Scipio was slurping with his straw at the last few drops of milk he had in his bottle, under a tree. He glanced every while at the clouds and yelled out the formations he saw for himself.

-"Haha! Looks like a face!"

Little did he know that Tyrell was watching him from a distance. Up in a tree, with a sharp piercing glare, Tyrell sized up Scipio. Maybe this person was the guy who had burned up the town he lived so near. Some of his clothes still smoldered from the heat of the fire.

- "Doesn't seem like the type... But who knows these days?"

Wilfred sits under a tree with his legs crossed and arms folded. The wind blows a few strands of sand-colored hair out of his face as he gazes at Scipio and then his eyes move to Tyrell. His eyes focus on Tyrell and Wilfred utters a short spell, entering Tyrell's mind.

-"What are you thinking?" Wilfred whispered as he was flung into a vision of destruction, death, and voracious flames. Bewildered by the vision, Wilfred was shaken back into reality. His eyes were wide with empathy.

-"You know nothing of hell, my scorched little friend."

His eyes kept a close watch on Tyrell. Magic swelled within him waiting for a false move to be made.

Scipio haden't an idea that both had noticed him, yet he woulden't care less if he did.
He began on thinking what to do of his day..

-"Hmm.. I think.. I'll go see whats happenin' in the moutains today.."

And so he moved slowly and carelessly towards the mountains. Then he heard a loud CRACK! He cought from the corner of his eye Tyrell landing on his butt with wide open eyes, in shock.
Scipio burst out laughing!

Bewildered, Tyrell wondered what could have ever make him drop. As soon as he was going to whistle for Skye, his Peregrine Falcon to come, some kind of force had pushed him out.

- "Ugh. What is he going to do to me now!?"

Wilfred continues to watch the events below him. He chuckles to himself and pulls a violin from his pack. The bow draws across the strings and a melancholy filled melody gently flows from the violin. The air becomes pungeant with the smell of cinnamon. Sess'ssth's tongue flicks into the air and is calmed by the music. Through his crystal-blue eyes, he begins to see the outline of the barrier. Wilfred notices this too. He continues to play.

Scipio stopped. He stared at Tyrell.. and then he just started to walk in a circle, mumbling something to himself.

Meanwhile in a small valley in the nearby mountains:

Aygen awoke with a start as his ferret Luna pounced on his chest from a nearby dresser top. How she got up there he would probably never know.

"Gah! Why is it Luna... you always wake me up when I'm trying to get even the slightest bit of sleep?" asked Aygen in a semi-stern tone. When he discovered that Luna was not listening and had moved onto tackling a small leather ball laying on the floor he sighed and got dressed. "Well... no matter... since you woke me up I might as well get the chores done..." he said under his breath as he grabbed his rucksack filled with all the supplies he would need as well as his trusty Zanna del Dissodatore in case a wild animal foolishly decided to try and make a meal out of him or Luna. "Come on Luna! Time to go!" he yelled as he opened the small door in their cabin and headed out with Luna jumping around his ankles. Once he made sure he had locked the door he turned and began to wander over towards the northern edge of the valley to a small forest on the other side of a shallow pond.

Wilfred decides that this charade in the glade has gone on long enough. He rises and brushes the dust off of his silver robes. Sess'ssth circles Wilfred's wrist and settles in a comfortable position. He walks over to the barrier and carresses the smooth wall of magic. He stares for a long while and then reaches into his small pouch. He pulls out a small, purple velvet bag. He reaches into it and pulls out a pinch of powder. He sprinkles it onto the wall and watches it recede. He slips inside the fold quickly as the wall of magic slams shut behind him. He walks over to Scipio.

-"Greetings, wanderer. What brings you to this peaceful glade? And what do you know about this curtain of magic?"

Overhead of Aygen, Skye flew, looking for food.

Tyrell, studying the boy who was now strangely pacing in circles, was brushing himself off to the tune of the vio-- THE VIOLIN!? Turning a full 180 degrees, he sees a beautiful looking man with an unsightly looking snake on him.

- "NOW I'm confused."

Without even glancing at Wilfred, Scipio answered;

-"WHAT are you talking about? Curtain of magic?

He stopped sundenly, stared at Tyrell and Scipio's eyes sharpened and he pounced towards him all claws out!

Once again in the nearby valley:

Glancing upwards Aygen noticed a falcon circling not terribly high above him. "Luna come here." he whispered grabbing the ferret carefully and stowing her away in a special carrier he had sown in his rucksack when there was a predator who may attack her nearby. Continuing on, he eventually noticed the falcon had stopped circling and had flown to the south near his cabin. Shrugging it off he continued and trugged through the shallow waters of the pond with Luna safely in tow.

-"Woah!!!" says Wilfred as he sees Scipio hit the wall of magic. It flings him backwards and leaves him in a heap on the ground. Looking concerned, Wilfred pulls out a small crystal vial with an amber liquid and pours it into Scipio's mouth.

