Collier and Aksel were camped in a copse of trees on the outskirts of Thiasa Keep. The boy was excited to go into the city and see everything and set up performances, but the old man was more reluctant. He felt things in Thiasa were too unstable for a pair of foreigners to go in there. Collier doubted they would be suspected, and even if they were, what harm could a couple of minstrels do? Collier was too young and Aksel too old to be any threat to anyone.

They both forgot about the giant wolfhound that traveled with them.

For the most part Fen kept to secluded areas and hated going into cities. Seeing as Collier and Aksel were still hanging around the woods, the dog had yet to go into seclusion. However at the same time, game was scarce. Collier didn't like to go hunting so close to the king's property, afraid someone might accuse him of stealing. Besides, they were close enough to barter or buy goods from people who lived on the outskirts of the city. Fen liked his food fresh and raw, so he went out to get some. Usually this was all right, but it had caused problems in the past.

So when Collier heard a chicken squawking for dear life, he knew it was going to be a long day.

He was washing clothes in a stream when he first heard the noise. Despite the fact all he had on was a pair of trousers and a shirt, he scrambled away from the stream and went in search of the poor bird. He found its neck in Fen's mouth, alive but very unhappy. Collier proceeded to chase the dog and the frenzied fowl all through the woods. They wandered even closer to the town during their run, and Fen ended up crossing a little dirt path. Collier leapt and tackled the dog right then, and they squirmed in a great flurry of yells, yelps, and squawks.

In the middle of it Collier realized they'd blocked someone's path. He grinned sheepishly at the person standing there. "Hello!" Then the chicken bit his finger and Fen kicked him in the head.

Cardinal-Archbishop Erich Heaton had always enjoyed a good walk in solitude. Perhaps it was because he was a Dominican friar and had learned the value of being alone, away from problems. He could think, he could ruminate, he could plan...most of all, he could pray without interruption. Yes, although he did enjoy socializing as much as the next person, he also enjoyed quiet moments. He feared that, as he grew into his new exalted position (according to others at least), moments of silent peace would be fewer and fewer.

As usual, he was dressed as plainly as a Cardinal in the Catholic Church could get away with: black wool silk-lined cassock, black wool rabat, black buckleless shoes, a simple wooden pectoral cross hanging from a chain around his neck and, on the proper finger of course, his ecclesiastical ring. Since he was out and about, he had a small dagger tucked away in his cassock (he was a man of peace, but also a man of at least some common sense). Being a friar of the Dominican Order, he preferred simplicity and at least some austerity, unlike some of the more problematic upper-level Catholic clergy. It was a shame that some sectors of the One True Church had gotten so worldly and geared towards the finite temporal existence. Oh well.

He was quite startled by what happened next. It all happened so fast. First, the giant dog (or was it a wolf?) attacks some stray chicken...the most bloodcurdling sound the Cardinal had ever heard. Then some older child (or was it young adult...who knows?) came running out and almost tripped up Erich. Even more startled by the chicken and hound attacking the boy, Erich asked, "Are you all right?"

"Are you all right?"

"Ah ha, yes of--OW--course! Don't worry about--OOF--a thing!"

Collier finally wrangled the chicken out of Fen's mouth. The giant dog barked in protest and jumped on top of Collier and the chicken, and the boy was effectively smothered. They didn't use the dog as a blanket sometimes for no reason. Fen was perfectly content to just lie on top of the fowl and the boy, and only showed the slightest interest in the man standing there all dressed in black. Collier was sure the dog was trying to smoosh them to death. Or the chicken at least, Fen didn't usually make attempts at Collier's life.

"Get off!" Collier grunted. Fen did nothing. The chicken squirmed violently and its claws dug into the boy's chest and stomach. They hurt very much.

"Gå av!" he shouted. The dog let out a muffled huff of discontent and finally stood up. Collier gasped for air and immediately detached the chicken from his chest. The bird continued to warble in fright and anger and general pandemonium. Collier was amazed it hadn't had a heart attack and just dropped dead.

He stood up with a heavy sigh and faced the man he'd come across. Now that he had a decent look, he realized the man was dressed differently from most Thiasan denizens. The first thing that came to mind was "foreigner" but the cross on the man's chest put another, slightly more dangerous word in mind: "priest."

