Free Nightclans by Gerard Bond

get too crowded? Where do they all fit? How do you feed that many people? Where do they all hunt?”
    Wollfen spent the rest of the day explaining to Raven how most people traded and worked for food that was brought in by wagon loads and how they all lived in houses and so on, she was on a big learning curve and soaking it all up. He knew that while what he talked about would help her prepare she was still in for a shock once they arrived at the city. Luckily she would get a taste at Westre-snow first.
    The rest of the ride proved uneventful and the following afternoon they were traveling along a wide well traveled highway passing some people going about their journeys. Wollfen pointed up ahead and off in the distance Raven could see a wide expanse of buildings, in her eyes it was the largest encampment she had ever seen or dreamed of.
    “That is Westre-snow? Not Gevalia?” She looked up at him in wonder. Wollfen shook his head,
    “Not Gevalia no, it is Westre-snow my dear.” She looked on still amazed.
    “Why is it called that anyway?”
    “It's a variation of the phrase, “Western Snow” this place is covered in snow usually seven months of the year and the town is the westernmost establishment here in the north, hence, Westre-snow.”
    Raven nodded in understanding as they approached the town gates, they were wide open and people in multitude were moving through it in either direction. As they passed through the gates Raven stared on either side of her looking at what to her were huge structures. The buildings here were two stories tall and it seriously got her attention. She finally spoke up after they had trotted in a couple of hundred yards,
    “This is beyond anything I had imagined, it's almost overwhelming to me.” Wollfen simply smiled back at her.
    They finally pulled up in front of a building and Wollfen dismounted, he turned to a boy standing nearby telling him to take the horses and rub them down in the stable, he pulled a copper coin from his tunic pocket and flicked it. The boy caught it, smiled and started leading the animals off after both Wollfen and Raven grabbed their saddle bags.
    Going to the open door Wollfen looked around with Raven beside him, he spotted a heavy set balding man at the bar rubbing mugs out with a cloth,
    “Hey Rolfe, how are you?” Rolfe looked up from cleaning and nodded,
    “Welcome back Wolf, you weren't gone long and you have another beauty on your arm too?” Raven gave Wollfen a slightly surprised look but didn’t say anything.
    “Yeah yeah, but this ones a keeper, I would like you to meet Ravenwing of the Nightclan Horungar,” He turned to Raven and motioned back to the barman, “And Raven, this is Rolfe of this rotten excuse for a tavern.”
    “Pleased to meet you Ravenwing, don’t mind him, he never has any compliments for where people live.”
    I thank you Rolfe and yes I am well aware of  Wolfy's inclinations for complimenting others.” She gave him a bat in the back of the head and Rolfe laughed,
    “Ha ha ha, she has your measure already eh?”
    Rolfe looked her up and down, she stood there in all black riding clothes and barefoot he noticed. She had long black flowing hair and was lean and fit by the looks of it, definitely a Nightclan woman. He also noted the long scar traveling down her left cheek, she wouldn’t be a stranger to conflict either.
    “I will have to speak up my dear, when the establishment is open and operating later you will have to wear boots.”
    Wollfen looked down at her feet, he was used to seeing her always barefoot and had forgotten to mention it.
    “Rolfe, we would like a room for the night and yes she will be wearing boots when we come back down for dinner.”
    Raven poked her tongue at Wollfen but smiled anyway. Rolfe reached under the bar and threw Wollfen a large key,
    “Here take the second room upstairs, it has a double bed and fresh sheets.”
    Wollfen threw him back a coin in return and then the two of them went up