Chapter 1; Act - 3: Winston's Farmstead

Kendrec turned to the man in embarrassment, scratching the back of his head with a nervous smile while Tadashi jumped onto the stool next to him.

“Sorry about that. I kinda just, uh...” Kendrec said, pausing to think of what to say. “Ran into a few small issues on my way back?” He said, questioning himself a little in the process.

Winston cocked an eyebrow up, scoffing unamused, “A few small issues? Interesting. Is ya' definition of ‘small’ alerting both the Menghinan Royal Guard and the Eloria police department?”

Kendrec turned cold, realizing that the news of what ensued in the city had already reached small towns like this one. Winston’s stare didn’t help either, looking as if he had heard one of the most foolish lies in his life.

“So, I guess the news already got around that quickly, huh?” Kendrec asked, turning himself forward.

“Kendrec, the Eloria Province is just over that there wall," Winston said, pausing to take a swig of his drink. "If anythin', you oughta' be surprised that typa' news didn't get here any quicka'."

“I guess you’re right. But if it weren't for one of the stupid guards dropping their spear and seeing me, I would’ve gotten away without a hitch! If you ask me, it’s their fault for promoting such lousy people to be a guard for the castle.”

Winston chuckled at Kendrec's confident defense, making him feel somewhat relieved, as Winston wasn’t about to go on with one of his long rants.

“I see you got ya' daddy's wits, huh?" Winston said, taking another sip of his caramel-colored drink.

“But really, Kendrec. You outta’ be more careful next time. You being here is a risk all on its own, and if you ever got caught, well…” Winston paused. “Well, I don’t know what I’d tell your pa'.”

They both sat at the bar quietly for a moment. The bartender came over with Kendrec's water, placing it in front of him before returning to cleaning the dirty glass cups.

“I know. Sorry.” Kendrec apologized in a low tone.

“It’s fine. Just be more careful next time, alrigh'?”

“I will.”

Taking a final gulp from his drink, Winston placed his empty glass on the bar counter, pushing it forward for the bartender to take.

“Well, on that note, ya' ready to leave? It’s already dark outside, so it’s best we hit the road sooner or lata'.”

“Mhm, right,” Kendrec agreed, hastily finishing his glass of water.

Throwing a couple of what looked like silver coins on the counter, Winston sat up from the stool with a low, drawn-out groan. Kendrec would follow soon after, getting up and taking the sack by the strap before throwing it around himself. Though it took a moment, Tadashi hopped down from his seat, quickly catching up to Kendrec's side.

While walking, Kendrec noticed out of the corner of his eye a man sitting alone in one of the corner booths on the far left of the room. He seemed passed out, with his head resting in his arm. One hand held a half-full glass of liquor and empty cups stacked and scattered around him on the table.

However, there was something off about the man that made Kendrec feel puzzled. He was dressed in a proper suit, and his long brown hair was neatly tied into a ponytail. Though it was odd to see someone with nice clothing drunk and passed out in a countryside town, that wasn't why Kendrec felt uneasy. He felt weirdly familiar to him, as if he’s seen him somewhere before but was unable to recognize him.

Though feeling somewhat unsettled by it, he pushed it to the back of his head as he and Winston reached the front door. Winston pushed it open, stepping outside and holding it open for him.

On the porch, Kendrec took a deep breath of the smooth and cool air, exhaling as he walked over to the wooden railing, leaning against it and looking down the road. His eyes were starting to get heavy. The long day of lugging around a heavy bag full of food was starting to get to him.

“Laki’s out back. Let’s go grab 'em,” Winston said, letting the door shut behind him.

The town was much quieter than when Kendrec arrived. Most of the older folk who were sitting outside were now gone, enjoying the comfort of inside their home instead of the gentle breeze outside.

Walking along the porch, he took one last look inside before leaving. However, looking inside revealed that the man from earlier was now gone. Kendrec walked up to the window, peering inside for a better look. As his eyes adjusted through the window, he saw that all the cups were still there, except for the one he was holding.

The bartender came over to the booth and started wiping it down. It was like someone was there before. However, he could see the bartender muttering under his breath as if someone ordered the drinks and ran off without paying as there was no money left behind.

Kendrec stepped back from the window, confused. "Where did he go?" He muttered

"Hey kid, you comin'?" Winston asked.

Snapping out of his bewildered state, Kendrec turned to face Winston. "Yeah, sorry. Coming."

Hesitantly, he began walking away while looking inside before the wall cut the view inside off. Looking down, Kendrec started pondering over what he saw. He was sure that the man was there. There were no signs of him leaving the building, as surely he or Winston would’ve seen him walk out the front, and the back exit is reserved for the staff so he could’ve gone out that way either.

Confused and tired, he closed his eyes as he sighed with a defeated tone. Picking up on this, Tadashi began to nuzzle his head against his leg, trying to get his attention as he was concerned about whatever was troubling him.

"Huh? What's up, buddy?" Kendrec asked, looking down at the small fox with a warm but tired smile.

Kendrec noticed his worried expression. Squatting down, he rested his arms on his legs, looking at Tadashi with that tired smile. Reaching his hand out to Tadashi, Kendric began petting him.

