Bey was startled and awed. Never before had he been thrust into such a whirlwind of activity; where his world had become consumed with a flurry of mingling smells and sounds. He would never be able to distinguish one sense from the other, he marveled, everything moved as a whole. He tasted the calls of market vendors and felt the sight of more people than any one person could count.

So this was a city! Old Rose, the great port of Anaxis!

From the surrounding hills atop Dawn's back, it had appeared as a crescent mingling of earthen tone buildings—all stacked and leaning against each other like tired old drinking buddies—their shamble of windowpanes' amber as they caught the afternoon sun. Even at a distance he could make out the varied splashes of colored signs that dotted through the browns; painted beacons. The river to the city's south cut a silvery path back through the hills from which Bey had come.

And then there was the sea.

Such a vast expanse of blue and heaving plains--a twin Ire floating in its depths--astounded Bey into speechlessness. Below him, Dawn snorted heavily as her wide nostrils greeted the brine that tinged the air.

Now down amongst the city and the people of the market, Bey greeted each new sight with dark eyes wide and his freckled face in a dizzy grin. Poor Dawn had to be calmed many times, for this was also the little mare's first trip into such a throng and hive of noise. Their progress was slow through the crowds and a dismounted wick and his ugly horse got more than a few curious looks.

Finally, the young man paused at a vendor's stall, astonished at the strange fruit—jewels before someone who'd spent the majority of 17 years in cultivating mundane crops of wheat, beets and peas. He couldn't help but pick each up in turn and feel their firmness and smell the variety of scents.

Aye was looking at fruit, oh how she wanted some, she was starving, but then wasn't she always? The girl shrugged, "Jes' go fishin' later." she told herself. Oh, were those peas?! She grabbed a few and rolled them between her fingertips, Aye loved peas.

She turned and noticed an older wick doing the same, and what was that, that he was on? her head tilted sideways as she tried to remember the name of this familiar animal. She shook her head, "It'll come teh me." She looked back up at the boy, still holding the peas.

"Hesta," She grinned and said happily, what were they putting in these peas? "Like peas, eh?"

Bey was so startled he almost dropped the vegetables he was handling, causing Dawn to flinch.

He looked over at the young girl with a moment of stunned interest.

She was very green. The color seemed to occupy the majority of the little wick's ensamble, like some rangy junia plant come to life. And he'd never seen such wildly looped hair!

"Oh, yes," he replied, finally finding his voice (after he mentally fumbled for the meaning of "Hesta"). "I use't farm peas in th' season." He set down the raddishes in their crate and scooped out a few peas, gently rolling them in his rough hands.

"These'r good peas, they'll taste wonderful 'n soup" he continued, "see their dark color? Th' darker th' soil th' darker th' peas." He slowly inspected each...and then remembered his manners....

"Ah! 'Scuse me. Th' name's Bey Gavin," he supplied, tapping his hat brim in greeting. Noticing out the corner of an eye Dawn's sudden interest in a crate of apples, he flicked the rein, making the mare twitch back. Her following expression was nothing short of sheepish.

"An this'is Dawn."

She studied the peas as he held them up, remembering to always look for dark colored ones.

She smiled at Bey, watching him touch his hat. Almost made her wish she had a hat, but she didn't so she settled for tapping an imaginary hat politely back at him. "Junta, Bey! Junta, Dawn, m'names Aye.", she grinned at them both, and took a step toward the mare. "C'n I pet 'er?", she asked. As she asked, she looked around to make sure no one was watching, and popped a pea in her mouth. If she had intended to buy any, which she hadn't, she would want to know if they were good or not.

Once more, Bey grapled with her use of Tek. He was incredibly unfamiliar with it, as it had been ages since he'd had real dealings with a wick not of his own odd upbringing. Whatever it was, it seemed genial and well-meaning so he nodded once more at her cordial display.



Bey's pale eyebrows raised. Not a common question when most saw his rangy mare. "Sure," he replied, coaxing Dawn closer with a gentle flick of the reins. He only noticed the pea in her hand, and then soon in her mouth, at the last moment and his eyebrows nearly hit his hairline. "Don't do that!" he hissed, admonishing the little theif. "It's stealing!"

Didn't she know how hard farmers worked for those peas?

