The next morning was very uneventful. There was no sweet smell, no rushing out the door, and no sea drakes trying to eat people. Leif just got up and threw on some clothes similar to what he wore yesterday and went downstairs. Unlike yesterday Folke was nowhere in sight, but that was fine Leif had some things to do today.

Leif had a quick breakfast of sugar berries and a toasted roll, grabbed his bag full of things to trade, and headed out the door. Outside Leif could see the mountains on all sides of his valley reaching high in the sky. Down the road from his home were some more houses and the market where people were roaming the trade goods. Past that were the silk farms and fields of various fruits, berries, vegetables, and grains. Farther into the mountains was another valley with a bigger village, but Leif enjoyed living in the small quiet village he currently resided in.

Wondering into the market Leif looked at what was for trade and if any specific requests for items were being made. One stall had some weird-looking eggs he was curious about, but as soon as one wiggled Leif changed his mind. At a different stall, he found some spiced screeching lizard meat, and the stall owner was asking for a fuzzfin for it. For some reason, the stall owner was fighting him on handing over the fuzzfin and was trying to get him to take the meat for nothing. Finally, he convinced the stall owner to take the fuzzfin and he put the lizard meat into his bag.

There was a silk stall that had some really impressive clothes for trade, one of the clothes that caught Leif's eye was a white cloak that had a silver mountain design on it but most impressively there was a golden sun design above the mountains. Anyone could tell he was smitten with the cloak by the way he was looking at it.

“Where did you get gold silk threads for the sun,” Leif said with awe in his voice.

The stall owner was Elder Minerva, Evander’s grandmother, “Leif, if you don’t speak up and stop drooling over my trade goods I am going to come around this stall and beat you with my cane.”

Leif's head shot up and he spoke up, “Sorry Elder…”

Cutting off Leif, she scolded him, “I told you to call me grandmother! All the Tide Walkers know you've been to my home enough to be considered family.”

“I’m sorry grandmother,” Leif answered back, “ I was wondering where you got the gold silk threads from to make the sun design in this cloak?”

Elder Minerva's face turned thoughtful, “Oh that, we found a wild fruitweaver that had apparently been eating some rare fruit. The poor thing gorged itself to death on the fruit but it had spun enough silk to make that design.”

“What fruit was it if you don’t mind me asking,” Said Leif.

“We don’t know, there was nothing left,” Elder Minerva said in irritation, “Now I have other customers to get to but you’re going to take that cloak aren’t you?”

Leifs face twisted into a look of surprise, “What? No, I don’t have anything valuable enough to trade for this.”

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“I don’t want anything for trade. You’re going to take it for free and that is finale,” Elder Minerva said in frustration.

Leif's stomach felt like it was twisting into knots. As badly as he wanted that cloak he could not take it, it was just way too valuable. The problem is Elder Minerva was not going to take no for an answer so he did the only sensible thing he could think of. He turned and ran as fast as he could while Elder Minerva screamed at his back to come back.

When Leif arrived at his final destination, the only eatery in town called The Snoozing Mountain, he was exhausted. It had been an all-day thing of people trying to give him free things or refusing his help with work. Besides the lizard meat, he had received for free some more toasted rolls, sugar berries, sugar berry juice, and a purple spiked cream heart that has an extremely creamy and delicious center but had thorns on the outside.

Walking inside he saw his friends sitting in the back waiting for him. Before joining them he found one of the cooks and asked them what he could trade for a meal and surprise surprise it was free.

When Leif approached his friends with his stew, apparently the meal of the day at The Snoozing Mountain, Rowan asked, “Did you also get handed a bunch of free things today?”

Frustrated Leif responded with, “Yes! What is with our village today?”

“Its not just our village or so my grandmother said. Oh, she’s very angry with you Leif.” Evander said in between bites of his stew.

A look of bewilderment showed on Rowan's face, “Wait, your grandmother actually told you this, and why is she mad at Leif?”

Leif let out a groan and covered his face as Evander said sheepishly, “Well she didn’t tell me directly, I may have accidentally overheard her talking to my mother.”

“Uh-huh,” said Rowan not convinced it was an accident, “ and what did Leif do?”

“She wanted to give me a cloak for free,” Muttered Lief.

“Don’t forget you also ran away from her,” said Evander with a smile.

While gritting his teeth Leif looked at Evander, “Of course, thank you for saying that important detail out loud.”

“Anytime.” answered a way to cheerful Evander.

“Glad to know I am the only one that she is not going to throw to the sea drakes,” stated Rowan, “Well if it's not just our village why would the whole tribe be handing out free things to people?”

“I’m not sure,” said Evander thoughtfully, “between this and the fish yesterday it makes me uneasy. May the Tide Walkers watch over us in these weird times.”

There was a thought in the back of Leif's head, but for some reason, it didn’t make itself known. The three moved on to other conversations and finished their meals before they said their goodbyes and headed to their homes.

When Leif arrived home it was dark. He pushed the door open and saw Folke once again sitting in front of the hearth but the flames had died hours ago. He had a sad mournful look on his face.

Leif rushed over to his uncle and asked, “Folke are you okay, did something happen to my parents?”

Folke looked up in shock like he just now noticed Leif, “What? Your parents are fine or at least as far as I know.”

“Then why are you so upset,” Leif asked in confusion.

Folke’s lower jaw quivered, “Remind me how old you and your friends are again.”

Puzzlement crossed Leif's face, “ We are all seventeen why?”

Folke lowered his face to his hands and for the first time, Leif saw his uncle cry.