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Two days passed since she woke up and there had been no news about what was to happen. Luka had visited her several times, bringing pieces of bread and small chunks of meat. It was raw and had to be small enough to pass through the small opening in the door but it was still food. Her stomach had started to angrily growl at her not too long after Luka had left the first time so any food was welcome. She always tried to brighten Kelkera’s mood but she knew no real information of consequence. That was until she came the third time and told her about her visit to the Magistrate.

She relayed that she told him Kelkera was a hard working, loyal person who fiercely protected herself and friends. But now that her claws were gone there wouldn’t be much worry. Kelkera couldn’t help but roll her eyes at this and was glad that Luka hadn’t been able to see it. Of course she was more than grateful that Luka did it for her but it could have been done a bit better she thought. Luka had been the only person she had seen in the last few days, no one else had bothered to come by, not Elanor or Antony, though she really wasn’t expecting them to. So when she heard the outer door open again after night descended on the third day she called out.

“Luka, were you able to bring some cooked meat this time?” But there was no answer. She heard someone shuffling about but her small vision out of the door didn’t give any indication as to who. “Luka?” She asked again.

“Kelkera?” It wasn’t Luka’s voice and at first she didn’t recognize who it was. She pressed against the door to try and look into more of the room.

“Who’s there?” She asked. Then suddenly a large form blocked her vision. It looked to be somebody's torso covered in a breastplate made from horizontal layers of leather and fur along with the distinct smell of a Cervine.

“It’s Mathais.” The Cervine whispered and ducked down so his face was level with hers. “We met at the tavern you worked at, remember?” What felt like ages ago flooded back to her and Kelkera blinked a few times in pure surprise.

“Wait, you didn’t leave for Aethson?” She asked. “What are you doing here?”

“No time, hold on.” He whispered and took a step back away from the door. “Step back.” He said and Kelkera did as she was told. The distinct sound of a sword unsheathing from its holster rang through the small room followed by a grunt and a dull thud.

“What’s going on?” Kelkera asked, trying to peer through the door from a distance but her eyesight failed her. Then she heard the sound of something falling to the floor and the door swung open revealing Mathias. He was fully dressed in light leather armor starting at his neck. The upper arms were protected by squared, half covering braces which sat loosely under some bent, dirty looking shoulder plates. The lower arms were covered by vambraces that had rows and rows of small leather pieces sort of like fish scales. The breastplate itself was made of horizontal layers of leather and fur with squared edges. It covered from his neck down to his groin. His upper legs were covered by a skirt of horizontal layers of leather and fur, the same as the breast. He looked to have a rucksack affixed to his back but, and perhaps most importantly his hands held a sword at the ready and he beckoned with the other.

“Can you walk ok?” He asked. It still hurt to move but not nearly as much as it had and each day got slightly better.

“Yeah, but what’s happening?” She asked, weary of the Cervine. But he only beckoned again.

“I’ll explain once we’re a ways away. Come on!” He said, an increased urgency in his voice. Kelkera carefully stepped forward and at once Mathais grabbed her pad and pulled her with him. She barely even got a glance at the larger room of where she was being held before Mathais dragged her outside. A blast of cool air flowed through her matted fur as they left the building to a cool starry night. Mathias deliberately checked all directions before he moved again, still dragging her with his left hand and holding his sword in the other. The town was oddly dead, at this time Kelkera normally would have pegged it to be active with some walking through the streets and the sounds of drunks singing in the Taverns. Yet it was quiet, quiet except for the sound of an aerator on the wind. She couldn’t make out the words but it must be where everybody was. They continued to move through the town, being as quiet as possible and actively avoiding busier streets.

“Where’s the Eastern road?” Mathias finally asked in a huff. Kelkera explained that it was a few alleyways down the current one they were in and then straight to the main road. Here Mathias let go of her and beckoned with his head. He didn’t wait for an answer before running towards where Kelkera had suggested. She ran after him and they made it to the alley that if they took a right would take them to the main exit of the town while the left was a view to the Market Square. The voice that had been floating in the wind suddenly became clear and she could hear it, it was the deep booming voice of the Magistrate.

“...face and eye. Such actions are unbecoming of any proper resident of Carran's Rest and properly deserve punishment.”

Kelkera stopped following and just stared towards the opening to the square. She could just barely make out figures outlined by the yellow glow and flickering of different torches and fires.

“Therefore, after taking all accounts into consideration I have determined the following. That the Vulpine Kelkera had resorted to a beastial rage in a situation where any Esurian would have exercised their sense of restraint. That she attacked a man in an area she knew would cause the most damage and intended to inflict pain. I have spoken with her caretakers and they have assured me that this uppity nature was one she always had. After consulting books on the matter I have come to the following sentence. From henceforth Vulpines and all other Beast species are banned from Carran's Rest and as a warning to those who approach we will display the hide of Kelkera indicating that we have no desire for their kind.”