"Don't worry 'Tashi, I'm all good, I promise. I'm just a bit tired, that's all."

Even with Kendrec's attempt to brush it off, Tadashi could still sense something was troubling him. Regardless, Tadashi went along with it, not wanting to push it further.

"Really though 'Tashi, I'm fine. All I need is some sleep." Kendrec reassured, forcing a tired smile on his face.

"You two comin' or stayin' behind?" Winston asked, waiting for them at the end of the walkway.

"Coming," Kendrec answered, standing up and walking after Winston.

Catching up with Winston, Kendrec stood next to him for a moment. Tadashi soon joined, jumping up on the railing next to them. However, the fox's eyes soon became fixated on whatever was in the backyard, becoming as still as a stone.

Tied by a lead to a wooden post, a large brown horse with a chopped tail stood motionless as the hair on the back of his neck waved around gently through the breeze. He had a short and chipped horn protruding from his snout, and his eyes were a deep dark brown that stole your gaze.

The backyard itself was exceptionally spacious. Surrounded by neighboring buildings, it had a large archway that led into the main dirt road with two lanterns on each side of the archway, neither of them lit.

Walking down a small set of stairs, Winston and Kendrec casually approached the horse as Tadashi watched them from afar. His eyes stuck on the horse. Turning to Kendrec and Winston, Laki let out a puff from his nose that sounded oddly annoyed, turning back away slightly.

"I see you excited to see me as always." Winston sarcastically remarked.

"Hey, what happened to his tail?" Kendrec asked.

"I decided to shorten it down a bit. It was starting to get too long." Winston answered, walking over to the front of Laki to begin taking off the lead.

Walking up to Laki, Kendrec stared at his tail. "Hm, it kinda suits him."

Turning around, Kendrec looked over at Tadashi. He was still sitting on the railing, observing the horse from afar.

"C'mon 'Tashi, you remember Laki, right?"

Kendrec received no answer from Tadashi, who hadn't even acknowledged his question. He sat atop the railing, staring with intense focus at the horse.

"Oh, c'mon." Kendrec sighed.

Kendrec walked over to Tadashi, still without any acknowledgment towards him. However, after giving him a light push, he was able to startle Tadashi out of his trance as he jumped away with a light yip.

"What's wrong with him?" Winston asked, looking over.

Picking up Tadashi, Kendrec cradled him so he would calm down a bit. However, the small fox ended up quickly scurrying up on his shoulder and onto the sack behind him. He continued watching the horse, though he seemed a little calmer on Kendrec's back.

"Well, me and Alex were helping out in the village," Kendrec said. "It was a simple horse-caring job, but a couple of things happened, and Tadashi almost ended up getting trampled."

Winston stopped untying Laki for a moment. Turning over to him, he looked at Kendrec with an unsurprised expression.

"Really now?" Winston asked, turning back to Laki and continuing to untie his lead.

"Yeah. Thankfully he didn't suffer any major injuries. But now, just seeing a horse makes him freeze all up. That's why I had to bring him through the wall inside the bag," Kendrec chuckled softly. "Who would've guessed a fox could get some sort of trauma from that."

"There you go," Winston grunted.

"Huh?” Kendrec said, looking confused.

Throwing the lead over Laki's head, Winston stepped over to climb up the side of him and onto the saddle on his back. Hoisting himself up, Winston carefully adjusted himself onto the saddle before tugging on the lead to turn Laki around.

"C'mon, let's go," Winston said, extending his hand out for Kendrec.

"Right." Kendrec agreed.

Grabbing onto Winston's hand, Kendrec pushed up from the side while being pulled up. Sitting down, he began wobbling for a moment before catching his balance and adjusting himself.

Reaching down, Kendrec popped open a large pouch off the side of Laki's saddle that was positioned perfectly between him and Winston.

Patting the saddle, Tadashi hopped off Kendrec's shoulder and then carefully slid down into the pouch. Kendrec let go of the pouch's opening, the flap covering most of Tadahi's body with only his head peeking out from it.

"Alright, we're all set," Kendrec said, getting a confirming nod from Winston.

With one quick tug at the rope, Laki took off from the backyard and onto the main road. The ride through town was quiet, with nothing much to see either. The buildings that lined the streets all looked similar and didn't have many differences other than their general layout. The road itself was just a battered dirt path from years of being used.

Still, the town itself brought a subtle comfort to Kendrec. To him, it reminded him of his home with how close everything seemed to be.

It wasn't long until they reached the end of town. Riding past a sign, Kendrec was able to read "The Town of Spearhead" on it before it became a blur. With another quick tug of the rope, Winston was able to make Laki begin running at full speed past the town.

As they rode through empty fields of grass and hills, Kendrec looked back at the town, slowly getting smaller the farther they went. Eventually riding over a hill, he lost all sight of the town as the hill obscured all view of it. Ahead was a seemingly endless field with trees sparsely scattered around.

After some time of riding, Winston gently pulled on the lead, making Laki slow down to a walking pace. The soft patting sound of his hooves hitting the hard ground and the chattering of distant crickets echoed around them. The black and purple sky was lit subtly by the twin moons that looked like two giant white orbs above.

