As I've said on numerous occasions all stories have their beginning. However, this isn't the case for this story. In fact this tale take place long after I had the fortunate misfortune to be caught in the same storm a wolfkin saved me from.

A fortuitous intent brought me to a road a road, once bustling with activity, in the kingdom of Pimara. As the legends all said the eastmarch highway was abandoned long after a terrible calamity struck the people living along the route. None of these stories, however, mentioned what this calamity was or why the route was never established again. Always the purveyor of a good story I decided to investigate this cause for myself.

It was no easy task finding a half buried road centuries abandoned to the elements. What storms and time couldn't do to wear the stone down nature did. As it was there were no signs, no indications, and certainly not any maps; as if erased from existence itself the road vanished without a trace. Eventually I did find it or rather tripped over it.

Immediately I was able to notice an odd silence about the place, but other than that nothing unusual. Just grass and hills as far as the eye can see, and well that's quite common in Pimara. I continued down this abandoned road; it led me far and wide over the plains of Pimara. Until almost quite suddenly the grassy hills became denser and taller.

I forced my legs to a halt the ground disappeared before me into a sheer drop for a great many feet. Across the bend I could see water crashing down upon the rocks feeding into a massive lake. It was quite a beautiful site to be sure, but that wasn't even the half of it by any means.

A great fog rolled in from one of the rivers feeding into the lake. Shrouding the lake in all its glamor, but giving a mysterious like presence. Just through the fog I could make out trees, and something else. Little did I know that this something else would save me from a shallow end.

            I took another step forward closer to the edge of the cliff; I could feel the earth below me loosen as my weight relied more heavily on it, but like a child daring to be braver than everybody else I pushed forward. In less than a moment's notice the ground that I had pushed gave way and my body slid downwards.

            By instinct my voice rang out into the air, a glimpse of fear causing adrenaline to pump through me like prey the moment it realizes it's being watched. I swung out my arms in a desperate attempt to try and catch the ground again. I let out a scream as my arm stretched beyond its limits.

            Without a second thought I did what any sane person would've have done at that point. A quick inhale filled my lungs with air, and I waited for the water to greet me.

            My whole body stung as it met the surface of the lake, and to make matters worse I wasn't exactly prepared for a swim. My clothes weighed me down forcing me under. I fought to get back to air, but my movements were slow and heavy with the adrenaline wearing off.

            It was at this point as I was sinking to the bottom of a lake located just beyond an abandoned road that I was ready to give up. In an insane last ditch effort I reached out towards the surface holding onto a false hope, or at least what I thought was one.

            I could feel a hand or rather claw take hold of my armand heave me upwards. A cold air hit me as I left the depths of the lake and back onto the surface. I coughed and struggled to find the air I was so desperately looking for just moments ago; all the meanwhile I was being dragged onto a raft, "Great Graytham! He's a lot heavier than he looks isn't he?"

            A short chuckle escaped me before a fit my chest seized up and replaced laughter with coughing

            "Oh come on Kipp why you gonna go and make him laugh like that the bare skin can barely breathe as it is."

            "Oh it's my fault now, is it? Well maybe the human shouldn't have gone jumping off cliffs in the first place. I always heard they were a bit daft in the head, but thinking you can fly that's a whole new level of low."

            I laid there listening to the two bicker back and forth even going so far as to try and hide the smirk that had formed at the corner of my mouth. As much as I would have liked to continue to listen to the ways my flight, as they called it, went I wanted to know who or what it was that saved me.

            Two otters sat next to me, one on my left and one on the right. The one on the right was a heavier build. He looked older, or at least what I assumed looked older for otters; the other one was much smaller but still had defined muscles. It was easy to tell these two worked for a living, but where exactly they worked was a mystery.

            I worked myself into an upright position mindful of my arm that would certainly have to be mended before the day was over, "I can assure you flying was not my intent while it certainly would be a topic of great interest on pen and paper I'd rather keep it that way if at all possible." MY chest felt heavy when I spoke, no doubt another problem my quick lesson in swan diving gave me.

            The two otters looked over me both had hazel eyes that seemed to stare straight through me. Both had dark lines jutting across their faces and the more I looked at them the more it seemed that they were kin of some sort. "It's been some time since we've had a pale skin around these parts. I think you're the first since Gran's time, that be about right dipper?"

            "Aye I’d say so. You got lucky you fell when you did, was expecting a hefty haul today, but you'll be a surprise for everyone when we dock down."

            "Well thank you regardless. Loathe as I am to admit it I think I was ready to give up before I felt you grab me. Seems I find myself relying on the beast folk more and more these days." MY lips pursed upwards into a smile. I've learned very early in my travels that fate was a cruel mistress who held life with very little regard, but it seemed mine was a special case.

            "Oh it's no problem." The bigger otter spoke with a sly smile on his face "My name's Kipp by the way, but I'm sure you figured that out from Hess here." Kipp elbowed Hess in the shoulder and gave out a deep laugh.

             Hess pushed back and scowled towards Kipp, "Maybe I don't want him to know my name yet Kipp! You just gonna assume I'm okay with that cause we're kin?"

            "You'll get over it."

            "Oh come now. Not even gonna let me look like the tough guy in front the humie here. When did you become such a bore"

            I decided to intervene my voice back to its normal vigor, "Well if I may chime in I think you both handled the situation very admirably." The smaller otter cocked his head deciding whether or not to take my interjection as a compliment before finally smiling and giving a curt nod.

             It wasn't much longer until this mysterious city the two had mentioned appeared through the fog of the lake. In fact much to my amusement it was the same figure I had nearly gave my life to get a better glimpse at. What started as a black figure towering in the distance grew into a mass of rafts each tied together in the middle of the lake.

            Big and small, simple to multistory each raft I looked at was bigger and grander than the last. Some of the higher stories had wooden bridges stretched out giving access to other rafts. Lines were stretched out in every which way carrying flags, clothes, and other assortments making it all mix together in a gorgeous display.

             Kipp wrapped his arm around me, "Welcome to Graytham! It isn't much, but she is home."