Collier wasn't unfamiliar with Christian practices. Aksel's wife had been Catholic and instilled some of their beliefs in the boy. But she died when Collier was young, so the past several years he'd only had Aksel's beliefs and rituals to practice. He was suddenly reminded of their summer solstice stint where they'd sacrificed a rabbit.

"I'm sorry," he blurted out. For a moment he wasn't sure what to be sorry for, then remembered the chicken and Fen and his tumbling out of nowhere. "For interrupting your thoughts, I mean," he added, dipping his head. "I had to, uh...save this chicken. From my dog."

Erich could not help but smile a little bit at the struggle between the lad and the giant dog. It looked like the boy was holding his own, although getting a bit flustered with all that weight on top of him. On the one hand, the Cardinal wanted to assist, but on the other, if the kid needed help, he could ask for it. Erich was not one to butt in on stuff often. One can avoid a lot of trouble by simply not getting involved unless truly necessary.

Finally, the kid got the dog off of him and the chicken out of its mouth, although it seemed significantly shocked. This must have been some kind of hunting hound or the like and this kid looked a bit worse for the wear, although the Cardinal would not say that aloud. At last, the whole mess seemed to be over between the boy, the wolfhound and the crazed chicken.

"I'm sorry, [f]or interrupting your thoughts, I mean, I had to, uh...save this chicken. From my dog."

Cardinal Heaton shrugged, "Eh, it's not really that important. I was just out for a stroll. What were you doing out here?" he asked as politely as possible. He did not want the lad to think he getting interrogated or something. The Cardinal was just trying to make pleasantries and such. After all, it was odd for someone his age to be out in the woods alone. What was he up to? the Cardinal thought to himself.

"Are you out here alone? What's your name?" the Cardinal asked, almost rapid fire. Again, he was not trying to be off-putting, but perhaps Erich had been more startled by this whole incident than he realized and it was affecting his social graces (which were not always great to begin with...he was friar and a priest, now Cardinal, after all).

"Eh, it's not really that important. I was just out for a stroll. What were you doing out here?"

Collier took a few moments to catch his breath and think about his answer. Was it a bad thing to be out there in the woods? Surely not...It was bad his dog had stolen a chicken from someone's property but the priest didn't know it belonged to someone else. He was sure the whole thing looked a little suspicious though. Collier took the pause to look down at his clothes. He was bleeding from several scratches and cuts in his arms, legs, and chest (his shirt was going to need a serious repair).

Before he even noticed his multitude of tiny injuries, he noticed his Mjolnir pendant hanging out. He quickly and discreetly tucked it underneath his shirt. Many people had strange jewelry on, so hopefully the fact it was out of sight would put it out of mind.

"Are you out here alone? What's your name?"

The boy let out a light laugh that wasn't exactly jovial. "Ah...My name is Collier, I'm a minstrel, I'm traveling with my grandfather, who is also a minstrel. We're camped out in the woods...." He stopped and looked at his surroundings. "...somewhere." He turned back to the man and put on a slightly forced smile. "Sir."

Of course Erich noticed the boy try to hide some pendant, but he would not say anything...now at least. Maybe this kid was a good Catholic, maybe not. If not, then Erich might try his hand at a bit of evangelism, but that was not his strong suit. Dominicans were good at debating non-Christians, but not always at actually bringing them to the One True Church. Either way, that was an issue to deal with later. And, hey, perhaps it was just some random bit of jewelry....no significance at all to anything.

The Cardinal also noticed all the wounds and scratches on the boy. Hopefully, for the lad's sake, they would not get inflamed. That could easily be deadly, especially out here where there was little proper care for the injured. And unfortunately, Erich was not really trained in the medical arts and such. He could discuss theology with the best Catholic minds out there (he was not being prideful in his self observation, merely bringing to mind a fact), but he was not medically inclined. A shame really, although there were some priests and such who were into that kind of field.

"Ah...My name is Collier, I'm a minstrel, I'm traveling with my grandfather, who is also a minstrel. We're camped out in the woods...somewhere, [s]ir."

"My name is Erich," he left off the part about his ecclesiastical rank for there was no need to frighten the lad, "Perhaps we better head back to your grandfather. Those wounds don't look good," he tsked tsked in true sympathy. Also, and of course he did not add this, the Cardinal could certainly use a bit of food now. He had forgotten to eat breakfast and to bring anything, so hunger was beginning to make itself known.

