"Hey, Orian. Did you hear?" The question cut through the noise Orian was making as he sawed through a long block of wood. Fuzzy fox ears twitched in response before he could answer.

"Hear what?" Orian wasn't quite sure what his friend Luffas was talking about. He wasn't really in the know, but Luffas knew everything that was going on in town. The village didn't need a newspaper when they had this kid.

"The stones cutters are saying someone broke into the quarry last night," Luffas answered. He took a seat on a nearby bench.

"Really?" Orian rolled his eyes. A few more motions of the saw and a tiny chunk of wood dropped to the ground at his feet. He picked it up. Next, he measured it to make sure it was the right size. "Why would someone break into a quarry? That's just…silly."

"Yeah. But that’s what I heard on the way over. The councilmen are going to the quarry right now to meet with the stone cutters and investigate. I'm going to head over there too and get the inside scoop. You should come with me. " Luffas stood to leave and motioned for Orian to follow.

"I'm busy, Luffas." Orian shrugged him off and went back to his project. He sat down and started to carve his small woodblock. A little sketch beside his tools was his guide. Using a pencil he marked the block in certain places before taking his chisel to it.

"You're no fun. You know if you keep up this carpentry and carving hobby of yours, your father's going to disown you." Luffas was genuinely concerned for his friend. Orian saw him frown as he walked out of the work shed.

"That’s the fate of a stone cutter's son who greatly prefers creating with wood."

Later that evening, Orian closed up the shed for the day. He left his secrets behind and went inside his house to cook dinner for him and his dad. It wasn’t anything special, just rice and fish, but it was Rigel Ros’ favorite meal so he made sure to cook it at least once a week.

The sound of the front door opening and closing caught Orian’s ears. He leaned his head of the kitchen doorway and welcomed his father. “Hey, Dad,” he said. “Dinner is just about ready.”

Rigel trudged into the house. His tired feet kicked up dust with every step as he made his way to the kitchen. “What are we having?” he asked as he took a seat at the table.

“Your favorite, but I think you should go take a bath, Dad. You’re tracking dust everywhere.” Orian pointed to the trail of foot prints his father had made on his way into the house.

“You’re right. I’ll be back in a bit.” Rigel stood and Orian nearly knocked him back down with a very sudden question.

“Hey, Dad. Did anything weird happen at the quarry today? Luffas said there was an intruder last night.”

Orian’s father sighed and shook his head. “How does that kid get his information? Yes. There was an intruder. She was taken to the jail and business went on as usual. The council is meeting tomorrow to decide what to do with her.”

“She? Nothing bad is going to happen to her right?” Orian asked. He knew what the council was capable of and he didn’t like the idea of some random girl being hanged. “You’ll just put her back in jail, right?”

"That's really none of your concern, but the council will have to determine why she was in the quarry first. Was she stealing or spying? There are a lot of questions we have to ask her first before we pass judgment."

Orian made a face and felt a stab in his heart. The word judgment made him think the worst. "Dad, you always said we should protect girls. You can't let anything happen to her. What could she possibly steal from a quarry...? It’s all just rocks!"

Rigel pointed over Orian's shoulder. "The rice is going to burn."

"Whoa!" Orian yelled. He quickly pulled the rice pot off the heat. "That was close..."

"I'm going to wash up now. Don't worry too much about that girl. It really isn't your business. You have other things that need your focus like studying for your apprenticeship."

Orian watched his father leave the kitchen and disappear down the hallway to his bedroom. He let out a heavy sigh and returned to the stove."Sorry, Dad. I don't want to be a stone cutter...."