The fair in Green Falls during the time of the Tournament was like nothing Rilana had ever seen before. There were so many people, so many things to see. Everything was so colourful and green when she was so used to the white and blue of ice. As pale as she was, she hardly stood out among the swirling masses of people crowding the open spaces between rows of carts and brightly-dyed awnings of makeshift stands. 

At first the cacophony of noise, especially the cheering and yelling from the tourney grounds, was almost painful to hear, but after a while she began to feel the festive atmosphere take hold of her. She wandered down the rows of stands, pausing here or there to splurge a little of her earnings on fresh supplies for her otterskin medicine bag and some spices to liven up her meals on the way back to Frigmount. 

But what really interested her were the other animal-people. Other Druids, like her, who had found a place working alongside animals, whose unique talents had also brought them to the huge bazaar. She struck up a conversation with a human man who was nearly as covered with Marks as he was claw and fang scars. He was selling several young hawks and eagles, and Rilana stroked the glossy black feathers of a messenger raven as they talked together. 

In the next stall, she got a look at regular horses. They seemed tall but not nearly as stocky or wily as the Fjords she was used to. With her pack over her shoulder, she wandered over to where the food stalls were. From here she could see a tiny sliver of the arena and nibbled on some strawberries that had been dipped in honey and speared on a kebab. 

She might not be able to see the arena, but she could hear the excited screaming. But then her placid chewing eased and she stood still. The screaming no longer sounded excited...it sounded terrified. People were running. Away from the arena. 

Against her better judgement, propelled both by an unhealthy curiosity and the snarling sounds of an animal she was not familiar with, Rilana dropped her half-eaten strawberries and scurried towards the stands. Fleeing people jostled her a bit as she tried to weave around them, but eventually she found herself looking down on a confusing scene.

She was across the arena from where some scaly [i]thing[/i] seemed to rampaging in the stands. And on the floor of the arena, another different monster seemed to be facing off against warriors armed only with wooden weapons. There were motionless bodies and smears of blood. What kind of barbaric tournament was this? And what kind of creature was that thing? 

Moving with almost ethereal calmness, Rilana walked down the steps to the arena floor, her piercing blue eyes riveted on the two-headed monster. Her nostrils filled with the sulfurous scent of brimstone. Was it coming from the creature? She couldn't tell.