The Great East Road passes through an narrow area of open grass land as it
passes between the Western Gate and the row of shops and houses that line the
road to the east. A few trees spring up among the grass just north of the wide
road. South of the path a single building stands with a circular well next to
it. Wagons and carts are parked near the well and several folks hurry to water
their horse s from buckets of water drawn from the well. A constable passes
through the door into the building.

Obvious exits:
Headquarters of the BreeGuards leads to Dark Hallway.
West leads to West Gate.
East leads to At the Sign of the Prancing Pony.

================================== Bree Time ==================================
Real time: Wed May 19 04:55:41 2004
Bree time: Dawn <6:46 AM> on Trewsday of Spring - March 20,1421
Moon Phase: Waning Crescent Moon

Breelands Weather
The dawn spring air is cool but pleasant around you. The sky is clear and the
sunlight shines brightly.
===============================================================================

[Megan(#26974)] It is spring, and early morning in the town of Bree. There are
no clouds above, but the sun shines down and warmes the bones of those who are
already out-and-about. And of those there are quite a few! People bustling
to-and-fro from the Breeguard's to later appointment, or earlier appointments
to which they'll now be late.

A lily-white hand shoots up from somewhere below and clasps a larger hand.
Down smiles the face of a young girl- the face of which is framed in angelic
brown curls, freckles pale chestnut in colour and with her she carries the
image of innocence. Mudstains line the bottom of her dress, but she presses on,
pulling a younger boy- the white-skinned boy behind her. He struggles to keep
up but trots along at her side- wide brown eyes staring up and around, around..
around again. There's too much to take in! Then the excited child's voice from
the girl comes loudly, piercingly, perhaps: "Quickly! I have to show you the
gate, so you know where you can't go out! 'Member Mammy told us? 'You can't go
through the gates!' Well, I have to show you, so you know where not to go!
Hurry up!" What's the big rush? It's a beautiful day, after all...

Showing anyone the gate might be hard at present, for it's rapidly disappearing
under a river of white woolly bodies - a small flock of sheep, yearlings being
driven to market perhaps. Their bleating fills the air, and despite the best
efforts of their shepherd a few of them are straying. That shepherd is a man of
middle years, untidy brown hair sprinkled here and there with white and
strong-looking brown hands clasping a tall shepherd's crook which even now he
reaches out to snag one straggler. "Mornin', Mister Bramblefleece," a gate
guard calls. "Mind ye keep them beasties out of folk's gardens, now." The
rather playful-looking pup with creamy-gold fur that dashes along behind him
isn't doing anything to help the cause of order. Even now the little beast
spots the two children and lets out an excited 'yip'.

[Megan(#26974)] Brown eyes widen. Both sets. Young Megan Tasselberry opens her
mouth in a surprised gasp as she stands on tip-toes to see the ahead
excitement. The poor white-child by her side pulls desperately on her hand- he
isn't tall enough yet to see what's happening. "Meggie! Meggie! Tell me what's
there! Tell me!" He looks close to tears as he jumps from one foot to the
other. "It's sheeps, James! There's a whole lot of them! We're never goin' to
get to the gate at this rate!!" Megan is at a loss, her features scrunching up
into a distressed frown. Then, they hear the yip. "Meggie! Is there a dog? Is
it goin' to eat us?!" James now clutches to his sister, and the older girl
looks up to the Shepherd in anxiety- the question written all through her
terrified eyes-- are they about to be eaten?

The sheep plough their way onwards, bleating as they go. Hugh now has the first
miscreant by the scruff of the neck, but a couple more animals have taken
advantage of the distraction to wander off and crop at some of the
brightly-coloured flowers decorating the Breefolk's gardens. The shepherd lets
out a piercing whistle. "Lassie! Come here, girl, I need ye to keep this bunch
o' woolly-minded flitterbys together! Here, now."

The pup pays no notice whatsover to her master, instead she's bounding happily
forward, mouth open and tongue lolling, towards the little boy and girl
standing in the road. Her tail is wagging eagerly, doubtless she's hoping to
play.

