At the Edge of Town: ATTN Fritz

The autumn air was cool as Erchon came to where the town’s buildings gave way open farm land. He’d been running a bit late and he stopped to check his pack to make sure he had everything he intended to bring for the day.


His water skin was tied to his hip and his bag was full of food and tools to handle any game they might come across.

Beside those rested his shade stone, and Eluthanai lamp. He was still a novice in the traditions those came from, but he had become accustomed to keeping them on hand, though he didn’t like to be seen with them in town so they remained tucked away for now.

He looked up and down the street, his friend was absent.

“He didn’t leave without me, did he?” Erchon mumbled to himself.

Amongst the crops swaying gently in the cool breeze came a rustling noise. It was quiet at first, easily mistakable for the ears of barley knocking against each other, but it soon became louder. Like footsteps plodding along. Tracked to its source, the sound revealed a zigzag of plants being mercilessly flattened and an orange ball of fur quickly running towards Erchon.

As the fox broke through onto the road, he smiled breathlessly at his friend, a teasing twitch in his ear.

"Looks like someone needs to work on their punctuality. You're so tardy I thought you had ditched me," chuckled Fritz, taking a few steps to stand beside him. "I hiked up the hill to get a better look of the area. I was about to embark alone if I hadn't seen you arrive."

"Why so late, anyway?"

Nearly as quick as Erchon could mumble his question, the morning silence was broken by a vermillion blur crashing through the fields of vegetables and grain. He cringed as Fritz appeared suddenly chiding him.

He had thought to blame his familiar, which had been sleeping on his face when it was time to get up, but that wasn’t the real reason he slept in.

“Sorry,” Erchon said, “I’ve gotten in the habit of reading late into the night since I…” he lowered his voice suddenly as he realized what he was about to say. “Since I learned to call the Flame I’ve been ‘borrowing’ my ma’s lore books”

Borrowing was a generous way of putting it. In truth he didn’t tell her he was taking them. She hadn’t expressly forbidden him from learning ‘women’s magic’ but she hadn’t exactly approved either when she found his sister, Kalliope, had been teaching him. What she did say was, “be careful what you meddle with.”

He’d told Fritz and a few other friends about his study and despite the taboos few of them seemed to mind.

He sighed looking at the trail of destroyed crops. Still it was the fastest path back up to the hill and Erchon decided to retrace the fox’s path.

“See anything good up there?” he asked as they started walking. “Last time I went hunting I spent an hour tracking what I thought was a deer which ended up being children playing in the woods.”

In all fairness the children had been deer, but they were people rather than the kind you hunt.

"Not particularly," said Fritz as he pushed stray crops out of the way with his paw. "I was mostly trying to figure out what matched up with what on the map. You know how I am with navigation."

The fox giggled at the thought of countless past experiences getting lost in the forests that surrounded the town. "Perhaps you'll have to teach some of this magic one day, so I'll stop getting lost."

Fritz smiled and turned to face his friend as they reached the summit of the first hill. From here on, it was a relatively flat walk amongst the top headed deep into the forest, where there was a surplus of delicious meat and berries to be collected. Perhaps the only thing better than a chunk of venison was a warm pie made from the delicious blueberries, a thought enticing enough to make the fox drool.

There was an awkward silence in the air until Fritz realised what he was doing. Wiping his muzzle with his arm, he hastily tried to change the subject to mask his embarrassing food-fuelled daydreaming. "So, uh, how is the magic going?"

Erchon nodded along and laughed as Fritz described his misadventures getting lost in the woods. He smiled as the fox asked to learn some magic to keep from getting lost, and he made a mental note to ask Kalliope if she knew any lore to aid with navigation.

As they crested the hill, Erchon reached into his bag to withdraw his shadestone as they left the sight of town.

As for Fritz, the fox seemed to be intently looking at something off in the distance.


