murmurs of approval around the room and surprised Kahl-Se'et. "

That is an interesting idea...I shall convey your idea to His Holiness when he arrives," Kahl-Se'et said with a bit of enthusiasm.

"We already have some ideas concerning teaching the younger ones in ways that might help begin the transition, and we can certainly write those down and give to you to consider, however you must decide for yourselves how best to proceed," I added.

"That would be acceptable," Kahl-Se'et said.

Dahmietra offered to write the ideas in the Wastelander language so that there would be less chance for misinterpretation and misunderstanding. It was agreeable, so she borrowed Warri's writing kit and wrote down the ideas and suggestions for Kahl-Se'et. We discussed many things with Kahl-Se'et over the course of the evening--he seemed rather willing to talk and to listen to what the others had to say, including Lordan's group. All in all, it seemed like a rather productive evening. After Kahl-Se'et finally excused himself, and said his goodbye's for the night. We sat around and talked some more amongst ourselves until it was nearly midnight, when we broke up and went back to our separate rooms for the remainder of the night.

The next morning brought clear, sunny skies and a mild breeze from the west, bringing with it a faint scent of our homeland. As we awoke to start the day, and after taking care of the usual morning necessities, we went downstairs for first meal. When Red Moon, Dahmietra, Warri, and I came down to the main room to eat, Grimm was already there with Kurietta and Foxfire. Alnakh came out from the kitchen to greet us as soon as he was finished with the usual early morning deliveries and preparations.

"I see that you are bright and early this morning, my friends," Alnakh said jovially, since we were the first customers of the morning.

"A pleasant good day to you, Alnakh," I said happily, "we'll be heading for home today, so I'll need to get certain things from you when you have a chance."

"Of course, let me get those for you now before anyone else comes in," Alnakh said with a grin.

He went off to his family quarters and then came back after a short while with two bags. One of the two bags was a large leather one with a shoulder strap, which was mine, and the other bag was made from a heavy cloth. The cloth bag contained Dahmietra's things from her room at the enclave.

"I believe this is yours," I said as I handed the cloth bag to Dahmietra.

She opened the bag and took a quick look inside, and then tied it back up. Dahmietra got up, came over to give me a hug, and thanked me for having her things sent and then she thanked Alnakh for keeping them for her. As soon as the cook had the first batch of food ready, Nezcha brought out the food and then both she and Alnakh had their meal with us. Nezcha had decided to stay on at the inn for the time being, though she mentioned that she would like to take me up on my offer to come visit for little while.

Alnakh asked, "When will you be leaving us today, my friend?"

"We plan on leaving after the midday meal crowd thins out, if that is okay with you," I said.

"That will fine with me. I'm sure that you're anxious to return to your home," Alnakh replied.

"Yes. When I came through here after making my trades and met the High Cleric, I was only home for three days before we left on this little adventure, and it's been non-stop since," I said.

"Then you have not been home much since this spring, have you?" Nezcha asked.

"Just those three days," I replied.

"We plan on doing a lot of catching up as soon as we get home, aren't we dear?" Red Moon asked, putting her arm around me with a mischievous grin.

"I'm sure we're not going to be the only ones, my love," I replied giving Grimm a wink.

"Oh, you betcha, Misty...the Grimmster and I have a lot of catching up to do!" Kurietta said with her quirky grin.

"Don't forget to come up for air once in a while," Red Moon said, sticking her tongue out a little and grinning.

Grimm actually cracked a smile and said, "We'll try to remember that," which prompted a few little howls and laughs all around.

We stayed down in the common room until people started coming in and then we went back up to our rooms to get ourselves ready to head out. I showed Red Moon, Dahmietra and Warri the things Alnakh had been holding for me--jewelry, polished stones and small gems of various kinds; a few rather interesting daggers; some finely woven shawls, neck scarves and some material for Moon Dancer; some exotic herbs and such that my dam, Mistress Fire Weaver, requested; and some other items of interest.

"Well, dear, it certainly looks like you've made some good trades this year," Red Moon said while she looked at what I had.

Dahmietra seemed especially interested in the shawls: admiring the skill of the weaver, the colors, and the intricate patterns.

"Oooo, these are_beautiful_! I've never seen their like before...where did you get these at?" she asked excitedly.

"I got those from an Eastlander merchant who lives in a small town near the northern mountains. The yarn is made from the hair of a certain animal that lives up there--I'm told it's highly prized for its fineness and warmth," I replied.

After seeing how Dahmietra admired the shawls, I made a mental note to look for one in her favorite colors the next time I visited that particular merchant. I carefully packed everything back into the large leather bag and closed it up so that the items would be securely protected for the remainder of the trip home.

We spent the remainder of the morning checking through our belongings and obtaining whatever other supplies that we needed. At midday, we packed our things and straightened up our rooms a bit so that by the time the usual crowd started to thin out we all went downstairs together to eat and settle our bill with Alnakh. The remaining customers all looked up as we came down the stairs together and although the reactions were somewhat mixed, the village folk behaved themselves. Nezcha brought food and drink out to us, and then started clearing the empty tables. There was a young couple still sitting near to our tables, the young woman obviously expecting a child. When they had finished with their own meal and got up to leave, they whispered something between themselves and then hesitantly came over to say something.

"Um, excuse us...sorry to intrude upon your meal, but we heard about how you caught those bad men several days ago. We just wanted to thank you, for what you did. We, my wife and I, just recently came here to escape the troubles in the south--we had heard that this village was a safe place and not so strict, if you know what I mean. The news about what happened really scared us...but then we started hearing that you folks were the ones who caught the ones responsible before they did more harm. As I said, we just wanted to say, thank you."

I rose slowly and stepped around the table to greet the young couple properly--as I stood up, their eyes widened as they saw my full size.

I smiled gently and introduced myself, "I am called Mist Runner, this is my mate, Red Moon," I said, motioning for her to join me.

"I am Ewvin of Pelnas, and my wife is Jansina," the young male introduced themselves as.

"Hmm, you are from the Southlands, then--those certainly are not Wastelander names you have. Well then, we are pleased to make your acquaintance, young master Ewvin, and lady Jansina," I said respectfully with a nod of my head. "We did what we could to help...though it is unfortunate that we were too late to save the one from harm."

Jansina saw the sadness in my expression as I recalled the event--she placed her hand on my arm and said, "Please, while not all can be saved, you did stop them from doing harm to others, and that counts for something."

I paused for a moment and said, "Thank you, actually it was Night Song here who was mostly responsible for capturing them," I said as I gestured towards her.

Night Song waved and smiled from where she was sitting. Ewvin and Jansina waved back, though they gave each other a quick glance.

"How much longer until your little one comes?" Red Moon asked Jansina.

"Oh, not for another moon or so," she said giving her abdomen a little rub. I could sense sadness and hope in both of them as Ewvin took his wife's hand and held it.

Very gently, I asked, "This is not your first child, is it?"

They both looked up at me in astonishment and Ewvin asked, "How do you know?"

Red Moon answered before I could say anything, "Mist Runner has certain...abilities."

"I have some of my dam's healing ability, and I sense emotions in others," I said quietly.

"Y-you can heal others?" Jansina asked in disbelief.

"To an extent; my dam, however, can heal any illness or wound of the body or mind. Jansina suddenly became very sad and Ewvin held her closely.

"I...wish...we could have met sooner," Ewvin said quietly.

"What happened?" Red Moon asked gently while motioning for Jansina to sit. Ewvin recounted how her first pregnancy was difficult and that the child came much too early to survive long.

"Our midwives said that we might not be able to have another child, though we took a chance and decided to try again. During the journey to this village, we had some close calls because the trip was a hard one for Jansina," Ewvin explained.

"You said that you came here recently--how recently?" I asked.

Ewvin and Jansina looked at one another and then he said, "Two days ago. We came in a small wagon that my uncle gave us."

"Ewvin fixed it up a bit so that we could sleep in it," Jansina said trying to muster a little pride.

"Have you found a place to stay at yet?" Red Moon asked.

Both Ewvin and Jansina looked down at the floor for a moment, and then Ewvin said, "We...have not yet found permanent lodging, or any work."

"Hmm, well...you're going to need a better place to stay than in the back of a wagon, and soon. What kind of skills do you have?" I asked.

"Well sir, I apprenticed in my father's pottery shop, and Jansina here is good at weaving--we have some of examples of our work in a trunk in our wagon, if you would like to see them," Ewvin replied.

Red Moon's ears perked up at learning Ewvin was a potter's son.

"I make small pottery jars, and I also make ointments and salves from herbs I gather. Mist Runner brings them here to trade for other things in the springtime. What did you do in your father's shop?" she asked.

"Oh, I mostly painted the designs and made the glazes we used," Ewvin replied.

"Ewvin's really good at painting pictures," Jansina said smiling.

"Oh, and Jansina made the braid trim for my tunic," Ewvin said, showing it off with pride.

That got Dahmietra's attention so she came around to take a look.

"You did this all yourself?" Dahmietra asked Jansina as she examined her handiwork.

"Yes, I did...do you like it?" Jansina asked.

"You did a really great job, it's all very even and tightly done with no bunching or gaps," Dahmietra replied. "I've done a lot of needlework, doing embroidery and tapestry work mostly."

I leaned over to Red Moon and whispered in her ear, "If someone had a good nose for business, this could be a couple of opportunities: your pottery with Ewvin's painting and glazes; both Dahmi and Jansina working with Moon Dancer. It could be interesting."

Red Moon thought about that for a moment and I could see (and feel) the spark of excitement form in her.

"That_is_ an interesting idea, dear...but that would mean bringing these two with us back home. Besides the bringing them within our boundaries, is it even_safe_ for her to travel the distance?" Red Moon asked, whispering back to me.

"I'm not sure if it will go over well with the Lore Masters...or anyone else, for that matter, though they could live near the outpost by the river if it's to be made into a trading post. As for being safe for her to travel, I'd have to check her over," I whispered back.

"Maybe you ought to run this by Grimm to see what he thinks," Red Moon suggested.

I nodded my head in agreement and then excused myself for a little bit, so that I could talk to Grimm.

Switching to our own language when I sat down next to my friend, I said, "Grimm...I have an idea that I'd like your opinion on."

Grimm nodded once for me to continue.

