Welcome to Gaia! ::

A little terrier trotted through the overgrowth, head low and nose to the ground eagerly following a trail. His mostly white fur contrasting against the dreary earth tones of the forest and attention clearly on the scent of small animals that inhabit this corner of the world.

He suddenly stopped with one paw raised as one particular smell grabbed at him and after several long seconds he cocked his leg at the spot and scraped at the mud and dead leaves with all four feet.

Out of human earshot, but not the canine's an angry toned voice growled as the owner bumbled his way through the clawing trees.
"Where in heavens name are you blasted d-ow! Where ya leading me t-agh!"

The tan and white dog waited in his own way by carrying on further and sniffing at various places. Until a closer noise caused him to stop in his tracks.

It was the sound of a strange human voice that the terrier had heard, coupled with the sound of the bubbling stream, the crashing noise of his master following him and the various animals chirping, calling and moving it was amazing how the dog could pin point one sound out of all the other distractions.

He cautiously trotted out of the forest and onto the small bank to watch whomever was there, in his dim little doggy mind, he knew there was one human they had to stay away from, but this one wasn't him and didn't smell of him. So he stood in plane sight, his beady black eyes watching.

Jimmy cursed loudly as he tramped through the forest, pushing his way through stray branches that littered the trail. The wrong trail, he might add, although without his little mutt he may never find his way back to the city. He fed, sheltered and let the dog rat and in return Dog took him into the forest and out again without getting lost and ratted. Unfortunately the terrier's mind wandered often and so did his feet.

The old rat-catcher stopped to catch his breath, taking out a hanky to mop his brow. They must be close to the main road by now, but a squirrel can easily cause them to double back. Tucking his hanky back, Jimmy suddenly thought he heard water and following that sound and the dog's paw prints in some exposed mud he too came to the bank of a stream and saw someone there already, fishing.

Jimmy frowned at the odd way this bloke was dressed, not of the fact he was spear fishing in a stream. Which was odd, but not odd enough for Jimmy to pay mind to normally except someone dressed like that shouldn't need to have to fish, although his clothes didn't look in pristine condition, so Jimmy quickly figured this was some noble from one of the far cities fallen on hard times. He tried not to feel too smug at that to show.

"Hallo, sir. Sorry to interrupt ya fishin' but me dog here seemed to led me astray, an' beggin' me pardon sir, but you look like you're a bit misplaced yourself.' He gave a nodding bow, a gesture of greeting to the stranger to show him no disrespect.

The terrier just stared.

As the stranger approached, Jimmy could get a better look at his foreign clothing. It seemed to be a mix of leather and fur, but his goggles caught the rat-catcher's interest, he hadn't seen one like that since he was a boy.

Jimmy looked down his hooked nose at the offered hand before taking it in his own, then wiped his own on his coat as if getting rid of dirt. He had a strong disliking to nobles, but this Alex fellow acted most un-noble like and had working worn hands, not something a noble would have. He deduced a different way as to how this Alex had acquired his clothing, perhaps a reason why he was hiding out in the forest and suddenly liked him a little better.

He had to chuckle at Alex's first sentence. "Yeah, ah know the feelin'" He gave a glance at the terrier cautiously sniffing the stranger's leg. Unusual since the terrier usually ignores most people and wasn't the friendliest of dogs either.

"Ah used ta fish when ah was a lad, can't say ah've taken it up since. Pretty much gone off fish." He rubbed his face remembering a younger winkle free Jimmy. "Caught anythin'?" Surely the fish in a stream really weren't worth eating?

If this fellow didn't want to talk about his past, well Jimmy wasn't one to try and dreg it up with an obvious attempt. It was probably something best left alone. Ignorance is bliss as the ignorant say.

Jimmy allowed himself to grin, he liked a bit of gossip and was glad the man was talking. He didn't recognise the word 'plane', if that was the word he heard, in the way he used it before, but he nodded about the rod.

"Not easy ta make if ya don't have something ta use for the hook." He said out loud.

And Jimmy wasn't one to just give something for nothing. He wasn't exactly dining on banquets every night himself, and he figured even if he were, he'd rather see a man work then beg.

"Ah, a better idea then any, that." He agreed getting out some chewing tobacco from his pouch, it helped him mule over things better, even though it's taste had a lot to be desired. He ambled after Alex, and leaned against a tree, but didn't offer him any, chewing tobacco was expensive to acquire.

"Ah comes out here as often as ah needs to, ta feed me beasties an' check traps." He replied as the conversation turned to him. He then stood up straight and proper to introduce himself. "Why ah have been very rude sir! Not ta introduce meself, why if me mother were alive, she'd beat me raw. Manners made a gentleman, not money she used to say. God bless her soul." He took his top hat off and held it in the crook of his arm. "Me name is Jimmy Black, an' ah am the best rat-catcher for Loghedge Town, exotic rat breeder for ladies pets an' beast-baiter extraordinaire." He took a sweeping bow with a grin. It wasn't often he could introduce himself thusly.

"An' this." Jimmy thrusted his thumb towards the tan and white mutt. "Is Dog, me partner in ratting, best ratter in baiting ah've ever bred. 100 rats in 6 minutes an' 25 seconds. Not the best record but a close second." His chest seemed to burst with pride at that fact. "An' he's getting better with age." Jimmy continued to gloat.

Dog watched the stranger silently, it was as though he was suspicious of Alex and it was even disconcerting to his owner, so Jimmy ignored it and put it down to one of those things. You can't rely on a dog to be a good judge of character. It could just be the foreign smell.

