Crash! From the rising dust a shadow springs out from a dark corner and leaps out of the window with another crash as a loud wail of shock accompanied by a shout of anger rises from inside. Alarms blare and trumpet out warnings as this small nimble shadow darts along the rooftops skipping from one to the other while men dressed in studded mail with swords drawn follow the shadow from the streets below shouting "over there" and "don't let it get away".

"CLOSE THE GATES" a shout from a booming voice and the portcullis is slowly dragged down to a close. Meanwhile the shadow racing along the rooftops suddenly stops and crouches down on the symbol of Pelor which resides on top of an old church. Methodically the shadow surveys its surroundings assessing all that is around while multiple guards.

After a giving the surroundings a second look the shadow springs back into action by leaping off the symbol onto an unsuspecting guard putting him to sleep with the impact, then tumbling off the now unconscious guard the shadow dashes across the open ground once again raising the alarm as guards once again catch sight of their intruder. However it darts through twisted alleys and the guards cannot keep up with the blurring shadow as it melds with the night speeding its way to its escape.

Soon the shadow finds itself in sight of the almost shut gate and with a last burst of speed it bounds towards its freedom. In alarm a few guards shout and rush at the shadow but it's too late as the shadow slides on the ground just fitting under the almost closed gate leaving the guards standing there looking oddly amused.

'Phew that was close. But I got out there without a scratch and some juicy trea-SURE? WHERE'S IT GONE? Well I thought I was a bit light when I was sliding through, I guess I just found out why… and I was doing so well too…'

I gaze into the sky trying to recall my endeavor. It had started well with me walking into town with ease and landing myself employment in the restoration crew in that crummy old mansion; it was a dank three story place with the walls peeling and the wood behind rotting. However it was not the mansion itself that I was there for it were the treasures inside.

I had worked there day and night for a month to get a layout of the house and when I felt ready I stole into the place, climbed up to the owner's bedroom and grabbed the treasures literally from right under their noses. I was making my way out nice and quietly until I got to the kitchen on the second floor where I slipped thanks to the slick floor. I then grabbed onto one of the support beams which helped me get upright but in the process had moved making the platform above unbalanced. The ceiling then fell on me. Somehow I had gotten to a corner so I didn't get crushed but the huge crash had woken everybody, from then on it was not my kind of day.

Just recalling it put me in a bad mood so to keep it off my mind I gazed around at my current resting spot; a small grove littered with berry bushes along the ground its fruit picked clean by other who have found the place. The trees surrounding were large and leafy with dark brown wood but could be black I'm not too sure but I do not want to go confirm which and leave the safety of my fire.

Thinking about my fire I turned back to check on it to find it burning low with no wood to rekindle it...it doesn't matter as torrents of rain start pouring quenching my poor excuse for a campfire and drenching me in its cold water.

"Now all that's missing is some horrible beasty's"

Suddenly a pack of wolves start baying close by

"I hate it when I'm right"

I burst through the copse my black cape billowing out from behind me accompanied by a pack of shaggy grey wolves baying and slobbering at the sight of fresh prey fleeing before it. Almost giddy with fear I dash through the woods with no regards to where I'm going or any other thoughts but there are wolves right behind me. The wolves seem to be playing as one comes right next to me and growls and snaps at my heels causing me to run as fast as I can while they let out loud barks which I swear sound like laughs. Suddenly an idea pops into my head and immediately takes control of my body as it dives arms outstretched to a tree and flings itself up the tree onto a branch, as it happens the only branch on this long slender tree. I finally regain proper control of my body and let out a nice long 'phew' as the wolves look up from below growling and circling the tree in anger. I sit on the branch my legs swinging laughing downwards at the shaggy wolves now powerless before my eyes.

'Hahahaha, Silly things. What are you going to do now? Climb? Haha-'

My laughter is cut short by a wolf leaping up and raking its claws on the side of the trunk I am sitting on barely missing my now pulled up legs. The wolf barks and the others come round and start doing the same thing raking at the trunk slowly chipping off shards of wood.

