"So why did you go, boy?" Old Nan asked the red haired human, her whiskers twitching in genuine curiosity. She'd known Marcel for a very long time and she'd become all but immune to compliments that flowed from his lips like water from a leaking dam. He was a merchant at heart and his words always sought advantage.
This boy, however, seemed surprisingly genuine when he praised the carvings on her wall. More than that, the look in his eyes when he looked at her and her home seemed almost… sad. Perhaps the merchant didn't understand an attachment to a home. She had heard that humans bought and sold homes freely. But this young man seemed like he understood, at least a little bit.
"I went because Lady Ashlynn was right," Ollie said firmly. "If I didn't go, then Lord Owain would have killed me. I don't know what it took to build and make all this," he said, gesturing at the interior of the burrow. "But I understand wanting to stay to keep it safe."
