The Ranger and the Rat

Caravanserai

"I don't know, it might be too dangerous for you-"

"Please?! I want to go on adventures like you!"

"It's not much of an adventure, really..."

Felix probably shouldn't have told Zol that he was going out on an expedition, because now he is doing everything he can to convince Felix to let him come along.

"Pleeeeaaaaase? I don't want to be stuck here- It's boriiiiiiiiing!" Zol begs further, preventing Felix from leaving by holding onto his leg. He continues to whine. "I don't wanna be left alone again, what if something happens?"

Felix groans, looking down and into Zol's pleadful eyes. He doesn't want to put his own son at risk, but he doesn't want to make the poor rat sad either. He mulls over the options before sighing.

"Okay. You can come, but I want you to promise me something." Felix gently shakes Zol off his leg and kneels down. "Do you still have the knife I gave you?"

"Mhm!" Zol smiles and nods. He's always kept the dagger he was given on him. Though he only ever used it for cutting plants and other natural elements to take home.

"Promise me..." Felix gently grabs Zol's paw with both of his hands. "Promise me that if it comes down to it... You'll use that to defend yourself."

Zol goes quiet... He's never had to fight before. Usually if he was ever confronted by anyone or anything, he would just run away.

"Zol?"

"I-I can do that." Zol nods nervously, having second thoughts about wanting to go, but now he's fully made up his mind and is ready to face what lies ahead. He just hopes that he won't have to hurt anyone...

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The pair reach the eastern gate with only a minor delay to the scheduled time the caravan was supposed to leave. One of the caravan's guards turns to face Felix.

"Took your bloody time, didn't you?" The guard then looks down at Zol. "And who the hell is this? We were told only one was coming."

Felix furrows his brow at the guard. Crossing his arms. "Complications, don't worry about it. At the end of the day I'm going to be the reason you live to see the next one."

The guard scoffs and turns away, not bothering with the conversation. Felix walks over to the cart at the front of the convoy to talk to the caravan master.

"Hail. Everything all loaded on?"

The caravan master nods, showing Felix the list of goods being hauled. "It's less than usual. We're running out of stock since the previous caravans kept going missing." He nods over to a carriage in the middle of the caravan. "Hop on that carriage. No idea why the boss decided you should have one, if you're supposed to be a guard."

Felix looks over at the carriage.

"Yeah that's... It probably would have been better to not have one, but since it's here, can't let it be unused, right?"

The caravan master rolls his eyes as Felix walks up to the carriage, opening the door and letting Zol get in first. Once both occupants are inside, the caravan sets off, towards Miragliano.

"..."

Zol is unusually quiet, the only sounds being his incessant fidgeting. He can't seem to stay comfortable, and keeps looking around, out the windows of the carriage.

"Do you think-"

"No." Felix interrupts him. "They would have said something if they knew. You still pass well enough."

Zol looks down at the carriage floor, seemingly still troubled. He quickly gets up from his seat and crosses to the other side to sit with Felix, naturally.