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Chapter 1 Ellenvale

Liam groaned softly as he opened his eyes, blinking as he looked around himself after falling asleep in the large buck's lap. He shifted quickly back into an upright position, to which the man he had fallen asleep on chuckled.

"Haha, have a good nap there son? Good timing, we are almost at Ellenvale." Herson said with a cheerful grin. He gripped the reigns and gave another motivating snap which made the horse pick up its pace.

"Mmn? R-really?" Liam said as he suddenly felt completely awake from sheer excitement. He turned to the front and immediately the small fox's eyes lit up as the carriage reached the top of the hill where the forest trees began to thin. Soon there was only a beautiful meadow ahead of them and in the very center of the road in the distance lay the town of Ellenvale. Liam could barely hold in his excitement as he saw the familiar town, eager to explore and wander the only streets he grew up knowing.

It didn't take more than half an hour before they arrived in Ellenvale, young Liam barely able to contain himself as he turned every which way at the bustling town around him. The town itself wasn't huge, more like a village, which was home to a couple hundred people at most. Though it was a quaint and small hamlet it was quite lively, especially the market, where everyone was out shopping and browsing the various unique goods that wandering traders would come and sell before they would move to the next town. Finally, Herson pulled hard on the reins bringing his horse to a halt.

"Here we are! I'd say we made pretty good time, heh! Well, this is where I gotta go, son. Do me a favor and be careful from now on, wandering the roads alone can be dangerous, especially if you are planning a trip to the next town over." Herson warned in an almost fatherly tone to his young passenger before scooping the small fox in his arm and the boy's pack in the other and stepping out of his carriage.

"W-whoa!" Liam squeaked, gripping Herson's shirt as he was lifted and then immediately felt his stomach drop a bit as they descended to the ground. He took a breath as the man set him on the ground and handed the boy his backpack. Now standing next to the man, Liam could see just how big the buck was. He barely stood tall enough to stare at the man's waist. After all, Liam was but a small child, and in contrast, Herson was massive even among most adults of his caliber. It most likely had come from hauling supplies for so many years.

"Um, thanks for the ride mister Herson! I don't have much to pay with but I hope this is enough." Liam said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of copper coins. The man laughed heartily and reached down to tussle the boy's hair, which had nearly left the boy dazed from the buck's sheer strength.

"You don't owe me a thing, son! I'm just happy to have helped ya out!" Herson said with that almost iconic smile. "Maybe we'll meet again someday, but for now I gotta go deliver these supplies. Remember what I said, son. Take care of ya'self!" Herson said as he turned and started to unload his cargo.

"I will, I promise! Thanks again mister Herson!" Liam said at the same time as he turned and started to pad down the streets of the town, taking care not to run into anyone. For the next hour or so the young fox spent his time looking at every trade stall he could with childish wonder. There were traders in the market from all over the continent, some selling weapons and armor, some peddling antiques, some offering rare spices and trinkets, and the variety went on seemed to expand the more Liam's eyes absorbed each stall.

It was late into the afternoon before Liam had finished browsing the market. There were so many things that interested the excitable young fox. However, the wares he was most interested in were far beyond the boy's means. Liam had counted his coins several times, only coming up to a single silver coin and the handful of coppers. He knew he shouldn't spend too much or he wouldn't be able to pay for a bed or food. He looked at the petty change in his paw and let out a disheartened sigh. There had to be a way he could earn more money.

As Liam came to the end of the market street the roads split every which way into the town. The novice mage quickly spotted a large wooden post that had many arrow shaped signs nailed to it, each engraved with the name of a store or other important building. He's ears perked as he saw the sign pointing down the left street that read "The Rose Rabbit Inn", to which Liam decided it would probably be a good idea to find some lodgings for the night. Without hesitation, the young fox took off down the road quickly finding himself in front of the inn. It was hard to miss, the inn's name engraved over the door and painted in pink with golden letters. He took a moment to commit the place to memory. His heart fluttered a bit with as he opened the door, a mix of nervousness and excitement gathering at the pit of his stomach. He breathed deeply, attempting to calm himself as he stepped inside.

The interior of the inn was what would have been expected from an inn settled in a rustic village. Tables and chairs surrounded a stone fireplace in the large central area where many large adults were enjoying meals and gambling to pass the time. Liam hesitated and tensed up as he saw few of the adults glance his way as he entered, some even snickering as they looked the boy over, instilling a sense of uneasy in the young fox. His focus snapped back in front of him as one of the inn's maids suddenly seemed to appear before his eyes. Liam blinked up at the female bunny that stood over him, a cheerful and pleasant smile across her face. She leaned down just a bit to properly talk to the young potential customer with her hand resting along on of her hips, not seeming to be bothered a bit by a mere child striding into her tavern alone.

"Heya, little guy! You looking for a room~?" The bunny girl asked cheerfully. The boy was stunned for a moment, taken aback by the girl's sudden appearance. The one thing Liam noticed most about the woman was her strange fur, which seemed to be a soft shade of pink. He'd never seen another person with such an unnatural fur color, as such color variations were rare without the use of dyes. Liam's concentration was suddenly snapped back to the situation at hand as the girl's finger poked his nose.

