**LITTLE RAYAN'S POV**
The first two months were the hardest in my life I had lost some weight due to lack of food, I also came to the realization that the average street kid was just as tough as a knight. In the streets you had to fight for food, alms and even a place to sleep and it didn't matter who you fought even if the person was older than you, you had to fight back and show them that you wouldn't back down even if you couldn't win.
I also realized another thing, clothes do make a man. When I wore clean clothes and looked clean I would get food and if I wore filthy clothes I would get money. I cut my hair a few weeks back with a broken piece of glass since without Sarah here they were difficult to manage.
"hey check out the wimp there, he's still crying without a reason," a street kid told his friend as he pointed at me I quickly wiped away my tears. most of us would frequent this place, it was a dumpster just outside of a restaurant so sometimes people would find a decent looking piece of bread or meat. Out here we treated meat like gold as long as it didn't have worms coming out of it.
I was never lucky to find anything and out here, let's just say less of the kids here liked me. They called me the duke of pity, they would say that with my pathetic face many people pitied me and gave me most of the alms leaving them with spare change most of them would beat me up and steal all the money I collected at first I would take it but after two weeks of it happening constantly I fought back not that I would win or anything but at least they left me alone.
In the trashcan I was searching, I couldn't believe my luck. I never found a piece of bread but today I found meat and not just any meat a perfectly good medium rare steak the size of my palm. The scent it had showed that it was still good. I took it out and slapped some of the junk that had stuck to it.
"hey nice find," the kid next to me said as he eyed the steak and he wasn't the only one, I looked around me and I saw that everyone else had stopped what they were doing and they were moving close to me.
I did what any sane person would do in this type of situation, I took off running there was no way in hell would I give this up. I tightly held the steak in my hand and just ran and behind me was the seven kids. I wasn't the fastest or even had the most stamina so it would only take them at most a minute or two before they caught me. I quickly started stuffing the steak in my mouth. In one painful gulp the steak found it's way in my stomach.
Suddenly I felt a push on my back pushing me to the ground, I tried to stand up but the person who pushed me down must have been sitting on my back in five seconds the other kids caught up and were standing around me. I felt frantic hands searching me.
"where is it?" the kid sitting on me asked I didn't answer him and he grabbed my arms and twisted it behind my back. "where is it? Tell me unless you want me to break your arm like a twig,"
I tried to push him off me but I couldn't, he wouldn't budge, he began to further twist my hand and it really felt like he was going to break it.
"wait, wait it in my shirt pocket but you are making me squish it," I said as desperate as I could sound. He stood up for a minute and turned me around so that I was lying on my back. I just showed him my middle finger the moment I laid on my back.
"oh wait am sorry, but if you guys would wait for I don't know till the end of day. Maybe you could find it in my crap," I said as I started laughing, "or maybe you could wait for me to throw it up,"
I laughed as I thought of them actually waiting for me to do either one of the two but everyone else didn't seem to find it as funny as me. The kid who was standing over me dropped down on me with a solid punch that connected on my right side of me face my head felt like it was spinning. His punch started the beating, the remaining kids also threw kicks and punches at me and none of them were holding back. I was hit on my back, stomach and ribs, I just kept my guard on my head.
I tried to stand up but when I just managed to get on all fours someone managed to sweep one of my arm making me fall back down. I looked around and saw a bunch of people just passing by, they all saw me getting beat up but some of them quickly averted their eyes others would look at me with disgust or pity. I didn't need any of that what I did need was their help but no one showed any sign of intervening.
A kick landed right in my chin and that was what finally did the job of knocking me out. I woke up in an unfamiliar place, my entire body ached and I didn't have any strength left in me, I stayed in the position I found myself in untill I finally had the strength to sit up. "ow all that for a piece of steak, worth it,"
"who the fuck dragged me here," I said as I looked around, I was in a really narrow alley, it wasn't exactly filthy but it wasn't clean just decent enough. My shirt had been torn and so were my pants but thank God my privates were still covered.
"stand up, your family isn't here to help you anymore," I scolded myself as I was about to cry. "stand up,"
I struggled to stand up straight but I finally I managed after a couple of trials but I lost my balance and I almost fell down again but I placed my hand on the wall I used the walls for support as I got out of the alley.
"come one, come all, you may have seen a man swallow fire but now you'll see a man swallow a sword,"
"best fabrics in all the land..... Quality swords..."
Huh where am I? What is this place. I looked around, I was in a different town, the previous town I was in didn't have a lot of inhabitants like this one. I saw a poster on a wall right next tom. I didn't know how to read but I saw something about two copper coins and hour and a drawing of a vineyard. I asked around for directions with my torn clothes no one wanted to talk to me but finally a middle aged woman showed me the way but she mostly just wanted to get rid of me. I followed her directions and it led me to where I was going.
Nestled gracefully beside the sprawling vineyard, the elegant white mansion exudes timeless charm against the backdrop of rolling hills. Its pristine façade, adorned with intricate trimmings, captured the essence of luxury and refinement. Tall windows allowed sunlight to dance across its spacious rooms, offering glimpses of the verdant vines that stretch towards the horizon. This picturesque scene, where architecture meets nature, creates a harmonious haven of sophistication and natural beauty. I saw a bunch of people working on the vineyard from children to the elderly which meant that the owner didn't mind hiring children. I hoped that I could be able to make a living here for a long while but my job here was short lived.