"After hearing that this Ewvin has some skill working with pottery, particularly decorating them with artwork and colored glazes, and also that his wife seems to be rather skilled at weaving and such, a little business opportunity came to mind. Since the outpost by the river might become a trading post with the outside world, it might be a good place for these two to live near. Red Moon could make her pottery and Ewvin could decorate them for her, and maybe Jansina could make things for Moon Dancer with Dahmietra doing her needlework as well. Although it would be easier if they were to live in our village, I don't know if it would go over very well with everyone...particularly with Lore Mistress Stream Chaser," I explained quickly.

Grimm arched an eyebrow at the idea and said, "Well, that certainly is an interesting idea."

"But...?" I asked.

"I understand your concern about having yet more outsiders living among us, though the Southlanders are generally more sociable than the Wastelanders. It definitely would be different. Having them living near the outpost would likely be more acceptable to everyone else, but being three days away would not be very convenient," Grimm explained.

"But it is better than five days away and having to pass those hills each way," I added.

"True enough," Grimm agreed.

"They have no place of their own yet, so they're living in the back of a small wagon. That's not going to be a proper place for her to have her cubling, especially since she has lost one already," I said.

Grimm thought on that for a moment and then frowned.

"You're right; they need a proper den of their own. There is still time to get one built before the cold comes, and as I remember there are some of our people who have made theirs near the outpost. Perhaps they might be of help in this," he said.

"I'm sure that something could be worked out either with Rock Jumper or with those living nearby until Ewvin and Jansina could get a place of their own built. They would have to come with us now, but what to do with their wagon and draft animal?" I asked thoughtfully.

"There are no roads into The Great Forest, nor is there any path wide enough for their wagon. It would be slow at best for them to travel in, and too easy a target for Wastelander raiders. Perhaps they could sell the wagon, pack what they can on their animal, and have the female ride with us while he sticks near the trees with their animal. Anything that can't be brought, perhaps it could be stored here until it could be fetched at a later time," Grimm suggested.

"Well, I guess we'll have to see how much they have with them and go from there. I'll suggest it to them and see if they're interested. Thanks for your thoughts, my friend," I said with a grin.

Grimm nodded his head and then I went back to Ewvin and Jansina.

"I have an idea for you to consider," I said to both Ewvin and his wife. "At the edge of our territory, there is an outpost that may be turned into a trading post since one of the major trade routes passes nearby. There are some of our people who have made their dens near the outpost just for that reason. Since you do not have a place of your own to stay yet, we can see about getting you some temporary lodging until a den of your own can be built. The outpost is a three-day journey from our own village, so although it might be a little inconvenient, we could still work out a little business arrangement if you wish. Ewvin, perhaps you could decorate Red Moon's pottery and Jansina, perhaps you could so some weaving for our village's seamstress. Moon Dancer is very creative and highly skilled--we could introduce you to her and maybe you could work something out together. Dahmi, if you wanted to continue doing your own needlework, then perhaps this might be something you may wish to consider as well," I explained.

"You are mighty generous, and it is a tempting offer," Ewvin said as he looked at his wife to see what she thought of it.

"How far is it to this outpost of yours from here?" Jansina asked.

"Only about two days, though we will be taking the river. I must add that west of here there are some Wastelander warriors who won't be very friendly until they can be dealt with--it's a long story. Anyway, you'll be safe enough traveling with us, though you may have to decide what to do with your wagon. I was thinking maybe you could load what you can onto your draft animal and we can see what we can put into our boats; if you have anything that you might have to come back for I think I can arrange for it to be stored until you can come back for it," I replied.

"Oh, well...we really don't have much, just our trunk and what few other things we could bring. There wasn't time to bring much else," Ewvin said quietly.

I was just about to ask what happened when Jansina suddenly became dizzy and seemed to pale some. I quickly sat down by her and took her hand, placing my other hand on her forehead, and summoned my healing magic. After a few moments, Jansina's color started to return and the dizziness passed, so I checked the condition of the child growing within her.

"You have not eaten well for some time, have you Jansina?" I asked quietly after a few moments.

She looked surprised that I was able to determine that and then she hung her head and turned her face away. Ewvin, too, had a look of shame on his own face.

"We had to flee quickly due to the fighting. The warriors came and took most of what food the people in our small village had, and then when the fighting came, the other side started burning our homes. My uncle gave me his wagon and we put what we could into it and then he made us leave, staying behind to help fight the

Corsan warriors. We traveled north, sleeping in the wagon most of the time to save what money we had. When we entered the Wastelander's territory, the guards at the crossing made us pay a toll...they were greedy and took nearly all that we had left. I'm not a hunter, so we had to make do with whatever berries and plants that we could find. We only had enough money left by the time we got here for a few meals, so we just ordered one plate and shared it," he explained quietly.

I sensed no deception in either of them and I was very concerned for their well-being, as was Red Moon, so I said, "Well, the first thing we need to do is get you two properly fed. While you're eating, you can decide if you wish to stay here or come with us. We will be leaving early this afternoon--if you decide that you wish to stay here, then I'll ask Alnakh if he would be willing to help you find work and a place to stay in the village, otherwise we'll need to figure out what to do about your wagon and such."

I got up and went over to Nezcha who was still cleaning tables and briefly told her a little about the young couple and asked if she could find them something more to eat. I slipped some coins into her hand to cover the cost of their food and drink.

After Ewvin and Jansina finished eating their fill, Red Moon and I went with them to their wagon, which was parked near the village's blacksmith. The wagon was much smaller than the one the High Cleric had. It was a regular wagon, except for the tarp set up like a tent over the top. With the cooler days of fall coming soon, it would not be much shelter against the fall storms, let alone when winter came after that. Looking inside with Ewvin, he was right in that they had few possessions with them: the one trunk, two bedrolls, and two cloth bags containing their personal items. For self-defense, they had only Ewvin's parrying dagger, plus a small camp axe--it's a wonder they survived the long trip to Cedar Knoll from their village way to the south.

"Ewvin, I think we have enough room in our boats to take you and all of your things, though you two must decide what to do with your wagon and draft animal," I said.

Ewvin and Jansina talked quietly between themselves for a little bit before reaching a decision. They decided to sell the animal and the wagon, so I helped Ewvin make the arrangements. We decided that to make things easier on Jansina, they would wait near the river at the smithy, and then we would pick them up from there and proceed to the outpost. I helped Ewvin remove their belongings from the wagon and made sure that they had a place to wait for us at.

As Red Moon and I were walking back to the inn, she asked me, "Do you think she'll make it okay?"

"Well, I don't have much experience with healing their kind in general and definitely not with expectant mothers; though I think I can keep her from having any problems as long as she eats properly. But still, I think my dam should have a look at her just to be safe," I replied. "

That's probably a good idea, though will she leave the village to pay a visit to the outpost, or will Jansina have to come to our village?" Red Moon asked.

"It's hard to say. Like all of The First Ones, she has her own particular awareness of things, so I wouldn't be too surprised if she happens to be waiting for us at the outpost or will show up soon after we arrive," I replied with a little grin.

When we got back to the inn, everyone was ready to leave. The rest of the midday crowd had already left so Alnakh and his family, Nezcha, and the old cook gathered to see us off.

"It has been enjoyable having you and your friends stay with us," Alnakh said as he and I gave the traditional Wastelander farewell reserved for close friends and family members. "You will return again in the spring as usual?" he asked.

"At least by then, my friend," I said with a smile.

I said my farewells to the rest of his family and the old cook--when I got to Nezcha, she hugged me tightly and had a tear in her eye.

"I can't thank you enough for helping to free me, Mist Runner!" she said sniffling.

I stroked her head and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'm glad that things worked out so that we could get that collar off you, my dear. Perhaps the next time we meet there might be a little something nicer to wear around that pretty neck of yours," I said with a grin.

Nezcha's cheeks turned a little reddish and she hugged me again. The rest of our group all said their goodbyes and we left for the east gate of the village. The guards saw us coming and sent someone to fetch Salzar. By the time we arrived at the gate, he was on his way to greet us, so we stopped and waited for him.

"Well, I guess you've had enough of us for a while, eh?" Salzar said with a big smile as we greeted one another.

"Yeah, well, too much of a good thing and all that," I said chuckling.

"Say, we never did get a chance to pop that jug yet," Salzar said with a slight frown.

"The next time I am here we will definitely do so...I may regret it the next day, but we'll see if it's as good as you say," I said cheerfully, patting him on the shoulder.

Salzar's face brightened again, and he said, "Well, I hope it won't be too long before I see you and your friends again."

I chuckled a little and leaned closer to him and quietly said, "I'll be sure to tell Night Song you said that," giving him a wink.

His eyes widened at that remark and he quickly said, "You wouldn't...!"

Red Moon, who was standing beside me as I was talking to Salzar, heard what I said and she started snickering.

"Don't take him too seriously, Salzar," Red Moon said trying to keep from laughing as she gave him a quick hug. "You take care of yourself," she said as she pulled away.

Salzar was surprised, not being used to such things being done in public.

"I will--you do the same. And keep him out of trouble, too," Salzar said pointing a thumb in my direction.

"Oh, I plan on keeping him occupied as much as I can," she said with a sly grin as she put her arm around my waist.

"I don't doubt that," he said laughing.

"Take care, my friend...until next time," I said as Salzar and I grasped each other's forearm.

"Until next time, then," he said.

The others all said their goodbye's, though Night Song and Brown Leaf waited until everyone else was finished.

"Well, poo, Salzar...time to go," Night Song said as she ran her fingers along the side of his face and cupped his chin. Again, she got almost nose-to-nose with him and said in her most sultry voice, "Woo." She let her fingers slide gently off his chin and then she blew him a kiss.

Night Song turned and started walking away, swaying her hips and flicking her tail, and then all of a sudden there was hooting and whistling going on. Night Song looked back to see Brown Leaf with her arms wrapped tightly around Salzar, and giving him a long, deep kiss. When she was done, poor Salzar was gasping for breath. She gave him a little wave, licked her lips, and then walked towards the rest of us.

As she passed Night Song who was standing there staring at her friend, she said, "What? I just wanted to see what you found so interesting in that guy, so...not bad, I suppose, for one of his kind."

