After weeks of trekking through the Himar mountains with Big Jake, fighting off the occasional attack by mysterious white spotted cats of some sort – the Norathar, Jake called them, only testing the mettle of their youngest warriors – WolfSinger has collected a surprisingly decent payment for his work, and assured that the young dire wolf he befriended is in good hands, has set off into the badlands of Himar to try and find Winnowei.

Somewhere in this inhospitable territory, so he heard from rumors that the Kavi captain uncovered, the people that Winnowei had escaped with had fled and mysteriously become a well-funded and supplied army operating in the badlands – led by a flamboyant fox who identified himself as 'Sir Jarik'. Could Winnowei still be with them? It's not much to go on, but it's a shot. And travelling by oneself in these troubled lands has become easier after this Jarik's work suppressing bandits.

So it is that WolfSinger finds himself reaching the top of yet another hill, peering on at the distant mountains he still has yet to reach, a leather-tied pack of supplies purchased in Elamoore strapped to his back. Where are these people? How can he contact them… And perhaps find his way back to the only home he knows on this world?

WolfSinger looks out over the hill in search of settlements of any type. not seeing any, he lets out a sigh, and starts to head down the hill.

Nothing here. WolfSinger's following a trail that many others have followed long ago, the tracks wearing down thin grass into trampled dirt, and every now and then, he passes a small carved stone marker, eroded by wind so that the Star-and-Anchor and the telescope and survey level of the Rephidim survey service have become invisible.

Nearby bushes rustle in the wind, their brilliant blue berries shadowed by the leaves so that it's as if they were winking numerous eyes at WolfSinger.

WolfSinger mumbles to himself, and follows the trail looking for other hills to get a good view of the surrounding area.

A small blue fox jumps to the top of a rock and peers at WolfSinger. It chaffles its little teeth at him, and then disappears down the trail from where WolfSinger came with a flickering of its tail… Until it yarps! surprisedly.

WolfSinger furrows his brows curiously, and looks to see what the fox yarped about.

Where did that rat come from? A huge Skreek seems to have joined WolfSinger on the trail, perhaps having emerged from the woods; his silk shirt has seen better days and stretches tight over his chest, cuts allowing brown fur to gape from tears and rents in the cloth. His eyes fix on WolfSinger as he sways, then begins to step forward.

The blue fox scrambles about, paws flying around its head and body, then bolts into the safety of the bushes.

WolfSinger wufs hello to the newcomer.

The rat has a feral look, with a viscious gleam in its eyes, and a line of drool hanging from his lower lip. He lumbers forward, his tail dragging in the dirt, slowly smacking a fist into his other hand, over and over.

WolfSinger says, "ummmm… may I help you?"

Overhead, a wide-winged carrion bird flaps its wings once and glides lazily across the sky of this world. It crosses the white line of the Procession.

The rat says in a slow drawl, "Huh", and slaps his fist again, *smak*, still lumbering forward. Flies buzz around his hunched shoulders, *smak*, he's very large, the clothes he wears obviously not his own, *smak*, originally that is…

WolfSinger backs up a little bit, taking a protective stance.

WolfSinger says, "is there a problem?"

The carrion bird turns a circle lazily, its shadow flicking across the ground and briefly covering the strange Skreek's eyes before it passes on.

The rat grunts, "… neck… ", *smak*, eyeing Wolfsinger's collar, his mouth stretching slowly into a drooling grin, *smak*. As he nears, his scent clogs Wolfsinger's nose, *smak*. The rat heaves closer.

WolfSinger says, "sorry… you can't have it. the collar doesn't come off."

Perhaps the Kavi captain Shaki was right when he advised WolfSinger to hide the collar somehow. It seems like it *does* attract 'certain undesirable elements.'

"Brakk", The rat finally says, *smak*, pounding closer, "Brakk… gonna… brakk… you" *smak*. The intent look of the Skreek suggesting that he'd be able to remove the collar, one way or another…

WolfSinger growls, "not if I can help it… " and runs off down the trail.

Brakk lumbers after Wolfsinger, but has never been described as swift, in body or mind.

WolfSinger mumbles, "why me? If it's not big bugs, it's big rats… "

The mottled shadows close over WolfSinger as he runs down the trail, alternating blackness and piercing light from the noon sun. It turns to the left and goes down a gentle slope… Is that water in the distance? Perhaps there's a river or pond nearby. Or a spring of some kind. Eyes seem to follow WolfSinger as he runs from the strangely-chanting rat.

The carrion-bird swooshes across the sky again, seen through the slowly-waving branches of the trees.

WolfSinger runs down toward the slope. "most cities are near water… maybe there's a river down there I can follow… " he thinks to himself.

*Smak*… *smak*… *smak*… **… can be heard fading as Wolfsinger covers some distance.

Flies buzz about Wolfsinger's head in the dry still air.

Ick! Something just squished beneath WolfSinger's paw. A banana slug? No, some sort of worm-like creature – a Gooshurm, that's what Winnowei called them. It hisses minisculely, then retreats as the huge Skreek galumphs after the wolf.