[Megan(#26974)] No reply from the shepherd. Well, that leaves Megan in a
difficult position indeed, for if her little brother were to get eaten, her mam
would certainly never forgive her! As the pup begins to come her way, she does
the one thing she can think to do, and snatches her brother up- holding him off
the ground (for all the good it would do- she's not exactly tall herself). Now
she stares at the pup and pushes one determined lip forward. "Now listen here!
Don't even think about eating or frightning my brother! He's been *sick*, and
if you make him sick again..." Why.. She'll.. she'll... she'll... Tell your
papa, that's what she'll do! Now those frightened and determined eyes turn to
Hugh, as the girl tries to move away- to put some distance between her and the
dog, or something along those lines, and yells out as loud as her little voice
can go; "Excuse me!? Mister!? Your dog is gonna eat us! And my brother was very
sick, and mammy says he can't get sick again, so could you please not let your
dog eat us!? Please?!!?"

The shepherd is a little distracted right now. Hugh darts from one side of the
road to the other, reaching out with his crooked staff to give one flower-eater
a sharp tap on the rump, and jostle the next one. "Well's over that way ..."
Slowly the bleating mass starts to make its collective way towards the new,
enticing scent they've caught - that of water.

Which finally gives Hugh some time to notice what's happening. By now the puppy
has reached her intended targets, and is sniffing curiously at Megan's skirt
and James's dangling feet. Then, with a plaintive whine, she reaches out to
plant a muddy paw on the little girl's knee (well, assuming Megan doesn't back
away faster than a playful puppy can follow). "Oy! Lassie, here!" Hugh shouts
again, this time punctuating it with a sharp tap of his staff on the ground.
And to the terrified-looking child who'd addressed him, "She won't hurt you,
lass. That pup's after naught but attention. As vain as any lady, she is." He
winks at the girl, before peering worriedly at her 'burden'.

[Megan(#26974)] Almost relieved would Megan be that the sheep are moving away..
after all, if the sheep go, the dog is meant to go too, right? James screams
(in fright, or because he's being tickled?) as the pup sniffs at his feet and
Megan does backtrack quickly- thinking the end is here. Well, holding all the
weight of her paper-thin baby-brother (despite his lack of anything, he's still
quite heavy! Especially for a young girl!) she stumbles, trips and lands on her
backside- James tumbling down beside her. Now, it's his turn for theatrics. As
any child is certain to do when they unexpectedly reach the floor, he begins to
cry, and wail- still clutching at his sister.

Deep breaths are taken from young Megan, though she seems a little reassured
by Hugh's words. "You're sure she won't eat us?! James, it's alright! He says
it won't eat us, it only wants you to pat.. Ohhh, James! Stop cryin'! If Mammy
hears you were cryin' I'm goin' to get in /so/ much trouble!" The crying fades
into sniffles and whimpers fairly quickly. "Look.. Look, it just wants to say
hallo.." Previous fear forgotten in favour of calming her brother, the older
sister reaches a tentitive hand out to pat at the puppy. No reply is given to
Hugh's comment about being vain- she doesn't know what that means, after all.

As Megan's hand reaches out tentatively, the pup wags her tail, and a moment
later she's licking wetly at the proffered hand. Hugh, taking a break from
watching his sheep, reassures the children, "See, now? She means ye no harm.
Now, if I can just get the little rascal to behave for ye ... Lassie, sit!"
Stepping forward so he's just behind the pup, he places a strong hand on her
rump and pushes downwards - the poor pup's left with little option but to sit
now. "Little feller's all right, isn't he?" he asks the older, and seemingly
more responsible, child worriedly. "Hope young Lassie here didn't give him too
much o' a scare. White as a sheet, he is."

[Megan(#26974)] Megan giggles, face scrunching up into one of childhood delight
as she is licked. "Ewwww..." A moment later, and she's realising the
consequences of such slobber, and now withdraws the hand to wipe on her dress.
"See James, she en't goin to hurt you. 'Fact, I reckon she'd like to play with
you a bit.." Now the older sister reaches out to wipe tears from around the
green-brown-nothing colour eyes of her brother. "Look! She even sits! Isn't she
clever?!" Despite the fact that Hugh had to make the dog sit down, James seems
quite impressed, and now reaches out his own lilly-white hand to attempt an
ear-scratch. A bubble of excitement (and nervousness) reaches his lips, and
then manifests itself as sound, a child's 'Whoooooerooomoo!' noise.

