Chapter 3: It never lasts
The week passed by Beggar far too quickly. He had enjoyed the kind words of the crew. The clothes he had gotten, that he got to keep. The warm meals, three meals, every day, that the captain let him eat with the rest.
For once in his short life, he was clean, and his clothes looked good, albeit a bit too big for him. Yet, the Pearl Oyster, the shabby ship he had wanted to call home desperately, had departed just an hour ago. Leaving Beggar with a single silver coin, and the warm clothes on his back.
The snow now covered Beggar's long hair, combed, for once in his life, and his horns. He stared at the empty spot where the ship of dreams had been.
Had it been too much to hope for a permanent home? For a family? The crew liked him well enough. The captain had taught him how to use the compass, and even let him watch, as he had made the new route.
"It is not to be," Beggar spoke out loud, disappointment dripping from his voice. He turned on his heels, and walked in the direction of the town's center.
People were removing the holiday decoration from the streets. These two holidays, Christmas, and New Year, were from the human realms, or so captain Rainier had said. Gave the locals the excuse to celebrate something in the winter. As Fairstar was a crossroad world, it made sense that the people who lived here knew about human holidays.
Beggar walked in the direction of the tavern captain Rainier had told him about. His parting gift to him.
'You are a smart boy, Beggar,' the captain had placed a fatherly hand on his shoulder. Proud that Beggar had picked up reading so quickly, even when he had trouble with some of the words. 'Go to Orc's Eye. There are bounties that even you can do there.'
So, that was where Beggar was heading. Turn left when you near the fountain, take the dirty alley, then head to its very end, and you will see it. That was what Rainier had told him.
The alley gave Beggar a bad feeling. He didn't know if he should be here. Still, he was stronger now, after a week of a comfortable life in the warm ship. The captain had let him take seconds and some food for the road, this very morning. The sandwich in Beggar's pocket gave him strength. Surely, the captain wouldn't send him off to a place that was bad for him?
A bottle crashed to the wall, over Beggar's horns. The boy's eyes widened. Laughter chimed from inside the half-collapsed door. Beggar breathed in deeply, and entered.
The place was dim, filled with smoke, and people. There were demons, like him. Fae, that had rough-looking wings. Some elves, who looked for the most part like they hadn't seen a bath in days.
Then, Beggar saw it. A wall with posters. Much like the poster that captain Rainier had shown him back in his cabin. The captain had said that, if he didn't understand a word, he should go and ask the barkeeper for help. That Tom was not going to chase him away.
Beggar left that for his very last option. These people were gruff. They respected strength above all else. If he went crying to the barkeeper, they will never look at him with respect.
Beggar had enough of demeaning looks when he begged for change and scraps off people's tables. He wanted, for once in his life, to feel respected. He had gotten the cat all by himself. Even though that man with the baton had seemed of the mind to tan his hide.
Going to the wall, beggar got a chair before him, and climbed over it, so he could see the posters better. Clearly, whoever had hanged them, didn't intend for short people, or children, to read them.
The boy's eyes widened, when he saw the words: Dead or Alive. They were on many of the posters. That was something he didn't think he could manage. A week of good living didn't wash away all the poor living he had been doing since Beth died.
Then, he saw it. The picture of a dog, and a simple: Wanted Alive. He could get a dog back to its owners! Beggar kept on reading. What was below the dog sounded like an address, when he spoke it out loud. Now that he could read a little, he was sure he could read the plates on the doors, and figure out where to go from there.
Last seen, the park. Well, that didn't tell Beggar much. There were at least ten parks in the town. And one outside it. The one outside it was only for the well-off people. Beggar won't be let in.
Still, if there was one thing he knew, it was where dogs congregated for food. The garbage yard was where he would find the dog, he was certain. It was a wolf-like dog, with a big snout and piercing blue eyes.
Beggar decided that if it tried to bite him, there would be trouble. Sure, he healed faster than most people, but he still didn't want to be bitten by a dog. What if he got sick? Tommy had gotten bitten by a rat, and then gotten fume in his mouth. He had died soon after.
Beggar shook his head at the memory. Many of the homeless people who showed him kindness died from one thing or the other. There were times when Beggar felt that he was cursed. There were times when he felt like he should be the one to die, and not the good people he called friends.
He balled his fists, and took one last look at the dog. The garbage disposal happened every Sunday. It was Saturday, the dog went missing on Wednesday. If he didn't hurry, then the dog was going to be incinerated, like most of the rest of the dogs who weren't fast enough to climb back up the pipes.