"So, Kendrec," Winston blurted. "What exactly happened back there?"

"What do you mean?" Kendrec asked.

"When we were leavin'. I turned around and you were lookin' like deer caught drinkin' water from a lake."

"Oh, that…?" He paused. "It was nothing."

"You sure it was nothin'? It looked like you had Tadashi all worried too, back there." Winston said, which made Tadashi look up at them curiously.

"Well, it's complicated. Pretty sure after a good night's rest I should be fine." Kendrec answered in a quiet tone.

Winston replied with a short, low groan before speaking. "Well you're in luck, 'cause we're almost there."

Looking ahead of Winston, he could see a hill with a tree on top and a small boulder resting next to it. The tree swayed all so slowly from the breeze while the boulder was still and inanimate.

Riding over the hill slowly revealed their destination. A small cabin-looking house with a porch wrapping around the front, similar to the ones back in the town. There was a moderately sized barn a walking distance away from the house and acres of farmland behind it.

Kendrec could see that there were people around the house. A young girl was chasing a boy, who looked to be only a little bit shorter than Kendrec, while a middle-aged lady was reading a book on the porch in a rocking chair. There was also a large brown dog lying next to the woman with its head tucked between its front legs asleep.

As they went down the hill, the children that were playing in the front yard stopped, turning their attention towards the group. Both of them watched curiously before rushing at them with excited grins plastered on their faces.

"Momma'! Momma'! Look! Papa's home with Ken'!" The younger boy exclaimed eagerly.

"Hey now, careful 'round Laki," Winston said.

The older lady on the rocking chair looked up curiously, smiling once she saw Winston with Kendrec peeking out the side of him.

"Now, now kids. Give your old man some room alrigh'?" The older woman asked.

Looking back at her, the children ran back over to the house still giggling as they began to chase one another again.

Riding down the hill and up to the home, the old lady stood up from her chair and placed the book down on it. Walking down the steps of the porch, the lady met with Kendrec and Winston as they pulled up closer.

"Hey, Mrs. Giorgi!" Kendrec called out, waving over to the old lady.

"Oh now dear, no need to call me by that. Just call me Martha." Martha said with a gentle smile.

"Oh yeah, sorry." Kendrec apologized, scratching the back of his head, slightly flustered.

"So, boys, how was it?" Martha asked.

"I'd say it went pretty-"

"Bad," Winston said, cutting off Kendrec.

"Hey, c'mon now. I told you what happened, and it's not like I got caught."

Winston looked back at him, staring at him with a less than amused face.

"Technically."

"Well anyhow, we oughta' be careful tonight. Surprised we ain't see any police back at Spearhead. But knowing them, they ain't gonna let something like that slide."

"We could have him stay in the barn. If you're alrigh' with stayin' there for the night." Martha suggested.

"I'm alright with it," Kendrec said, kicking both his legs to one side of Laki as he gently slid to the side of the ground facing away from the house.

"Well let's not jump to anythin' yet," Winston grunted, getting off of Laki on the same side as Kendrik. "We didn't see anyone there or followin' us. So chances are we're fine."

"You sure dear?" Martha asked.

"Like I said, it's all good," Kendrec blurted, walking over to the other side of Laki. "It's better to be safe than sorry, right?"

"I suppose you're right," Martha said with a calm tone to her voice.

Reaching for the pouch Tadashi was in, Kendrec opened it and grabbed the small fox, placing him on the ground gently before taking a long stretch.

Getting on the ground, Tadashi took a moment to get a stretch in of his own after being in a cramped space all that time. However, once he was done and got a glimpse of Laki looking back at him, he froze up for a moment before dashing up the porch, hiding behind the dog who was still sleeping.

"Jee, man, you're such a scaredy cat," Kendrec chuckled.

"Hey Martha," Winston said, pausing to look around for a moment.

"What is it dear?" Martha asked.

"Where's Austin?"

"He's inside preparing dinner. I just finished cooking, but he insisted on setting the table up."

"I see, alrigh'. Kendrec, think you can help me out real quick?" Winston asked, turning to face Kendrec.

"Oh, sure thing."

Grabbing the lead that was wrapped around Laki, Winston cocked his head towards the direction of the barn and started walking along the path that led to it. "This way."

Following along behind Winston, Kendrec took the few moments he had while walking to watch the distant moonlit fields. The ocean of grass swaying around in the breeze made the scene of it look so free and open to him.

But while his mind was focused on the fields, what he hadn't noticed was Winston stopping in front of the barn. Subsequently, he ended up walking up and bumping into the back of Winston, stumbling back a bit as he held his head.

"Uhf!" Kendrec grunted.

"Jeez, kid. You good?" Winston asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that," Kendrec replied.

"Alrigh'. Come help me with the doors."

Throwing the lead over Laki's head and onto his back, Winston began walking up to the two main doors of the barn which had their respective handles secured by what looked like two ropes tied together.

The barn itself looked old and worn down. The wood creaked softly, and the red-brown paint that once covered the walls nicely was now peeling to reveal the more damaged areas of the structure.

