The journey of a thousand steps starts with one miss step. Final

And viola! Velth makes it to Ferrivale.

The morning sun finds Ferrivale in a quiet state. With its streets packed with snow the crowds are almost non existant. Only those with duties to preform seem to be braving the streets today.

Even for Elena the weather is turning a bit chilly although she is gratefull for the lack of eyes to stare at he shackle connecting her ankle to Velths. It's starting to rub her leg sore, and the iron is freezing.

"How you holding up back there Velth?" The vixen says as she trudges along through the snow. "It isn't much farther. I know a beast here who can help us.

Velth shifts the excess chain that he's now carrying over his shoulders in an attempt to keep the frigid metal off his paws. Though his footsteps are trudging, and his tail drags limply behind him, he keeps putting one in front of the other determinedly, and his voice sounds surprisingly full of clarity, without a hint of weariness, "Good; I'd hate to be delayed waiting for it to shatter from the cold."

The vixen blows hot air into her paws, "Oh no, it would freeze to your skin long before that and need to be surgically removed. Oh, was that a joke? Sorry, forget I said anything." The vixen moves quickly to one of the cottages in the city. It looks no different than any other home. "I'm sure we can get it off before then. Me and this fox go way back."

She pauses at the door and hesitates before knocking. "I'm sure he has...forgotten about that one ...event by now." She raises her paw to knock then pauses again, "You don't have any bounties on yer head, right?"

Velth shrugs off the chain, letting it fall with a clatter, and rolls his shoulders. "None that I know of. I've not been here long enough to get one." He says.

The vixen nods once, then hesitates once more, "You know what? Why don't you knock first. I mean, sure we go way back but he might react better to strangers rather than vixens he knew once, especailly me of all vixens, showing up out of the blue and knocking on his door like some crazy beast." She tries to push velth forward towards the door.

Velth steps forward, but turns, and raises an eyebrow at her. "You're sure he'll take better to armed strangers?" Velth inquires. "Might be better for you, and me, if you did the introductions."

The vixen wags a paw in the air, "Ah hahaha no, no no no. See, he may not react very, heh heh, well, to seeing me again on account of afore mentioned going way back. He might, heh, stab both of us. You know what, why don't we just forget the whole idea, we can go to the black smith! Yeah! I'm sure the blacksmith won't question two vermin appearing out of no where, shackled together." Elena begins fiddling with her tail.

Velth stares wearily at his companion, then turns to the door and pounds on it vigorously. "Open, open, open!" He shouts, loudly, "We're hungry; feed us!"

The vixen's tail poofs. "What are you doing? Are you mad?" She hisses, "Quit that! Quite that now befo-" Her ears twitch as the sound of paw steps can be heard from with in. She quickly pushes her back against the wall, out of sight.

The door clicks once as the latch is released. Then clicks once, twice, thrice more as more latches and locks are released. The door opens slowly to reveal the face of a swift fox. The brown fur of his face is slightly red from the effects of ale as are his half closed eyes and drooping ears. He is about as tall as Velth with some muscle to his arms and wearing a white leather jerkin that doesn't close around the expanse of his gut.

"mhhhmmm." The fox half mumbles, half growls at Velth in reply.

Velth reaches to his side, trying to drag Elena back into view. "Morning." He says, as cheerfully as he can. "I'm in a bit of a bind here." He says, jiggling his leg so the chain rattles on it, "And my friend here said you'd be the one to help..."

The heavy set fox makes a serious grunts in reply, slowly closing the door on Velth as the vixen struggles not to be pulled into view.

She fails.

Unable to stop this cart wreck from happening she rolls with it, bounding into sight. "Bandit! It's so good to see you! How are you?"

The door stops in mid swing, Bandit's eyes rising wide as he just stares. He looks From Elena, to Velth, to the chain between them.

This was quite obviously not the conversation either beast had imagined happening the next time they met.

"Oh for the love of all that is holy..." Bandit swings the door shut, but only to undue the chain latching it all together. Opening his enterence wide the fox gestures disparringly to come into his home. It isn't dirty persay, but it isn't clean either. Scrolls lay across the kitchen table and a pot of soup is roasting in the hearth.

Velth turns and grins at Elena, "See? Better for all involved." He says, and heads in behind Bandit. The chain rattles as its dragged over the threshold, and once inside the fox quickly stomps his feet, a fine mist of half molten snow flakes falling from him as he does. "Much oblidged." He tells Bandit, holding out a paw, "We've been freezing out there for hours."

Bandit leaves Velth's paw hanging in the air as he crosses his arms, "So, dare I ask what brought you both to my door? Slavers? Bandits? One of Dylan's plans gone wrong?" The fox turns for one of the far rooms.

"We arn't part of Dylan's gang," Elena says as she walks inside, "I havn't seen Dylan in over a season now."

"I would say that's good, it would keep you out of trouble but I see that it still found you." Bandit replies as he steps out of the room brandishing a hammer and chissle. "Nice to meet you by the way, I'm Bandit. Head guard of the village." he says to Velth.

