This is the third book of the Delarn Series, both found on this account
The first is
Fragments of Delarn

The second is Ray in Ardougne

Ray didn't know what to think of Yanille when he first saw it. It seemed so far away from everything with the Feldip Hills where the ogres live so close, but at the same time the tall walls, so close together, reminded him a lot of Falador. He found the wizard tower to be more foreboding than he had ever imagined. It felt like an eye was always on him as he walked through those gates. The guards watched him suspiciously for a moment before calling out to him.

"What are you doing here?" He called, not seeming to trust that he was there for a good reason, but also not overtly stopping him either.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm just here for work. I came from Ardougne." He tried not to make a face when he mentioned Ardougne, unsure if he should have at all, but there were very few likely ways he could have ended up here otherwise, not unless he came by sea, and that was the last thing he wanted to be known for.

The guard grunted, seeming to be satisfied with that, motioning for him to continue on his way. Ray didn't know what he was going to do or where he was going to stay in Yanille. He wasn't sure how to take care of himself if he was honest, always seeming to rely on others when it came down to it. He supposed he did live on his own in his home in Taverley for a time, but this felt different. In Taverley they adored him, whether or not he was a wolf, but here he was a stray, or possibly a felon.

He didn't know where to begin, so he started by going to the local general store. He figured it would be the best place to pick up information on the area. He walked in, and there was a young man, little more than a boy, there manning the shop. He looked up and looked wary of him, but didn't say anything more than, "Can I help ya, sir?"

"I was hoping for a bit of information on the area. Maybe get to know some of the work here," he answered, looking around the shop slowly.

"You're a big fella, aintcha?" The boy replied, looking him up and down. "There's them ogres to the south that's always threatening us. Maybe you want to be a guard?"

Ray, remembering his time in Falador, rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. He didn't think he would enjoy that too much and was already shaking his head at the thought of being a part of a unit like that.

"Ah yeah, one of those guys. Well, you look all messed up like you've been in the woods a whole lot. Think you might be interested in the hunting shop maybe? You look like the type," the boy told him.

Ray started to respond, but he was interrupted as a man, likely the owner of the shop and maybe even the boy's father, walked in the door. He was carrying a few heavy bags, but the moment he saw Ray he practically dropped them and moved to get between him and the boy.

"What business do you have here?" The man asked, his bristling mustache twitching with each word, "I haven't seen you around these parts before." He eyed Ray up and down, and he suddenly got the impression that he must look particularly ragged and haggard to get such a response from a shopkeeper.

"Aw, pa," the boy said, "he's just some sort of homeless person or adventurer or somethin' like that. He's looking for work."

"Well, he's not finding it here," he said, before amending what he said and saying quickly, "not that your business isn't welcome, but I like to know the people I'm employing before they start working for me. That tower attracts all the strange types, and I don't want anything happening to my shop or my boy. Understand?"

"Completely," Ray answered complacently, awkwardly running his hands through his hair, suddenly self-conscious as he wondered just how disheveled and homeless he actually looked.

"Good," the shopkeeper replied hesitantly, seeming to regret his treatment suddenly. "Do you have any business here, then?"

Ray searched his pockets and frowned, shaking his head apologetically, and the shopkeeper just seemed to get surlier as he continued, "Then head away then. We don't want any funny business here."

He nodded quickly, backing out, the boy calling to him, "Later, Mister!"

Ray quickly backed out of the shop, feeling a bit sheepish and wondering once more just how he looked to him to warrant such a poor reaction.

As he walked away, he considered the boy's advice and decided that checking the hunting shop for work wouldn't hurt all that much. He knew that wolves were natural hunters so he imagined it couldn't be much different than that, though he wasn't too accustomed to catching his own food, let alone making traps.

It was getting later in the day as well, so he was starting to feel desperate for some kind of shelter or at least the promise of work in the morning, though he had to admit that he didn't think it was entirely off the table to sleep outside for the night. Even so, if he could find a bed to sleep in rather than the field, he wouldn't pass it up.

He realized that he didn't bother to ask for directions, and he doubted he would get any with the way the shopkeeper had rushed him away. It wasn't hard for them to be suspicious of newcomers when Ardougne was still bleeding, still giving off news of an enemy that couldn't be found. It was merely luck that the news of what they were looking for didn't match his description by the time it reached Yanille. By the time it did, it was far too big to be deadbeat, filthy cur like him.

And that's how he felt. The guilt that he felt for what happened in Ardougne felt like it might eat him alive, might turn him inside out, but the search for work was enough to keep his mind off of it.

It wasn't hard for him to find the hunter shop anyway. It had a distinct scent that he didn't expect, and his stomach was twisting and turning even as he went in. It was still open according to the sign in the front, but when he stepped in there wasn't anyone there. He didn't really understand why his heart was beating so fast.

He looked at the things that were hanging on the walls, and he saw that they were traps made of sharp metal and well-oiled leather that stung his nose. The scents in the shop were louder to him than actual noise, and the entire place had the distinct odor of metal, leather, old fur, and decay. He bumped against tables and shelves filled with various decoys, spears, and bottles filled with hormones and piss that made his sensitive nose scream with panic as he tried to make sense of it all.

He rushed for the door, overwhelmed, but a man entered at that moment. He had sharp eyes, a scraggly beard, and a crooked grin as he looked Ray up and down, grunting, "What're you here for? Anything in mind?"

Ray shook his head quickly and tried to squeeze past him, but the man stopped him with an open palm to the chest, holding him in place with surprising strength. He had a wheezing laugh as he growled, "What? You come into the wrong place? Didja expect somethin' different? Let me get a good look at you, lad." His sharp little eyes bore holes into Ray's and the laugh got worse as he mocked, "squirrely, ain'tcha? What were you lookin' for, then?"

"Nothing," Ray rasped, trying to get around him again, just to be stopped by another heavy shove on his chest.

The man took out a thick hunting knife from his belt, wickedly sharp and serrated. "Do ye know what this is for, lad?" He held it up to Ray's eyes and answered himself, "it's for snoopy little bastards and strays that get too close to my shop that don't have no business bein' there."

Ray gulped as it came plenty close enough for him to get a good look at it. He made a strangled noise before the man stuck it back on his belt. A moment later, hounds that were kept in the back began baying angrily and loudly, and it was enough for Ray to finally successfully hurtle around him and back out on the street, and he didn't stop until he could no longer hear that rasping laugh.

After he felt a bit silly, knowing that he probably made it out to be worse than it was and that he probably looked like a fool to two different businesses in Yanille now. He leaned against the wall and tried to compose himself, trying to think of a good place to stay for the night and wondering if he could risk wasting coin on a room in the local pub, or if he should even show his face there after his first day.

He didn't have long to think on it, however, as at least four wizards suddenly appeared and surrounded him, all pointing various wands and staves at him. His eyes were wide and terrified as the one in front strolled forward and asked him, "Would you happen to be Ray Faewulf?"

"Aye," he replied drily, expecting the worse.

"Oh, good. Come along with me," he replied. The man held out his hand, and Ray, glancing at the other wizards, didn't see much of a choice, and so he took his hand. The next moment he and the other wizards were gone.