Grabbing onto the rope bundle, Winston began untangling them until they got loose. The two long strands of rope dangled down to the ground from the handles as Winston gestured with his head for Kendrec.

Walking up next to him, Kendrec stared at the handles as Winston grabbed onto the left door's handle.

"Alrigh', here's the plan. I'll take this one and you'll get the otha'. Once you open 'em enough, use that rope to tie it down to that spike. Got it?"

Looking over to the side, Kendrec saw a wooden pool sticking out from the ground a little ways from them.

"Alright, I got it."

"They're pretty heavy, so be ready, ya' hear?"

"Ready."

"Alrigh', one three," Winston paused. "One...Two...Three!"

With a loud grunt, they both began pulling the doors open with all their strength. As they kept pulling, a long and crunchy squeak from the door cried out. The rusted hinges, paired with the somewhat large frame of doors made it quite hard to pull open for them.

With a few struggling yanks on the handles, they both managed to pull the doors open enough for Laki to stroll inside. Grabbing his rope by the ends, Kendrec was up to pull his door just a bit more open before taking the two ends and tying them around the wooden pole, with Winston doing the same.

"Thanks, kid, I appreciate it," Winston said, breathing somewhat heavily.

"Don't mention it," Kendrec replied, slightly out of breath like Winston.

The inside of the barn was quite rough looking. It lacked any light source from inside, but the open cracks in the wood allowed rays of moonlight to brighten the darkness a little bit. There was a small pen that connected to the outside, and a few empty stables across from it.

There was a ladder made of wood that led to a small platform above. However, there wasn't anything of note other than a set of rusted tools and piles of hay laid out.

Taking the lead off Laki's back, Winston began walking the horse towards one of the open stables that already had its door wide open. The other stables were empty, albeit with a couple of small hay bales piled up inside.

Once inside the stable, Winston began undoing the saddle on Laki. Kendrec stood outside the stable, watching him finesse with the saddle as he slowly took it off the horse.

"You need any help with that?" Kendrec asked, unsure of what he should be doing.

"Nope, I almost..." Winston said, pausing as he continued to play with the hooks and straps. "Got it!"

Standing up with a groan, Winston grabbed one side of the saddle and gently pulled it off of Laki before taking off the whole thing. Carrying it outside the stable, he placed it against the horse's enclosure as he locked the door from the other side.

"I think that's a good day's work. Wouldn't you agree, kid?" Winston said, wiping his forehead with his arm.

"Mhm. I suppose it's time for some food now?" Kendrec said with a smirk.

"You betcha."

Patting Kendrec on the shoulder, they both made their way outside of the barn and back onto the path that led to the house. The fields were still slow dancing in the wind, and looking over to the other side now, Kendrec saw the field of crops and food that resided behind the house.

As they got closer, the sound of wind chimes hanging off the balcony's roof could be heard playing a soft tune in the breeze. The windows radiated a similar orange glow to the homes back at Spearhead but reminded Kendrec more of the sunset back when he was in the city.

Taking a moment to take an actual look at the house itself, Kendrec found it to be in a much better condition compared to the barn. Some parts were peeling, the outside had a couple of darker spots, and the concrete base of it had a greenish-brown gradient to it from the ground, but the overall structure of it was much better than the barn.

Walking up the steps and onto the porch, they both stood in front of the door for a moment. Reaching down, Winston grabbed the doorknob and twisted it to the right, making a clicking sound before creaking open.

Stepping into the house, they were greeted by the orange glow from the lantern hanging from the kitchen's ceiling and Tadashi running up to Kendrec's leg. The small fox began sniffing around him, rubbing his horns gently against Kendrec's calf as he knelt to pet him.

The room had a large island table in the middle of the room, which had a few miscellaneous items on it, but nothing of importance. There was a hallway straight ahead of them with a staircase acting as one side of the wall of it.

Martha, who just walked through a doorway that connected the kitchen to another room, looked at them both as she greeted them.

"Hello, dear," She said with a smile to Winston before looking down at Kendrec. "Kendrec."

"Hey, Mrs. Giorgi," Kendrec said while being crouched down rubbing Tadashi's stomach.

Martha gave him a warm smile. "Kendrec what did I tell you? You don't have to address me like that."

"Yeah, but..." Standing up and placing the bag that he had been carrying almost all day at this point, Kendrec let out a somewhat loud and short groan as he stretched. "Just doesn't feel right calling a lady by their first name." He said, cheekily.

"Mh, I suppose you're righ'." She chuckled.

Walking past Kendrec and around the center table, Wiston turned himself to face the two of them while leaning against the kitchen sink.

"I'm takin' a guess their already in the dinin' room?" Winston asked Martha.

"The kids are. Austin's in his room righ' now, but I can go get him if you'd like." She said.

"No, that's fine, I'll grab 'em. Kendrec, why don't you head inside, dinner'll be soon so you might as well grab a seat."

"Sounds good, but what about the bag?" Asked Kendrec.