Brown Leaf walked to the head of our group with an "it was nothing" type of look and took point. Salzar just stood there completely dumbfounded, not knowing what to do or say for a moment until his senses came back. He looked at me and I just shrugged my shoulders and shook my head, though I was trying real hard not to start laughing at the expression on his face.

As we were walking out through the gate, I heard Salzar shout to the other guards, "Alright, break it up! You act like you've never seen a person get kissed before! Back to it, or you ladies will be scrubbing the cells with a little brush!"

The other guards quickly returned to their duties as Salzar marched off to the guardhouse. As soon as he was out of earshot, they all started laughing and saying the usual comments one might expect.

When Salzar got to his desk, he sat down and stared at the wall for a bit. The captain had seen what happened through his window, so when Salzar came in and headed straight for his desk without saying anything, he reached into a drawer and pulled out a small jug and two metal cups, pouring a bit of the contents into each. He put the jug back into the drawer and closed it, and then got up and took both cups over to Salzar's desk and sat on the side of it.

The captain stuck one of the cups in front of Salzar and said, "Sergeant, I think you could use a little."

Salzar looked up at the officer and took the cup from him, nodded, and they both downed the contents quickly.

"Thank you sir," Salzar said appreciatively.

"I bet that's one kiss you won't forget any time soon," the captain said with a grin.

"Definitely not, sir...definitely not," Salzar sighed.

We made our way back to where we had the boats stashed and got them loaded up. When all was ready, we gathered around to say our farewells.

"This has certainly been an interesting little adventure. I guess we have something to tell folks when we get home, and something to look forward to," Lordan said.

"Yeah, I'm glad that I heard Kurietta's call," Minxie added.

"I know we kinda got off to a bit of a rough start, but I'm glad that we met up," Jex said.

"I've been wondering what happened to your people, and it's nice to know that you're still around. We'll definitely have to visit each other again soon," I said.

"Well guys, the Grimmster, and I talked it over and we'd like to invite ya to our joining," Kurietta said to Lordan's group.

"It would mean a lot to us if you could," Grimm added.

"That's mighty nice of you to invite us," Minxie said, "when is it going to be?"

"It's gonna be just before the fall equinox. Ol' Misty and Red Moon are gonna do some sorta bondin' thing and adoptin' Dahmi, and then we're gonna have our joinin' thing. After that, Dahmi and Warri are doin' the Coming of Age thing, and then there's the whole equinox celebratin' goin' on," Kurietta explained.

"It'll be five days of celebrating, at least," added Grimm.

"It's been a very long time since any of the Woodland People have come to celebrate with our kind in The Great Forest, we would be honored if you could come," I said.

Lordan, Minxie, Dennella, Fen, Jex, and Shilar all looked at each other and nodded.

"We will make every effort to be there," Lordan announced happily.

"That will be great," I said. "Well, I guess now it comes to it--time to be heading for home."

We shook hands, hugged, and said our farewells. Because of the way we had first met, I gave Fen a little longer hug and kissed her forehead.

She looked up at me a little surprised, so I said with a grin, "To make up for the way we met."

Fen smiled shyly, reached up, and put her hand against my face.

"Your Red Moon is lucky to have someone like you...I hope that someday I'll find someone at least half as good," she said sweetly.

"You will, Fen. Be well and be safe," I said giving her hand a little squeeze.

Kurietta had a group hug with both Minxie and Dennella--with the laughing and crying going on at the same time one couldn't tell if they were happy, sad, or just plain crazy. Watching them Grimm thought to himself that it must be some combination of all the above. When they had finished their goodbyes, Kurietta came back to Grimm, wormed her way under his arm, and looked up.

"Ready to go home, Grimmster?" she asked.

Grimm smiled gently and simply nodded his head, giving Kurietta a little squeeze. When it came to Fen's turn to say goodbye to Night Song, she removed one of the string of beads she wore around her neck and handed them to her.

When Night Song gave her a questioning look, Fen said shyly, "To remember me by." Reaching up to gently stroke Night Song's face, Fen said quietly, "I hope we meet again."

Night Song pulled Fen towards her and gave her a hug.

"We will," Night Song said quietly.

We waved and watched until Lordan and the others were out of sight and hearing before we set out to pick up Ewvin and Jansina. Everyone seemed rather quiet along the way upstream to the village. While I was paddling, I found myself thinking of Kurietta's younger sister, Meri, for some reason or another. It was probably due to seeing Kurietta, Minxie and Dennella together, just a little flashback to when Kurietta was going to leave with Grimm and me and "see the world" so-to-speak. Kurietta, her mother Elretta and Meri had gathered together in a group hug and acted very much the same as when Kurietta, Minxie and Dennella did the same. Like her older sister, Meri was quite attractive though rather flirtatious. Meri wasn't much younger than Kurietta, only about three turns of the seasons, but she seemed either unable or unwilling at the time to get too involved with any one male. I suspected at the time that Kurietta was trying to get Meri to come along with us, though I never said anything about it or paid it much attention. Why I happened to think of Meri now, after all this time had passed, I couldn't say for sure.

"Well, Meri, I wonder whatever became of you. I still remember that perfume you used to wear...always did like that particular scent," I thought to myself.

I brought back the memory of the flowery perfume that Meri used to use and wondered if whatever it was made from could still be found. The thought of it seemed so real...a little too real, actually. Something moving caught my attention and I looked up just in time to see a little flower float down and land in my lap. I looked around at the trees we were passing under, but none was flowering at this time of year. I stopped paddling for a moment, picked up the flower, and smelled it.

"What the...?" I said quietly--it was exactly the same scent as Meri's perfume!

"Um, Red Moon...do you know what plant this comes from by chance?" I asked.

Red Moon turned around to look and I passed the little flower to Dahmietra who smelled it and then passed it on to Red Moon.

"I've never smelled a flower quite like this one before. It's nice, though, whatever it is," Dahmietra said.

Red Moon smelled it and then searched her memories, only to end up shaking her head.

"No, dear...I've never ran across that one before. Where did you get it?" she asked with a puzzled look on her face, handing it back.

"Uh, you're not going to believe this, but...it just dropped on my lap out of nowhere," I said feeling a bit strange.

"It did what?" Red Moon asked.

"It just...floated down from above me and landed in my lap," I said.

"But dear, none of the trees are blooming this time of year," she said, giving me a strange look.

"Yeah, I know...," I said quietly.

I had a thought and held up until Grimm brought their boat near. Kurietta was sitting in the back with Foxfire so I got her attention.

"Um, Kurietta...does this scent seem familiar to you by chance?" I asked, holding the little flower out to her as we pulled alongside.

She took it from my hand and looked at it for a moment, and then closed her eyes, as she smelled its fragrance. When she exhaled slowly and opened her eyes, she gave me a sideways look.

"Misty, where did ya find this?"

I paused for a bit not quite sure how to say it.

"Well...this is going to seem rather strange. I suppose seeing you, Minxie, and Dennella all together before we left, somehow got me to thinking about when you, Grimm, and I left your village to wander together. You, your mother, and your sister were all hugging and so forth, just as you did a little while ago. For some reason or another, I got to thinking about your sister and wondered whatever happened to her...then I thought about that flowery perfume she wore and I've always liked it; it's a nice scent. But then something caught my eye and I looked up, and here was this little flower, just floating down out of nowhere and landed in my lap. I thought it seemed strange that I was remembering a little too clearly, if you get my meaning...and then this appeared," I explained, pointing to the little flower in Kurietta's hand.

Kurietta bunched her eyebrows together for a moment, and then her eyes got wide and she put her hand over her mouth. She quickly reached into the little hidden pocket in the tunic she was wearing and pulled out the little carving that Grimm had made of the two of them together.

"Oh,frazzleberries, Misty! This dropped down between the Grimmster and me when we woke up together, just like if someone was standing over us and dropped it. And now you say this little flower just dropped outta nowhere into your lap? Ooo...," she said wide eyed, looking slowly around and then upwards.

Grimm arched an eyebrow and held it for a few moments, looking first to Kurietta and then to Foxfire. Foxfire seemed to be staring off into the distance, seemingly unaware of our conversation.

"Misty, I know exactly what this flower is--it's from the Snow Lace plant, and it only grows up in the mountains. Meri used to wear a perfume made from it...how...?" she started to ask in a near whisper.

At that point, Foxfire grinned for no apparent reason and nodded her head.

She turned her head and looked at me with a little smile, "Oh, there you are, Mist Runner...somebody you knew says 'hiya'."

Foxfire gave me a little circular wave as she said that. I immediately had chills run up and down my spine as did Kurietta and Grimm--that was exactly the way Meri used to greet people she liked.

"Ya know Misty, before we left my village the other night, I coulda swore that I heard my folks and little sis talking to me," Kurietta said after a few minutes.

"The little whisper we don't hear, yet do," Foxfire said, still grinning.

"You said something about that just before we left the village going the other way," Dahmietra said to Foxfire.

Kurietta looked at Dahmietra and then to Foxfire, then to Grimm and me.

"Grimmster, this is startin' to creep me out," she said nervously.

"Foxfire, the one you spoke of to Mist Runner...would it happen to be someone by the name of Meri?" Grimm asked his little sister.

"Huh? Oh...why, yes, that's her name. How did you know?" Foxfire asked back.

Grimm looked with all seriousness at his sister and said, "Foxfire that was Kurietta's younger sister."

"Well, I know that, Grimmie! How did you...," Foxfire trailed off, cocking her head a little to one side for a moment and then nodded her head. "Oh, I guess you met her a long time ago," she said slightly embarrassed.

"Are you somehow talking with Meri right now?" Grimm asked.

"Why of course, Grimmie...she's right here," Foxfire said with a little exasperation and pointing to a spot beside her.

"What?" Kurietta nearly jumped out of her skin, causing the boat to rock.

"Dam Foxfire is right, Sire...we're...not alone," Warri said from the front of the boat.

"Oh, my...!" Red Moon said quietly.

Even though it unnerved Dahmietra, she remained quiet, covering her mouth with a hand.

"This is going to be...interesting, to say the least, though I think we need to paddle if we don't want to keep going backwards," Grimm observed.

Sure enough, the current was starting to take us in the opposite direction, so we pushed our boats apart and started making way again towards the village.

"I think we'd better keep this to ourselves so we don't spook Ewvin and Jansina--they probably wouldn't understand," I said as we paddled.