-"This tastes a little horrible, but it will help with the shock."

Wilfred realizes Scipio's non-magic nature and backs away before Scipio fully regains consciousness, he backs away. He then looks over to Tyrell.

-"What is going on between you, two?"

Scipio's eyes we're back to normal.

-"He stole my money. I need it for a god'am bottle of milk you THIEF!
Give it back!"

Scipio sat to the ground all of a sudden, and started scrathing behing his ears with his naked foot.

- "Heh. I've never touched more than a half-crown in my life! But is burning down an entire village worth the price for milk?"

Tyrell, keeping his distance from Scipio, whistled sharply. Long, starting high, and going mid-pitch, going back up high, and back down. A distant figure appeared on the horizon.

-"Burning a village?! How DARE you acuse me of some crap when you just stole my damn money!"

Scipio was well known for his jumpy attitudes.. well that is for what he was known..

-"How'd you whistle like that?? =3

- "Well, he had about the same hair colour as you, same build as you, same height as you and the same clothes as you. I'd say that's enough evidence for me."

Tyrell then calmed down.

- "I don't think anyone as bubbly as you could really do that type of thing, though..."

Ignoring Scipio's question, Tyrell continued to scan him from tip to toe.

Intrigued, Wilfred approaches the feuding boys. He reaches into his pouch and pulls out a small dish. He places it on the floor and pulls out a small glass bottle with a white liquid. He pours it into the dish. There is a little remaining in the bottle, so he drinks it down.

-"Milk is indeed refreshing."

Wilfred wipes his mouth, returns the bottle to his pouch and moves a few feet away. He sits down, cross legged, and watches Scipio and Tyrell intently. He pulls another small bag from his pouch and pulls out 5 crowns. He tosses them to Tyrell.

-"Here, take this. I have no need for them. I get all that I need from the land and magic I work with. I am a...spellcaster of sorts. Money is no more than a metal to me. Might as well melt it into a sceptar."

Wilfred laughs dryly. Sess'ssth hisses quietly.

Nick comes across the mishmash of characters with a dull rusty axe. he scans each of them

"easy picking tonight" he thought with a grin...

Aygen sighed, sitting under a rather large pine tree. "Almost done..." he thought as he looked up through the branches at the wisps of clouds that lazily crawled overhead. After resting for a few minutes he stood up and reached for his rucksack as Luna explored a nearby weeping willows low hanging branches. "Guess I should..." he began to think but his thoughts were interrupted as he heard a shrill squeak from Luna. Turning sharply around he saw a pack of wolves approaching, ready to pounce at the first chance. Laughing under his breath Aygen reached for his weapon and grasped it by the handle tightly as he gave a low whistle signaling Luna to get back to him. Quickly stuffing her in the rucksack he placed it high in the branches of the pine he had sat under. Feeling he had put her in a safe place he turned to the wolves and readied his weapon. "Looks like we're having wolf for dinner tonight." he said jokingly.

-"It sure is isin't it!"

Said Scipio looking at Wilfred. He then stared at Tyrell..

-"'Mind if ya' gave back my money?
And what do you mean "Anyone as BUBBLY" as me?"

- "Here, have your crown. I've never needed to buy more than string anyway."

Turning his attention to Nick and Wilfred, Tyrell caught the diving Skye on his arm. He grinned.

- "Hey wizard, would you help do me the honor?

-"Wha-- what do you mean by that..?

-"If by doing the honors, you mean doing harm to this obviously naive creature," signaling at Scipio, "Then no, I will not. And besides, I am not a wizard, I am a witch. There is a difference. Witches use the magic around them to weave spells. Wizards create illusions to cause deception. Witch is a unisex term."

Turns to Scipio.

-"Do not worry, young one. The milk here is fresh and cool. Nothing to fear."

Notices Nick and the axe in the corner of his eye.

-"Best keep an eye on him...do not provoke him, there is madness in his eyes..." Sess'ssth warned. Wilfred only nodded in acknowledgement.

"I happened to have noticed him. This person has been bit by a hydrophobic animal. He happens to be ravenous, and whatever you do, don't let him bite you."

Flicking back a coin to Scipio, Tyrell took two steps backwards and drew a hunting knife, both him and his falcon tensed.

-"You can put back your little knife, as long as i have the money you took, you're alright."

Scipio then look at wilfred.

-"So like.. you use.. MAAAGIC? Make a.. frog come outta your sleeve!"

Just then Nick walked into view. dressed in jeans and a tattered tshirt with his axe over his shoulders and tofas tucked into his belt, he surveyed them all. "hey guys, hey Willie, what's going on in here?" he said with a grin

-"Please refer to me by a less phallic name..." Wilfred sighed.

He had known Nick for a while now and had gotten accustomed to his habits. Wilfred had always discouraged the permanent cigarette in Nick's mouth. The young witch always thought smoke should only come out of fire pits and dragon nostrils.