"I'll take care of that," Martha softly chimed in. "I know a technique that I like to use whenever I need to keep food nice ‘n fresh." She said with a wink.

Nodding, Kendrec made his way past Martha and into the dining room with Tadashi following. The two kids from before were sitting next to each other with a vacant chair in the middle of them and the head chair. On the other end of the room was a window covered by a grayish curtain.

"Hey look! It's KenKen!" The young girl said with a hint of excitement.

"Hey, KenKen!" The boy said with the same hint of excitement as the girl.

"Hey, kids. Long time no see," Kendrec said, smiling at the both of them.

The table had seven chairs in total, three on each side and one at the head of it. All but one seat had a plate in front, and in the middle of the table was a lantern with food such as mashed potatoes and chicken surrounding it.

The smell of the food was almost rejuvenating. Kendrec could already feel his mouth watering just at the sight and smell of it and couldn't wait to dig into all of it. His journey across the city in the heat and with a heavy sack on his back all day left him tired and starving.

Noticing the three empty seats in front of him, Kendrec chose the second farthest seat from the head of the table, leaving the chair to the right of him open for Martha or Austin.

Pulling the chair out from under the table and taking a seat on it, Kendrec realized just how sore his body was from running all day. Slouching on the chair, he clenched his hand into a fist as he moved it in front of his face, letting out a tiresome yawn.

The two kids across the table looked at each other for a moment confused, looking back at Kendrec who looked as if he was near ready to fall asleep on the spot.

"Hey, KenKen," The small girl asked. "What did you do in the city?"

"Yeah! You had a really big bag with you, what's in it?" The boy asked as well.

Opening just his right eye, Kendrec then closed it again as he let out a soft chuckle on his breath. Sitting straight back up, he crossed his arms together and leaned in on the table.

"You wanna know what happened?" Kendrec said, smirking as he did.

Curious, the kids leaned in closer, nodding to his question. Tadashi jumped on the chair next to Kendrec, also looking at him as he spoke.

"Well, I guess it starts when we snuck into the city," He said, pausing for a moment as he saw the excitement on the kid's faces. Smirking, he continued "There's this underground city that connects the inner wall and the outer wall. It's full of criminals and thugs, but I was able to get my way around it."

"Woahhh, that's cool!" The boy blurted out.

"Mhm. After making our way to the surface, we then began making our way to the heart of the city, A.K.A, the castle. Surprisingly, the castle itself was pretty easy to sneak into, so I started sneaking around in there as well."

Pausing once more, Kendrec noticed just how hooked the kids were to his story, which made him smile a bit.

"C'mon KenKen, keep going!" The girl insisted.

"Yeah KenKen, did you manage to see the king at all?" The boy asked.

"Alright, alright. Sadly no, I didn't get the chance to see the king," He continued, which made them both frown a little bit. "But, I did get to see the princess."

Getting their attention once more, he continued. "She was being escorted somewhere with a couple of her 'royal guards', they call them. I was able to maneuver around them and reach the royal family's garden."

"Woah really? What'd she look like?" The girl asked.

"Well, she wasn't much older than you guys, most likely 12 at best. She wore a beautiful purple dress and had gorgeous blond hair."

"What else?" The boy asked, his face turning a light red under his eyes.

"Why do you wanna know so badly?" Kendrec asked.

"N-No reason," The boy quickly said, trying to hide his embarrassment. "I-I just wanted to know, that's all."

"You were never one to hide ya' feelins', Flint," Martha said, walking out of the kitchen and into the room they were in.

"Ma! C-C'mon!" Flint said as his face became more flushed.

"You haven't even met her and you're already drooling over her." The girl giggled.

"Now, now, Sarah. No need to keep teasin' your brotha' like that," Martha scolded, but with a soft tone to her voice. "Now apologize to him."

"Sorry ma', and big brother."

After letting out a quiet laugh, Martha walked to the chair next to Kendrec, pulling it out and taking a seat next to him.

"Can you keep going with your story, KenKen?" Sarah asked.

"Now dear, he's had a long day already. Why don't you kids let him relax for a bit, alrigh'?" Martha said.

"But-" Sarah tried saying, before being cut off by Martha.

"No buts."

"Sorry kids, her rules." Kendrec chimed in.

"Aww...Alrigh', ma'."

Having a little laugh, Kendrec turned his head to face the doorway. Winston walked in, but he had a boy following behind him. He looked to be around Kendrec's age, with short black hair that had a split in the front. He was wearing a cream-colored button-up shirt with dirty overalls that had the straps tied around his waist.

Walking in, the boy looked around the room at everyone. "Hey, y'all."

"Dear," Martha said, as she smiled at both him and Winston who took a seat at the head of the table.

"Big bro'!" Flint and Sarah said, almost in unison.

"Hey, Austin," Kendrec said.

"Oh, Kendrec. I almost missed you there," Austin said, sitting across from Martha. "I see you made it outta' the city."

"Barely. I got chased for half the time I was there, all I can honestly think about is eating this food."

"Y'all know the rules, we pray 'n then eat," Winston interrupted.

"Oh right, sorry." Kendrec apologized.

"Sorry, pa'." Austin apologized as well.