"I'm spooked enough for all of us!" Kurietta exclaimed quietly.

"Oh, don't be, dear...you told them that you really wished that they could be with you when you and my brother are joined, so they'll be there," Foxfire said with a knowing smile.

Kurietta looked at Grimm in astonishment and then look at Foxfire.

"How did you know I said that?" she asked incredulously.

Foxfire just smiled and said, "They told me."

Kurietta looked back at Grimm who just shrugged his shoulders and kept on rowing.

It wasn't too long before we reached the village again, this time stopping by the dock and tying up to it. Warri got out and went to fetch Ewvin and Jansina who were waiting at the smithy just a short distance from the riverfront. They returned shortly with what belongings the two had. Their trunk was placed in the larger boat, and then Warri helped them each into the center of one of the smaller boats with their bags. As soon as Warri was back in his seat, we proceeded on upstream towards home.

It was a little slower going this time, not only because we were traveling upstream, but also due to the two extra people and their belongings. We still made pretty good time, considering that we were also keeping our senses sharp for any trouble we might meet along the way. We had no idea if that one particular group of Wastelanders was still prowling around looking for Dahmietra or not, now that Khel-Sehk was no more. We stopped along the way a few times for short breaks, though when it was nearing sunset we found a good spot to stop and make camp for the night. Warri was able to spear some fish for evening meal, so while he was preparing them for cooking, Snow Spear got a fire going. Red Moon took Dahmietra with her as she went to see what else the wooded area next to the river might provide. They didn't have to go too far before Red Moon found a wild berry patch and some greens, plus some crispy little tubers that grow near the water's edge which are good to peel and munch on. Red Moon instructed Dahmietra on how to identify and collect plants that were edible. We ended up having a fairly decent meal, though we made sure that Jansina got plenty to eat so that she could keep her health up. When it was totally dark, we sat around the small campfire drinking some tea and engaging in small talk. Eventually the conversation came around to what was happening in the south. Ewvin told us how the Corsans invaded the kingdom of Ghioltha, pillaging everything in their path. King Baltha sent a large group of his warriors to intercept the Corsans and they had fought some pitched battles, though most of the fighting seems to be a series of smaller groups of the Corsans breaking away to fight skirmishes elsewhere. It was almost as if they are trying to scatter the king's forces, though the king's field commanders were too well disciplined to fall for that trick. The cavalry units try to cut off the smaller groups and whittle down their numbers before they can make a sneak attack on a village at night.

"The Corsans, you say?" Grimm asked, rubbing his chin in thought.

"What are you thinking, Grimm?" I asked.

"Do you know when this trouble with them started, Ewvin? Grimm asked.

"Well, as I remember, there were rumors of war all the way back to last fall, at least," he replied.

I was beginning to see where Grimm was going with the thought.

"Dahmietra, didn't you say that Khel-Sehk started coming around to the enclave sometime during the last turn of the seasons?" I asked.

"I did," she replied, "he came several times starting in mid-spring."

"Grimm, you think the two are connected, don't you," I said.

"I suspect that the appearance of Khel-Sehk at the enclave and the stirrings of unrest among the Corsans may indeed be connected," Grimm replied.

"That would be too much territory for even him to cover in that amount of time," Snow Spear brought up.

"So, you're thinking that we could have two or three more Dark Bloods out there meddling with things?" Night Song asked.

"It's a possibility," Grimm replied gravely.

"Oh, my...those roaming the hills, the Corsans, Khel-Sehk, and the tribal warlords might be all part of some big plan of theirs...," Red Moon said with concern.

"If only we could figure out what they're really up to, then we might know what to do," Night Song said.

"Who are these 'Dark Bloods' you mentioned?" Ewvin asked out of curiosity.

I gave Ewvin and Jansina the short version of the history of the Dark Blood Clan, and about our own particular little quest.

When I had finished telling the tale, Ewvin and Jansina seemed anxious to say something.

"We heard a tale from one of the merchants who comes from the town of Two Crossings to the small villages in the North Ward to trade that might be about two of your kind," Ewvin said.

"We were in the bazaar one day this summer buying things we needed when we overheard him talking to the owner of the alehouse. He said that he had seen two wolf-men at the Pelgrez River crossing near Hom's Hill. One was a huge fellow with black and dark gray fur, and the other was tawny mixed with shades of gray and black. Both wore some ancient style of armor with grayish-green capes--the large one carried an axe slung across his back while the other one had a bow and a staff of some sort," Jansina said.

Grimm, Foxfire, and I were definitely happy to hear this news.

"Did he say what direction they were traveling by chance? I asked.

"Well, he did say that they met briefly at the bridge and they seemed nice enough, though there was something about them that made him feel...as if he was in the presence of immense age and power, I think he said. When they crossed the bridge going north, they slipped into the woods and he didn't see them again," Ewvin replied.

Red Moon had been quietly interpreting for Kurietta, so when she had finished relating what Ewvin and Jansina had said Kurietta tugged on Grimm's arm to get his attention.

"Hey Grimmster, ya, Misty and Foxie seem to know who they're yakkin' about...wanna fill me in?" she asked.

Grimm looked down at Kurietta, put his arm around her, and said using our words, "Our sires."

"Oh. Have they been gone for a while?" she asked, slightly confused.

"Yes, Kurietta, they've been gone for quite some time," I said smiling.

"The last we heard, they had crossed the sea and were exploring the lands in the south world. Now perhaps they are on their way home," Grimm added.

"Wow, ya think they might make it back in time for our joining?" she asked.

Grimm smiled and said, "I certainly hope so."

As usual whenever they were together, Warri and Dahmietra were quietly sharing their thoughts using his mind-speak ability.

Dahmietra asked, "Have you ever met Mist Runner's father, Warri?"

He replied, "No, I have not had that honor yet...according to Lore Mistress Fire Weaver, they left about twenty turns of the seasons before I was born."

"Oh, my! How could they stand to be apart from one another for so long?" Dahmi asked in her thoughts.

"Time is meaningless for The First Ones, plus both Sires Mist Runner and Grimm Tooth's parents are bond mates, so they have a special connection between them at all times--they're never 'alone' in a sense," Warri replied in his thoughts.

"Is this the same sort of bonding thing that Mist Runner and Red Moon will have?" Dahmi asked.

"As I understand it, yes. I believe Mistress Starfire may have done something of a similar nature to Sire Grimm Tooth and Kurietta, though it required Dam Foxfire to make it work," Warri thought to Dahmietra.

"She can do such a thing?" Dahmietra thought back amazed.

"Definitely, Mistress Starfire is extremely powerful--and capable--when you meet her, I think you will understand. You have not spent much time in the presence of the First Ones so you can't know," Warri replied in his thoughts.

"Can't know...what, Warri?" Dahmietra asked mentally.

"That they chose how much of themselves that they allow others to perceive of them. One time Mistress Fire Weaver allowed me to perceive her in her full glory...I...immediately fell to my knees in awe and wept. I remember when she lifted my chin, she was once again as how you have undoubtedly seen her--just like the rest of us, and she merely smiled her usual motherly smile. I...I've never told anyone about that," Warri replied along the mental link.

Dahmietra formed an image in her mind of the two of them hugging and shared that with him, which Warri returned the feeling with a thank you.

She thought to herself for a moment and asked Warri, "Was it anything like how Foxfire appeared at The Gathering?"

"It was...far beyond even that; I have no other words to describe it, and I don't think I could even show you," Warri thought back.

Dahmietra could sense Warri's feelings along the mental link he had formed between them, and she knew that it was an experience beyond his ability to comprehend. If Foxfire had been mistaken as a Blessed One, what might the First Ones be mistaken as?

We set the watch for the night and got some rest. The night passed uneventfully, and by first light, we were all up and ready to get started. We got the boats loaded up as soon as everyone had a chance to take care of the necessities, removed the traces of our camp, and we headed off upstream again. After we had paddled for a few hours, we found a place to stop to rest and eat. As soon as the boats were out of the water, Brown Leaf headed to the edge of the trees near the bank to check out the grasslands beyond. When Red Moon handed out the allotment of dried rations to everyone, Night Song took hers and Brown Leaf's so that she wouldn't have to leave her observation spot. As Night Song approached, Brown Leaf gave a hand signal to indicate that she saw something. Night Song crouched down and joined her friend stealthily.

"What is it?" Night Song whispered, handing Brown Leaf her food.

"Over there...do you see them? Looks like a Wastelander scouting party, if I'm not mistaken," Brown Leaf whispered back as she pointed in the direction of the people she saw.

Night Song saw that the Wastelanders were too far away to be able to spot the two of them among the trees at this distance.

"How many to you think there are?" Night Song asked quietly.

Brown Leaf studied the group for a bit longer and then said, "Looks to be about twelve to fourteen riders by the number of animals they have, lightly armored."

"Oh, joy...just what we need. I'd better go tell Sire Mist Runner," Night Song whispered with a bit of sarcasm.

She slowly left her friend to continue watching the group and made her way back.

"Sire...we might have a bit of a problem," Night Song quietly told me when she got back.

I got Grimm's attention and motioned for him to come over. As soon as he joined us, Night Song told us about the raiding party.

"Could you see any markings or banners or anything of that sort?" I asked.

"They're a little too far away yet for me to be able to tell, Sire. It looks like they had been camped for the night and were up and about," Night Song replied.

"Just what we need, a Wastelander scouting party," I said sarcastically.

"If only we had some means to tell who they are and what they're up to," Grimm suggested.

I started thinking...and got an idea.

"This might be a long shot, but Warri has my spyglass--I loaned it to him before we left home on this trip so that he could use it at The Gathering, and maybe Dahmietra might be able to recognize them by their clothing or if they have any banners," I said.

Grimm arched an eyebrow and said, "It might be worth a try at least."

I excused myself and went over to where Red Moon, Dahmietra, and Warri were sitting. Red Moon glanced back to Grimm and Night Song and asked,

"Something wrong, dear?"

"Maybe," I said with a bit of a frown. "Warri, I need to use my spyglass for a little bit; would you get it for me, please?" I asked.

"Certainly Sire, just a moment," he replied, reaching for his bag.

He pulled it out and handed it to me with a questioning look on his face. Quietly, I told them about Brown Leaf's discovery.

