To town to resupply

"You said you were having trouble finding anything in the woods so I figured we'd head into town to resupply."

She folded her arms, tail twitching in irritation, "I'm not 'having trouble' there's nothing to find! It's Fall you nitwit, nothing's growing or breeding. I can't just magic food to appear."

You give her a sidelong glance, "But I've literally seen you magically make food appear. Quite a few times, actually."

She gave you an exaggerated eye roll, "Well that's not 'real' food is it? Just some leaves and dirt thrown together with a little foxfire."

"I know. You've fed it to me before." Your response is drier than kindling and puts a pleased smirk on her face. Seems like she's forgiven you for this morning. If only the father's were so understanding... no. You put the memory out of your mind. You had work to do. Sort of.

Your plan for the next few days was to head into town, get stocked up, then head deeper into the woods to clear the old path of threats. You were on a quest to purge evil from the land after all, even if it was indefinitely. You get some curious looks when you stride through the town gate in your armor, foxgirl in tow, but nobody stops or harasses you which is a welcome change of pace. Animal-folk were rarely trusted in city centers and certainly not outside of them. All kinds of nasty stories popped up surrounding them, with foxgirls being the worst and most mischievous. They had a point but it was still unfair.

"Well, this is an open minded town. I'm glad you decided to come with me, I was worried after the last one-" You glance back at Amber to find a normal looking girl with flowing ginger-blonde hair, her features abnormally beautiful but otherwise un-extraordinary.

You frown and she gives you a charming smile, "what?" You cast your eyes around, checking for iron rings or other magical detectors, "You know how villagers feel about magic." She scoffs, adjusting her kimono-turned-cloak around her neck. You note with some surprise she managed to fashion a smart-looking tunic and trousers as well. All with you not noticing, with your enhanced knightly senses... remarkable.

"I know how they feel about foxes too! This is better, trust me." She winked at some passing farm-hand, causing him to fumble his bucket and splatter his comrades. You grumble, hurrying along your way while the soaked boys scuffle on the ground shouting at each other.

"At least try to be less conspicuous? A lovely woman, particularly dressed as you are, in these parts is..."

"You think me lovely?" She posed as though swooning, back arched comically, which nevertheless still emphasized her rather impressive assets. You think you can see a faint blush on her cheeks though.

"...eye catching."

Animal folk were all like that though, to varying degrees. Growing up outside of human society, they had a different outlook on things. They were more true to their natures, not tempered by things like propriety or 'common decency'. You almost felt an expert on the matter, considering you'd been traveling with one of the wilder folk for close to half a year.

You'd happened across her one day out on the road, foot caught in a ward. She'd rather reminded you of a raccoon with its hand stuck in a jar, mad as hell and unwilling to admit her own blame. She'd given you an earful as soon as she saw you, barely calming down enough for you to address her, impatiently tapping her free foot with her arms folded. You'd freed her by cracking the ward and set about going on your way, good deed done. She'd either been curious enough of your armor or impressed enough by your charity to follow you, asking questions you'd done your best to answer. She'd found it hilarious that you'd been sent on an endless quest and teased you relentlessly about your circumstances. But she'd still been there when you woke up the next morning. And the next. And the next.

You come to the trader and hold an arm out before Amber can follow you inside, "you stay out here and out of trouble. I'm not getting run out of town, again, because you couldn't keep your hands to themselves."

She sulked, "They only do that when I get caught. Not like they ever see me actually do it."

"People notice when all their fish suddenly vanish and you're wearing a new backpack."

Confident, or rather not confident at all, that she would stay out of trouble, you head inside the shop. After some haggling and a promise to rid the old road of danger, you exit with a small donation of rations. This was pretty much how you'd conducted yourself since leaving the order, you weren't a bounty hunter after all and nobody paid you. So you'd been living off donations and Amber's hunter/gatherer skills. Not glamorous but it wasn't supposed to be.

You glance around for Amber and are immediately anxious. Shield knows the kind of trouble a kitsune could cause in a town like this but you found yourself more concerned for Amber's safety. You weren't certain but you suspected she was quite young for a fox, who could live for thousands of years if the legends were to be believed. You were sure Amber was not one of those, in fact you sometimes wondered if she was even younger than you but that might just be her nature.

You catch a glimpse of movement across the square, the boy from earlier looking around suspiciously before disappearing into an alley. Your eyes narrow. You might not be aligned with the divine plan but your gut told you something was up.