Everyone went silent. They all closed their hands together, placing them against their foreheads as they closed their eyes. Together, they began quietly mumbling prayers to themselves at the table.

Moments passed as they prayed. While the others like Winston, Martha, and their kids understood the prayer, Kendrec, on the other hand, didn't know one bit of the prayer at all. Resorting to making incomprehensible mumbles as he tried to make it sound like he was following along.

"A-men," Winston announced, with the others following as Kendrec was a bit delayed.

With the prayer ended, they all began taking food out of the middle plates and into their own. The steam from the food looked as if it could engulf the entire room in smoke. Tadashi even got a little bit of food from Kendrec, going around under the table as everyone had a turn feeding him some of their food.

"So, Austin," Winston said, once more interrupting a conversation between his son and Kendrec.

Laughing from his talk with Kendrec, Austin turned to face Winston. "Yeah, pa'? What is it?" He said as his laughter died down.

"Ya' mothas' been tellin' 'bout a possible deal for our business. Mind explainin'?" Winston asked.

"Oh," Austin said as he scoffed down some food. "I was speakin' with a Vinvito representative. Since the Cartier route is down from the Kanati brother sightins', I thought It would be in our best interest to make a proper relationship with them."

"The Vinvitos?" Winston said with a subtle but somewhat noticeable shocked expression. "Now that could actually help us out a bit. When'd you get this all set up?"

"Last week. I bumped into the big shot himself in the city while I was sellin' a bit of our stuff off. He told one of his boys to talk with me, and one thing led to anotha',” He paused, taking another mouth full of food.

"And?" Winston asked.

Quickly chewing his food and swallowing it down, Austin resumed. "I'm meetin' with Mr. Vinvito himself next month after the festival."

"Perfect. That gives us plenty of time to get some products ready to go." Winston said

"Only issue is we're gonna have to run it through the council since it might become an international operation. That's if you want it that way of course." Austin continued.

"The Vinvitos?" Kendrec said with a somewhat puzzled expression. "I've heard a little bit of them, aren't they that big trading company?" He asked

Turning to look at Kendrec, Austin nodded. "Bullseye. They’re that big-time company from Bellarre that manages pretty much most of the tradin’ that goes around.”

"I heard from my dad that he's met Mr. Vinvito, I guess he used to be an ex-Bellarre soldier. Maybe if I can get my dad to come here for it, that could help your guys' deal."

"Eh, I'm not too sure 'bout that Kendrec," Winston said, pausing to eat some food. "With how things are between the people in 'n outside these walls, not too sure that would be a good idea."

"But what about the Vinvitos?" Austin asked. "With them by his pa's side, surely they wouldn't try anything with them involved, righ'?"

"I suppose you're righ'. I guess we'll just s-" Winston tried saying before being interrupted by loud pounding sounds from the other room.

The room fell silent as they looked at each other confused. Austin grabbed his almost empty plate of food and carefully stood up, trying not to make any noise as he quietly made his way over to Kendrec.

"Grab ya' plate. We needa’ go'," He whispered.

Kendrec nodded, grabbing his plate and the one next to him as Austin instructed. "C'mon 'Tashi, let's go," He mumbled to the small fox, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Standing up, Kendrec and Tadashi followed Austin out of the dining room and into the kitchen. Winston stood up as well, following them to the kitchen and pulling them into a quiet huddle.

"Austin, you know where to hide em'. Y’all don't come out 'till I give the signal, got it?" Winston whispered gravelly.

Nodding, Austin tugged on Kendrec's sleeve as he began leading him and Tadashi down the hallway and into a room on the left side.

Turning to face the door, Winston let out another sigh as he approached it. As he hesitated to grab the doorknob he could hear low grumbling and shuffling noises just on the other side of the door. But with a firm grasp and turn on the knob, Winston pulled the door open.

Facing Winston stood three men that wore dark blue trench coats and shiny black hats, similar to the ones that chased Kendrec through the Eloria district of the city. Interestingly, the officer standing in the middle had an insignia of an owl head surrounded by two shields on his hat unlike the other two behind him.

Winston could see that they were somewhat old, being around their early thirties, maybe even early late forties. Behind them on the ground was a fourth officer on top of a horse, with a group of three other horses around him.

"Officers, how may I help you tonight?" Winston asked, trying to compose his casual facade.

"Good evening, Mr. Giorgi. We were wondering if we could ask you a few questions if that's okay." The middle officer politely asked in his low and harsh-sounding voice.

"Why certainly, my family and I were just havin' some dinna'," Winston said, moving to the side of the door, allowing the officers inside the house. "Come in."

With a forced smile and a tip of his hat, the two officers followed the middle one inside, observing the inside of the kitchen.

"This way," Winston said, redirecting them to the dining room.

Walking into the dining room, Winston looked over at Sarah and Flint, who were beginning to look a bit scared from the sight of the police.

"Go on kids, head to your room," Winston said.

Getting off their seats, both kids began walking past the officers and out of the room, going down the hallway and up the stairs. The wood of the stairs creaked beneath their little feet.