"Helloooo~? You okay little boy?" The bunny said with a snicker.

"A-ah! Yes! I mean... um... Yes I'd like a room please!" Liam responded quickly, trying not to seem awkward to the maid.

"Alrighty! Right this way to the counter, hon!" the uppity maid said as she turned and lead the boy to the front counter. "Our rooms are one silver a day, but children stay at half price! Though usually children are accompanied by their parents..." The girl stated, though trialing off on the last bit of her sentence.

"Oh... I have a silver, but I don't really have much more than that." The young boy said as he held up the only silver coin he had and set it on the counter. The girl seemed to lose a bit of her smile as she took the coin from the counter and replaced it with a room key.

"Eheh, here's your key, hon. A silver will get ya two days stay but just between you and me, I'll let ya stay an extra night on me, kay~?" She smiled, giving her young guest a wink.

"Really!? Wow, uh, thanks miss!" Liam exclaimed, his face lighting up immediately.

"Hehe you can call me Tinte, my real name is Rose but everyone calls me Tinte. It's kind of a nickname I picked up over the years, I don't mind which ya call me either way though, cutie~" A jovial smile spread across the lapine's cheeks as she leaned over the counter and poked the tip of the boy's nose again playfully. Liam felt his cheeks redden a bit, the poke on his nose and being referred to as 'cutie' embarrassed him slightly, especially while the other patrons enjoyed the show and participated in his embarrassment as onlookers. They seemed to be getting a kick at how much of a fish out of water young Liam was.

"Rose? Wait. Isn't that...?" Liam questioned as suddenly it all started to make sense.

"Hehe that's riiight~ I'm the owner of The Rose Rabbit! The name's kinda self-explanatory now eh?" Rose giggled before stepping out from behind the counter. "By the way! If you wanna try earnin' some coin there is a job board right by the entrance where nice folks of this town ask for help with certain tasks they need doing. Just make sure to pick something ya think you can handle hon, don't want ya getting yourself hurt, now! Lastly your room is up the stairs and to the right, just match the symbol on the key to the sign on the door!" Tinte finished, giving the boy's head a tussle.

"Ah!" Liam gasped, stepping back a bit at the tussle which seemed to be the theme that the people he met were fond of doing, but at least this time his head wasn't being shaken as well. "Um, thanks Miss Tinte!" With a shy smile and followed by an eager grin, Liam nodded to his gracious host, turning on his heels and ascending the stairs, ready to settle in and unwind from the events of the day.

"Of course hon, enjoy your stay!" Tinte called after the young boy with a friendly wave, smiling fondly as she turned her attention back to the guests in the main room. She grabbed a wooden tray with a plate of food one of the patrons had ordered and stepped around to deliver it. However, as she passed the counter she walked up to the side of a hooded patron who had been sitting at the farthest table by the window. Tinte leaned in, whispering something, ensuring the words never escaped between the two of them to which the hooded figure nodded in understanding before the cheerful rabbit when back to tending her guests.

Liam started up the stairs and hooked a left, quickly matching the symbol on the key to the line of doors against the wall. It didn't take long as there had been only five doors on each side of him down the hallway. He unlocked the door and stepped into his room, which was neatly decorated and furnished to suit a family at the least. He stared in awe, taking in his surroundings of his new, temporary home. It might only be home for a few days, but to him, it was still home. What stood out most was the bed and wash basin. The bed was solid oak and covered with a thick cloth blanket, a second blanket folded neatly at the foot of the bed seemingly made from knitted wool. The wash basin was large and round, big enough to fit several adults at once with wooden pipes leading into and from the stone bath to circulate water.

Unable to contain the sheer excitement of getting to feel a real bed once again, Liam abandoned his bag to the floor, and sprung up, letting himself sink onto the soft blanket that surrounded the hard, wooden frame. Once there, the boy gripped the covers, hugging onto them as though he made a new friend, giving out the most contented sigh, finally being reunited with this comfort after such a long time.

A few hours passed as Liam enjoyed his new surroundings from the comfort of his bed. Boredom began to set in however to which the young boy rolled lazily over and dramatically clawed and crawled his way to the edge of the bed, stretching his arm out over to his bag. His paws swished at the air trying to reach his pack until finally the lazy kit hooked one of the straps and tugged in up onto his bed with a sense of victory at his accomplishment. He began to dig through his pack, searching for a snack to curb his appetite.

As he reached into his enchanted bag and dug around at its contents in the seemingly endless magic void for his food he suddenly felt something unfamiliar at his fingertips. He gripped what felt to be a rough cloth object bound by some sort of thin rope. He tugged at the object and freed it from the confines of the bag, falling back onto his rear, sitting with the curiously wrapped package now resting in his lap. Liam tilted his head as he examined the object inquisitively before discovering a sealed scroll tied to the package, to which he immediately freed and undid the seal holding it rolled shut. His eyes scanned about the document, taking in the words and penmanship. It was then he realized who authored this paper; eyes snapping open and focus broken as his mouth opened, and he gasped out a single word.

"...D-Dad...?"