Holding the stone in his hand he let his mind become aware of its presence, and the old power it both held and was. “Only from darkness, the light, and from light a shadow.” It was the first evocation his sister had taught him, and as he spoke the dark chthonic spirit of the stone emerged.

The little shade rattled and chipped in greeting, and Erchon handed them a little cherry which the shade gleefully ate. “There you go little buddy.” he said.

He looked back up to Fritz. The fox had been quiet much longer than Erchon had expected. Was he drooling? Then he suddenly came to, and Fritz’s focus snapped back to Erchon.

“So, uh, how is the magic going?” Fritz said, wiping his mouth.

“Slow,” Erchon sighed, he knew a few tricks but not much, “Calling my little friend here, or the light of the Flame is still about all I can do. I’ve been studying lore but my sisters and mother know the ins and outs of magic better than I do.”


They started into the woods as they spoke. “Help me keep an eye out for deer tracks?” he said as they started along the path that also led to some of the more plentiful berry brambles.

"You got it," said Fritz with a toothy smile, grinning at the little shade eating the cherry. As for scanning the tracks, the fox had come from a family full of expert, fearless hunters. His father ran the butchers in town. He could tell prints apart and knew them well like the back of hid hand.

So, it wasn't long before he noticed a trail of depressions in the soil with a familiar two-holed shape. "Let's head this way, shall we? This is towards the meadows, and relatively fresh. I think we'll get lucky today!"

The two continued along at good pace, following the tracks through paths, over bushes, and weaving between trees. The meadows were fast approaching, and the thought of good meat for dinner satisfied the two as they talked about magic and food and little anecdotes.

The further they went, however, the rarer the markings became. Their shape changed too, becoming wider and deeper, belonging obviously to a larger animal. Suspicions were aroused. It was only a few paces after the prints became recognisably different, that Fritz hit his breaking point; an eerie rustling came from within the foliage surrounding the clearing they stood in. He took a step back, looking at Erchon with a worried countenance.

"I really don't think that's a deer..." he whispered, his voice trembling. It was clear the fox did not carry his family's legacy of fearlessness.

Today was a stressful day for Ozzy at the town hall. One of his coworkers, Donavan, had knocked over a candle stick while trying to examine a certain document. The candle had lit the other documents nearby on fire. Ozzy and Donavan were able to save most of the papers, but some important intel was too damaged to restore. Ozzy usually is tasked with making copies of all the documents in storage, but today was Donavan's turn while Ozzy helped tidy up the room.

Despite the incident being an accident, Ozzy took most of the blame. This was mainly in part because Donavan is a new hire, and it was Ozzy's job to teach him what to do. One of the first things people learn when working at town hall is to always make sure the documents are in a safe area to view and away from harm. Especially to not keep them anywhere near an open flame.

This was precisely why the town hall had an abundance of reading lanterns, but they have been broken for a long time, and Ozzy's supervisor had not listened to his requests regarding new replacements. So, for the time being, Ozzy and Donavan have had to use regular candles to read any document sent to them by the town.

"It shouldn't be that hard to carefully read documents without catching them on fire, Donavan!" Ozzy's supervisor, Veronica, said to his coworker.

She then shifted her anger to Ozzy.

"You're supposed to teach him how to do his job. Obviously, you didn't."

Since the fire had caused some small damage to the storage room, Ozzy and Donavan were sent home for the rest of the day so the damages could be assessed and repaired. Instead of going straight home and crying into his pillow, Ozzy decided to wander the nearby farmlands and go clear his head in the meadows. He liked lying down in the fields and staring up at the clouds. It made him forget about whatever was bothering him, but today he couldn't take his mind off of things.

If he didn't start doing a better job at town hall, he could get fired. Ozzy likes his job (he'd like it more if it wasn't for his supervisor), and he can't imagine working anywhere else. Not to mention that Ozzy pretty much took care of everything involving the records. He can't see Donavan taking over and running the place. Especially after today with the candle incident, even if it was an accident. Ozzy's afraid that he'll show up tomorrow, and he'll be told to pack his belongings and hit the road.

