Only the sound of wind brushing past the trees was heard in the deep thicket of night. Leaf couldn’t count the minutes he sat there, contemplating his actions. An almost apathetic expression donned his face with his dark brown eyes set on the bandit in front of him. Blood had stopped leaking from the man’s forehead, but that wasn’t what the squirrel was looking at. Below the bolt, a pair of blood shot eyes stared back at Leaf, cold and lifeless. A few more moments passed before the young creature managed to struggle up to his feet, the aching pain in his stomach stinging like a blade. Without looking back, Leaf walked towards his crossbow slowly before he reached down and picked the device up from the ground, hugging it softly. He had to move on, the surrounding area was still dangerous even though this pack of bandits were out for the count. Odds were that this wasn’t even the entire crew, only a pack sent out on a raid. Their absence would probably invoke a search party the coming morning. 

Estermere wasn’t too far off now, but Leaf would have to finish the journey by foot, holding onto his crossbow like the lifeline it was. He never bothered reloading it, the five bolts remaining in the clip had to do the job. He didn’t bother reloading his side arm but rather folded up the bow and holstered the weapon. Leaf’s thoughts were far from technicalities, if he was even thinking at all. At this point the squirrel walked aimlessly along the trade route for what seemed like hours until gates would appear in the distance. That was it, Estermere. So far the wizard’s creation hadn’t gotten a good impression of humans at all. Were they all like this? Robbers, thieves, murderers? No, in the carriage Leaf had met a handful of polite and gentle individuals who all seemed used to travel. Their curiosity about the squirrel wasn’t of malice but of knowledge. How could a creature like that come to be? With magic, almost anything is possible. 

Looking up from the ground, Leaf stood face to face with two guards. Both were armed with pikes and guarded the gate into Estermere. “What on earth…?” One of the guards began, leaning forward slightly to inspect Leaf further. 

“Can I pass…?” The squirrel spoke quietly, the pain stabbing him as he did. 

“You’re a…” The other guard scratched the back of his head, unable to fully grasp the concept. 

“Last time I checked…I was…Can I pass…?” Leaf repeated, nearly ready to collapse. The creature fell to one knee but managed to struggle back up to his feet and stumbled forward. The guards were confused as it was, but they noticed how Leaf was wounded and allowed him passage without any more hassle. Once inside the gates, Leaf saw the sleeping town unfolding in front of him. The streets weren’t too busy but he could hear a lot of voices stretching out across the roads. Some seemed inclined on being out at night, but the squirrel wanted nothing more than a moment of rest. Maybe he could muster enough energy to reach the inn. Conjuring the remainder of his strength, Leaf kept walking. The market seemed very busy, even at night apparently.