She smiled and reached out to pet Dawn, when Bey's words startled her. She jumped and stuck her tongue out hurriedly, letting the pea fall into her hand. She gulped and looked back at they boy, her eyes wide.

She hadn't expected him to react badly to thievery, everyone in Old Rose did it. She was just so used to stealing, it was second nature to her, since even before she arrived in the Rose. To her, that was just what had to be done.

"I- epaemo, i didn'know, i mean... did you grow these?" She reached out to put the pea back were she got it, it was covered in spit, but she didn't seem to notice.

"No, I didn't grow 'em," Bey sighed, gently picking out the saliva-coated pea and drying it with the hem of his shirt before placing it back amid its siblings. "But some farmer somewhere toiled for hours t' grow every tiny pea you see here. Farming's hard work, especally where I come from." Bey glanced down again at the younger wick, taking in her stunned expression. Oh, go easy on her, he chided himself she's probably but ten or eleven. Probably still learning this right an' wrong business.

"Besides," he went on, trying for a softer tone, "won't your mother be cross if you spoil your supper with ill-gotten peas?"

She stared at the pea as he cleaned it, "E-every single pea?!" She gaped at the buckets upon buckets filled with peas, "Wo chet!", that's a lot of peas. She knew they were hard to grow, but imagining one single farmer picking all of them, that's a lot of work.



She screwed up her face and stared at him, No one had mentioned her mother before, or for that matter either of her parents. It didn't hurt when she thought about them, that much anyway, but she still didn't like thinking about it.

She averted her eyes and avoided his gaze, "I, oes she would be... If she..." She said slowly, and then took a step away from the peas, she didn't want one anymore.

I don't think she has a mother, Bey concluded. He wasn't sure on his guess...but her displeased little face--almost bitter by his reckoning--pulled forth not-too-distant memories of his own. Yes, he knew the face of the motherless.

Behind him, Dawn huffed lowly.

He drew a deep breath in their private silence. "I could buy you something if you'd like." He tried a jesting smile. "I've nothing against children eating."

She looked back up at him with an awed, and thankful, and amazed expression. She was still hungry... "You'd do that?", she asked, almost breathless, "Wo chet! That'd be benny, balach!" She was excited now, she walked over to pet Dawn, smiling as she did so. "Mujo ma!"

((I think it's about time Dawn finally went missing. Start the fun!))

The dark-skinned wick grinned. He hadn't understood half of her words, but it seemed to have cheered her immensely. But Bey felt a small pang in his chest. Had no-one ever shown this little one such kindness? Had no-one wished to take such a frail-looking child in? Was this the world he had left his forest clearing for? He knew he would never have survived out in the Wrathwine by himself at her age. This little urchin (if she was an urchin and his suspicions were correct) was probably quite strong to have made it on her own this long. Bey felt that pang in his chest turn to warm respect. "Of course I would," he responded warmly. "I haven't much in money myself, but I can spare a hat 'r two."

The small bag of peas actually came to a total of three hats, for the portly stall-keeper could not keep from boisterously bragging on his fine peas. Bey's haggling was rusty at best and the traditional back and forth of this age-old market dance took the better part of twenty minutes before they agreed on a price. At least it was a large bag of peas.

"Well," Bey sighed contentedly, bag in his hand and his coin purse feeling a little stung, "here y' are." He offered the bag to Ylalie, but stopped when a faint chill crawled up his back. He shivered, though he recognized the sensation of a small gust from behind. Why was that when Dawn was standing right behind him?

A chill that had nothing to do with wind gripped his spine. Bey's heart leapt to his throat. He spun around hard, peas still in hand, hoping to prove his racing mind wrong.

Dawn was missing.

She turned back to Bey as he turned to her, looking extremely glad that he had bought her the peas, food was something that she just so happened to like. She was sorry he had payed for the peas anyway, even if he wasn't. She thought stealing them would have been much easier, but hey, she now had peas.

Aye greedily reached for them, almost holding the bag, when Bey spun around. She yelped at the flying pea bag, and dove out of the way. She shakily back up straight when it seemed safe, of course when was it ever safe? Another bag could be heading straight for her at anytime, she looked around her for a moment as if to make sure this wasn't the case. When Aye had finished looking surprised, she noticed that Dawn was gone, with Bey staring at the space his mare had been. The empty, cold, spacious space.