Wilfred's focus then shifted back to Scipio.

-"A frog you say? That isn't quite what magic is. Magic, in itself, is just a universal connective tissue that flows through and in everything, dead and alive. Channeling this energy allows me to weave my spells. I can summon a frog from a pond, but that would serve no purpose and would draw magic from the land for no reason. Instead, I could use this violin to weave more magic into this earth and therefore allow for life to flourish."

Wilfred pulls out his violin and plays a love song. The bow pulls across the strings and the violin's notes fill the air with a pungeant smell of cinnamon. Immediately, the flowers and the grass perked up and glowed with renewed vigor.

-"Uuh.. i see..? What about those guys with that bunny trick thing?"

Scipio then noticed a squirell.. he just shot off after it.

Having gotten enough exercise from the pack of wolves Aygen decided it would be best to return home and rest for the day. Grabbing the rucksack hiding Luna he quickly gathered the required things in the forest (including a little wolf meat since he knew his stock of meat was running low at home) and walked briskly home not wanting Luna to come out of the rucksack quite yet because there were likely to be more wolves hidden in the forest waiting for their friends who now rested in a grave under the weeping willow.

"Poor things didn't stand a chance." he whispered as he quickly crossed the pond and reached the opposite side not wanting to waste any time because it would be night in a few hours.

Yet as he neared his cottage he couldn't help but notice the smell of cooked food wafting from his small house. Knowing he hadn't left food on the fire he quickened his pace, reaching his house in record time. Quickly unlocking and opening the door he took a cautious step in, his weapon at the ready should he need to fight.

Wilfred suddenly froze and a look of panic washed over his face. He threw his pouch down to the ground and began digging through it quickly. Sess'ssth also started emitting a low hiss of panic. He finally found what he was looking for: a small round glass globe and a flat coin 2 inches in diameter with a half-inch needle pointing directly out. He stared at the coin and cursed under his breath. He then turned his attention to the crystal. He stared intently at it and he began to perspire.

-"What is going on there...?" He gasped.

Immediately he put the crystal and the coin back into his pouch and pulled out a small bottle with an amber liquid. He threw the glass to the ground and a glowing purple portal appeared before him. He stepped into it and seemingly plummetted down into the ground. The purple vortex vanished and Wilfred was nowhere to be found.

-"What.. was that?"

Scipio turned to Tyrell

-"So.. you got anything to eat?"

- "Here. This is always good."

Tyrell threw Scipio some pemmican while staying focused on Nick with a stony faced.

- "You better not try anything funny."

Noticing Wilfred had just left, Tyrell took a step sideways, ever facing Nick.

Nick noticed Tyrell's apprehensive composture and chuckled softly. he took a massive swing at a tree, embedding his axe deeply. he sat down and leaned against the tree

"heh. nervous buggers are the first to go" he mumbled before closing his eyes.

- "Har har. And what is the point of you being here?"

i am everywhere. and no where. at the same time. my alegence is with Wil, but i am nothing more than a peaceful traveller. worry not about me. instead worry about you.

- "Ha...ha.ha..ha? Everywhere? Thats impossible, so much so that it'd make my simple mind explode! But it didn't! And what was the rusty axe for?"

Dosen't seem peaceful to me.. ¬¬
Thought Scipio.

-Well.. g'night.... what was your name?

He asked looking at Tyrell.

Having stepped cautiously into the room Aygen quickly scanned the one room cottage looking for the unknown intruder. Not seeing anything he quickly closed and bolted the door shut. Yet as he locked the final lock he felt a cold chill wash down his back. Turning, he saw a high window stood ajar in the rafters.

"That's gotta be how whoever it was got in here." he mumbled as he trudged over to the far wall and climbed the makeshift ladder he had installed when he first built the house. "I could have sworn that window was rusted shut though..." he mumbled again as he reached and quickly yanked the window closed. That's when he noticed the rust that had once covered the old lock had vanished. "This just gets weirder and weirder" he thought as he climbed back down and walked over to the table in the small corner kitchen. Setting down his rucksack and letting Luna out he turned toward the stove. He froze when he realized that on the stove was a small plate of chicken and rice along with a quickly written note addressed to him. Picking it up he slowly read the letter out loud.

"Dear Aygen..."

As Aygen reads the letter, a small purple vortex appears in the floor of the cottage. Wilfred jumped out silently and saw Aygen standing over the table. The young witch crept up behind Aygen as the portal closed in the floor. He pulled out small athame (a ceremonial knife) and focuses a spell at Aygen. The spell parlayzes his body as Wilfred pushes the dagger into Aygen's back. Sess'ssth eyes Luna and watches her.

-"Speak fast or your life shall be extinguished. What are you doing in this cabin? Who sent you? What have you seen of this place?"

Wilfred was clearly worried but his voice did not waver. His peaceful nature had vanished completely. All that could be sensed now was a ruthless, savage mind.