On the tenth day, we run into our first spot of trouble. Or, it runs into us.

What alerts me to the problem is the sound of a tremendous crash ahead of us. If that wasn’t enough of a giveaway, the screaming and curses that follow would have been. I throw open the door to my carriage, nearly falling out as we come to a sudden halt.

Kierra lands beside me as I get my feet underneath me. Despite the chance of imminent danger, her features are placid. Bored. My estimation of the threat plummets. “What’s going on?”

“Small creatures harassing the poor acolytes.”

Punctuating her statement is Bell, who comes sprinting around the back of the wagon with the corpse of a…thing in her mouth. [A midday snack, Master Lou. They went for the wagons but we’ve stopped them.]

Mm, thanks.

Kierra sighs, rather dramatically. “They are hardly a threat. The damage was caused by one of the acolytes striking a wagon while trying to dispatch one of the beasties. It tipped over, dragging the horses with it.”

“Can you describe them?” Alana asks, jumping out of the carriage, sword in hand. She quickly ties the scabbard to her waist before pulling the blade.

“Stripes, tufts of white hair on their heads and tails.” She points to Bell who shakes her…midday snack.

“Ah. Snowcats.” She looks conflicted for a moment before sheathing her blade. “They’re more pests than anything else. The females hibernate through winter so the males go in a frenzy gathering food leading up to then. They’re normally wary of people but right before winter, they get a lot more daring. They’ll raid kitchens and cellars with no concern for their lives.”

“Are they a threat?”

“Not really. Their bites hurt but they aren’t strong enough to get through tough leather. Like I said, they’re pests. The acolytes should have just been startled.”

“…are they going to be alright?” If slightly large pests are enough to make them panic, how are they going to handle a supposed army of vicious manabeasts under harsh weather conditions?

“Mm. Probably…”

“Well, this is nothing to do with us.”

“I agree. I also think I will take a break from my watch.” I yelp as Kierra grabs me about the waist but settle down quickly as I realize she’s carrying me back to the carriage. Alana shuffles in place a bit before following us.

-

The commotion with the snowcats means our caravan is brought to a halt. Replacing the wheel shot off by a hasty spell and organizing the contents of the tipped over wagon is projected to take over an hour by Will, who comes to inform us about the situation. As it is already late in the day, he decides to make camp early and put the jumpy acolytes through a little training to burn off their excess energy.

I was invited but quickly decline. Despite his many assertions that we are future comrades, I have no intention of fighting alongside these people. Not just to hide my secrets but also because I think I’ll be putting myself in more danger doing so. Rather than waste my time, I decide to go fishing with Alana and Bell for dinner. There’s a large creek not too far from our camp. It would be a waste to ignore the opportunity.

However, our plans to secure delicious ingredients is interrupted by spotting a figure at the creek. Well, I spot it, holding out an arm to stop Alana as I drop a ‘film’. The blurry figure resolves into a person.

A very short person or a child. A commoner given their clothes. Or rather, the formless, dirty cloth that hangs off their body. Someone with no standards could call the thing a dress but I’m not confident in declaring the child a girl. Their hair is cropped short, a rare thing for daughters, poor or not, and I can’t see their face because of their bowed head.

As I watch, the child, I’m guessing, cups their hands in the water of the creek and brings a drink to their mouth. The movements allow me to see the bloody bandages over their arm.

Hm. What to do? Obviously, this child is in distress but they aren’t in immediate danger. Who knows what I’m inviting if I involve myself? It could be as simple as escorting the poor child home or as arduous as saving a whole village. I’m hesitating because it’s not like I can give up in the middle. That’d be worse than doing nothing at all, I think. Besides, Alana wouldn’t allow it.

Without question, if she sees this dirty runt, she’ll go to the ends of the kingdom to right whatever wrong has befallen them. And there goes our schedule to reach Victory. Ah, but she’d be upset if I keep it from her—

“And what is your name, little one?”

While I’m wrestling with my thoughts, Rolly appears beside the child, who jumps with fright as a ball of shimmering light suddenly speaks to them. What? Was she always following us? I didn’t…suppose I wouldn’t hear a thing if a master of the wind of affinity wants to sneak up on me. How do I detect enemies like that?

No, now’s not the time to think of this. Shaking my head, I drop my arm and motion Alana to follow me. “Looks like there’s someone in trouble.”

“Trouble?” The future knight’s countenance sharpens and her eyes narrow in focus. As always, her response to possible danger is admirable. She is right beside me as we walk toward the child, who watches our approach with wide eyes.

They are on the other side of the creek but it’s a simple matter to leap across the water. Alana also manages but she stumbles a little on her landing, which Rolly chides her for. Apparently, heroes don’t stumble, heh.

While they bicker, I turn to the child who is watching me with wide eyes. Still hard to determine if it’s a boy or a girl. Despite their current appearance, their face has a youthful roundness that makes it hard to tell from and they’re too young for their body to give any clues.

“Hey,” I say, perhaps a touch awkwardly. Never been great with children. “Do you need help?”

Their face scrunches up. I can practically feel the distrust coming off them. Mm, I’d be suspicious too if two strangers and a ball of light suddenly appeared while I was getting something to drink to offer help. It probably seems too good to be true. I bet if the child had any other options, they’d take off running rather than take the chance.

Yet, they clearly don’t have any other options as their head dips in a nod. But that’s it. Seconds tick by as I wait for the child to spill whatever horrors has led to them crouching at this creek with a bloody bandage over their arm but the shortie just continues staring at me.

Alana comes to my rescue. Pulling me back by the shoulder, she crouches in front of the child and smiles. It’s…that’s a new expression. Guessing she’s good with children. It’s not aimed at me and but I feel my shoulders relaxing. I’d call it magic if I didn’t know better.

“Tell us what happened,” she says in a tone that makes me want to spill all my secrets.

The child is just as affected. Their features scrunch up further as tears gather in the corner of their eyes. “Please save my daddy!” they ask in a sorrowful voice that warbles at the end.