"My name is Erich."

Collier expected more of a title, but he never received one. He had a feeling it would be disrespectful to call a priest by their first name, especially one he wasn't familiar with. What was it they usually went by? Father? He'd just play it safe and stick with "sir."

"Perhaps we better head back to your grandfather. Those wounds don't look good."

Collier had to agree that was a good idea. He'd gotten into scuffles between Fen and the dog's unwitting domestic prey before, but they were never fun. Once or twice a particularly bad nip or scratch became infected and his skin distorted. Aside from the pain and sickness it caused, it prevented Collier and Aksel from performing, which diminished their resources.

However, the chicken flapped its wings and drew Collier's attention to it again. The boy grimaced and let out a sigh. "I would, sir, but I have to return this chicken." He looked at the ground in shame. "It doesn't belong to me. I'm afraid my dog snatched it away. However I don't know where he nabbed it from, or the way back toward town." He scratched his head and gazed down the path he'd stumbled across. "I'm guessing this will lead somewhere though. If it's not too much trouble, sir, can you tell me which way will take me closer to the Keep?"

"I would, sir, but I have to return this chicken. It doesn't belong to me. I'm afraid my dog snatched it away. However I don't know where he nabbed it from, or the way back toward town. I'm guessing this will lead somewhere though. If it's not too much trouble, sir, can you tell me which way will take me closer to the Keep?"

Cardinal Erich nodded, "I wouldn't worry too much about the chicken, if it found its way out here, then it can find its way back. I've lived here a few years," granted he was only a priest and friar for most of those years, "...and this isn't the King's personal land or anyone's private land...that I know of," he shrugged innocently.

"Come on, let's go back to your grandpa, let him look at those scratches and wounds," he spoke calmly and sympathetically. He just wanted to make sure the lad was all right after all. Also, it was always interesting meeting new people. Sure, he had come out here for some peace and quiet, but something new had intervened and caught his attention: the youth and that giant dog. A minstrel? Very interesting.

"You know, one doesn't often meet wandering minstrels, although I have seen them perform before. Tell me, what is it like? I mean, you go wherever you want, whenever you want, you know what I mean?" Cardinal Erich had always been fascinated by the concept of freedom. Oh yes, he enjoyed serving the Church, but like any man, he wondered what it would be like if things had gone differently. Always an interesting subject to ponder...if only for a little while.

"I wouldn't worry too much about the chicken, if it found its way out here, then it can find its way back."

"It didn't find its way out here," Collier said, sending a glare toward the dog. "My dog made it find its way out here. We're not so desperate for food we need to steal it from others." He began walking in the opposite direction the man had been walking. If the man was going for a solitary stroll, Collier assumed going in the same direction would only lead further away from a town or village. "I at least want to get the bird somewhere with people."

"Come on, let's go back to your grandpa, let him look at those scratches and wounds."

Collier looked down at his body and couldn't help but grimace. The scratches and cuts weren't very deep, but they were numerous. He probably looked like some crazy wild boy than a perfectly respectable minstrel. He let out a small chuckle and looked at the priest in embarrassment. "Well, that's a good idea, but I'm not exactly sure how to get back there. I chased Fen--my dog--and the chicken all over the woods. I don't recognize this area. I'm hoping if I find a farm or someplace near the Keep I'll more easily figure out where I am."

"You know, one doesn't often meet wandering minstrels, although I have seen them perform before. Tell me, what is it like? I mean, you go wherever you want, whenever you want, you know what I mean?"

Collier smiled pleasantly at the question. He supposed wandering entertainers had something about them that made people curious. Many people had asked them what it was like to roam wherever they wished, and Collier was always happy to tell them. Telling them about their travels was another way to entertain them. Of course, sometimes they exaggerated.

"It's not a life for the faint of heart," he said with a chuckle. "Walking all day, unless you're fortunate enough to be able to afford a donkey or a horse, which we aren't. We're saving up for one though. And while we walk wherever we want, we're not always welcomed. My grandfather and I have spent many nights out in the cold because others didn't grace us with shelter, even after we'd entertained them."

The happy air around him dissipated, even while a little smile stayed on his face. "I can't imagine doing anything else, but I know I won't be able to be a minstrel forever. I suppose in a couple of years I'll be in the military like every other man. I don't imagine this war the king wants to wage will end before then."