A large wooden cart, laden with an assortment of bottles and jars and crates of mysterious and varied contents, clinked and rattled as it was pulled by two large, shaggy, horned beasts down the bumpy cobbled road. It was heading the opposite direction as Inna, who padded briskly over the stones. Her silky ears perked with interest and she craned her neck as the cart rolled past. The driver of the cart, an old gnarled man, weathered from years of labor, scowled down at her. Inna sniffed the air thoughtfully.
"Hmm… Spices? Some pelts… Old parchment for sure, maybe books? And somethi- Aughh! Never mind," She wrinkled her nose and looked suspiciously at the cart as it rattled away.
Inna turned back towards her goal. The wide stone path was lined with tall looming trees, twisting vines, and colorful spiky shrubs, which seemed eager to take over and grow over the path, but because of the frequent traffic of carts and travelers, the foliage was regularly knocked back to create the effect of a long, leafy tunnel. This path was a major road whose end landed in Aramontis, the famed capitol city. It was a fairly busy road, with a steady stream of merchants and traders flowing to and from the city. It was also frequented by many bandits and thieves, who used the dense surrounding forest to hide and ambush passing carts laden with valuable merchandise. It was a risky place to walk alone, especially for one of obvious wealth, wearing things like expensive, tailored, gray trench coats and luxurious, flowing, wine-colored scarves, but Inna paid no mind.
She was blissfully, if not recklessly, unconcerned with the potential dangers of the world. Her mind was filled with eager fantasies of travel and adventure, and she followed her curiosity where ever it took her. And right now, that was the city of Aramontis. Inna nearly licked her lips with anticipation. She had heard of such bizarre curiosities, she could not wait to sniff around. Unusual creatures? Showers of candy? Unsavory black market activity? Inna couldn't help but smile a wolfish grin. She turned her head to poke her nose into her coat pocket, which contained a large leather coin purse, filled with gold. She considered the amount of gold she was carrying. She carried little else, it seemed that she didn't need much else besides a good coat, a scarf, and lots of gold to get by quite comfortably in the world.
Ah, yes, she thought. I'll have to pick up a souvenir to send home.
She trotted onwards, head buzzing with anticipation, when she heard sounds coming from the dense forest. It sounded like voices. Of course, Inna had to investigate. Who would be hanging around in a shady woods like this? The obvious answer didn't dawn on her. Inna leapt from the path and plunged into the foliage, following the sound of voices. In the dappled light pouring through the trees, she could make two figures in the distance, one very small and the other quite large. She advanced curiously, her tail wagging and whacking into nearby branches. They appeared to be… a pixie and a winged wolf?