Ozzy thinks longer about his future if the worse were to come. He could always help his father out hunting considering his pathway abilities. But Ozzy never really liked to hunt that much. Going off to college with his sister would be the thing both of his parents would immediately suggest when they found out he got fired, but he already had his reasons for not going. He could do what his sister did before leaving Kallos and work at one of the taverns. But Ozzy wouldn't be able to handle that many social interactions in a day.

"What am I going to do?" Ozzy said to himself out loud. "Am I truly screwed? Am I destined to become a failure?"

While Ozzy contemplated more on his future, he heard some faint whispering nearby. Last he checked he was alone. He sat up and looked around. He didn't see anything at first, but then he heard something.

"I really don't think that's a deer..."

The voice sounded familiar to Ozzy. He stood up and followed wherever the voice came from. Thankfully for his path-finding abilities, he was able to see the movements of whatever came near his way. Ozzy concentrated, and the paths appeared. Two colorful trails appeared next to each other. That meant there were two people nearby. He followed the path, and it only took a few seconds to see what two figures were ahead. Even from behind, he could recognize the shapes of his friends: Erchon and Fritz.

Seeing his friends always made Ozzy happy. He walked up behind and greeted them "Hello, friends."

The two jump at the sound of Ozzy's voice.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you guys."

“I really don’t think that’s a deer…” Fritz trembled as the fox looked the way they had come.

Erchon’s hearing was acute still he didn't notice the sound of something sneaking up on them. He reached for his bow just to realize he’d forgotten it in his hurry to get out this morning.

“Shit!” he cursed. Nevermind he had other ways to fend off attack. He felt his hackles raise as he bared his fangs and extended his claws.

He full on jumped when he heard the voice of their stalker.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you guys.” the wolf said as he came around the bend.

Erchon went slack jawed when he realized his friend had sneaked up on them. Then he began to laugh, “Ozzy damn it! I about mauled you.”

Erchon wrinkled his nose. The smell of smoke was common enough but this wasn’t just wood fire. It was like wood but missing something. He was reminded of brewing and reducing ink, something that was part of the art of ‘women’s magic’ that his mother practiced.

The more he focussed on the smell the more he wicked his nose. “You’ve been burning paper?” he sounded a gast. Paper was too expensive to burn casually, vellum was more common but still a waste to burn. “What have you been up to in that clerk’s office of yours?”

Seeing his friends had almost made Ozzy forget about the whole town hall incident. It wasn't until Erchon asked if he was burning paper that he was reminded of his terrible day.

Embarrassed, Ozzy glances off into the distance. "It's a... long story. I'm not sure I'm ready to talk about it right now."

Erchon and Fritz give him a concerned look. Ozzy doesn't like worrying his friends whenever he's troubled like this, but he also doesn't want to lie to them and say that it was nothing when it was definitely something. He'll get around to telling them soon, but right now Ozzy wants to clear his head a bit before he feels ready enough to speak about the town hall conundrum.

Ozzy attempts to change the subject. "So, what are you two doing out here?"

"Hunting, supposedly," said Fritz with a smirk as he glanced over at Ozzy. "I thought I had found some fresh deer tracks, leading to the most delicious venison. Alas, we found you instead."

The rustling of leaves falling from the trees filled the clearing as the morning breeze picked up, a certain chill flooding the air. The fox took a hearty sip of tea from his flask and turned to face deep into the heart of the forest from whence they came. "We should move on towards the meadow. There's a good chance we'll find some deer there. Tracks or not."

As Fritz took a step forward, he paused and looked back at the trees and hedges, hoping to recognize a twig or a berry he had passed with Erchon before. But he was met with nothing but unfamiliarity. He sighed and looked in another direction, then another, but still, he couldn't get his bearings. He turned back to his friends, his ear flicking. He tapped his nose with a mischievous smile.

