La'marri was one of the few places that Kirkley could actually say he had rarely visited throughout his very long lifespan. It was a place for mages, people who could control their magic, and for someone like Kirkley going there was a moot point.
However, he did so like traveling. And he had realized a good few weeks ago that it had been a very long time since he had last checked on the city of mages--listen to him, sounding like some kind of ancient guard dog or something, ugh. But he did like to see how things changed over time, so it seemed La'marri was well overdue for a visit.
He'd traveled there mostly in his beast form, because it was faster and easier to hunt and deal with dangers on the road that way, but when he got close enough to the town he changed back to two legs and got dressed. After a few solid weeks spent as some giant primordial dog, it sometimes took a while to get used to walking on two legs again. Once or twice he caught himself pausing to try and lift a leg to scratch behind his ear; thankfully it was far enough away from the city he didn't think anyone saw. Oops.
There was absolutely no denying it in Kirkley's mind; this place was magical. It held properties and life and energy that you just couldn't find anywhere else on this planet--well, no. Kirkley could think of one place, but that was the complete antithesis of here.
The air made the ancient magic inside of him stir again, almost buzzing and humming within him like it was being revitalized with new life, and he kind of wondered why he didn't stay here more often--it put an extra spring in his step, made him feel more excitable and energetic. And the scenery here was quite different for a change--many of the buildings were made of stone, there were even stones set into the road, the trees and grass were bright and green, the sun was shining, it really was a nice place here.
Right as he was thinking he ought to stay for a bit, however, he happened to overhear the high-pitched cry of a young boy not too far away; he looked and saw the kid pounding on the door of some cottage he was just passing.
Finding it interesting enough to investigate, Kirkley paused for a moment, watching the boy. I wonder what it's like to be that young? He thought; if only he knew.
Finally the kid seemed to give up, heaving a big sigh and starting to trudge back down the path, towards Kirkley. The kid couldn't have come up barely past his knee, so he knelt down (and still felt tall) in order to catch the boy's attention.
"Hey, what's the matter with you, looking so glum like that? It's a nice day out; did your mom kick you out of the house or something?" He asked, glancing back at the cottage behind the boy.