Cid turned to Leonidas and Maeryn, both looking at their surroundings with careful intent. “Is everything all right?” he asked them.

Leonidas, looking at the fireplace, said, “Just getting a feel for the place.”

“Anything to be concerned about?”

“Not really,” the doctor replied. “The dead plants are a little off putting.”

“Really?” Maeryn said, surprised.

“I mean, dead things, plants, animals, people, tend to produce such auras when displayed.”

“What about the pots and pans?” Jeanne asked.

“Oh, that’s just bad in case there’s an earthquake.”

“Wonder where the halfling has gone off to?” Jeanne said, drumming the wood grain of the table with her fingers.

“I don’t know,” Cid said. “Maeryn?”

“I’m hearing three of them, the Roselyn one and what I think are a man and a woman.”

“Well, this should be interesting,” Jeanne said softly as Roselyn and two older halflings followed her into the main room. The older woman had her brown hair pulled back into a tight pony tail, a white outfit now covered in stains. A man followed closely behind her in similar clothing. As they entered, the four at the table rose to their feet, bowing their heads forward.

“Afternoon,” the halfling woman said to them. “Our daughter said you were here about our son?”

“Yes,” Cid said to her, before introducing the others. “We were informed by the reeve that you had a family member missing recently.”

The mother took a deep breath and with a pained expression on her face said, “Yes, our son Gavin. He was always a rambunctious child, full of energy, pulling pranks and the like. But not too long ago he began to show changes in his behavior.”

“How so?” Leonidas asked.

“He just began acting differently,” the father said, “Things he used to enjoy didn’t seem to have the interest for him. Sometimes he’d be up all night, grumbling and muttering things to himself. He’d walk around hunched over and looking like he was just … not himself.”

“Was there anything that happened to him before his disappearance?” Cid asked.

“What do you mean?” the father asked.

“Was there an incident specifically that might’ve been the cause of his change in behavior?” Leonidas asked.

“I can’t say there was,” the father replied. “It was like he was his old self at one point and then was an entirely different person the next.”

“And nothing happened to cause this change?” Cid asked.

Both parents shook their heads. “No,” the mother said, “not that we could think of.”

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Jeanne noticed the daughter grabbing her arm and looking away from the others as the conversation continued down this path. Tapping on Cid’s shoulder with the back side of her index finger, she nudged her head towards the sibling’s direction and Cid lifted his eyebrows up.

“What about you?” he asked Roselyn.

The parents turned to their daughter. “Rose?” the mother asked.

The daughter turned away. Running her hand through her hair, looking desperate to find some way to run off and away from all this. Jeanne caught Cid glancing at her, he grimaced from the corners of his mouth. He lifted his hand to his neck and scratched it for a moment before making the gesture saying, Do it.

Jeanne took a deep breath, rose from her seat, cracked her neck and knuckles before moving towards Roselyn. The daughter noticed Jeanne and color from her face began as her lips trembled. “What do you know?” Jeanne asked slowly.

The daughter shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said to her.

“You had nerves of steel when we first arrived,” Jeanne said, “certainly they haven’t abandoned you now.”

“What’s with all this?” the father asked as he rose from her seat.

“You know where your brother’s gone. Or at least enough to give us a good start.”

“I don’t know where he’s gone to. I swear,” Roselyn insisted, stepping away from Jeanne as she drew closer.

“Now, I’d rather not get my hands dirty. At least not under these circumstances. But given how the last month has been, and the shit I’ve had to go through,” Jeanne said as she began tightening her fists, “I could use a wonderful moment for some cathartic release.”

“Roselyn?” the mother said to her, “What’s happening?”

“I don’t know where he went to!” Roselyn cried out.

“Then what’s with the nervous behavior?” Jeanne said, standing close to Roselyn. “Why are you now defensive? What are you hiding?”

“He didn’t tell me where he was going to?” Roselyn insisted.

“Do you know why he left?” Jeanne asked.

“He wouldn’t tell me why,” Roselyn answered, “just that he had to go back to where he belonged.”

Jeanne turned to Cid and the others, the parents exchanging glances before they all turned back to the daughter. “Roselyn, what did Gavin say?” the father asked.

“He never said anything specific, just that he didn’t feel like this was where he truly was himself.”

“And did he say where he belonged?” Leonidas asked.

Roselyn shook her head. “He said something about life in the earth, or things around those lines.”

Cid turned to the parents. “Life in the earth?”

“Damn that boy,” the father called out, slamming his fist on the table. “Damn that boy with his mind in the clouds all bloody day.”

“And we’re still without context,” said Leonidas.

“Our son had this fascination with the earth. Caves, specifically. He’d just wandering in them and we’d have to pull him out before he’d get lost and we couldn’t find him.”

“Did he give any indication why he’d do this?” Leonidas asked.

“If there was, he never told us,” the father said.

“He said something about seeking a coliar dras,” Roselyn said.

“A coliar dras?” the mother replied. Her eyes widened as she slowly lifted her hand to cover her opened mouth.

“Shepherd watch over that foolish boy,” the father said, slamming the table once more with greater strength.

Jeanne noted Leonidas perking an eyebrow up, his lip pressed together and looking down as if deep in thought. She tapped him on the shoulder. “Everything all right?” she whispered.

He leaned towards her. “I think their son might’ve gotten himself in a world of hurt.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll tell you all when we meet back with the others.”

Jeanne nodded moving over to Cid, still speaking with the parents and whispered into his ear. He turned to Jeanne, intrigued and back to the parents. “I think we have enough to get us started. Thank you all for your time.”

He rose from his seat as the mother reached out to him with a shaking hand. “Bring him home,” she said to Cid. “Whatever’s happened to him. Just … please bring him home.”

Cid turned to the others before looking back at the parents. “We will do anything within our power to find him.”

As the four left the home and made their way down the dirt path Jeanne caught a sudden whiff of iron in the air. She turned to the sea of wheat, seeing nothing of note out there. Turning her gaze back to the path before them, a series of clicking noises broke the silence and caused all of the Wolves to turn sharply, stopping in their steps and beginning to unsheathe their weapons until they found nothing to attack.

“I think the sooner we leave, the better,” Maeryn said to Cid.

“Agreed,” the Felidan replied. “The sooner the better."