A cheer from the surrounding crowd erupted. The Magistrate let the noise die now before he began to speak again.

“As was announced via the bulletin board and cryer the sentence will be carried out tonight and I am warmed to welcome Tobias who has been able to pull through his wounds.” A small round of cheering filled the air before he began speaking again. “In order to make things right, I have dictated Tobias shall carry out the sentence as he was the party wronged.”

More cheers and applause filled the air. Kelkera stood as if her feet had grown roots in the ground. These couldn’t be real words, could they? He had started to speak again but Kelkera had no intention of listening and instead a cloud of storms swirled in her brain. Thoughts that she couldn’t even process much less understand what they were saying. Banish all Beasts? What about all the travelers that came through? Sure a majority of them were Esurians but there were also Beasts, would they be put to death as well? Suddenly Kelkera thought why was she worrying about them when it was literally her name she just heard as being put to death and that they were going to do such a barbaric thing as hoist her skin just as a message? The panic started to well. All the walls around her started to close in and the sounds of cheering at her death echoed in her brain, drowning out any thoughts.

“Kelkera!” Mathias grabbed her arm again and pulled her away from the Market Square and to the exit. Everything was still a daze as his strong hand squeezed hers, compelling her to speed up. Kelkera mindlessly followed the Cervine and they finally broke into the main road to the exit, thankfully still void of any people. Mathias, still pulling on Kelkera, dashed to the exit, a large ornate arch where the buildings ended. Once they crossed the threshold the sound of angry discourse filled the air and Mathias looked back.

“They must have finally figured it out. Come on!”

They continued to run for a short distance where they stopped by a small well that was used to help irrigate the fields. Mathias finally sheathed his sword and let go of Kelkera’s hand which she flexed to get the blood moving within it. The Cervine kept looking around as if he was expecting something. Kelkera followed his gaze.

“What are you doing? Why’d we stop?” She said between pants. The town was still very close and it wouldn’t take much to see them.

“Luka!” Mathias called and Kelkera’s ears perked. The sound of rustling came from a nearby wheat field and Luka poked out of the wall of wheat before her face broke into a smile.

“Kelkera!” She yelled and ran towards the vulpine wrapping her in an iron hug to which Kelkera winced in pain but pushed it down. “You got out of there!” She said, a huge smile swept across her face, a face that was still red with the signs of tears.

“I…I, yeah.” Was all Kelkera could muster. Luka then turned to Mathias and grasped his hand, shaking it vigorously.

“I don’t know how I can thank you enough. You saved her life!” She said in between the beginnings of more tears. She gave the Cervine a hug. “Oh yes!” Then Luka removed a pack that she was carrying and presented it to Kelkera. “You’re going to need this.” She flipped open the flap and showed her inside, there, alongside other travel necessities was the book, the same one she had dropped. Kelkera gingerly accepted the pack and closed it, the last thing she wanted to do was see the book that had caused all this trouble. Part of her wanted to take it and throw it down the well but what would that accomplish. Instead she shouldered the pack and wrapped her arms around Luka in a massive hug before turning to Mathias.

“Thank you Mathais. I don’t know what I would have done.” She said, in the first coherent words that came to mind.

“I saw how that Esurian treated you at the bar.” He paused. “You probably went a little hard but I’m sure he had it coming. Besides, what the Magistrate said was way out of line and there was no way I was going to let them do that to you.”

“Wait, you knew?” Luka asked.

“The Magistrate told me that I had to leave town by today. I knew it didn’t mean anything good and only when I heard what he said to the crowd while we were trying to escape did I understand how far he wanted to push it.” Mathias shook his head.

“So what are we going to do Luka?” Kelkera asked, turning to her friend, but to that her face quickly turned from a smile and she burst into a round of tears, wrapping her arms once again around Kelkera. “Luka?” In between the tears she could just make out her voice.

“Mathias promised to take you to Atheson. From there you can find a boat to take you to Lauror.”

In a string of things that Kelkera had heard in the last few days that caused her head to spin, this was perhaps the most devastating, aside from being murdered.

“No no no, you can come! I’m sure it’ll be ok! Mathias?” She turned to him expectantly but his face gave the only answer she needed. Before she could speak again a shout rang through the dim light.

“There!” It called and all three of them looked toward the town to see figures, one pointing and the other two drawing up what looked to be crossbows.

“Go!” Mathias yelled and pushed Luka back into the tall wheat just as a bolt flew between them. Kelkera and Mathias broke in a sprint as another bolt flew within inches of Kelkera’s ear, she could feel the wind and hear the whistling noise it made before sinking into the fields of wheat. Her legs burned as she desperately sucked in air. Nothing was going to stop her and she was going to push through any pain to get away. More bolts whized around them but as the two put more distance between them and their attackers they stopped. Kelkera’s immediate thought was to take a moment and see if anyone was still following. But, as if anticipating this, Mathias grunted “Keep going!” and the two pushed forward leaving Carran's Rest behind.