"Dahmi, do you think you could tell who they might be by what they're wearing or from a banner?" I asked indicating the use of the spyglass.

"I can try," she replied.

"Okay, let's go and see if you recognize them. Warri, why don't you come along, too," I said.

Red Moon looked up at me with worry in her eyes, so I assured her, "They're too far away to see us hiding in the trees, from what Night Song said. We'll just go and take a quick look."

"Okay, dear...be careful!" Red Moon cautioned.

I grinned and said, "Always."

I had Warri come along so that he could relay any information to Grimm quickly and silently if necessary. Night Song led us to where Brown Leaf was keeping watch, and as we got close, I instructed Dahmietra and Warri to crouch down and move slowly so that we couldn't be easily spotted.

"Have they done anything different lately?" I quietly asked Brown Leaf as I knelt down beside her.

"No Sire...they don't seem to be in any hurry to go anywhere at the moment. Their tents are still up--if they were going to be heading out, I'd think they would have been packed up and moving by now," she replied.

"Unless they're using this as some sort of base camp for a while," Night Song suggested.

That was something I didn't particularly want to have to consider, but ended up doing so.

"That might be a possibility," I agreed. I extended the spyglass and took a look at the camp. Sure enough, it appeared that they've been camped there for a while. I sighed as I lowered the spyglass, wishing that those Wastelanders were somewhere else and not anywhere near us. Between Smoke Fire and me, we could probably take them easily enough with our bows if they were to charge us out in the open, though if we were in the boats should they discover us and attack we would be sitting targets. I would rather not have a direct confrontation if it could be avoided. I handed the spyglass to Dahmietra--showing her how to use it--and asked her to see if she might recognize anything useful about this particular group of Wastelanders.

"Well...Brown Leaf was right, there's twelve g'han-sas tied up--those are the riding beasts that the warriors prefer because they're fast and can run a long way," Dahmietra said as she kept looking. "Hmpf, well that's interesting...," she said with a bit of disgust.

"What is it?" I asked.

"They're Dahl-Shan alright...and that sewer rat Tah-Noor is with them. Ooo...I could think of a few things to do to him!" she said quietly with iciness in her voice.

"I thought he was still locked up along with his cronies," Brown Leaf commented.

"I thought so, too," I said, frowning at the thought of him being anywhere near us.

"If your mate were to find this out, Sire, she'd have his tail in a sling for sure," Night Song said with a smirk.

"No doubt she would. I wonder, though, what they're up to out here...but I don't really want to wait around to find out. We all want to get home, and Jansina is in no condition for any excitement, though I don't like the idea of this fool being almost on our doorstep either," I said.

"Sire, I have an idea," Warri offered.

"Let's hear it," I prompted him.

"Well, if he could be caught alone just long enough to pop in, grab him, and pop back out again, I might be able to dig into his mind to find out what sort of things they're up to, and then I can put him to sleep. Then we could pop in just long enough again to leave him and be out before anyone knew we were there," Warri explained.

I rubbed my chin while listening to Warri's idea, and when he finished I said, "You know that's actually not a bad idea--a little risky, but doable."

"If you could come in behind him and quickly put a bag over his head, he wouldn't have any idea who grabbed him. The bag my things from the enclave are in would work for that," Dahmietra suggested.

Night Song got a wicked grin on her face and said, "I like the way these two think."

I smiled at Night Song and nodded my head.

"Well, if we're going to do this, we'd better get it over with so that we're not around here any longer than we need to be. Dahmi, let's you and I head back so we can tell Grimm and Red Moon what's up and you can grab that bag of yours, then Warri and I will go and do our thing," I said.

"Uh, Sire...do you want anyone else to go with you, just in case?" Night Song asked hopefully.

"I thought you had enough of traveling by the Hidden Ways, Night Song," I said with a grin.

"For that toad I'll make an exception," she said grinning back.

Dahmi and I made our way back to the rest of our group and quietly explained to both Red Moon and Grimm what we saw and what we were planning on doing.

"Warri came up with this himself, you say?" Grimm asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The part with the bag was my idea," Dahmietra said with a little grin.

"Yeah, they both came up with it," I said, stroking Dahmi's head.

Grimm folded his arms and looked in the direction of where Warri was with Brown Leaf and Night Song, and had a rather thoughtful look on his face.

He looked back at me and said, "These two have certainly come up with some interesting ideas."

"Yes, indeed they have," I agreed.

Dahmietra got her bag and dumped the contents into her cloak and wrapped them up with it, and then handed the empty bag to me.

"This should be thick enough that he won't be able to see through it, and large enough that you can get it over his head quickly," she said matter-of-factly.

"Thanks, Dahmi," I said as I gave her a quick hug. I could feel her concern as we hugged, "Don't worry dear...I'll bring him back in one piece."

"You'd better come back in one piece, too, or I'll put your tail in a sling!" Red Moon said as she threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly.

Grimm allowed a little grin to come across his face and said, "I guess you should consider yourself warned."

I went back to where Brown Leaf, Night Song, and Warri were observing the Wastelanders at and got an update on their activities. Apparently the warriors were getting their g'han-sas ready to ride, though otherwise the activities in the camp seemed unhurried.

"I wonder why they camped so far away from the river," Brown Leaf asked, "even Wastelanders need water, and it's too far for any of them to walk this distance with a bucket."

"Maybe there's a small stream or something over there," Night Song suggested.

"That could be, we passed one a ways back that joined the river. But you have to remember, these are a people who are used to wide open spaces and they don't particularly like wooded areas," I said.

"Kind of makes you wonder why they ever pushed this far north. I bet they don't like the winters, either," Night Song quipped.

"Hmm...either erupting volcanoes in a desert wasteland or wooded areas where it snows in the winter and strange beasts dwell. Which would you choose?" I asked, quietly chuckling.

Brown Leaf snickered when Night Song said in her sultry voice, "The cold I can handle--always plenty of fun ways to keep warm, but I'll pass on the volcanoes. I'd rather have my fireworks under the furs, if you know what I mean."

I smiled and shook my head, though I think Warri might have been just a little embarrassed.

We waited until the warriors mounted up and rode off at a leisurely pace (thankfully they didn't come this direction), leaving only a handful of others in the camp...along with Tah-Noor. When he went inside one of the tents that is when we decided to make our move.

"Back in a little bit, Brown Leaf," I told our tracker.

"Be careful Sire...," Brown Leaf said.

I nodded my head and summoned the magic that would shift us to the other existence. With a muffled rush and a brief wave of dizziness, we made the shift.

"Yep, still weird looking," Night Song said with a sigh.

Warri looked around and said, "It's one thing to read about other people's experiences in this realm, quite another to experience it for yourself."

I smiled and said, "And now for the fun part," as I started walking.

It was a straight shot to the tent that Tah-Noor was in and its shadowy form seemed to rush upon us as we headed towards it. In what seemed like only moments we had crossed the distance between the trees and the camp and slipped into the tent, unseen and unnoticed. There was another person in the tent with Tah-Noor, though due to the shadowy distortions we experienced we couldn't be sure who it was.

"Well, now what do we do Sire?" Night Song asked.

"Wait just a little bit...," I replied.

Almost on cue, the other person left out the front of the tent.

"Okay, now...Warri, work your way between Night Song and I--don't let go when you do--and she and I will grab him from behind on each side and you get that bag over his head. As soon as you do, quickly take a hold of me again and I'll shift us back."

Tah-Noor seemed almost as if he was making things easy for us by sitting on a folding stool at a table. We got positioned behind him, and hoped that we weren't off in distance by much--it's difficult to tell due to the distortion between realities. When we were ready, I made the shift. Before he had a chance to react to the displacement of air, Night Song and I grabbed Tah-Noor and Warri quickly got the bag put over his head. He only managed to let out a muffled "Wha...?" before we shifted back into the Hidden Ways.

Without saying a word between us so that Tah-Noor would have no idea who was doing this to him, I nodded to Warri and using his ability reached into Tah-Noor's mind. I saw Warri wince and then get a disgusted look on his face. After a moment, Tah-Noor started screaming and thrashing around causing Warri to furrow his brows and concentrate harder. Warri suddenly got a look of shock on his face and then immediately grew angry and gave a low growl. Tah-Noor shrieked and then stiffened, before collapsing in our grasp. Warri looked at me and nodded his head once. I again made the shift to bring us back into our own reality and we sat Tah-Noor's unconscious body down on the ground by the table. Warri got on the other side of me and grabbed hold of both my arm and the bag that was still over Tah-Noor's head, and I made the shift back into the Hidden Ways. We headed back towards the trees and soon found the spot from which we left. Brown Leaf was startled when we reappeared near her.

When she recovered her wits, Brown Leaf asked, "How did it go?"

Night Song and I both looked at Warri and he said, "I got the information--and I hope I've given him nightmares for a long time!" he said grimly.

"Warri...?" I started to ask suddenly feeling concerned.

Both Brown Leaf and Night Song glanced at each other uneasily.

"I'll share the information he had with everyone...but the other...," Warri said, trailing off as he put his hand to his head.

I could sense the revulsion he felt and the anger, but I didn't know the cause of it.

"Are you okay, Warri?" I asked.

"My head hurts from doing what I had to, but I'll be okay in a while," he said quietly.

"I can help with that, at least," I said.

Warri nodded his head, so I placed my hand on his forehead and summoned my healing magic. After a moment or two, Warri gave a sigh of relief and his face relaxed.

"Thank you, Sire...much better," he said.

"We can talk about the other later when you feel ready to, but let's go and tell the others what you found," I said putting my arm around his shoulders.

Warri looked up at me with an appreciative smile and said, "Yes Sire."

I motioned for Night Song to come along and we headed back to the others.

"Were you able to discover anything?" Grimm asked when we returned.

"I think so--Warri says he wants to share it with everyone," I said tapping the side of my head.

Grimm raised an eyebrow momentarily and then nodded his head once. I called everyone to gather around so that the information could be shared.

