Vernon sat near the edge of the lake, a small campfire blazing, and two fish skewered, cooking on a spit. 

I sat close by, still confined to the contraption in which he had placed me. But, I was thinking about how the fish cooking smelled so good, and I couldn't wait for the feast.

The fishing supplier looked down at me with one eyebrow cocked. "Now, I hope you're going to be reasonable when I take you out of there," he said.

I had no intention of being anything else, my stomach growled for the fish on that spit. 

I nonetheless eyed him warily as he untied the catch. My previous captor, Alarii, had slender, delicate hands and needed both to keep me secure. Not so with Vernon. His hands were huge, like shovels; he could easily hold me in one hand and still have room for another. 

He reached inside the trap and his large fingers curled around me. Fish scales and dried blood were caked under his nails and embedded within the deep grooves around his callouses. Still, he was surprisingly gentle with me.

"Now then birdy, let's see what old Effcee managed to do to you." 

With his forefinger, he lightly brushed my mantle up over my nape. "Ah, she got you, lad. Never mind, I can fix you." He pulled a rag from his britches pocket and shook it out.

"And what on Azeroth are you going to do with that?" A voice sang from behind.

Vernon turned around, still keeping a firm but gentle grip on me. A slender woman stood in simple attire; a long brown skirt, white blouse and black bodice. 

"Hello, Amy," Vernon's eyes crinkled as he smiled broadly. "Well, I was going to clean this bird's wound. That blasted fiend of a cat nailed this one too, would you believe it?"

The woman's eyes rolled, then she saw the rag in Vernon's hand. "I hope you weren't going to use that filthy thing to do it!" she said, pointing to the cloth.

I glanced up at Vernon's face. I do believe I saw him blush a little. "I don't have anything else at hand, Amy," he replied a little pathetic.

Amy tutted and told him to stay put while she went and got something better. I watched her climb the small incline and move towards a covered cart. She fumbled about under the canvas, looking for whatever it was she sought. 

Meanwhile, Vernon pulled the fish from the spit. He broke a piece off and after blowing on it to cool it down, handed me a generous morsel. I eagerly accepted. 

"Hey! Steady there, boy. You nearly had my fingers." He smiled and proceeded to pull apart some more of the delicious, flaky fish for me.

I was gulping the second offering when Amy returned. In one hand she held a small vial and a vastly cleaner rag than Vernon had considered using. In her other, she carried a bowl of water. "Here," she said, "Hold this." She handed the bowl to Vernon, then hitching her skirt a little to the side, she knelt next to us.

She doused the rag and squeezed it out. "Hold him steady Vernon," she said, bringing the cloth towards the nape of my neck. "Easy now, birdy," she cooed. 

I flinched as the ice-cold water managed to trickle under my contours onto my skin. Gently, Amy wiped down my neck, mantle and over the top of my scapulars. Vernon tightened his grip, not enough to hurt me, but sufficient to stop me from struggling.

When I heard a small popping noise, I tried to swivel my head to see what Amy was doing. From the corner of my eye, I saw her empty some of the vial's contents onto the rag. It turned the cloth a sickly ochre colour. 

I watched until my peripheral sight could no longer see her moving the cloth towards the back of my neck. I did, however, feel it! 

It nipped quite severely, causing me to wriggle in Vernon's grip and cry out in my inimitable raven language - a harsh, repetitive croak.

"Steady now," the woman said. "You'll be fine, boy." 

I caught sight of the cloth as she pulled it away. It was now a reddish-brown, so I deduced my blood had added to the new colour. Effcee had indeed left her mark. 

Amy dabbed my wounds again, this time they didn't sting so much. Vernon fed me some more fish, to distract me, which was much appreciated and needed. My stomach was still grumbling for more.

Vernon carefully released me, settling me down beside him. I knew they were only trying to help me, and quite honestly, I was not leaving any of that fish behind. I only hoped the aroma didn't attract Effcee. 

Almost as if to reassure me, Vernon placed the spit beside me and allowed me to pick away to my heart's content. Both the fishing supplier and Amy patted my back gently as I tucked into my meal.

 "So," I heard Amy say, her tone somewhat light but teasing. "Are you coming to the shindig this evening, Vernon?"

I paused in my scoffing to glance up as I heard Vernon cough. He grinned, a slight glint in his eyes. "Oh, I'll be there, although I admit, it seems a bit disrespectful, considering."

Amy sighed. "'Tis sad news yes, but we also have to embrace the good things, Vernon. We have all been saved, thanks to his efforts and that of the brave defenders. But life must go on."

The big man exhaled loudly. "True enough, I suppose. He was a good man, though. Met him once, and he was most affable."

Amy nodded. "He was kindly, that's for sure. I heard he had quite a wicked sense of humour, too."

"So I believe, aye," Vernon laughed lightly. Then his face became sombre again. "It's his woman and babe I feel sorry for."

Amy nodded and lowered her head. 

Their conversation made me feel a little strange. I could not calibrate why exactly, but something made me feel jittery. It was as if I was missing a link in the chain, a connection. 

Out of the blue, Amy chuckled, pulling me from my reverie. "So, will you be donning your finest, Vernon?"

The man dragged the back of his hand across his mouth and chin. "That all depends."

"And what will that be depending on?" Amy's eyes were bright once more.

"On whether you will make it worth my while," he whispered, leaning towards her.

Winking at him, she pushed herself up and brushed down her skirt. She held out her hands for the bowl, vial and cloth. Vernon passed them to her. She smiled. "Why Vernon, you know fine us Lakeshire ladies don't disappoint."

He grinned wider. "Aye, that I do." He tried to grab her ankle, but she quickly dodged with a little backwards skip.

"Plenty of time for that malarkey later, you big oaf. " She laughed. "But, you better scrub up well if you require our attention this evening." She turned and left, humming a tune as she climbed back up the incline.

My attention turned back to Vernon. 

His eyes were following Amy; then they lowered to me. A slow grin crept over his mouth. "Aye, she's a wonder, is that Amy Davenport," he said in a low voice. "I don't know whether I should marry her or just ...well, you know -" He winked.

Admittedly, I didn't have the first clue what he meant, but something in his sparkling eyes suggested whatever it was, would be fun.

 "Truth is there are a good few ladies to choose from," Vernon continued quietly, giving me a gentle nudge. "All of them are pretty darned fine, if you know what I mean, raven." 

I eyed him for a moment, clueless, then stabbed at another piece of fish.