Zed finally woke up from his deep sleep as the wagon continued to sway in a comfortable rhythm. The old dog drowsily blinked, his hazel eyes gazing lazily into a field of gently dancing wheat that reached the horizon. He rested his head onto his paws and continued to stare, focusing on nothing in particular.

This was the first time that Zed had stepped out his home village after ten years. Everything looked different from the last time he saw it. Although, nothing really changed in the end.

For Zed, the night sky that was dotted with sparkling stars was no longer glaring at him. The two large moons that overlapped each other seemed like gorgeous gems compared to the daunting giants of the past.

Zed basked in the gentle wind that swept through the field of wheat. His eyes which had once been tainted with hatred and sorrow and fear was finally gentle, filled with hope and courage.

For Zed, life was like a wheat field. Each stalk of wheat resembled every single person on this planet. They stand together, tall and straight. They dance with the grace of the wind that resembles life. And when the wind pushes them down, they conform for a time before they stand back up, tall and proud.

Zed smiled. And he gets to share this beautiful world with another. Although he may be noisy, stubborn, and sometimes dangerously curious, he is filled with a confidence for life that Zed admires.

Speaking of that little rascal, is he finally asleep?

***

At the Philli Farm

The wagon finally stopped once they reached their destination, ending the swaying that Zed had found to be really comfortable. After everyone was done setting up camp and resting did Zed start to move.

Zed stood up, stretching his sore muscles before he turned to dig into the pile of hay.

Now that he thought about it, this was also Miceter's first time to leave the village. But unlike Zed, Miceter had never once stepped out of his village before.

For Miceter, his tiny world had been filled with mud houses and large fields of crops. Familiar faces were the only people he saw. And when it came to events, it was the normal boring routine of eat, sleep, play, and explore the forest that filled the small village's perimeter. If he was lucky, a wandering bard or caravan would pa.s.s through and provide him songs, stories, and pretty goods which he rarely got to see.

Until recently, Miceter's life was boring and peaceful--a paradise that Zed had seldom experienced throughout his forty years of life.

As Zed continued to search the pile of hay, a VERY familiar and horrifying emotion began to creep into his heart. Unconsciously, the pace to which he dug sped up. The careful force to which he had used to dig was pushed aside as he began to fling large chunks of hay off the wagon, until he was left with...

...nothing...

Miceter wasn't here.

His heart wrenched and his pulse began to quicken as his breaths ran faster and faster.

Where is he?

What happened to his baby?

His Sun?

His Moon?

His Everything?

He quickly jumped off the wagon, his head whipping around frantically as he searched for the other carriages. Maybe he was on another carriage?

Had they stopped again after Prosperous Kingdom?

He didn't think so, but it wasn't the first time he had slept while Miceter explored.

In fact, jumping from carriage to carriage wasn't uncommon for them--they had done it multiple times.

But what if...

...Miceter didn't make it on time?

What if he never got to see his darling again?

This sent a chill crawling down his back.

No--he had to think positively. Now was not the time to panic.

Zed took slow breaths as he forced himself to calm down. He then began to a.n.a.lyze his surroundings.

Currently, the merchant group had managed to find a farm to which they could camp for the night. Various carriages lined the road which led to the small log cabin. Tents that varied in color and quality (ranging from new to old with patches) spotted the front lawn.

A yellow light could be seen through the curtains in the windows of the log cabin. The faint voices suggested that some individuals were still awake while the rest were most likely resting in their tents--which was normal for it was currently the middle of the night.

Zed would first check inside the house--if Miceter wasn't there then he would... he would...

What would he do?

Zed quickly ran and jumped onto the porch, slamming himself against the wood door that blocked his path. He began to bark crazily as he continued trying to force the door open.

The voices inside fell silent as stomping could be heard approaching moments after.

Zed continued to bash the door nonetheless.

Once the door opened, he dashed inside.

***

When Christopher and the others heard the barking and banging on the door, he and his friends were filled with immense confusion and a trace of fear. However, Christopher was filled with an additional emotion--Anger. Here he had been, talking and bragging about how good Barker was and here that d.a.m.n mixed-breed was, acting crazy. He didn't know what was wrong with the d.a.m.n mutt, and he didn't care. All he cared about at this moment was shutting that stupid dog up.

Since each farm was enchanted with a spell that protected against hostiles, Barker couldn't possibly be going mad over the security.

"I'll go see what he wants, you guys wait here." Christopher placed down his playing cards and stomped towards the door.

"YOU STUPID DOG, WHAT THE h.e.l.l DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" He yelled and flung open the door. The moment the door opened, he sent out a vicious kick which missed because the old dog had already slipped in, too fast for his a.s.sault.

After the old dog had trashed the house did he stop.

***

Zed stood in disbelief as his heart wrenched. Tears welled in his eyes. He didn't even feel the abuse his "Owner" sent his way because he was already numb.

The one thing that had brightened his world was gone.

The one thing that made him feel was gone.

The one thing that drove his heart to beat was gone...

...and he didn't know what to do.