"So... Which way was it we came from? Where's the meadow now?"

Erchon still wasn’t sure how they’d confused the tracks of an upright wolf to that of a deer. Still it was good having Ozzy join them, especially since Fritz was already lost.

He had been to the meadow before but the main path led up though the foothills of the mountains to the west end of the valley. Finding the meadow was a matter of knowing the crisscrossing deer paths that divided the forest.

Erchon knew the way from the main path, but they had wandered well away and each small break in the foliage looked like the next now. He really did need to ask his sister if there were magic that could help him find his way.

“You wouldn’t happen to know the way,” He said, turning to the little shade, and his eyes went wide as he realized his familiar was missing. They were prone to wandering off.

“Did anyone see which way my familiar went?”

Just then a click and a warble was heard in the distance. “Shit, I think they’re lost guys.”

Ozzy could hear Erchon's familiar in the distance but couldn't quite pinpoint its direction.

With years of hunting experience with his father, he was able to accurately tell where a prey's movements were coming from. But Erchon's familiar doesn't make a very recognizable sound comparing it to other beings. Ozzy listens closely for the sound, closing his eyes and focusing on the direction of the soundwaves.

The familiar makes it's click and warble again. Ozzy opens his eyes, and looks to his left.

The usual pathway of light appears for his eyes only.

"I think your familiar is this way, Erchon."

"Well then, let's not waste time," said Fritz. "We'll find your familiar in no time."

Fritz looked intently at Ozzy searching for the trail, a small smile on his muzzle. He looked around the clearing for a hint of the familiar, or a clue, or a little sound.

"It's fascinating how you do that," remarked the fox, "the whole magic thing. So, which way shall we go?"

Fritz's face was one of admiration.

Erchon followed the path Ozzy directed them down. He could vaguely feel the presence of the little shade in the distance, but the connection they shared was not so precise as to direct his path.

“I can’t say I know anything about the way Ozzy tracks things. I’m not really sure it's magic in the way I know it either.”

Erchon signed grateful Ozzy was there to help.

“The shade is a power you befriend.” Echon said, “While most magic my ma uses is woven into the art of making.”

“Still,” Erchon continued, “magic is diverse in practice and form, and I know little of it.”

“I don’t know Ozzy, is your ability to track things wolfy magic or something else?”

"Well, my father says it's something that has been brought down in my family from generation to generation, so I don't think it's just a wolf thing. I'm not even sure it's a magic thing if we're being perfectly honest."

Ozzy thinks about it for a little longer as his friends follow him down his luminescent path that only he can see. His father never told him if other wolf families had this similar gift, so what exactly made his family so special that they were the only ones to have this ability?

It came down to a lot of questions that his father never had the answers to. How long did his family have the Hunter's Gift? What caused them to keep this power for so long? Is the power meant for hunting, or is it meant for much more?

Darlanna, Ozzy's sister, had this power as well, but she never really used it, and focused more on her studies rather than questioning what makes her special. It was one of the many things that made her so different from Ozzy. She never saw her ability as anything unique, and just acted like it was a normal thing to have.
 
Despite Ozzy being good at record keeping, his father and past family members weren't so lucky with that skill. Ozzy only knew that his grandfather and great grandmother had this ability. His great grandparents moved to Kallos and left whatever life they had behind. It has always bothered Ozzy that he didn't know much about his family's heritage. Not just for the sake of his path finding abilities, but also just to understand himself a little more and maybe figure out his future better.

"I wish I could tell you guys more, but I think yall know as much as me at this point. Sorry I can't really give more information than that. Trust me, if I had it, I would gladly share it with you two." 

"It's fascinating nonetheless," said Fritz as the group approached the edge of the woods near the sprawling meadows of verdant green berry bushes and hues of pinks and blues magnificently woven into the landscape. The distant, fogged mountains framed the picturesque, honey-glow scene before them, and as the sun beamed down excitedly, the soft fragrance of the wild flowers flooded the air in sweet hints of lavender and citrus.