"A little while ago Warri, Night Song, and I made a quick trip to the Wastelander camp Brown Leaf spotted some distance from here. This might be a little difficult for you to understand, Ewvin and Jansina, but I have another ability that we call 'traveling by the Hidden Ways'. It's a quick, though rather strange way of moving quickly from one point to another without being seen, and I can take others with me. Warri here has the ability to communicate with others using his mind--but don't worry, he doesn't just casually "listen in" on what others are thinking. We needed to find out what the Wastelanders are up to since they had mounted warriors present and we also discovered that a particular person is present that we've had a run-in with before," I explained.

"That slug, Tah-Noor," Dahmietra said coldly.

There were murmurs through the group.

"What's he doing out here? I thought he was still locked up," Snow Spear said with disgust.

"That's the other thing we wanted to find out," I answered.

"We met him and his cronies, unfortunately," Ewvin said, "when we first arrived in Cedar Knoll. One of the village guards heard him and came to our aid--he, the guard, had to threaten the man with his weapon to get him to leave us alone."

"Well, Warri found out some things, whether Tah-Noor wanted to give up the information or not," I said.

"I hope you gave him a headache!" Red Moon exclaimed.

Warri glanced down at the ground for a moment and then looked up at Red Moon with a grim look in his eyes and said quietly, "Once he comes to, I don't think he's going to stop screaming for a long time."

There was stunned silence, not only for what Warri said, but how he said it. Dahmietra was the first to react, rushing to Warri and putting her hands on either side of his face.

"Warri, what happened?" she said with great concern.

Warri took Dahmi's hands in his own and shook his head slowly.

Very quietly, he said, "Not now...maybe...maybe later."

Dahmietra knew Warri well enough by now to know that whatever it was, he was having a really hard time dealing with it. She hugged him and refused to let go until he relented and hugged her back.

"We're in this together, good and bad...understand me?" she said holding his head in her hands and looking Warri straight in the eyes. He nodded after a moment.

Foxfire had of course been watching intently a short distance away; she could tell that whatever happened, Warri did it out of his growing love for Dahmietra. She could also tell how strongly Dahmietra's love of Warri had become.

"You don't find that every day," Foxfire thought to herself. "It must have been something awful he discovered to make him do that."

Foxfire cocked her head as if listening to someone speaking to her--something that everyone was becoming used to her doing at odd times. While Grimm was interpreting to Kurietta what was being said, she looked over at Foxfire, and watched her reaction to what Warri said, as well as Dahmietra's.

In Skunatii Kurietta said to Grimm, "I betcha whatever he did had somethin' to do with her, if that was the same frizz ball that messed with lil' Dahmi back at the inn."

Grimm looked down at Kurietta as she spoke, then glanced over to Warri and Dahmietra, and then looked back at Kurietta.

"You may be right. I doubt Warri would do anything to purposely hurt anyone unless he was threatened...or someone he really cared about was threatened," Grimm said thoughtfully in Skunatii.

"What do you need us to do in order to share what you found out about the camp, Warri?" I asked after Dahmietra had finished hugging Warri.

"Um, well, I suppose have everyone form a circle and hold hands will work as well as anything," Warri said trying to collect himself.

We all proceeded to gather into a circle and hold hands as instructed. Warri stood between Dahmietra and me, with Foxfire slipping into place on the other side of Dahmietra. When everyone was ready, Warri closed his eyes and opened his mind to connect with everyone in the circle. As soon as he had everyone, he recalled the memory of what he had learned about the camp and shared it--why they were there, how long, and what the warriors had gone off to do; he also showed us how Tah-Noor got released from his captivity and ended up at the camp.

The camp was comprised of members of the Takh'ahn tribe, part of the Dahl-Shan sect, whose tribal holdings include the Whispering Hills--where Khel-Sehk was from. They had been keeping a watch on the area for the past quarter of a moon, questioning anyone they found residing in or traveling through the grasslands. Tah-Noor knew the two men who had been caught after they tortured the traveler to death at the inn. They had overheard the traveler talk about coming from the village of Zahr-Rey to the north and of something that had happened at the nearby enclave about one moon earlier. When they had been taken into custody, Tah-Noor sent word back to his tribe, prompting one of the tribal elders to come to Cedar Knoll. When the elder got there, he found that Tah-Noor himself had been arrested and detained for the incident at the inn, when he tried to grab Dahmietra. A henchman who was at The Gathering rode hard and fast to bring the news of what happened to Tah-Noor as soon as he could. When he saw a girl who matched the description given to him by the henchman, he knew that it must be Dahmietra so he took it upon himself to capture her and bring her to the tribe after the demise of Khel-Sehk. Unfortunately for him, he didn't count on her protectors or their relationship with several prominent members of the community. The tribal elder was able to secure Tah-Noor's release into his custody after bribing certain village officials who then ordered the guards to let him go. Tah-Noor was on his way back to the Whispering Hills with the information he had learned and had stopped at the camp to rest. Fortunately he had apparently not told anyone else what he knew, wanting to wait until he was home and before the rest of the tribal council. Warri broke off the connection before he got to the part that he had discovered within Tah-Noor's mind that caused him to do what he did.

"Well, that certainly answers some questions," Grimm said with a frown.

"Yeah, we finally found out for certain that Khel-Sehk was connected with the Wastelanders living in the hills, Night Song added.

"Not to mention that Tah-Noor knows those two who killed that male at the inn," Red Moon said.

This had been the first time Kurietta experienced Warri's "mind-speak" ability, and certainly the first time that either Ewvin or Jansina had ever experienced any magical ability of any sort.

"Frazzleberries! That was the weirdest sensation I've ever experienced...well, aside from coming back from the dead, of course," Kurietta exclaimed using our speech, shaking her head. Foxfire interpreted for Dahmietra, Ewvin, and Jansina what Kurietta said as the rest of us chuckled.

Ewvin and Jansina looked at each other wide-eyed and with open mouths--they didn't know which was weirder, experiencing the mental images or the revelation that the skunk lady had come back from the dead.

"So, apparently they're still looking for me, despite the fact that Khel-Sehk is dead. I wish I knew what it is that makes me so special to them that they've gone to such lengths to find me," Dahmietra said with a sigh.

"Maybe you might find your answer once we get home," Foxfire said with a little grin.

Grimm arched an eyebrow momentarily at his little sister's words.

"I wish she would stop being so cryptic--if she knows something, she should say what it is and quit hinting about it. It's annoying," Grimm thought to himself.

"And speaking of home, we should be back on the water and heading that way," I announced.

"Night Song, go fetch Brown Leaf and let her know we're leaving," I ordered.

Night Song acknowledged my instruction and left immediately to get her friend. Grimm made sure that everything and everyone was loaded up into the boats and Snow Spear and I went about covering our traces while Night Song was coming back with Brown Leaf.

"Did you happen to see anything else going on at the camp before coming back?" I asked Brown Leaf.

"I saw some people running to one of the tents, but that was it. Those warriors haven't come back yet," she replied.

Grimm and I exchange glances and then I said, "Thanks, Brown Leaf...better get yourself loaded up."

She nodded her head once and said, "Come on Night Song, let's get out of here."

When I got to our boat, Red Moon and Dahmietra were waiting for me. I glanced over to Brown Leaf momentarily and then looked at both Red Moon and Dahmi.

"Looks like Tah-Noor must have regained consciousness--Brown Leaf said she saw people running to one of the tents," I said quietly.

I saw the looks on their faces and shrugged my shoulders slightly.

We paddled until well into the afternoon before we stopped to stretch and eat some of our rations. At the rate we were going, we figured that we should make the bridge where the trade route crosses the river in a couple more hours. If we were lucky, we might make it to the outpost before dark. Being so close to the safety of The Great Forest was a good motivator for making good time on the water. As soon as we had a chance to rest up a bit, we were back on the water and moving at a good pace. We stopped before reaching the bridge and looked from the safety of the trees in both directions to see if anything was moving. No one was about that we could tell, so we struck off. Just about sunset we were nearly at the edge of The Great Forest, so I had Grimm announce our arrival to the outpost. We were answered immediately and we started to feel a bit more relaxed...until Snow Spear spotted riders heading our way from the northeast. I pulled out my spyglass and looked--it was those blasted Wastelanders from the camp!

"Grimm, we've got trouble. Those riders from the camp are heading at speed this way!"

Grimm called to the outpost to let them know that hostile riders were coming at a run.

"Everyone...put it to it!" I yelled to our group and we paddled as quickly as we could to the outpost.

The alarm howl was sounded at the outpost and immediately the defenders poured out to take their battle posts. A squad met us at the docks and helped everyone out of their boats and gather up our belongings. Rock Jumper himself met us part way from the docks to the stairs.

Taking a quick glance at our group, he saluted and said, "Good to see you back!"

"Earlier today we spotted a camp of Wastelanders a ways north of the river. They had twelve mounted warriors who left while we were observing them, though it appeared that they went towards the northeast. They didn't seem to be in any hurry at the time. This bunch looks to be the same, but they're coming at speed in this direction. I don't know if they will try to come here or not," I said quickly as we headed towards the stairs.

Rock Jumper frowned at the news.

"They'd be foolish to try. The nightly patrol was getting ready to head out when you called...they should be coming down any moment now," he said.

"Have them take up positions at the edge of the trees on both sides of the river--do whatever it takes to stop them," Grimm instructed.

Rock Jumper acknowledged the command and waited by the stairs. We stood off to one side to stay out of their way when the patrol came down. Rock Jumper gathered them up and told them what was coming and what they were do. The squad that met us at the docks took up secondary positions near that location. I sensed a change in our surroundings--almost unnoticeable at first, but then some of the others started to notice it, too.

Dahmietra saw us starting to look up and around and asked, "What is it?"

"Remember when I first brought you into The Great Forest and I asked you to stand very still and listen?" I asked.

Dahmietra nodded her head.

"Do it again, and see if you notice anything different."

Dahmietra stood very still and listened carefully. She got a slight questioning look on her face as if she was trying to understand what she was hearing.

"Hmm...something _does_seem...different," she said.

"The Great Forest has perceived our sense of threat, and it's responding," I replied.

Ewvin and Jansina were standing nearby and seemed confused by what I said.

"Do you mean that it hears what you say?" Jansina asked incredulously. "After a fashion, you might say. The whole Forest has a certain awareness...that is why we must always be mindful of what we do within it. No one with evil in their minds or heart of being can ever enter The Great Forest," I replied.

"What happens if they try?" Ewvin asked.

