Archibald was afraid of the dark. He had wanted to explain this to his boss, but he was also afraid to say anything. What if he got fired? Was being fired the same as being orphaned again? He really didn't want to end up back in the orphanage just a few days after he'd left, so he kept his mouth shut and did what he was told even though it terrified him.
Tristan was currently enjoying a bit of dandelion wine at the inn they were staying at, and had sent the hedgehog out to take Clancy on a walk. The bug's insatiable energy was worn down slightly by his day's performance in the circus, but he was still much too wired to settle down for sleep. And, of course, it wouldn't do at all to have him make a mess in their room. So Archie had loyally leashed up the bug on a long bit of string and crept out into the street.
The little hedgehog's knees quivered as he crept along the quiet pathways. It wasn't really that late, but it was dark enough to be frightening; Archie had never spent time out in the square after his curfew, and he was terrified that some ill-natured sort would rough him up. Nevermind that beasts honored the peace pact in Mossflower. What if there were monsters?
He'd heard tell of monsters, from orphans from Breezemoor. They liked to tell him stories, at night, when they were all bundled up in their beds. He had many a memory of sharing a bed with strangers, tucked together beneath their threadbare blanket, quivering and shaking as he heard stories of giant flying monsters with huge glowing eyes....
Thinking about it now made him want to curl up in a ball and hide, but he couldn't do it.
"Are you almost done?" He asked the ladybug.
"No." Clancy said, and tugged harder on the leash, nearly jerking it from the hedgehog's handpaw.
Archie sighed. "Fine. But hurry up. It's cold out here." It really wasn't cold at all, but he didn't want to admit -- even to a ladybug -- that he was scared.