"I never discovered any of my own abilities," said Fritz gently. "I've been told that these things take time, but for now I'll stick to the classical skills. Foraging, hunting, marksmanship, and learning how to tie my shoelaces."

Erchon felt anxious as they walked, not knowing where the Little Shade was. The bond had thinned with distance. Still he trusted Ozzy to lead them well.

“Hmm,”He said to Fritz, as they walked into the meadow. “to be honest there is a lot of magic people do without realizing it.”
“It can be born from skill. Things that are well practiced, the crafting of tools, spinning of thread, or even something like singing will have some bit of magic running through it. A magician however learns to focus a spell and give it shape and purpose.”

“At least that's how my Ma describes it.” he added.

Then strengthened by proximity, a sense of contentment suddenly filled Erchon through the bond as they walked through the clearing Ozzy had led them to.

“Little Shade!” he called the spirit a

A chirp and rattle could be heard from a trembling bush. Erchon sprinted over, “There you are!” He let out a sigh of relief as he pushed a branch to reveal the shade gorging themself on berries. Utter joy reverberating from them as they munched away.

“Found them,” he said. “Well it's not deer, but we should probably gather some before moving on. Problem is I only know one or two of these are safe to eat for sure. Either of you know what we should gather?”

“The secret lies within their juices,” chuckled Fritz as he bent down between the two berry bushes and plucked one from each. The fruits looked almost entirely identical: a smooth red circle that opened up to the stem at the top. They could easily be mistaken for one another, a property that had certainly cost the lives of a dozen inexperienced foragers before. One, the sweet cranberry plant, was a tasty and refreshing treat often baked into pies or squashed into a succulent alcohol. The other was instead poisonous cotoneaster, virtually indistinguishable, but blending this berry into a cocktail would leave you a certain other type of intoxicated.

“Cranberries would be easily told apart since they tend to grow near streams, but in this case, they are both present,” continued the fox as he wrapped each berry in a leaf and pressed hard until the red liquid gushed out from each berry. “These cotoneasters seem to like the water too.”

Fritz unravelled each leaf and flashed the scarlet-stained surface to his friends. One was noticeably much darker and bittier than the other.

“This is the nasty. You can tell because of the big seeds. The colour is a little more saturated than usual because it has fed well from the water,” said Fritz happily as he gave a toothy grin. He began to pick a few cranberries from the bush and stuff them in a pouch. “My father used to keep them at the bottom of the garden to keep the weeds at bay.”

Erchon repeated the instructions that Fritz had offered with each of the similar looking plants he foraged from, and proceeded to only pick from other shrubs that the fox identified as safe.

For his part he was glad the little shade couldn’t be poisoned as they seemed to haphazardly stuff buries in their mouth, spitting out the bitter ones.

Before long his paws were stained with berry juice. Deep red and purple matting his fur, which made it look like he’d been up to something quite macabre, and he laughed as he realized this made him hungry.

Though he looked forward to hunting further the mid day was fast approaching so he washed his paws in the stream and rummaged for the cheese, bread, onion, and cured sausage for the day’s meal.

“Anyone else hungry?" he asked.

The thought of lunch suddenly hit Ozzy as he realized that right about now would be time for his lunch break at work. This morning, he had packed a nice ham and turkey sandwich with soft cheddar cheese that he had gathered from the town deli, as well as some freshly picked apples. The thought of it made his mouth water, but unfortunately, in the rush to leave his workplace after the fire, he had forgotten his lunch. He couldn't go back for it now, and his stomach was starting to growl.

"Well, if you had something to spare, I would greatly appreciate it."

Ozzy hated to ask his friends for food, but if he stayed hungry any longer, he would think about that sandwich he left at the town hall. And THAT would make him think about the fire; something he's trying desperately not to think about.