"The Great Forest will do everything it can to stop them, including calling us and every other living thing within its boundaries to defend against the evil," I said.

"We've...heard tales about this being an enchanted forest, but we didn't know if they were true or not," Jansina said.

"I wouldn't exactly call it 'enchanted', the whole Forest is a living thing, just as you and I are. It's alive and has its own awareness, just as all other living things do. We live in balance and harmony with it--it provides all that we need and in return, we do our part to care for it. You will learn more in time, but for now let's get you a place to stay until your own home can be built," I said.

We climbed the stairs and proceeded to make our way to the same sleeping quarters that we had used before.

On the way up to the level they were on, I heard someone call out to me, "Ayooo! Sire Mist Runner!"

I looked in the direction of the voice and saw Birdsong waving as she was carrying several bundles of arrows. I waved back and pointed in the direction of the sleeping quarters. She nodded her head and then disappeared around the corner. When we got to the last flight of stairs going up to the level the sleeping quarters, I sensed that there was a bit of a problem. I looked back and saw Jansina being rather concerned about Ewvin who seemed a bit pale for some reason. I let the others continue up and went to see what the problem was. Foxfire, Kurietta and Smoke Fire were standing with Ewvin and Jansina, all seemed a bit concerned.

"What's wrong?" I asked when I got to them.

"Oh, hi Mist Runner! I think poor Ewvin is having a bit of a problem," Foxfire said.

"Ewvin...? Are you okay?" I asked.

Ewvin didn't respond; he just stood there motionless and nearly as white as Foxfire.

"Er, think maybe he might be havin' a problem with bein' up this high?" Kurietta said with a bit of nervousness of her own, glancing down towards the ground.

I looked over at Kurietta and she didn't look so well herself.

"Oh, poor Ewvin! He's terrified of heights!" Jansina exclaimed.

It never occurred to me that someone might not be able to handle being a little ways up off the ground. This wasn't the same thing as flying through the air on the back of one of the great birds of the northern mountains--that's enough to unsettle anyone. I know that from first-hand experience, being friends with Shri'an of the V'Aertii. The flight up to her aerie was one thing--the trip back down however was a hair-raising, gut-twisting, and tail-curling experience, which serves only to remind me of one thing: wolves were never meant to fly. To this day, I still think she was purposely trying to see if I would lose what I ate that morning. I've wondered a few times since the last I saw Shri'an if she might somehow be a kindred spirit to Night Song--they're like two seeds in a shell, and a cracked one at that.

"Can ya do anything for him, Misty?" Kurietta asked while giving my arm a tug, suddenly bringing my attention back to the present.

"I think so, just a moment," I said, reaching my hand out and putting it across his forehead. I projected a strong feeling of calm and being safe into Ewvin, which got him to relax, allowing his color to return. Then I projected a good amount of confidence into him so that he could overcome his fear of heights.

"Ewvin? Can you hear me? Everything's okay now, there is no need to be afraid," I said to him gently.

Ewvin blinked his eyes a few time as mind cleared and he nodded his head.

"Go ahead and take him on up," I said, stepping aside so that Smoke Fire and Foxfire could pass by me.

Foxfire turned and asked, "Are you coming, Mist Runner?"

"I'm right behind you," I replied.

Foxfire got a mischievous grin on her face and proceeded up the stairs with her usual fluid grace. I felt something slap my arm so I looked down and saw Kurietta standing beside me with her hands on her hips and giving me an exasperated look.

"Misty!"

"What?" I asked.

"Quitcher eyeballin' Foxie's tail!"

"Kuri, she's walking ahead of me...and I have to go up the same flight of stairs as she does, and so do you," I said.

"But that's Grimmster's little sis...!" Kurietta retorted.

"I know that, dear...what, would you rather walk up these stairs ahead of me so that your tail was in my face and not hers?" I asked getting a little smirk on my face.

"I...um, well...but I'm a dancer! It's my thing to shake my tail...," she started to say.

"...Foxfire's also a dancer," I continued in a calm voice.

"But...she's still his little sister...," Kurietta shot back.

"Who has admired me ever since she was a little cubling; she's also my mate's best friend, and Red Moon knows all about how Foxfire feels about me...and she doesn't mind. I don't think Grimm does either. Actually, Kuri, it's safer for me to be behind Foxfire than it is for me to be behind you," I said cracking a sly grin, and hoping that she would catch the double meaning.

"Yah, well Grimmster would...hey! I oughtta pounce on ya for...," she said with a pouty little smirk.

"You do that 'Hot Stuff' and we'll both be in trouble, sure as the moon rises," I said sticking my tongue out at her playfully.

"You're never gonna let me live that down, are ya, Misty?" she said with her quirky little smile.

"Not in a million turns of the seasons, girl," I replied winking at her.

"That's not fair, Misty! You're immortal!" she exclaimed.

I laughed and said, "You should remember that the next time you do a dance and accidentally stick your tail in a torch...Hot Stuff."

Kurietta grabbed her tail and shook the end of it in my face.

"You know how long it took for my fur to grow back after that?"

"Ha, it would have taken a lot longer if I didn't help it along," I replied smiling.

"Yah, well...I guess ya got a point there," she said.

"I think the crowd thought it was part of your act...I've never seen such moves since then. Actually, it was kind of funny in a way, though I know it had to hurt," I said.

"You bet yer berries it did! My poor tail!" Kurietta held the end of her tail next to her cheek.

We walked quietly a short way before I thought of something.

"You know, I ought to tell Grimm where you're ticklish at," I said with a slightly exaggerated expression of thoughtfulness. Kurietta snapped her head around to look at me with a wide-eyed look of dismay.

"Oh, don't ya dare!"

I held up my hand, wiggled my fingers, and chuckled. Kurietta slapped my arm with her hand.

"You can thank Meri for telling me," I said grinning.

"That little fuzz ball! Why, if she was here right now I'd..."

I cut Kurietta off by holding my finger up to my mouth.

"She might be; remember what Foxfire said the other day?" I said looking over Kurietta's shoulder.

She gasped, quickly spinning around and then jumped backwards right into me.

I lightly held Kurietta by her shoulders and leaned down to say quietly in her ear, "OoooOOOooo!"

Kurietta spun around again and wagged her finger in my face, "Misty! Ya...ooo...still pullin' yer pranks!"

I grinned, ruffled the fur on top of her head, and said, "Speaking of pranks, we'd better get in with the others before Grimm thinks we're up to something again."

Kurietta pulled my head towards her and gave me a quick peck on the cheek, "You're a crazy ol' wolf, ya know that, Misty?"

"Red Moon reminds me of that quite often," I replied with a smirk.

As soon as I entered the sleeping quarters, I went to check on Ewvin to see how he was doing. He and Jansina had found a place to sit and she was rubbing his shoulders, helping him to relax.

"How are you feeling, Ewvin?" I asked.

"Much better now...thank you," he said looking up at me with a sheepish grin.

"I'm glad that I could help. It takes a bit even for our people to get used to being up in the trees like this. Well, take it easy for a while and I'll see about getting us all something to eat," I said.

I went around and checked on everyone to see how he or she was doing. As soon as Grimm got Kurietta and Foxfire settled in, he came over to let me know that he was going to find Rock Jumper, and see what was going on with the Wastelanders.

"Okay, if you need me for something I'll be here," I said.

Grimm nodded his head once and headed out the door to find Rock Jumper.

As soon as Grimm left, I asked Night Song if she would mind finding out when and where evening meal was going to be served, and if it was going to be edible this time.

Night Song grinned and asked, "May I have your permission to chew some rump if it's not, Sire?"

"As long as you don't resort to actual violence, Night Song, I'll leave it to your discretion...and no throwing things, either!" I said grinning while I wagged my finger at her.

Night Song got a sly grin on her face as she slinked by me, and said in her sultry voice, "Wouldn't think of it...Sire."

I watched her slip out the door and then said chuckling to myself, "We're doomed."

Grimm found Rock Jumper near the edge of The Forest, personally taking charge of whatever action was going to be necessary in order to deal with the Wastelander riders.

"Hmm, that's better than what Thornbrier would have done," Grimm thought to himself.

It was nearly dark so it would seem unlikely that the Wastelanders would attempt to enter The Great Forest at night. It was somewhat surprising to know that this particular group would even be away from their camp since theirs was a relatively small unit.

"Greetings Sire!" Rock Jumper said quietly upon meeting Grimm Tooth.

"Rock Jumper," Grimm acknowledged quietly in his usual terse manner.

"How close are they now?"

"They have stopped just outside of what they consider bow range and seem to be making a little camp near the river," Rock Jumper replied as he handed a spyglass to Grimm.

"Hmpf, this is a little unusual for Wastelanders...still, at least they decided not to try crossing our border at night," Grimm said as he watched the warriors set up their simple camp.

All twelve warriors appeared to be otherwise normal Wastelanders in their features and mannerisms, so it was not likely that they were of mixed heritage--unless they were going to great lengths to conceal it. It wasn't long before they had a fire going and appeared to be preparing a meal. This also struck Grimm as unusual since Wastelanders generally ate well before sunset.

"How close can your defenders get to those Wastelanders?" Grimm asked Rock Jumper.

"Close enough to reach out and grab 'em if we have to, why?"

"Something isn't quite right about this group. Do you have anyone who can understand their speech?" Grimm inquired.

Rock Jumper thought a moment, and then said, "One of the lads can...a little of it."

"That will have to do. Send him and three others to get as close as they can without being detected, and try to find out what they can. Tell them to be sure not to let their eyes give themselves away," Grimm ordered.

Rock Jumper nodded his acknowledgement and went off to see to it that Grimm's order was carried out. Grimm continued watching the group of warriors using the spyglass as the four defenders set out on their intelligence-gathering mission.

Dahmietra was rather concerned about how Warri had been since his trip to the camp with Mist Runner and Night Song. He seemed a bit withdrawn and moody, which wasn't like him. When she tried to talk with him to find out what was bothering him, he refused to talk about it, saying only that he might later. Dahmietra confided her concern in Red Moon.

"What's the matter, Dahmi?" Red Moon asked when she saw how Dahmietra was looking at Warri.

"I don't know what's wrong with him, and it's bugging me. Warri's always so open with me and now he'll hardly say two words!" Dahmietra said with both concern and frustration in her voice.

