The gentle rocking of the boat made Rannok's stomach turn, but at least it wasn't storming anymore. In fact, the skies were clear for what seemed like the first time since they'd left Agatine. It had taken nearly a month to work their way down the coast to their first port. Rannok knew nothing of the destination, other than its name was Horizon.

A man scrubbing the ship's deck with a thick bristle brush eyed him warily, then dunked it back into the water and scrubbed harder. Rannok leaned his wings against the ship's railing. Birds circled ahead, carried aloft by a cool breeze, occasionally crying out and squabbling with each other for a morsel of food. Rannok wished more than anything that he could fly after them. He remembered the feeling of water filling his lungs after he'd tried the last time and groaned.

Someone shouted from the masts above, then let themselves down on one of the ropes. He landed on the deck with a dull thread, then gibbered to the man with the scrub brush in a language Rannok did not understand. The man who had come from the masts gesticulated wildly at the end of the ship. Rannok stood on shaky legs and peered over the bow of the boat.

A mass of land the size of his thumb just barely peeked through where water met sky. Rannok's heart lightened and the horrible nausea faded just slightly. He tried not to look too excited as another person came through the door that led to below decks. The man wiped his dark brow with a cloth, then replaced his hat to cover the spots where the sun reflected off his head like polished slate.

"Hope you're not too anxious," Erean said.

Rannok shook his head. "There's nowhere I'd rather be than off this boat."

"Long way from home?" Erean asked.

Rannok stuck his hand in his bag and let his finger fall over the soft leather cover of his mother's journal. Home. The words rang in his mind. Given the chance, he wasn't sure he'd even want to go back.

It still bothered him that he'd never know what happened to Kana and Hael. Whether they'd fledged, and if they had, if they'd lived or died. He wondered if Hael still hid under the covers from monsters under the bed, soft brown eyes wavering in the moonlight, and if their mother still yelled at Kana for making fun of him. He missed their voices terribly.

Even Agatine held hurts, even though he never wanted to see that place again. He wondered if Wren was still mad. He played the last conversation they'd had back in his head. I don't blame you. She'd said it, but not in a voice that made him think she'd meant it. He doubted a month was enough time for her to forget enough to soften the blow.

"I'm sure you had your reasons for leaving, wherever it was," Erean said. Rannok nodded. Somehow the reason still felt hollow, like he'd not quite managed to convince himself before he left that it was a good idea. And everyone here avoided him, except for Erean, though at least they didn't punch him in the face, then steal his money. Not that he had any to steal. He'd used it all to pay for passage.

The man made Rannok uneasy, and he wasn't sure why. Erean's eyes darted about his face like he was always on the lookout for trouble. His voice held the hint of an accent he wasn't quite adept at hiding. He hadn't volunteered where he'd come from, or why, and Rannok hadn't asked. He'd gotten the impression early on that such questions weren't welcome any more than they were in the caravan guard.

"I wanted to know if you could help me with something, when we get into port," Erean said, while he idly played with a splinter of wood on the ship's railing.

"I have no money and nothing to do," Rannok replied.

"Of that I'm well aware, which is why I'm asking you and not one of the ship's men. You don't seem like you're in a position to say no, and as far as I can tell, you've got a good head on your shoulders." 

"What are you asking me?"

 "We haven't said much, either of us, about why we're here. I took this trip for research. I could use an assistant. Someone to carry my things and maybe help me find some information, once we get into port. I'll make sure you're fed and have a place to sleep at night."

"...what kind of research?" Rannok asked. There was a halfway amused glint in Erean's eye. 

"Why don't we leave sensitive questions until we get to shore, hmm? If you can find us a guide, I might just be willing to tell you."

Rannok's stomach sank, and not in a way that made him seasick. He turned back out toward the waves, though it didn't make him feel any better. The speck on the water's edge had gotten bigger. He could smell damp earth and roaring fires wafting toward their ship, along with the smells of day-old catch, which smelled the same here as it did back in Agatine. He wrinkled his nose.

Smaller fishing trawls crept up beside them as they approached closer to the water, fish caught in their glistening nets. A boy held a bird with webbed feet and a rounded beak aloft, then shot Rannok a smile. His messy hair fell into his eyes. Rannok returned with a single wave and rested his chin on the ship's railing, wings folding automatically against his back.

The ship's keepers unfolded into motion as they approached the shore, like a machine that had forgotten its orders. Three men picked up the heavy anchor and tossed it overboard. Rannok's stomach heaved as the ship ground to a slow halt. Erean put his hand on Rannok's shoulder.

"I'll give you some time to decide. I'll be departing from the Softshine inn in two days, it's about an hour's walk from shore. If you get lucky, you might be able to catch a carriage ride. Otherwise, I wish you well."

He walked to the ship's rear, heaved himself over the railing, and two men began lowering the smaller vessel that hung off the back of the ship into the water. Rannok had no time to waste on such folly, and he was done being on the boat, beside. He beat his wings twice in quick succession and launched himself off the edge of the boat.

A few people pointed and gawked at him as he sailed over the water toward shore, careful not to tire himself out with too many wingbeats, lest no one be close enough to fetch him from the water this time. He alighted without so much as a sound on the wooden dock of the pier, ignoring two fishermen who stopped squabbling with each other nearly immediately as he landed, and instead started whispering softly to themselves.

Plants bigger than Rannok had ever seen flanked the pier. He stared at them, wide-eyed, as he walked past the beach and up onto the main road into town. Towering green plants with canopies of soft leaves shaded him from the sun, dappling it upon the ground as he passed through and found himself on a rough cobblestone street. 

He turned his head. The wild eyes of an animal stared back at him. Its muscled body lurched forward, slim head attached to its powerful neck. A pair of velvet ears turned in Rannok's direction. Its eyes were covered with black squares of fabric. Perhaps that was why it seemed to be ignoring him. He froze in place. What was a reaver doing tied to a cart? 

Rannok's heart started to pound. The animal approached him, planted all four feet, and lurched out of the way at the last second. Rannok let out a tremendous shout, then scrambled out of the way just in time to avoid colliding with it. The animal rolled past him without seeming to care at all that he was there.

The man in the driver's seat turned, brandished an angry finger at him, and shouted gibberish in a tongue that Rannok did not understand. Its meaning was clear as ice.

"Get out of the road!" 

Rannok watched it as it pranced down the street. He put a hand on his chest to slow his heart rate, and tried not to think of the savage creatures as they tore Griffon's limbs from his body. His stomach sank again.

What kind of place is this?