"Likewise." Velth says, sitting down on the floor. "Moreso, actually." He adds, extending his leg so Bandit can easily get at the chain. "And I'm afraid it's our very skins that got us into trouble this time."

Spinning the hammer in paw the fox gesures for Velth to put his foot paw on the table, "I'm no blacksmith but I've had experience with these things in the past. I should have them off in ten, fifteen minutes tops. Just enough time for you both to tell me what's going on..."

An two hours later the shackal comes off of Elena's paw, in about half the time it took for Velth to be freed. "Say what you will about Slade. He at least bought himself some half decent irons." Bandit wipes at his brow, dropping the hammer where he stands.

"Unfortunetly that is about the only decent thing I can find to say about him..." Elena flexes her paw.

"You don't have to tell me twice. I had my own run in with him not too long ago...how are you holding up fox?" He says to Velth.

Velth shrugs in reply. He's looking a bit red in the eyes, and the wound on his head, no longer being treated by the natural cold of the outdoors, has swollen a bit. "I could be better, but I'll live." He replies. "I'm afraid I don't have anything in the way of money to repay you though, or to get a bed or some food." He taps the hilt of the shortsword he'd taken earlier, "Except for this, and I doubt it's worth much to you."

The fox looks the sword over then laughs, "Think nothing of it. Elena's a friend. Consider this the least I can do for helping her out of that mess. If you need somewhere to stay the inn can put you up. Tell the inn keeper he can take three days off of his community service if he puts you up for the night."

The vixen gives Bandit a bewildered look and Bandit only shakes his head, "Don't ask. You really don't want to know. As for food, well, afraid all I have is my atempt at soup. If you want some bowls are in hte kitchen.

Velth nods greatfully. "Nothing could go amiss." He reassures Bandit, and sets off in the direction he thinks the kitchen ought to be, then stops, swaying a bit. "That's... er... which way?" He inquires.

"The room with the big table..?" Bandit says with a sigh realizing that he isn't going to get away with not having guests intrude on him tonight. "If you...need to sit down there is a couch here." He says begrugingly.

"Right..." Velth says, glancing around him before confirming he's heading in the right direction. "I'm just gonna get a mouthful in me before I take off." He says. There's a bit of rummaging that happens, before the fox calls back into the room, "Would you like some?"

Grabbing her own bowl Elena is first to grab some stew. "Sure, but, help yourselves. It's not like I just wondered through the woods half starving." THe plump beast chuckles, "Obviously."

The vixen offers to pour Velth some soup. It looks...thick. And red. With beans, bits of unidentified meat and herbs.

Velth rattles his bowl, holding it out for a portion, "Hah! Half starving? You must think we're hares." He thumps a fist against his stomach, "A fox can go more than a few nights hungry... though I'd rather not if it's all the same."

"Ahmen to that brother." Bandit replies.

"Just cause we can out last a hare doesn't mean we can't eat like one." The vixen gives Velth an extra share of soup. She takes a whiff of her own, biting into it. "It's...not too bad actually. Kind of reminds me of the abbey's food."

"That's good. I tried to remake one of my favorite dishes served there but, I never could get it quite right." Bandit says.

Velth raises the bowl to his muzzle and appreciates the scent and the warmth, before putting his lips to the rim and tilting it back, swallowing a mouthful as though he were drinking it. He sets his bowl down in his paws to keep them warm as he chews and swallows, happily, a bit of life coming back to him. "'S not bad at all." He says. "You say you were in the Abbey?"

Bandit nods, "More or less. I wasn't /in/ in the abbey, just sort of staying there for a while. It a nice place, bit dull for beasts like us. Food was good though. They always did make some of the best hot root soup around this side of mossflower." Bandit picks up a bowl himself then dissapears into a bedroom again.

"Hot...root...?" Elena raises an eyebrow. She can already feel her tongue burning...

Velth glances over at Elena curiously. He tips a bit more back into his mouth, chewing pensively as he watches her reaction develop. Swallowing, he opens his mouth, and takes a deep breath, meaning to ask what's wrong. The flood of fresh air sets his tongue on fire with the wholly exotic flavor, and the fox doubles over, narrowly managing to set his bowl on the floor before he winds up coughing horribly, trying to expell the now burning taste from his mouth.

Bandit returns a moment later after pulling on an orange tunic. It clings a bit tightly to his pear shape but is certainly more dignified than wearing an open jerkin. "So, let's get you guys a couple of rooms at the inn and..." He stops to watch both foxes re-acting to the soup. His ears droops slightly, "What's wrong? Not enough salt?"

Velth, in desperation, is now doubled over on his knees, and even goes so far as to lick the floor, though he quickly realizes that's not a good solution. It helps him appreciate the taste as a spice though, "It's..." he coughs again, managing to straighten up, "Burning." He says, hoarsely.

The heavy set guard scratches his ear, "Burning?" He gives velth a dissapointed look, "That's it? Blast, not near enough hot root..."