"This isn't like him, I agree. He must have discovered something in Tah-Noor's mind that really disturbed him," Red Moon said as she held Dahmi close to her.

"After we came back to the trees, Warri mentioned that his head was hurting from 'doing what he had to'...I could also feel a strong sense of revulsion and anger in him. I was able to make his head quit hurting, though I think he might talk with me about it when he's ready," I said quietly.

"But why not with me?" Dahmietra asked. "Doesn't he trust me enough?"

"It's not that, dear," I said gently, "Warri does trust you, but he knows that in the long span of my existence I have had to do some very hard things...things that no one should ever have to do. And because of that, plus the fact that he looks up to me as sort of a father figure, he knows that I will be more able to help him understand and deal with what happened. Once he gets things straight in his own mind, he'll tell you about it. It's going to be very difficult for him, Dahmi, so just listen without making any judgment when he's ready to talk about it, and if you feel as strongly about him as I think you do, tell Warri again what you said when we came back from the camp."

"He's right, Dahmi. You'll just have to be patient with Warri and let him know that you care and that you're there for him," Red Moon agreed.

Dahmietra sorted through her own feelings for a moment, and then nodded her head.

"Okay. I told him then that he and I were in this together, no matter what...and I meant that. It just hurts to see him like this, though," Dahmietra sighed.

"We understand, dear," Red Moon said.

Dahmietra hugged and kissed us both and said, "You're the best parents a girl-cub could have!"

Red Moon and I both smiled and hugged and kissed Dahmietra back, giving her our love and support--and happy that she had fully accepted us as being her family now.

It took some time for Notch Ear, Patch, Ivy, and Three Socks to make their way stealthily towards the Wastelander warrior's camp in order to find out what was going on.

"I see they're staying just out of the trees," Notch whispered to Ivy.

"Smart for them--I could have the branches grab 'em if we needed to," she whispered back.

"What about the grasses and such? Think you could tangle their feet at least?" Notch whispered again.

"That wouldn't be too much of a problem, though in order to get all of 'em, I'd have to be closer," Ivy whispered her reply.

"I don't want to get any closer than we have to," whispered Patch.

"As long as Notch can hear what they're saying, that's close enough for me," Three Socks whispered.

"Let's see if we can get a little closer...I can barely hear them from here," Notch whispered to his companions.

The others nodded their agreement and crept silently closer towards the Wastelanders. When they finally got close enough for Notch to hear the Wastelanders, he signaled to the others to hold up.

"I don't like being this close to that accursed forest, Khasred!" Hath-Zhan exclaimed nervously to the leader of the patrol.

"Whoever it was that we saw go into it couldn't have gone very far in the dark. They must be just within the trees hiding from us," Khasred said with a bit of arrogance in his voice.

"But anyone who goes in there never comes back out again!" Hath-Zhan said emphatically.

"Bah! Tales to scare children! This lot certainly won't be coming back out once we catch them! They travel by water--we just follow it until we catch up to them, capture and interrogate them, and then make sure they never tell another we were here," Khasred said.

"But what if they don't know anything about that girl?" Hath-Zhan asked.

"Then we have our fun with any females they have and finish off the rest!" Khasred said as he and several of the others laughed.

Notch Ear flattened his ears and silently growled to himself upon hearing what the leader of the Wastelander warriors said. He signaled to his companions that he had heard enough and that they should head back.

When they got far enough away not to be heard, Three Socks asked quietly, "I take it that you heard what they're up to?"

"Enough that I'd like to see their leader's head on spear!" he growled in a low voice.

"What did he say that got you so riled up, Notch?" Patch asked.

Notch repeated to the others what the one named Khasred had said.

"The_nerve_!" Ivy quietly exclaimed in anger.

Both Patch and Three Socks flattened their ears and growled to themselves.

"We should go back and take 'em out!" Ivy suggested.

"Yeah, there's only twelve of 'em and four of us...that's three apiece. We can handle that, can't we?" Patch asked.

"No, as much as I'd like to, we stick to our orders and take this back to Sire Rock Jumper!" Notch Ear said firmly.

Even though the others would have rather done otherwise, Notch Ear was senior so they headed back to make their report.

"Sire, Notch and his team have returned!" one of Rock Jumper's assistants said.

"Good, send them to me quickly," he ordered.

The assistant acknowledged the command and left to fetch them.

"I hope they were able to find out something useful," Rock Jumper said to Grimm who was standing next to him.

"Here they come," Grimm noted, seeing the four defenders approach with his night vision. "

What did you find out, Notch Ear?" Rock Jumper inquired.

"Their leader, Khasred his name is, is planning on bringing his warriors into The Forest when it gets light. They apparently didn't get a good enough look to see who was in the boats--they only know that a group was traveling by water so they plan on chasing them down and capturing them. The one that this Khasred was talking to, his name is Hath-Zhan, asked his leader what they should do if the people in the group didn't know about 'that girl', as he put it. Khasred said that they would have their fun with any females there might be, but he had also said that they were to make sure that no one ever tells another that they were here," Notch Ear reported.

"And he didn't seem the least bit wary of The Forest?" Grimm asked.

"No Sire, Khasred thinks the tales of this place are just meant to frighten children, though Hath-Zhan seemed worried enough about it," Notch Ear replied.

"Do you think you will be able to recognize the one called Hath-Zhan in the light?" Grimm asked Notch Ear.

"Yes, Sire...I got a good look at 'em both," Notch Ear replied.

Grimm thought for a moment, and then instructed Rock Jumper, "Capture the one called Hath-Zhan--eliminate the others, starting with the leader. Let me know when you have the one in captivity, though keep him held just at the edge of The Forest until we have a chance to speak to him."

"Do you want us to take them now?" Rock Jumper asked.

"No, wait until they cross our boundary, then do it," Grimm replied.

"Understood, Sire," Rock Jumper acknowledged.

"I wonder how it's going out there," I said to Red Moon, looking towards the door.

"I don't know, dear. It would be nice if they would just go away...but those fools were charging towards us trying to reach us before it got dark. I wouldn't think such a small number of them would be brave enough to get anywhere near our boundaries after sunset, given how superstitious they can be," Red Moon said.

"Typically, no, they wouldn't. The thing I'm having trouble with is that we saw them take off towards the northeast from their camp...so how did they end up coming around to the west of it so quickly?" I asked.

"Good question, dear. That doesn't seem to make sense. If they didn't know we were traveling along the river, how did they know where to be in order to see us?" Red Moon asked.

"They were riding g'han-sas...I guess you don't know much about them," Dahmietra said.

"I've seen them before, but never up close, and I've never paid too much attention to them actually," I said.

"They're native to The Wastelands, so I wouldn't be surprised if they're not very common around here," Dahmietra said.

"What's so special about them?" Red Moon asked.

"Well, the warriors like to use them because they can withstand hot weather and can go long distances with little food or drink. A g'han-sa can also run extremely fast--it can outrun just about any animal on land. One other reason why warriors like them is because they can be trained to fight in battle, and are often just as hot tempered as those who ride them," Dahmietra explained.

"Maybe Grimm and Rock Jumper should know this about those animals," Red Moon said.

I perked my ears up at the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.

"Well, I think Grimm's back," I said looking towards the door.

"How can you tell that?" Dahmietra asked.

"As big as Grimm is, it's not hard to mistake his footsteps, especially when you've known him for as long as I have," I said pointing to my ears and grinning.

Sure enough, there was his usual knock at the door; Snow Spear opened it and Grimm ducked his head as he entered the room. His eyes swept the room, quickly noting that Night Song was gone, and then he made his way over to me and took a seat.

"What happened out there, Grimm?" I asked when he got situated.

"They stopped near the river and made camp for the night, just outside of what they consider to be bow range. There was something about them that didn't seem right so I had Rock Jumper send someone who can understand their speech along with three others to see if they could find out anything useful about what those Wastelanders are up to," Grimm explained.

"Did they?" I asked hopefully.

"Enough. They saw us somehow when we were in the open, though they couldn't tell who we were in the distance. Apparently, they meant to stop us before entering The Forest with the intent of capturing and interrogating. Their leader, one named 'Khasred', seems to think that the stories about The Great Forest are just tales to frighten small children and he plans on leading his group into The Forest to chase down those they saw," Grimm continued.

"Khasred...I've heard of him. The guards at the enclave had talked about his exploits--he's cruel, ruthless, vicious, and afraid of nothing," Dahmietra said.

"That would explain one other thing that was found out," Grimm said in disgust, "he plans on 'having fun' with any females that are in the group before he kills everyone to make sure no one finds out that they were here."

Red Moon laid her ears back and bared her teeth at that news.

"He wouldn't survive the attempt," she snarled.

"He's not going to get the chance--I've instructed Rock Jumper to capture one and eliminate the rest, starting with the leader, as soon as they cross our boundary," Grimm said.

"So why do they want to 'capture and interrogate' people for?" Dahmietra asked Grimm.

He paused for a moment, looking Dahmietra straight in the eyes, before he said, "They're looking for a girl."

Dahmietra narrowed her eyes and said firmly, "The one you capture...I want to tell him something."

Grimm looked at me and arched an eyebrow; I nodded my head once very slightly, and Grimm understood.

"Very well, when Rock Jumper sends word that it's been done, you'll have your chance," he said.

"Thank you, it's time these_chelkrat*[1]*_understand that I'm not theirs to hunt and do with as they please," she said coldly.

Dahmietra got up and went over to where Warri was sitting by himself and sat down next to him, putting her arm around his waist and leaning her head on his shoulder. Grimm watched her for a moment and before returning his attention to Red Moon and me.

"She does have a point," Grimm said thoughtfully.

"It's got to stop eventually, though it's going to take some time for the clerics who were at The Gathering to start changing the minds of their people," I said.

"If they can," Red Moon added.

"It took just one person to put their society onto a path that turned it into what it has become over the space of nearly one thousand turns of the seasons later--ten of us have set out to alter that path, so maybe it won't take nearly as long for them to change things for the better. At least that's the way I see it," I said.

"Hopefully Dahmietra will see that change within her lifetime," Grimm added.

I looked over at her and Warri sitting together and said, "I hope so Grimm...I hope so very much."

---

[1] Chelkrat - Wastelander slang meaning, "eaters of dung".