Dusk was beginning to settle in as they went into hiding for the night. The soil around the lake was loose enough to dig a cavity that once covered with branches and peat would provide perfect protection from night predators. Digging a hole large enough for four and then covering it took them over an hour. 

Night had fallen by the time they finished and only the remnants of daylight allowed them to get into their makeshift shelter without too much damage. Kornog and Gwalarn had installed themselves inside, while they covered it with branches. They were already fast asleep when Septem and Astir began to swallow a few pieces of dried meat before falling into a restless sleep. 

They woke up to the dampness of the morning. The dewdrops scattered over the landscape gave it a magical aspect, but they did not have the capacity to appreciate what was unfolding before their eyes. They simply picked up their things and left. 

The aches and pains were beginning to show and the young Leontopo were starting to lose speed. The lunch break was very short as they had to get to Aguilepia before dark. The paths and roads around the town were far less safe than in the high mountains due to the population density which attracted thieves and nocturnal carnivores. Sentries kept the inhabitants safe during the day, but even they would not risk going outside the city walls after dark. 

They saw the walls of the lower town at about three o'clock, which was both good and bad news. The good news was that they would be safe in a bit. On the other hand, they still had four hours to walk and they realised that the inhabitants might not look favourably on the arrival of two criordes. They were very apprehensive about going through the gates as they feared the sentries would refuse them entry. Gwalarn and Kornog would probably have to be presented as mere dogs and their wildcat origins hidden. 

When they arrived at the gates they mingled with the other travellers, they didn't really stand out as all those who had come were covered in mud and were not dressed very richly, which allowed them to enter Aguilepia without complications. 

The walls were impressive but the city was even more so. It was a skilful assembly of wood and stone constituting high houses, between two and three floors per dwelling, while the roofs were more varied. Thatched or wooden at the entrance to the town, the closer you got to the centre, the more elaborate the houses became. In the center of the town was the Guild house surrounded by the large square where the markets were held. 

The Guild is the place where everything can be bought, there are adventurers, informers, musicians, and many other things. The craftsmen form a separate group, they communicate and trade via the guild but are not really part of it. 

Aguilepia is a small city compared to the ones on the plains, but for Septem and Astir it was the biggest one they knew. They suspected that there were larger ones, but compared to their village it was impressive. It has two hundred residents and many travellers and traders passing through. 

Septem and Astir couldn't afford to spend any money. They set about finding a job that included accommodation and that would accept the presence of Gwalarn and Kornog. 

They were not sure where to start and decided to go to the Guild to get information and a map of the town, because even though they had been there with the villagers, they only knew the market place and the Guild's auberge. They wondered if they would report the attack and Prat's disappearance to the guild or if it would cause them problems. Moreover, they did not feel like explaining in detail the massacre they had witnessed. 

Hungry, they let the smells of the market guide them, keeping Gwalarn and Kornog close together with cloth collars and short ropes as leashes. Feeding them was also going to be a problem as meat is an expensive dish.