"Where are my manners?" The officer with the badge said. "My name is Officer Brandt. Theodore Brandt to be specific," He continued, reaching his white-gloved hand out to shake Winston's.

After a firm handshake, Theodore gently wiped his hand against his coat before resting his arm by his side.

As Winston sat back down in his chair, the three officers took a look around the room for a moment before picking their seats. Theodore sat in Austin's original seat, to the right of Winston while the other two officers stood at attention by the doorway.

A small moment of silence ensued before Winston broke it. "So is there a reason for y'all comin' here tonight?" He asked.

"It's great that you asked that, actually," Theodore said. "I'm not sure if you've heard, but an unknown person that's been terrorizing the city was recently followed back to the town of Spearhead, not too far from here," He said.

"Ah, I see," Winston said softly.

"Mhm. However, the locals there said they saw a shady individual that was a near-perfect match to the description of that person entering the Galeen Canteen."

Winston's body turned cold, but he still pushed on acting as if he didn't know what the officers were talking about.

"Unfortunately, after that, not many residents had any other information for us. But, a couple of them did say they heard a horse walking through town a little after the person arrived. Going in the direction they told us they heard it going, it so happened your house was on that same path out of town."

"Did you happen to see anyone coming by?" Theodore asked.

"No, sir. My oldest son is in the city for a couple a' nights, so it's only been my wife 'n kids," Winston replied.

"Is that so?" Theodore asked in a precarious tone.

They fell quiet once more as Winston and Theodore stared intensely at one another. Leaning forward a bit, Theodore began examining his face closer, pushing his tongue into the corner of his mouth as he leaned forward into the chair, arms crossed on the table.

"Well, in that case, you wouldn't mind if my men took a look around the home a little, right?" Theodore asked.

"Certainly," Winston agreed.

"Alright then."

Looking at the two other men, Theodore flicked his head up to them as a way to send them off. Getting the message, the two officers promptly left the room, leaving Martha and Winston alone with Theodore.

"So Mr. and Mrs. Giorgi, you wouldn't mind if I asked you guys a few more questions, would you?" Theodore asked.

"Certainly not. Shoot," Winston replied.

While they talked, the two officers walked around the kitchen looking around for anything that they would deem suspicious. But with nothing found, they then walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway.

Once at the end of it, they decided to split up with one going into the room where Kendrec and Tadashi hid and one going upstairs. The officer's boots stomping against each creaky step echoed through the house as the other entered the room Kendrec and Tadashi were hiding in.

Standing in the doorway of the room, the officer examined the room from a distance. On the surface, he couldn't see anything of interest as. He determined that the room was a living room of some sort. There was a wooden door in the far right corner of the room, with a window with its curtains blocking the outside view. A few feet in front of the man was a messy brown couch, with a fur-lined carpet beneath it.

Even though he couldn't see anything of note, he still had his orders to investigate the house, and that he did. Walking up to the window, used both his hands to push the curtains to the side. Peering out the window, he saw nothing of interest that would indicate some type of activity.

Strolling around the room, the officer looked around the shelves and other furniture to see if there was anything he could report. With nothing found, he began making his way out of the room, only stopping after he heard a faint sound behind him.

Placing his hand on the doorway, the officer twisted his torso around and squinted his eyes as he examined the room once more. Landing his gaze on the rug, he turned himself around fully and made his way to the end of it behind the couch.

Crouching down, the officer grabbed the rug and lifted it as he stood back up. Staring down at the dusty floor intensely, he looked around to see if there was anything out of place, only to once again find nothing out of the usual.

Hearing the footsteps of the other officer coming down the stairs, he gently placed the rug back down on the floor, tugging at the edge a bit to get it back into its original position. Walking away and joining back up with the other man, the two officers made their way back into the dining room where they once again stood at attention.

"Oh, you boys are already back? What'd you guys find?" Theodore asked, snapping out of a conversation he was having with Winston.

"Nothing, sir," the officer who went upstairs said.

"Nothin' on my end either," the other officer said, having a similar accent to Winston and his family.

"Alright then," Theodore said. "I suppose we don't have any more reason to stay here."

Reaching out his hand to shake once more, Winston stared briefly at it before shaking his hand again.

"My dearest apologies for interrupting your night, good sir." Theodore apologized.

"No need to apologize, really."

Letting go of Winston's hand, Theodore stood up out of his chair.

"Alright boys, I think it's about time we head out," Theodore said.

With his orders, the two other officers as well as Winston stood up and made their way out of the dining room and towards the front door. Opening the door for them, Winston watched the two officers leave before Theodore stopped in front of the door, turning to face Winston.

"Y'all, have a good night now," Theodore said in a somewhat mockingly fashion, patting his shoulder as he walked off

With a look of disgust on his face, Winston watched them get back onto their horses. With a smirk and a wave goodbye, Theodore gently wiped the rope against the horse, making it walk off as the others followed him over the hill and out of sight.

Letting out a trembling sigh as he shut the door, Winston took a moment to regain his composure. He could hear the hooves pounding against the ground outside as the sound slowly became fainter and fainter before going quiet.

"Alrigh', y'all can come out now," Winston announced loudly.

