@ZRYork Cadghar's Point wasn't a town so much as it was an ever-changing collection of caravans nestled in the Wester Highlands. It offered a spot to camp, and safety from the odd troll or pack of bandits. And in the early morningit offered a scenic view of the rolling green hillsides and scrubby forests. Kai took a long drink from the water trough. Without a waterskin, or hands to hold one, you really had to drink when you could. He just hoped they'd reach Darken Vei by nightfall. It was embarrassing to return home as a donkey, and pulling the cart of a greedy peddler to boot. The actual work of pulling a cart wasn't that bad at least.
***
Some yards away a portly old man named Rugen, who adorned himself with multi-colored scarves and a pointy hat, was chatting with a bipedal spider of all things. Rugen was in something of a mess. He drunkenly wagered most of his stock (mostly dried herbs, bits of a brick-a-brack, and the occasional bit of jewelry) in a game of Fates the prior evening. The fat peddler lost, badly, to a nasty little magician. Rugen was beside himself when he met an odd traveller - a spider of all things - on its way to Darken Vei. Wasn't the talking donkey from up there? And so an idea began to form. "Kai's a strong enough beast. Don't rightly know his age but he's born firewood and crates of books just fine. Wouldn't be selling if I didn't need to. Bought him three months ago and I'm a might attached to my other donkeys. Fifty glints for him?" that was mostly a lie. Kai wasn't really his to sell, but spider just needed some packages carted a few days up the road. The boy would surely be clever enough to elude the thing once back home...