Erchon spread a blanket on the ground, and unpacked a small board for cutting and began to slice the cheese, onion, and so forth. He hadn’t brought proper eating utensils but instead tore open the bread and filled it with the cured meat, and the other foods he packed.

As he realized Ozzy had forgotten his food he cut his meal in two, and offered half to Ozzy. “There’s a little extra sausage left over we can snack on once we’re done with this.”

He ate silently for a moment, savoring the spice of the onion and the tang of cheese.

“Still no sign of any game,” Erchon muttered, “Though I was a bit distracted when the Little Shade took off. Didn’t really notice any indication that deer have been through here.”

Ozzy feels sort of bare in front of Erchon and Fritz at the moment. He hadn't exactly prepared himself for a hunt today. He's still in his formal clothing that he wears for work, and his equipment that he usually brings with him for hunts is back at his home most likely collecting dust next to his sister's equipment. Ozzy isn't sure if Darlanna has gone on any hunts near the forests that surround Yermen, but he does know that no one has touched the stuff she has left behind. As for Ozzy's equipment, he started hunting with his father less and less the longer he worked at town hall.

It hurt to see the sadened look on his father's face whenever he declined to spend time with him. Unfortunately for Ozzy, town hall is understaffed, and the management refuses to hire more people, despite the many benefits there would be to having more personnel keep track of all the records.

Of course, depending on whatever happens when he gets back to town hall, Ozzy might have more time to spend with his father after all.

"You know, I bet my father would like to be here. He's a skilled hunter, and he would definitely help us out if we needed it. I wish I knew if he was hunting today or not."

Fritz ensconced himself opposite his companions and reached into his satchel for a fistful of blueberries. He sat with his legs crossed, quietly stuffing bunches of the succulent fruits into his jaw, staring blankly away into the distant foliage as the two conversed about whatever they were conversing about. Something something deer, something something Little Shade. Gluttony was a mighty force, and given the chance to eat, the fox would feast. He would disappear into his world of berries and meat and tenderly baked treats and warm cinnamon rolls, thick hot chocolate that had to be eaten with a spoon…

His world was pierced by a statement from Ozzy, which caught him off guard. He haphazardly swallowed a blueberry whole, and after a rather embarrassing minute of coughing and spluttering—“No, I’m fine,” he insisted—he looked over at the wolf with a kind smile, his face as blue as the berries he had just been devouring.

“You want to know if he is hunting?” the fox beamed, his ear perked in excitement. “Then we must think like game. If we go to all the hotspots, we’ll be sure to run into him if he is. And if not? Well, they’re hotspots! We’ll get bags full of venison in no time! Think of all the pie you could bake with that…”

Erchon smelled the air. He had a keen sense of smell, perhaps not as keen as a wolf’s but keen nonetheless.

The scent of water from the stream and sun warmed pine filled his mind. He could pick up the faint traces of deer droppings though he was sure they were long dry. A cool wind blew down the slopes of the mountain, carrying, not the scent of deer, but mountain goat, and wild sheep.

His mouth salivated despite being mid meal. Still whatever he smelled seemed a long ways away. The wind changed again and warm air from the valley and the sea met him.

"You know, I bet my father would like to be here. He's a skilled hunter, and he would definitely help us out if we needed it. I wish I knew if he was hunting today or not." Ozzy said as they ate.


“You want to know if he is hunting?” the fox beamed, his ear perked in excitement. “Then we must think like game. If we go to all the hotspots, we’ll be sure to run into him if he is. And if not? Well, they’re hotspots! We’ll get bags full of venison in no time! Think of all the pie you could bake with that…”


Erchon’s mouth watered again at the thought of venison pie. He shook his head, focusing on what his friends were saying. “There’s a meadow in the foothills to the north west here. A web of game trails cross over it.” He smelled the air again. The breeze came from the wrong direction for Erchon to know much of what lay in that direction.