The travel was nearly smooth, the occasional Rognvald drunk idea caused distress among the commoners, as long as he had his beer Oscar and Hastiin managed to keep the caravan rolling. The beer Rognvald was drinking was the last of his personal stock, maybe three weeks’ worth, he had already appropriated several kegs of beer from his commoners. Lilly had bloodshot eyes from lack of rest, Oren had put three beetles in her bedding, and now she couldn’t sleep, that was three days ago. Claudia has gone to sleep with her friend, she took her diary with her, she knew Oren had read it. Kaya and her small group stuck together, they traveled with the caravan, One dog bringing joy and smiles every day. They traveled for the whole summer, stopping along the river to fish and hunt, the hearts of some of the travelers were feeling the urge to nest, they were travel weary. Some of the group, along with Kaya, wanted to settle where they were now. They had been camped near a sharp bend in the river,

“One dog has been agitated lately, and I’m not sure why?” said Erek.“What has he been doing?”“Well,” Erek thought for a moment, “he’s not stinking up the place that much.”“Why would that indicate agitation?”“I also get this sense of impending doom from him.”Now Kaya was curious, “what do you mean impending doom? If doom was coming I think he’d be shitting the whole place up.” She touched his arm again; her heart had felt warm towards the big man.Erek had stopped flinching at Kaya’s friendly gestures, he accepted them as part of her and now a part of their relationship. Kaya was beautiful, her smile lit up the room, yet he had not felt any urges towards her. Erek felt safe with her, she was helping to care for his son, who was now more than a year old. He knew he could trust her, he felt that she would protect his son, Erek wanted to be close to her because her beauty was more than her outward appearance. She was strong, gaining confidence, and learning to lead with her compassio

Rollins walked with a confidence that few of the travelers could match, she had lived in the wild for over three years before the caravan left Ondu. She didn’t need the caravan to survive, but she stayed with them out of a sense of duty, all she wanted was to be accepted. The people of the caravan harbored few of the old ways since their exodus began, they didn’t observe Ohweelie or any of the ceremonies they once had in Ondu, but all of them remembered the Blue eye curse. Still, Rollins helped them, she would show Kaya or someone else in their group, where to find water when it was scarce. They would have better luck informing the travelers of the resource, she would not be heard by them. Rollins remained on the periphery of the caravan, she camped near Kaya and continued to work with her small group, her feelings for Kaya confused her, Rollins had not experienced that kind of closeness since she was a young girl. Rollins missed the feel of Kaya’s skin next to hers, the warmth that r

Oren had been out wandering through where the commoners set up their tents. He was not looking for anything in particular, he wasn’t spreading rumors either, he was only out for a walk. He looked seriously at the people around him, he didn’t look down on them, nor did he love them, he pitied them. He thought they were only here to be a bother, to be cared for so they could do what they were told. The wind blew a chill through the winter camp the caravan had set up, they learned from last winter to take care in how they set up for the freezing weather. Tents were buffeted on the outside, and staked firmly into the earth, the hides were doubled and sometimes tripled if the family had the hides. A lot of valuable gear was lost in that damned river, some equipment was lost or ruined as they traveled farther from Ondu. Only a few thought of their old home now, Kaya and Erek were among them, Rollins replayed that fleeting moment she had there with her mother.When he saw Kaya, Oren followed

The People believed a person was both good and wicked at the same time, it was the internal fight everyone faced, it all came down to which halve the person fed. They called these halves, the good wolf, and the wicked wolf. The elders taught the young that if you feed either wolf more then you took on the traits of that wolf, most of The People fed the good wolf more, but some had selfish desires and often gave the wicked wolf a treat or two. No one in the history of The People had been completely wicked, not until Rognvald, he was feeding the wicked wolf more often than anyone in the memory of The People. When Lilly gave birth to Oren, the child should have been returned immediately to the earth, but that to was never a thought among The People. Oren was born wicked, as he grew, so did his wickedness. The criminals were feeding their wicked wolves, the internal struggle was turning them towards a dark life path, it was following them as they followed Rognvald. The farther from their