Cirrus's hooves clopped against the cobblestone streets of Airendale. The village was small but pretty. Buildings and houses were shoulder to shoulder lining each side of the streets. Traders set up their stalls selling fruit, vegetables, weapons, and other goods. Men stood idly discussing the best battle tactics. Women bargained with traders in fresh produce while their children played in the streets. Wagons inched their way down the crowded roads, the horses trying to avoid all the chaos. 

Kaari wished she was wearing her black cloak as the villagers stared at her trotting down the street. They all knew her grandmother who was a little more than rich. She was known as Lady Carola Sadek. Kaari was considered the poor granddaughter who was unsociable. 

Kaari rarely went into town for this reason. 

In her satchel, Quill hunkered down to hide from all the stares and scowls. Some people thought she was a disgrace to the Sadek family. Her father was Louis Sadek, the younger brother in the family. He had squandered most of his money on foolish things. He now was stuck on a farm with his poor family. His brother, Lord James Sadek, owned quite a lot of land up north, towards the eastern Diamond Peaks. Her family lived on the southwest area of the Diamond Peak where they could reach both the mountains and the ocean. 

Taking a deep breath, Kaari calmed her racing heart and lifted her chin, her blue eyes passing over the villagers' heads. She could hear whispers about her family sneaking through the town but she paid them no mind. 

Instead, she dug her heels into Cirrus's flanks and he quickened his pace, not yet running. The rhythm of his hooves picked up and her traitorous heart matched the it. 

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Kaari reached the black smith. It was an open shop with a forage in the back. Horse shoes hung on the walls in different  sizes. Tools and weapons were displayed on shelves, collecting dust. A fire burned in the back and giant bellows were scattered around the place. A small entryway was hidden partially by a wall with half finished projects resting against it. 

Kaari slid down from Cirrus, tying his reins to a fence post to make sure he looked like a regular horse that didn't converse with her. "I'll be back," she muttered, slipping the satchel's strap over shoulder. Quill shifted, trying to not put wait on his wing.

She wondered into the shop. She was always fascinated by the multitude of metal creations.  

Kaari strolled over to the doorway and peeked out. Behind the shop was a lush green pasture with a small cottage by it. Tied to a fence post was Wren's black mare and Asha's dappled grey mustang. 

Wren's father was shouting at someone out of sight in another open building. It was smaller then the blacksmith and was used for his veterinary clinic. Bird cages hung from the ceiling and pens with restless animals lined the walls. 

Inside was Wren and Asha's father. He was a burly man with tan skin and black hair. He looked tougher than he actually was. His personality was like a giant cupcake. He always loved when Kaari visited and encouraged her drawing. 

Stepping into the pasture, Kaari called a greeting. The blacksmith looked up and flashed a big grin. "Hi, Kaari!"

He waved her over and Kaari smiled at him as she walked over. "I have another patient for you," she said as she held up her satchel. Quill hooted and stood taller. "His name's Quill."

"What happened?" He asked, picking up the brown owl and studying him. "His wing's broken," she told him.

"I can fix that easily. Just gotta put it in a splint and he'll be fine. Just make sure he stays out of the sky for a while until it fully heals." 

Kaari nodded as the blacksmith, Flint, set Quill in the table. Flint went over to a counter and rummaged through a couple drawers until he found what he needed. He set his supplies on the table and began to prepare a splint. 

"So how's it going?" He asked, checking Quill's wing for any other injuries. Kaari sighed, not sure how to explain everything.  

After a moments hesitation, Kaari ended up spilling out her whole last two days. Flint stayed silent while she spoke, nodding throughout to let her know he was listening. 

After she finished, the blacksmith glanced up at her. He gave her a reassuring smile. "Well, at least your going to Lady Sadek's. You always have fun there. Plus the food she makes is a plus," he winked at her. 

Kaari halfheartedly smiled and watched him wrap Quill's wing in a soft cloth. She reached out to smooth some of the owl's feathers. "How's Kia?" she asked after a while, breaking the almost suffocating silence.

"She's doing well. But I'd like to keep them both overnight just to make sure they're okay." Flint said, his evergreen eyes unreadable. 

Kaari nodded. "Okay." She glanced around. "Where's Asha?" she asked, her eyes scanning the small green space outside. 