'I had an entire forest of trees to pick from and I had to choose the one with a single branch that is low enough for wolves to get to' I shouted up to the sky

As if annoyed by this the branch creaks angrily. Fearing the worst I grab onto the trunk and as it happens the branch finally breaks due to the wolves and my weight and I'm now hugging the trunk holding on for dear life while the wolves below howl and jump to try and reach me once more.

'This is going to be a long night…'

Finally after what seems like an eternity the sun rises from its sleeping place, the wolves stalk off angrily at being unable to catch their prey and they give a last menacing growl before they head off to go look for easier prey. I feel ecstatic, well that's all that I've got going for me as I feel like I was carved out of stone as my muscles are cramped and my legs just don't seem to want to bend making me waddle grimacing in pain as I slowly work the blood back into the muscles of my body. The sun is glaring down at me by the time I finally make my way out of the forest and find myself on a nice firm road with many travelers going up and down with their wares; to my left there is a small caravan pulled by two oxen with a portly old man at the drives seat heads down the road, the smell of pigs come from inside his caravan. This is opposed to the glamorous smell coming from my right: I get a glimpse inside as it passes me on the way up and I see its owners are beautiful young women laying down on plush velvet pillows gossiping and laughing while men armed in mail march on either side with sharp spearheads glinting in the sun and menacing looks on each and every one of their faces. There are many other caravans with goods of all kinds from fish to cloth trudging up and down the road with their goods and guards marching along with them. Some horsemen, probably rich people gallop down the road while lots more less fortunate people walk along the cobble to their destination. Behind me I hear a 'woah' and a 'excuse me but you are in the way' and I turn round to see a small caravan being pulled by two brown ponies with black hair and white feet being driven by a short, scruffy old man with a long grey beard and smiling eyes paired with a wrinkled smiling face.

'Son what are you doing standing in the middle of the road like that?' says the Halfling 'its market day so everyone's in a hurry and I don't think many will stop to let you get out of the way if you know what I mean' he says with a serious tone which is slightly put off by his disarming smile

'Oh yes of course' remembering my manners I move out of the way and apologize

'Ah it's all right youngsters like you are always a bit airheaded now and then if you don't mind me asking what's a youngster like you doing standing out in the middle of the road? Lost are we?'

'Well no, yes, sort of. I know where I'm going but I don't know where I am'

'Oho well seems like you're all over the place, well tell me where are you trying to go'

'Over to Torhdan, big city by Lake Estle'

'Yes I know the place, as luck may have it I'm off to Torhdan myself' he said with a laugh 'Well ain't that convenient.' His eyebrows furrow deep in thought and then with a quick look over me he says 'Ah looks decent enough. What's your name son?'

'Drake the name's Drake'

'Well Drake hop aboard before someone get into their minds to try go over my caravan with theirs' he lets out a giggle as it seems he makes the mental picture. He then extends his hand which I take gratefully and with an unexpected strength hoists me up onto the seat next to him. 'Name's Meros Thistler nice to meet you'

'It's a pleasure to get the free ride'

'Oho who ever said anything about a free ride? You youngsters getting all these absurd ideas in your head these days. Learn and listen to this old man's advice; nothing is ever free.' He takes a pipe with a plant carved into it out of a pouch laying beside him, lights it and takes a deep puff of what smells like leaf,

'It's Farrow if you're wondering, best thing for your pipe that there is, and cheap too' he takes another puff

'So do I have to buy you some more?'

'Oho nice idea but no' he pats his pouch 'I have more than enough for the way there and back.'

'Well what do I have to do to pay for my passage?'

' Well let's start with you taking care of yourself, so keep yourself respectable looking and also these old bones of mine get cold in the night so I may ask of you to go fetch the firewood from the forests' he says with a happy smirk

'Back in there? Oh that's ok I think I made some really good friends in there'

'Oho and who may they be son?'