After a moment of silence, the same shuffling noises from the living room we heard once more, this time louder as some incohesive murmurs were heard as well. Austin walked out of the room first, with Kendrec and Tadashi soon joining behind as they made their way down the hall towards Winston.

"Where's Flint 'n Sarah?" Austin asked.

"They're upstairs in their room," Winston answered, somewhat exhaustedly.

"Alright, I'll grab em'."

"No need, dinner's over. Besides, I think it's 'bout time we all hit the hay anyways," Winston said.

"Mh, got it. I'll go tuck em' in then."

Walking past Kendrec, Austin made his way to the bottom of the staircase and began his squeaky ascent upstairs.

"Let's go Kendrec, we'll head out the back," Winston said.

"Alright," Kendrec nodded.

Letting Winston go ahead, Kendrec and Tadashi followed behind him through the hallway and into the room they were hiding in just a few moments ago. Inside the room, Winston looked around as he made his way towards the door in the corner.

"Well, at least they ain't break nothin'," He sarcastically groaned.

Pulling the door open, Winston looked around outside before going down a small set of wooden steps that led to the ground. Turning back to Kendrec, he gestured for him to move forward with his hand.

Going down the steps and catching up with Winston, they proceeded to walk in the direction of the barn with Tadashi taking the lead of sorts.

They were quiet as they walked. The wind seemed to have picked up just so slightly since they arrived at the farm. Out of the corner of his eye, Winston noticed something odd about Kenrec. The boy had a stern look on his face, and he could hear him shakily breathing through his nose.

"Hey, kid. Ya' sure you're all good?" Winston asked.

His question seemed to have snapped him out of whatever was bothering him. Facing Winston, Kendrec looked at him with an expression of shock and embarrassment.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, you just seemed all shook up, is all."

"Just a little," Kendrec said as he stared down at the ground below him. "With what just happened, I just thought..." He paused.

"Listen, kid," Winston interrupted, getting a look of surprise from Kendrec. "I undastand' the risks of helpin' you out. It ain't your fault."

"But what if they found me?" Kendrec snapped back, calming himself after seeing Winston suddenly turn to face him. "I just... don't want you guys to get hurt."

A look of confusion plastered across Winston's face before turning into a warm smile. Staring down, Winston exhaled as he lifted his head back up to look straight ahead.

"Well they didn't find out, did they?" Winston asked.

A soft chuckle escaped Kendrec. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Arriving at the front of the barn, the three of them stopped as they stared at the dark insides of the rickety old building.

"Well, this is where we part ways for the night. I'll come wake ya' up early, so make sure ya’ get some good sleep now," Winston said, turning around as he began making his way back to the house.

"Alright, I'll see ya' guys in the morning," Kendrec said, turning around and getting a simple wave from Winston.

Sighing, he looked down at Tadashi, who was waiting for him to enter inside. A small smile formed on his face as he crouched down to get somewhat leveled with the small fox. With a pat on his shoulder, Tadashi came running up Kendrec's back and wrapped his body around his shoulders.

Standing back up, Kendrec made his way inside the barn. Glimmers of moonlight through one of the many open cracks shined across his face as he walked forwards inside.

Walking up to the ladder, he examined it for a bit. Testing its stability, Kendrec placed his foot on the base step firmly and began pushing against it. With it barely budging, he grabbed another step above him with both hands as he placed his other foot above the other.

Climbing to the top of the ladder, Kendrec grabbed onto the floor as he pushed himself up. Standing up, Tadashi jumped off of his shoulders and next to him.

Taking a moment to stretch and yawn, Kendrec wandered over to a large pile of hay off to the side. Undoing the buttons on his jacket, Kendrec took it off as a large gust of cool air blew against his green cotton shirt.

Sitting down at the base of the hay pile, he laid his jacket down next to him. Tadashi walked onto the jacket, patting it before laying down and curling himself into a ball.

Laying down, Kendrec's body started feeling limp and heavy as he felt his back slowly sink into the hay. Placing his hands under his head, he looked over at his jacket before focusing on the small chest pocket where the blue daisy resided.

Reaching his hand over to it, he gently pulled the flower out and placed it a few inches from his face by the stem. Studying it, he saw that most of the pedals were torn and ripped, and the bright yellow center was darkened from the dirt around it.

"Hey, 'Tashi?" Kendrec asked, getting the small fox to lift its head up to look. "Do you think Filia would still like this?"

Looking at him with an unamused expression, Tadashi rested his head back down snuggly into his balled-up body. Looking over, Kendrec quickly exhaled from his nose as he looked back at the flower.

"Well, aren't the helpful kind," Kenrec sarcastically said. "But, I guess that answers that."

With a quick flick, the flower landed a few feet from him as he placed his hand back under his head. A cool draft blew through the barn, blowing the flower to the base of Kendrec's feet without him realizing.

Staring at the ceiling, Kendrec's eyes began growing heavier as they slowly closed shut. The sounds of the outside grass dancing in the wind and Tadashi's quick and soft breaths were the last thing Kendrec heard as he allowed himself to slowly drift into a deep sleep.