Flint pointed to the house without looking up from Quill's wings. "Probably inside the house. She might be making lunch though." 

"Thanks."

Kaari left after giving farewells to both Quill and Flint and then she bounded across the yard. She climbed the stone steps to the tiny cottage and knocked on the door twice. 

A moment past before the door swung open with a hollow creek. Flint's wife, Irene, stood there, smiling at her. Her bond hair was swept back into a messy ponytail and she had an apron on with handprints of flour on it. Her hands were mostly clean, specks of dough dotting her skin. 

"Hi, Kaari!" she beamed, her blue eyes twinkling. "Come in! Come in!" 

Kaari grinned and stepped inside. She was instantly buffeted with the fragrance of freshly baked bread. "It smells good. What are you making?" 

"My favorite pastry. Flint's birthday is tomorrow," she explained, wiping her hands on her apron. 

"I didn't know it was tomorrow. Telll him I said happy birthday?" Kaari asked. Irene nodded and led her into the kitchen. The room was warm with the fireplace burning. A vase of daisies was pushed aside on the table to make room for kneaded dough. A thin layer of flour coated the table to prevent the unbaked bread from sticking. 

"Do you know where Asha is?"

Irene pulled a knife from a drawer and started to cut the bread into thin slabs. She took one slice and flattened it out with a wooden roller. "She's out in the garden getting some vegetables for lunch. Your welcome to stay and eat with us," she said, looking up from folding the corners of the dough into a design. 

"I'd love to but my grandmother is expecting me," Kaari politely declined, although she did really want to stay. 

"Oh, off to Lady Sadek's, huh?" Irene teased, her lips curling into a grin. Kaari smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm going to spend the week there."

"That's nice. By the way," Irene said, filling the pastry with homemade jam and topping it with a freshly picked strawberry in a basket on the floor that Kaari didn't notice. "Your owl, I think her name's Kia, likes to eat blueberries."

"Really?" Kaari laughed. Irene nodded and offered a strawberry. Kaari took it and nibbled on it, savoring the sweet and slightly sour taste on her tongue.

"Thanks for inviting me to lunch. Sorry I can't come," Kaari apologized. "I should probably find Asha and then get going. Thanks for the strawberry!"

"Alright, bye! Maybe next time you can stay," Irene suggested with a wave as she turned to stoke the fire. Kaari waved and popped the rest of the strawberry in her mouth, opening the front door. "See ya!"

She stepped down from the sop tone walkway and went around the back of the house to the garden. It was a small garden but it was lined with pumpkins, beets, carrots, and potatoes. A thriving bush with red berries on it bordered the edge of the upturned soil. 

Asha was uprooting carrots and potatoes on the far side of land. She was crouched down, pulling away weeds. Her blond hair dangles on the right side of her face. She looked up just as Kaari lifted her hand to wave. 

"Hi, Kaari!" She straightened and grinned at Kaari. Kaari smiled, relieved she wasn't angry that she had skipped the meeting yesterday. 

"Hi, sorry about yesterday," Kaari began. Asha waved her free hand to wave away the apology. "It's fine, Wren told me what happened."

"I'm assuming only the parts he knew, right?" Kaari asked, her blue eyes shining with mischief. 

"Yes, what do you mean?"

"Well there's more to the story. I'll tell you and then can you relay it to Wren?" 

"Sure."

Asha beckoned for Laari to come over to where she was standing and then crouched down again to continue harvesting vegetables. Kaari picked her way across the bumpy ground and leaned down beside her friend. 

She began telling what happened, beginning to end, as she helped pick the carrots. She was halfway through the story when they moved onto the potatoes. Asha stayed silent when she finished and Kaari watched her to gauge her reaction. 

After a moment of awkward silence, Asha shifted her position and opened her mouth to speak. 

"So your mom finally gets it?" She whispered. Kaari swallowed hard before answering. "Mostly."

They went on picking the food in silence until Wren came around the corner. 

Kaari looked up and saw that he had a scratch above his jade eye and a long gash on his arm. He was panting hard.

Astonished, Kaari jumped to her feet. "What happened?" Asha asked as they both made their way over to him. 

"Their out."