"Whoa there, boy!"

The wagon came to a halt, and off jumped a middle-aged man of strong build. He walked alongside of the nu — a gentle, ox-like beast — that had been pulling the wagon and stroked its long, soft fur. The man pulled a small bunch of grapes out of his coat pocket and allowed the nu to nibble them from his hand.

"Colton!" came a call.

The man turned to find a young man running toward him.

"It's about time!" the young man quipped as he stopped to catch his breath.

"Buddy, there's no need to be hasty. I know it's your first caravan and all...oh what am I saying?! I was just as giddy as you when I first went out!" Colton chuckled. "So where's Curt and Paul?"

"Paul's grabbing the last of the supplies." Buddy turned and darted off, shouting over his shoulder, "I'll go find Curt!"

"This is going to be an interesting caravan," Colton thought to himself as he smiled and shook his head.

This was going to be the first year that Colton would be taking three rookies out on a caravan. It did not matter though. Everything would be fine. Colton had been on over a dozen caravans and had earned himself great renown here in the village of Brighton. Colton was a skilled explorer, smith, and swordsman. The village had great faith in him, and the three fellows he had been mentoring over the past year admired him greatly. They were even quite skilled for being such young chaps.

"Curt, Paul, and Buddy are so eager...they'll be replacing an old man like me before I know it!" Colton laughed out loud.

"Curt! Curt! Come on, let's go! Colton's waiting!"

Buddy's voice startled Curt, bringing him out of his deep musings. Curt closed his journal, tucked it into a satchel, and rose to stretch.

"Currrrrt!" Buddy shouted again.

"Easy, Buddy, I'm coming, man!" Curt called as he threw his satchel over his shoulder and walked out of the house.

"Finally! Hey, Curt, this is gonna be great, huh?!" Buddy said excitedly.

"Man, Buddy, if you had a tail I wouldn't even be able to see it, it would be waggin' so fast!" Curt joked.

"Ah, Curt, come on! You know you're just as excited. I mean, we've been waiting for this for years!" Buddy replied.

Curt put his arm around Buddy's shoulder, and they began walking back toward Colton's wagon.

"You're right, my friend. I'm jazzed too. Go on ahead...I need to say goodbye to my uncle," Curt stated.

"Alrighty-o. Say bye to Cid for me too!" Buddy said as he trotted off.

Curt diverged to the right and stopped in front of a small shop with a sign that read: "Odds and Even Ends". As he opened the door, a chime sounded.

"Be right there!" came a call.

"Uncle, it's me," Curt replied.

"Hey, Curt!" Cid shouted as he emerged from a pile of antique junk that was sitting in one corner of the shop.

Cid danced lightly around the maze of gadgets and gizmos and made his way to where Curt was standing.

"Well, Unc—" was all that Curt got out before Cid took him in his arms and squeezed with all his might.

"You be careful out there, my boy. It's no picnic, but a great adventure nonetheless!" Cid let Curt go and took a step back. "Lemme take a good look at you...my how you've grown! Seems like just yesterday you ran into my arms...well you're no baby anymore. You're a strong, young man...mighty handsome too, if I do say so myself...just like your uncle!"

"Alright, Cid, you goof! Don't worry, we'll be back in no time. Anything you want me to bring you back?" Curt asked.

"Naw. You just get yourself back here in one piece and have a great time!" Cid rushed in for another hug. "Ok, now skedaddle on outta here!"

Curt and Cid left the shop and walked together a short distance. Cid stopped, smiled, and patted Curt on the shoulder. Curt smiled back and began to jog off. After a few seconds, he stopped, turned, and waved to Cid. Cid waved and then shuffled back into his shop.

Curt neared the wagon where Colton and Buddy were waiting just as another young man came waltzing up with a large load of supplies.

"Hey, Paul!" Curt greeted.

"Hey nothin'...come and help me out, fellas!" Paul pleaded.

Buddy and Curt ran to help Paul. Together they loaded the supplies into the wagon.

"Damn that stuff was a lot heavier than I thought!" Paul was clearly winded, but he tried his best not to show it.

Paul was of a similar build as Curt, only a bit taller and a bit darker in complexion. In fact, all three young men were fairly similar — of moderate height and build, dark haired, dark eyed, fit, and fairly handsome.

"Ok, you rookies!" Colton shouted. "Climb aboard, and let's get this show on the road!"

Quite a few villagers had come out to see the caravan off, and they cheered at Colton's call.

"Be careful, y'all!", "Watch out for monsters!", "Go get that myrrh!", "We'll be praying for you!", and a host of other well-wishes sounded off. Colton gently flicked the reins, and the nu began to pull. A few of the children from the village followed the caravan to the edge of town, waving and laughing all the way. Upon reaching the village limits, Colton stopped the wagon and turned to his three companions.

"Ok, fellas, this is it. Watch the crystal orb now, ya hear? Remember everything we studied this past year, and stick close together. We're a team...we're setting out together, and we're coming back together. Got it?" Colton stated.

"Yes, Sir!" the three rookies shouted all at once.

"Then let the journey begin! Myrrh trees here we come!" Colton shouted as he jerked the reins once more, and the caravan headed out into the vast world beyond Brighton.