Janius shrugged. "I suppose you could call them important, but not quite with the same responsibility that we have in our family." Janius lowered his voice. "As for those that raised me, they were servants. It's not the same thing. They took care of the house in return for gold and accommodation."

The tour continued on. Janius pointed out a few more features in the upper-class district regarding his childhood. They passed the fighters guild hall where he had learned how to swing an axe and earned his own money. They passed an inn where Janius would spend time with his old friends. By the time they reached the canal, Janius' nostalgic description almost made the city seem pleasant to live in. The canal crossing began to change that impression.

The murky brown water below the bridge reeked from down the street. The runoff from the entire city went down that channel, yet still some ramshackle dwellings hung onto the edge of it for lack of other space. The buildings on the other side of the canal were not necessarily dilapidated or unsound, though they were cramped, wooden, and covered in damage that would no-doubt allow in many cold drafts during the night. This part of the tour outlined Janius' later youthful years, where his friends were more of a trouble-making gang and his haunts were more illicit in their business practices. Janius was never too involved to put himself into too much danger, though even after all these years, the atmosphere of Bravil was one of unwashed desperation.

Thankfully, there was not much left of the day to spend on the other side of the canal. The family headed back to the keep before the last orange light of the sun disappeared over the city walls.

[hr]
Fendros angled his head to one side, tacitly agreeing with Ahnasha. The reasoning made sense but that did not make Fendros any happier about the situation.

Ahansha's next words made Fendros smile, at least. "It's not quite that. It'll make more sense once you hear what happened..."

[hr]
Later that night, the pack was gathered into a private spot in the form of a storage room. Lorag had something important to speak to everyone about. At least, everyone in the pack but Meesei, Rhazii, and Kaj-Julan. When they had arrived back, Fendros dropped a hint to Janius and Kaleeth about what transpired in the training room. It quickly became clear what the meeting was about, but not what Lorag intended to announce.

Fendros leaned against a wall with his arms crossed while Janius took a seat on a crate. Neither of them spoke yet.