WolfSinger says, "ewww… yuck… don't even THINK about licking me… "

WolfSinger says, "damn rat thing is still following me… " He looks for a way to lose him.

The flies continue to hover around Wolfsinger's head, trying to land on his eyes and drink some moisture. The air is very still, and hot heavy. The rat is still out of sight, for the moment.

Let's just hope they're not those bloodsucking flies that Big Jake told WolfSinger about during that trek…

The path winds down the hill, following a course more natural than planned. The large boulders on either side of it have indications that they were exposed by water, though the ground right now is bone dry.

WolfSinger stops for a moment to get something out of his sack. "maybe I can distract him with a piece of food.

Some pebbles rattle down the hill, as the flies buzz about Wolfsinger's eyes and ears and he searches through his pack.

WolfSinger leaves a piece of trail food out in plain view, then quickly grabs his sack and heads 'downstream.'

The flies are everywhere, hovering about Wolfsinger's head and the nearby rocks. Several of them gleefully land on the meat, even before it touches the ground.

Hmm. Now, all that WolfSinger needs to know is whether that giant Skreek will be satisfied with some dried jerky… Or if he has a hunger for more expensive things.

"what the heck would a rat want a leather collar for anyway?" he thinks to himself.

The wind shifts and eddies. Though WolfSinger hadn't been able to see that strange Skreek, he was quite able to smell it, down to the stink of old blood on his clothes… Now though, it's different. As if the Skreek had somehow gotten down past WolfSinger.

But how could that rat have gotten downhill so quickly? And more importantly, where is it, if that's the case?

Brakk can be heard coming closer, almost in sight again. *smak*… *smak*… *smak*

WolfSinger stops to listen. He sniffs at the air.

The hulking rat can easily be heard, but there are other curious sounds, such as pebbles shifting behind the boulders to the left side of the trail. A tiny stream perhaps? There is no scent of water. Also, there is the buzzing of flies

WolfSinger says, "Either that rat smells so bad, he's stinking up the whole area, or he's got friends." "

The flies seem congregated around Wolfsinger, the meat on the rock, and some boulders on either side of the trail.

WolfSinger says, "I don't like the looks of this… "

*smak*… *smak*… *smak*… *smak*

WolfSinger thinks, "looks like I try to get to choose the lesser of two evils… "

WolfSinger looks behind him for the rat.

Brakk soon appears, lumbering over the crest of the hill, slapping his hands together. He shuffles forward, gleefully spotting the wolf again.

WolfSinger stands there for a moment, looking straight at him.

Brakk is very large for a rat, seemingly even more so coming down the hill. His tail drags heavily, and he has a brute focus. His lips curl back in a gruesome smile as he sees the wolf just standing there. *smak* He approaches *smak* closer. *smak*

WolfSinger suddenly starts screaming war cries like a banshee, and heads straight for the rat, full steam ahead.

WolfSinger says, "EEEYEYEYYEYEEYEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!"

Brakk stops, smiling with a dumb grunt, holding his fists apart, the muscles on his arms and shoulders rippling. His ears flick at the warcry.

WolfSinger changes directions at the last minute, and goes around the rat.

Brakk slams his fist together in the empty air, anticipating a wolfskull between them, but missing as Wolfsinger dodges around to his side.

The rat grunts, and swings his body to face the smaller wolf, readying his fists again.

WolfSinger doesn't stop, but keeps on running.

There is a scattering of pebbles suddenly from either side of the trail, and two more rats burst from their hiding places, and also rush past the slow-minded rat. Brakk just stares bewildered after them, then follows slowly, beating his fists.

Whups. Company.

WolfSinger yips! "I KNEW there was someone back there!"

The carrion bird swings overhead and passes across the sky again, as if following WolfSinger and the Skreeks in hope of an imminent feast.

WolfSinger calls out, still running: "just what do you want from me?"

The shorter of the two faster rats, and a light gray in comparison with the larger one's brown fur, yells, "Your money!" *gasp* *puff* "Or your life, stranger!"

The taller of the two chasing rats, pants as he's running, "We want your *puff* your nice pack, *puff* maybe your tail."

The taller of the two rats slowly outdistances the shorter one, his boots flapping heavily against the ground, and his long sword rattling on his belt as he pounds after Wolfsinger.

WolfSinger says, "Sorry… all mine. You can't have 'em."

WolfSinger glances over his shoulder to see how close they are getting.

The shorter one gasps and wheezes as he leans against a tree to rest. One of his eyes is rather pinkish; perhaps he's had a bit much to drink the night before. "Get 'em, Zaarug! Go, go, go!"

The taller rat whips out his sword as he's running, knocking off his wide brimmed hat. He swings it wildly around his head, close, very close behind Wolfsinger, gaining inches as the wolf slows to look.

The foppish rat yells, "Get my hat Grez!" as he swings at Wolfsinger's back.

WolfSinger yips! and tries to run a little faster.

Grez chases the hat as it whips about in the breeze. "Dagh take it," he yells. "Why can't we ever get the easy ones?"

WolfSinger suddenly stops dead in his track and ducks off to one side, keeping his leg out in an attempt to trip his pursuer.