Making sure her brother isn't broken at all, Megan then looks to Hugh with an
uncertain (and rather shy) nod. "He'll be fine. He cries /all/ the time, and we
don't have a dog, none of my family do, though Uncle Blake did once, he doesn't
any more, and James is little and doesn't like it when he's scared and he falls
over." Quite obviously. "But he's always white like that. Mammy says it's
because he used to be sick, but that he'll get his proper colours once we feed
him more and he gets better properly."

Lassie seems to like the ear-scratch - she lets out another 'yip', then
wriggles so that she can sniff a little more at James. A moment later she's
pushing her damp nose at his leg, before getting up again (well, 'sit' didn't
last for long) and moving a couple of steps away, looking up at the boy with
soulful eyes. Come. Play. Now!

Hugh regards James a little doubtfully, then tells Megan, "Aye, he's a wee bit
off-colour, not enough red meat mebbe. There's nothin' like mutton for buildin'
a body up. Mind an' you tell yer Mammy that there's some fine sheep bein'
auctioned off the day, if she's interested."

[Megan(#26974)] James squeals in excitement and wriggles backward- now fumbling
in his pocket for a lost ball. "Meggie.." He tugs on her sleave. "Meggie-
where's my ball?" Distracted from more grown-up conversations (and Megan has
pushed herself to her feet and stands the picture-perfect image of innocence
once moe), the girl looks impatiently to her brother. "I don't know. Did you
get it after we were in the market? You probably left it at home. Anyway, we
don't have enough time to play today..." Back to the adult conversation, which
she delights in. (James, meanwhile, has begun edging away to play with the
puppy).. "Nah, we feed him plenty of meat, even more than my brothers
sometimes! But don't worry, mister, once he's all better he'll have his colour
back.. But.. but.." A look of puzzlement on Megan's face, "Mammy's already in
the market- we were goin' to go there after I.. well, we were goin' to go there
now.. She's in the bakery- she's the best baker in /all/ Bree! But I'll tell
her- I don't think we wants no muttons, though. James! James- we have to go or
mammy'll start to get worried. Look! You're all covered in dirt! You can play
another time!" Not that she can say much about her own mud-stained skirts, she
already sounds the voice of reason and responsibility.. oh, if only they could
guess at what she'd grow into....

Lassie, of course, is delighted to have a playmate. Tail wagging, she turns and
bounds off, nosing at a nearby stick, and then in an excess of energy bounding
back to James and nosing at /him/ instead. You never know, he might have a ball
concealed in his pockets ...

Hugh, meanwhile, reaches out to give the bemused Megan a kindly pat on the
head. "Just you remember and tell her, lass. Now, where has that dratted puppy
got to?" Before his lips can even purse to form a whistle, a shout comes from
somewhere over by the Breeguard Headquarters. "Oi there, mister! These sheep
yours? Causing a disturbance of the peace, they are." That would be from the
plump-looking guardsman who's currently chasing a fat fleecy shape away from
the doorway. Oh dear ...

[Megan(#26974)] "You should go save your sheeps.. He looks mean." Megan states,
peering concernedly over at the guardsman and the bounding creatures. "Don't
you worry, I'm good at rememberin' things!" James, startled by Megan's call,
pats at the puppy once more, then waddles quickly to his sister's side-
reaching up to take her hand in his own that should be chubby and freckled, and
isn't. "We have to go tell mammy about the sheeps! And the puppy!!" She tugs
him along as they start to move. Seems as though she's forgotten what else
she's meant to tell Rebecca about already.. "G'bye mister! Have a nice day!...
C'mon James! Hurry up!" The two small figures disappear into the re-gathering
crowd.

"Ah ... yes ... I'll be gettin' these sheep on the move then," Hugh states
nervously to the Breeguard, not sparing the retreating Megan and James more
than a glance. Lassie, on the other hand, looks set to follow after them, and
indeed is already slinking off in that direction when Hugh lets out a piercing
whistle. The pup looks up at the children, whines, and then plods away to
hinder her master in the task of rounding up all those straying sheep. It's
going to be a long morning ...