Head into town to eat and rest

"If it's all the same to you, I'll give you two some time alone. I'm going to head into the town to see about getting something to eat and a soft bed to sleep in."

"As you wish, Little Spareling. I will come find you when I am finished," says Felixia, who is already eagerly climbing the tree, with Norax right behind her. "Just one word of advice, though... Folks in this part of the country don't have quite the same allegiance to the Crown that you would find back home. You may want to keep your head down and not go blabbing around about who you are."

"No allegiance to the Crown?" asks Duncan, offended at the thought.

If Felixia was going to give a response, it was interrupted at this point by a cat-headed protrusion stretching forth from Norax and nipping her playfully on the rump. Felixia gives a sharp cry and scrambles quickly out of sight.

With a sigh, Duncan turns his back on the tree and heads back to the horses. As he walks, he hears a screeching sound, starting low and growing in volume from behind him. He recognizes it as Felixia's voice, and he is thankful he made the decision not to wait there and have to endure one or two days of the racket. He picks up the pace of his step and shortly arrives at the location where he left the horses.

Whatever thoughts he harbored about the sound of Felechon lovemaking abruptly vanished as he stepped into the clearing, only to find the horses gone. Frantically, Duncan searches the area, but to no avail. The horses have either managed to free themselves and have wandered away, or they have been stolen.

Duncan considers his options. The town is just a few miles away. He could get there by foot before sundown, if necessary. He could also expand his search radius and see if he can find some sign of the horses or where they went. Of course, he can always turn around and go back to Felixia.