The girl gaped at the empty spot in front of the boy, eyes darting to him, and then back at the place where there mare had been. She hadn't been paying attention to Dawn, she had been learning how to bargain on the price of a vendors wares, so she hadn't notice that The horse had gone running off.

"Ah, kov, I.... I think yer horse has gone missin' ", apparently she was captain obvious today.

Bey's heart was nerly choking him, pulsing in his throat and making his ribs shudder sickeningly. "Dawn," he croaked in disbelief, his eyes roving madly for a hint of her sorrel coat in the throng of people. "Dawn!" he barked, his voice raspy with terror.

No! his mind screamed. No! No! Oh great Vita, NO!

He found himself rushing into the crowd, peas still in hand, yelling for Dawn, pushing through the crowd in his frantic search, manners forgotten. Those around him grumbled and stiffened as he shoved past, making his passage that much more difficult. "DAWN!" he wailed. His distraught voice echoed across the market, resonating from the busy stalls.

She was not here.

He took off without even speaking to her. Aye watched him run off, he was running into people, maybe even going the wrong way! And he was waaaay too upset. She understood why, but finding his horse would not be an easy task if he was so frantic.

Aye took off after him, scrambling around people, and knocking into others who weren't happy to have yet another young wick throw herself at them. She might have lost him in the crowd, but his wailing led her right to him. The girl gritted her teeth and launched herself at him, gripping his wrist and digging her feet into the ground in an attempt to stop him.

"Kov? KOV!!" she yelled at him. when she thought he could hear her over his yells she started speaking in a loud but hopefully calming voice. "Ill help find 'er, she cant be far.", she looked around to try and see her. "We need teh get out o' the crowd."

The yank at his wrist seemed to revive him, shaking him out of his panic like a cold douse of water over his head. "Uh?" He looked down at Ylalie, eyes wide as she shouted above the din.



Bey's eyes widened at the little wick's offer. Help? In this crush of people? He'd need it.



That was true, his shocked mind registered. Out of the crowd would be easier to hear. But how could they see? The crowd was a thickly plaited mat, nigh impassable and constatnly churning. "Alright," Bey managed to shake out.

"Alright!", Aye would have rubbed her hands together, as if she had completed some big task, but they were occupied with Beys wrist. She turned, still holding onto his arm with one of her hands, and used the other hand to push her way through the crowd. People defiantly seemed unhappy now, so she threw out a few "epaemo" 's as she went.

When they had finally broken free of the crowd, she let go of the boys wrist, and climbed up onto a stack of conveniently placed crates. Aye shakily stood up, and balanced herself as she scoured the crowd with her eyes. Her vision latched onto what she believed to be the boys mare.

"I think I see 'er!", she yelled, looking down at Bey and pointing in the right direction, toward a stall across the road. They would have to push through quite a few people to get there, and Aye couldnt even be sure she had even seen Dawn.

"Where?" Bey hollered, his wide eyes desperate and heart twisting.

He could not see where she was pointing. He had to know which way to go! Starting off the wrong direction might lead him farther away from her.

"She's small and sorrel!" he called up, hoping to prompt her. "She ent got no white on her, just sorrel!"

"Where?" Bey hollered, his wide eyes desperate and heart twisting.

He could not see where she was pointing. He had to know which way to go! Starting off the wrong direction might lead him farther away from her.

"She's small and sorrel!" he called up, hoping to prompt her. "She ent got no white on her, just sorrel!"

She hopped down from the crate, grabbed Bey's wrist, and took off running.

"This way!", she hollered over her shoulder.

Aye had seen the sorrel coat of the mare, or at least something that looked like it could have been her. She had seen the horse up close, after all, had even pet her. The girl was worried that the horse would get away, and who knew what would Dawn do if that happened?

Aye had seen Dawn making her way away from them, she wasn't going fast, but Aye and Bey had a lot of people to get past. Crowds tended to let large animals pass, but gave little wicklings a bit harder of a time.

Bey could not move his feet fast enough across the cobbles, nor shove his way through the crowd with enough haste. His heart was pumping in time to his throbbing ears. The crush of everything seemed like a strangle-hold on his chest.

Dawn was leaving him, and he could not even see her.

"Dawn!" he called, squeezing his way past a pair of chattering human women. Ylalie's tugging was the only thing keeping him on course.

There was no way he would catch her.