The sword slashes across Wolfsinger's pack, the tip of it just barely catching and cutting. The tall thin rat extends as he runs, trying to get an inch, make it count, but only succeeds in twisting the sword out of his hand.

The tall thin rat, already jumping over his sword, and no longer paying attention to Wolfsinger, is easily tripped onto his large mustache. "OW! My nose" He screals into the ground.

Someone starts laughing… right behind WolfSinger.

WolfSinger quickly grabs the sword.

As the nearly-Jupani-seeming wolf whips about to greet his new opponent, he sees…

Tall black wolfess. Powerful legs and glaring yellow eyes. And a familiar face… Winnowei!

WolfSinger says, "Winnowei?!? is that you?"

Grez eeps as he holds a hat scrunched up between his hands while coming up to Zaarug. "The boss's dame!" he yelps. "Er – Winnowei!"

Winnowei lolls her tongue in laughter at WolfSinger, then glares at the rats. "What have I told you about this sort of behavior?" She taps Zaarug on this forehead with her toe.

Zaarug shakes his head out, checking his face for damage and spitting out dirt, then looking up, "Yipe! Uh… we was just doing like we was told."

The foppish rat looks up at Winnowei, "Robbing from the rich, just like Hiral said."

"And did Sir Jarik say, 'Yes, you may go about frightening peaceful travellers who don't even have any weapon bigger than a knife'? Well! I'm going to have to have a word with Hiral then." Winnowei tsks at Zaarug, then turns and *hugs!* WolfSinger off his feet. "First Ones! What are you doing here? And where have you been?"

WolfSinger says, "who you calling rich?"

WolfSinger says, "I've been looking for you!"

Zaarug says, "Well, dat was Hiral's idea. He looked much richer from on top of the rise."

WolfSinger's tail excitedly wags and he licks her face.

Grez nods along with Zaarug, "Yeh, he did."

Winnowei reflexively reaches up to cuff WolfSinger, then stops and grins, licking the other wolf back. "Been hanging around with this lot too long. Trying to keep them straight while my life-oath master is gone." She turns to Zaarug. "Well, you tell him from me that if I catch him at it one more time, he's going to find out that my claws are good for more than skinning deers!"

WolfSinger says, "life-oath master?"

Zaarug nods back up at Winnowei, "Oh yuh, I'll tell him, can I get up now Winnowei?" He looks up from the ground, dust caking his face.

Winnowei nods, then playfully grabs WolfSinger's head in her arm and rubs his ears. "Yeah! He saved my life – got me out of jail. I owe a lot to Sir Jarik," she says. Then looks down at Zaarug. "Yep. Get going, squirt. Me and Swishytail here, we've got a lot to catch up on. I'll see you back at camp!" She grins.

The taller rat stands up, and snatches his hat from the smaller one, jamming it on his head. He looks hopefully at Wolfsinger and the sword he's holding, "Kin I have 'pointy' back?"

WolfSinger says, "as long as you promise to play nice with it from now on."

Zaarug nods enthusiastically, "I will, I will, I promise!" Taking back 'Pointy' and nearly cutting himself as he puts it back into the scabbard. Then he and Grez scamper off, to break the bad news to Brakk and Hiral.

…

WolfSinger feels the cut on his back. "jeeze… just when the fur was starting to grow back from where that damn bug ripped out a good chunk…

After WolfSinger broke bread with Winnowei in the camp of Jarik's small army, and Winnowei broke a few heads (figuratively speaking), she agreed to provide the long-gone wayfarer a guide to the part of the Himar where her tribe dwelled. "You'll have to tell them I won't be back for a while," she said. "They'll understand. It's a life-oath." So, after a good old tummy-rubbing 'for old times' sake', WolfSinger left in the morning to cross the badlands toward the mountains…

There, he discovered that Kahanoohr had succeeded her father to the cheftaincy of the tribe. ( It is good that you met us before the summer went much farther, ) she told him. ( We have seen many comets crossing the skies, and the game here has become thinner. We are all taking this as a sign that it is time to move on, in the direction that they have gone, in hope that they will lead us to a better homeland. ) Her face looked somewhat more weathered than WolfSinger remembered, or perhaps lined by the tasks of ruling her people.

No longer a slim girl, capricious and disobedient, her black lips curved into a small smile as she introduced WolfSinger to her husband, a red-maned Jupani named Tamaris. "Stay with us," she urged WolfSinger. "And you will always have a place in our tribe if you wish it." This to the displeasure of the tribe's shaman, who muttered about unlucky influences that the wolf must have carried with him, to sour the hunting so.

"But if you must go… Now or later," Cheftainess Kahanoohr promised WolfSinger. "You have only to call on me for what help that we can give you. I remember that I owe you for my freedom."

WolfSinger stays, "I have no where else to go or call home, so I will stay."

The shamaness mutters, ( Something dire will happen… I just know it. ) But as Kahanoohr glares toward her, she nods in acquiescence of the cheftainess's decision.

And so it was that WolfSinger came to stay with the Jupanis, as their tribes spread west across the mountains of Himar… And beyond to the unexplored wilderness.