The rat catcher turned and spat a yellow lump of saliva as he listened and nodded. Poor chap couldn't even drink his worries away since he couldn't afford it.

Jimmy watched curiously at the odd parchment and very bazaar writing tool, he knew it was a writing tool as it made lines on the parachment. He'd never seen anything like it before in his life, he used no ink to produce the lines nor did it look like charcoal or chalk.

"That's very interestin' things yer got there." He commented after the parchment was put away. "Yeah, traps fer wolves an' the like for baiting with dogs. Ah just make sure the traps are working and not been set off, any beasties caught ah gets me help an' it's a service fer the farmers to get rid of them so's they don't eat their livestock."

"Yep, I can't stands noisy dogs as it means they ain't doing their job with with all their mouthing off, unless it's their job to guard and alert to crooks stalking about." He jabbed a thumb towards Dog whom stood by his side and was now getting bored as the stranger wasn't acting hostle, "He only barks when there's something important to bark at, otherwise he's happy doing his job. Ah, there he goes." With that the terrier wondered off and started sniffing at some trees, but still checked where both his master and the strange smelling one was from time to time. It seemed whatever had caught his attention was gone now.

"It feeds me an' pays fer me shelter with a bit extra to spend, a good enough business as any." Jimmy replied humbly. "An' what business may that be that you have? Peebee what?" This Alex sounded homesick, hell he looked homesick, Jimmy had seen that look with travellers sitting on tables across from him in taverns. Jimmy spat out some more tobacco and frowned. "Are yer not able ta go back home? Yer have no money an' you won't last long without, unless yer turn thief which ta be honest, I don't see ya pulling it off well."

Jimmy settled against the tree after another spit, with that look Jimmy know his hint had been taken in, having something odd like that wasn't something to flaunt about, not since this Alex dressed very foreign and rich-like and thus drew curious and unwanted attention.

The stream babbled on the brooks as small fish lazily swam against the current, Jimmy stared at them while Alex picked woodshavings from his clothing.

"Ah, ah see." He nodded understanding what Alex does - did for a living, he mentally corrected himself. If he had no hope for himself of going home then Jimmy wasn't going to pretend otherwise.

"Yer may have luck askin' around fer that sort of job in town, perhaps. Although ah cannot say if they have anythin' like it as ah've never needed anyone to carry anythin' to another town fer me. Yer lucky ta see the world, lad, see all those foreign places an' women. Ah've never been anywhere other than this here town; born, raised and ah expect that ah'll be buried here too." On that morbid note, the rat catcher spat again into the stream dispersing the tiny fish.

"Yer are lucky that yer still has yer clothes on yer back. Ah've heard of one unlucky fellow travellin' through here woke up in just his - well let's just say the ladies got a good old gander of his jewels." He laughed that almost sounded like he was on the edge of wheezing. "But yer don't excatly blend inta the crowd. Yer clothes do look kinda fancy with yer leather an' fur." He explained, "Yer stand out like a women working in a smithery." He thought that last part over and muttered more to himself then to Alex "Hmm, could've found a better example ah guess. It's not easily done, donno how those bards manages it."

The experianced rat catcher stood up and stretched, starting to feel stiff in his old bones.

"An' hitting yerself ain't gonna do yer any good 'nether. Make people talk, it will an' not about the weather." He spat the last of his tobacco out, he could never chew them for long, the taste just seems to get old. Wiping his mouth with the back of his sleve he looked into the forest that surrounded them with it's creeping flora.

"Leash? Like rope? Nah! Like ah said, he'll warn me of trouble and he's fast enough to keep away from it. Brave too, saved my life a few winters back when the wolves were gettin' too hungry. Well one starved wolf, he may be little, but he has a fire in his belly to take on any beast if he'd so much as dared." His eyes seemed to twinkle as his chest filled up with pride and fondness of his little terrier. "Ah yes, they are very dangerous, never stay out in the early mornin's an' evenin's that's when the beasts are the most hungry and going about here at night is worse then suicide, can't see the roots trippin' yer up and the branches snaggin' at yer. They don't really like anyone being here, but night it's a whole lot worse. Men have been lost fer good out here, probably snatched away by the beasts or little folks. You should watch yerself, lad."

The terrier started to act impatient of moving on and crossed the stream and back again, although not in agitation, but closer to irritation that they weren't going anywhere. Jimmy took note but wasn't yet ready to leave.

"warmth isn't easy ta keep." Replied Jimmy with a sage nod. "Yer not a mornin' type then?" A chuckle was released then made a sympethitic noise about his headache.

Dog trotted out of view into the forest then a few moments later was back again and started digging at a weed, stopped then rolled in it.

The old rat catcher approached the stream, watching his dog acting silly. "True, but it's nice ta think otherwise. I'd best be off now, got cellars to clear of rats." He coughed, then turned to the pilot, with a thoughtful look, and after a long few seconds spoke; "If yer not afriad to do a bit ol' honest work, lad, ah'm looking fer people to help clear me barn in the forest tomorrow, the weeds have started to take over again an' I pay enough to feed an' board yer fer a couple a day or so an' yer're get water an' bread ta keep yer strength up. If yer interested, then come to the tavern closest to the gate, the Longbow ah think it's called. It was nice ta be talkin' to yer Alex. Ah hope ta see yer around again, good health."

With a whistle which drew the terrier near the old rat catcher hummed tunelessly as he followed a trail, with the tan and white dog leading the way back to the city.