[Glirdan]

Léoflic tossed and turned in his sleep. Whether it was eagerness for the day to commence, or the horrible reccuring nightmares he's been having, he couldn't tell. He eventually got up and crept quielty out of the house to get a breath of fresh air, hoping it would allow him to relax and fall asleep. He walked around to the stable's to go see Aldor before the day's journey. He walked up to the horse who looked up as his owner approached. "You can't sleep either boy?" Léoflic asked Aldor softly, treading his way slowly over to him.

Léoflic stood for awhile, stoking Aldor's muzzle softly. He sighed deeply and looked at Aldor in the eyes before saying "We've had a rough time, hey boy? What with father going off to war, and then mother..." at the thought of his mother, Léoflic's heart skipped a beat. His mother, the one person who he ever knew, the one person he loved the most. Tears sprang unbidden to his dark eyes. "I know I shouldn't be upset boy. After all, she's in a better place now..." he said quietly. "But I miss her so much. Everyday I think about her. I miss her..."

He stood there, crying silently into the night, leaning on Aldor's neck. It took Léoflic awhile to calm down. He wiped his eyes to remove all the traces of his emotions. He then thought back to when he met his first friend and his benefactor. He took him in when no one else would. "What was his name?" Léoflic wondered out loud. "There I go with the memory lapse again. Well, wherever you are friend, thank you for your generosity." Then he looked back at Aldor, remebering when he first got him. There was an immediate bond between them. "You're my best friend in this god forsaken world," Léoflic whispered gently into Aldor's ear. "You've always been there for me. And we still have many more adventures my friend. I suggest you get some sleep whilst you can. Tomorrow, we start on a new adventure, with new friends. Maybe, this will be the adventure we need to forget our troubles, hey boy?" He gave Aldor a hug and patted his muzzle one last time before retiring to the house.

Léoflic awoke the next morning feeling quite refreshed and ready to start on an adventure. As they rode, the sun rose above Starkhorn, lifting his normally gloomy and despondant spirit high. As he rode, he noticed that Elfride looked rather gloomy. He rode up beside her. "Elfride, what's wrong my friend?"