And so I recalled last night's dash with my "friends" much to the amusement of Meros who graced me with his more laid back journey to the city consisting of him driving his caravan for the past eight days in a mostly bored atmosphere which is always picked up by the "young women" caravans that stream ahead gladly by everyone every couple of days. The next few days were uneventful and I never caught sight of my wolf friends as we travelled down the main road. Because it was so uneventful we had nothing to do all day but talk and talk we did. We talked about the weather, the plants and the latest gossip that we heard off of other travelers but never about our personal lives which was fine by me. At night I did go collect the firewood and by the fireside he taught me a few things such as how to properly light a fire and how to cook (which tasted great when he did it, not so much with my meals). Sometimes on the road he would spot a plant and ask me to go grab it and I would always leap off and grab it as quick as I can but carefully getting the roots too as I learnt from him early on that the roots of the plant hold the best bits. He showed me what the plants do; which ones heal which ones hurt but mostly he showed me plants that you could burn up in that pipe of his and puff to your heart's content. He is a cheerful old man who always sees the bright side of things. He likes to laugh and always looks forward into the future. I never saw him once without a smile on the journey even when trying to eat my food and say 'mmm it's improved'. He is nothing like his family.

After four days we reached the city of Torhdan and we stopped at the Merry Maiden: a nice looking tavern by the market square with a happy looking girl with a pint of ale in each hand skipping as their sign. Inside was large and spacious with a roaring hearth and soothing music. Everybody was laughing, drinking and dancing, everybody except a group at one large table right by the hearth: around a dozen dour faced Halflings with grey hair sat brooding over their wine. They turned around when we came inside and they all solemnly nodded their head and went back to their drinks.

'A sodden lot aren't they Drake'

'Are you sure you're related'

'Oho lad, no one gets to pick their family but they are my family so I love them all the same' his voice lowers drastically to a whisper 'but I do like to not stay in their company too long or I might catch the disease they call old age, haha. Well lad I have a room booked for the night and you're welcome to stay if you want but first I would like you to greet the less dour of my people' he points to where a crowd is dancing and I can see little people flitting in and out of sight all with great big Meros smiles. 'Well go join your youngster's lad, Meros has to greet his fellow brooders and sisters, ahaha'

As Meros asked I trudge over to the crowd of dancing people, try to join in and fall flat on my face… the music halts and everyone stops to look at the idiot who just fell. My face thankfully now hidden under my cloak is bright red as I stand up and trying to break the awkwardness the music starts again. Everyone quickly loses interest of me and return to enjoying the music. Almost everyone… as I turn to go up to the room forgetting what Meros's asked and see a small group of five what could have been mistaken for children except for the two girls were voluptuous both wearing long dresses but could still be said to be quite revealing and the three men had beards with linen clothes of green and black, one the youngest I believe had a motley orange cloak and his face was sprouting a small stubble.

'Looked like quite the fool you did' said one of the girls with a smooth round face with ocean blue eyes, a small thin nose and brown curls bouncing as she giggled in delight with what I call a Meros smile. Her almost identical lookalike, except this one had brown eyes gave me a coy smile and started to dance by me as if inviting me to join; once again I felt my face going red.

Luckily I was saved by one of the men who offered me a handshake and said 'Name's Korret, this is Danret' he said pointing to the other man beside him 'Anri and Anne' he points towards the women the gigglish one being Anne 'and finally Rusty' and he pointed to the young man who already went back to dancing in that ridiculous cloak. 'We saw you coming in with the old man, we appreciate that he didn't come to harm.'

The other one muttered loudly enough for us to hear 'crazy old coot went by himself.'

'That's my dad for you' laughed out the younger Halfling as he swirled about in his motley orange cloak 'crazy but lucky'.

'So how about you dance with us…uh' Anri once again with that coy smile

'Drake and sorry but I need to get some air, maybe later' I say as I shuffle to the door my face thankfully hidden by my cloak.

'Well we will hold you to that Drake' shouts Anne as I go outside with a 'phew'

I walk along the streets with a crescent moon shining light on the streets which are mostly silent with the exception of some slow people walking briskly to their homes. My head hurts for some reason, must've been the fall and so I take a seat next to a nice sturdy wall and relax by closing my eyes letting the pain slowly seep away from my head only to have it come all back with friends by a whack on the head by a cudgel and I feel a hand grab my coin pouch that lies on my waist and retract a moment later, leaving me without my coin pouch and a blinding pain in my head as the little thief scurries away into the night.

'Home sweet home.'

So this is just like as the chapter says, the beginning so please please review and I sincerely hope you enjoyed it!