A Side Step

Gar passes the ad later that week, amongst the rest of the jumbled advertisements covering city noticeboards.

'Available: Fox Cubs. Wild Borne. Bottle Fed. Friendly Enough. PET ONLY.
Further conditions apply.'

The directions below it detail a bit of a trek out of the city, into the wilds. Something must have happened to their mother, he thinks.

Thoughts turn to his familiar, the flame-lit fox with its clever blazing eyes, and then to his own Coat of arms, differentiated from his sire and brothers always by a fox in the heraldry. Gahariet thinks that maybe some company other then the rest of the third order and his flame-fox might prove pleasant.

Later in the week, he makes the trek, with a bag designed for carrying young lambs safely over long distances attached behind his bags. He leaves his sword and armor in the city - no need to alarm anyone.

The farmer is not unpleasant - he's married, with a husband, and a lovely little daughter. There are dogs on the property too - a hound bitch and her pups, closely monitored by their mother.

The farmer speaks in hesitant murmurs about Enchanter Guro, about her rendered services. Gareth's stomach turns much the same as the farmers, and after some talk back and forth, he admits his recent vandalism. The farmer nods, and Gar is allowed to see the cubs. There are three left; one a particular odd gold-tone, another a cross fox, and finally one that looked rather the typical image of a fox, aside from its glinting green eyes. He examines each of them in turn, and the cross fox cub seems to study him for a long while before approaching on its own terms.

Gahariet finds himself swiftly smitten.

He offers the farmer payment for the little reynard fox, but the farmer declines payment - helping Gahariet tuck the little fellow into its travel bag, with its head poking out. The cub only makes minor protests before settling in.

Late into the evening, Gahariet returns to the estate the third order is renting with the fox cub peering out of his bag. It isn't many days after before one of the other knights jokingly suggests they knight the cub as one of their own.