Aqua colored eyes scanned the dimly lit dining room, looking for 
her next potential mark. She really didn't need to stay out any 
longer this evening, having already *lifted* enough money to buy 
food for the three of them for the next week, but Ojean needed a 
new pair of shoes. The ones he was wearing now were getting way to 
small and there were holes coming through in the soles.

Then there was sweet little Fawna. The little girl was getting 
sicker by the day and there wasn't a damn thing the lifter could 
do about it. Damn the healers. Damn this town. 

One more good size lift and then she could go home and forget all
about her night time activities and pretend for just a little while 
that everything in their lives was just peachy. 

Gods above how she hated this. She didn't want to steal from others. 
That was her father's way not hers. But here she was using the skills 
her father had taught her, doing what she swore she would never again 
do when he walked out on them all those years ago. But what other 
choice did she have. The kids had to eat and no one in this damn town 
would lift a finger to help.

Sometime later, she saw him enter. The mark. Judging by the high 
quality of the leather garb he was wearing, the lifter knew she 
night would soon be over. As she watched, the brown-haired man took 
a seat down at the far end of the bar. The one right next to the 
door leading to the back rooms and the door to the darkness outside. 
It would be a simple thing for her to make the lift and then slip out 
the back door before the man even knew his money pouch was missing.

Too bad, she thought almost reconsidering picking him.  He didn't seam 
like he fit into this town. For one thing he had a easy going way about him,
as if he knew who he was and was happy about it. He was quite the 
most handsome man she had seen in a long time, and he had a wonderful 
way of laughing at the joke the barman told him.  Almost Reconsidered, 
but she had mouths to feed and a pretty face never put food on the 
table.

The stumble into the man went off without a hitch. The lifter had 
waited until the barman had gone into the back room, before she made 
her move. 

*****

The night air was turning a little chilly as she made her way quickly 
down the back roads until she came to the small rooms she shared with 
the other two. Slipping quietly inside she went to the door leading 
into the only other room and after making sure the two inside were 
asleep she began to pull the nights take out of the special pocket 
she had sewn into the inside liner of her tattered coat.

When the pocket was empty, she piled it all into the middle of the 
table and then sat down slowly in the one chair the room had to offer. 
For a good few minutes she just stared at the money she had stolen, 
feeling dirty and cheep just like the towns people believed she was. 
Like her parents had been. Then she reached out and pulled it towards 
her and began to count it.

She was about half way through when the door leading to the street 
outside was suddenly pushed open wide and the leather clad man from 
the bar came storming in. The eyes that had smiled so beautifully 
before were now blazing with anger. He approached her and before she 
could move to defend herself he grabbed her by the arm and hauled her 
up out of the chair and held her in a vice like grip that she couldn't break.

"I believe that you have something that belongs to me and I want it 
back NOW" he hissed in a quiet taunt voice. His deep blue eyes dark 
and forbidding as the met and held hers. You can either give it back 
to me right away or I can haul your sorry thieve hide to the guard
tower."

"No! please, I'll give you back you money," she cried suddenly afraid 
of what would happen to Ojean and Fawna if he did what he threatened. 
By the look of him, the girl knew he was more than capable of carrying 
out his threat.

"Let go of my sister," came the sound of a frighten voice from the 
back of the room. "Let her go, stop hurting her!" 

At the sound of the second voice the brown-haired man pivoted on the 
balls of his feet to face the new threat while tightening his hold 
on 

the girl. That's when he noticed the second voice belonged to a kid. 

"Please don't hurt my brother," the girl begged, tears streaming down 
her face. "I'll do anything you want, but please, don't hurt him. I'll 
give you your money back."

She turned then to the boy telling him to go back into the other room 
and stay there. If this man was going to do something to her, she 
didn't want her brother to have to witness it. "Stay in there and keep 
and eye on Fawna. I'll come get you in a little while, I promise 
Ojean." She saw him hesitate, "Please Ojean, I'll be all right 
sweetling."

When the boy finally did as she asked, the girl turned back to the man 
who held her, trying hard to prepare herself for what ever he chose to 
do. She did notice that his grip wasn't so hurtful any longer.

"I'm sorry I took your money," she said softly feeling defeated and
helpless, knowing she was at his mercy. "I wouldn't have if I'd of had 
any other way of feeling my brother and sister."

His blue eyes narrowed suspiciously, "You could have asked your 
neighbors for help if you were so bad off, or gotten a job that pays 
you and honest wage." he sneered. "You look able for it."

"Believe me, I'd be tickled pink if I could find a job around this 
town and could pay my own way," she snapped suddenly showing some 
spirit. "but no one around here will hire the 'whore's' daughter to 
so much as lick their boots." She bit out angrily.  "But no go. The 
women are afraid I'll end up in bed with their mates and the men all 
say I'm nothing but a tease because I won't sleep wit them like my 
mother did."

As he listened to her words he couldn't help believe her. There was
something in the tone of her voice that couldn't be faked.
"What's your name?" he asked in a gentler sounding tone.

"Shawnee." she told him, all anger and fight gone. 

"That boy...Ojean?" his eyes questioning.

"My younger brother. He's back there with our sister Fawna, she's 
out baby. Our mother up and left about four months ago and left me 
to deal with the kids as best as I could. I tried to get an honest 
job, but no one around here would chance hiring the daughter of the 
town whore and that swindling thief. They go so far as to turn their 
backs on us if they happen to see us walking in the streets around 
town."

The tall man released her then, motioning for her to have a seat 
while he moved back to lean his solid form against the wall. "You 
have no one to help you? No one you ca turn to for help?" he 
questioned kindly now.

Shawnee shock her wavy white locks. There's no one in this town who 
cares a wit if we live or die."

When he would have questioned her further, they both heard the sound 
of the bedroom door opening and turned to see a frightened little boy
standing there. "Shawnee I know you said not to come back out here, 
but Fawna looks worse."

Shawnee was instantly on her feet without looking t see if the man in
leather was following her or not. Her only concern for the moment was 
the little blonde-headed girl laying down in the next room. As she 
reached out and placed the palm of her hand on the little girls for 
head she could tell at once that the girls fever had indeed grown 
worst.

"Ojean take the pail and go fill it with cold water from the well." 
she turned to instruct the boy.

"She needs to be looked at by a healer," the man said from his 
position inside the door way.

"I don't have enough money for a healer and even if I did not one 
of the healers in town would come out here to look at her." she said 
in an unemotional tone. "If someone saw then here, they would lose all their
business. It happened once before so none of them will chance it. We'll just
use cold compresses on her to try to bring the fever down."

"She needs a healer," the man insisted again. "And if we can't get one 
to come here, then we'll take her to see one of them."

He moved into the room then and reached out to yank the thread barren
blanket off of the second bed and turn to wrap it around the little 
girl, before lifting her so gently into his strong arms.

"Pack up what you want to take with you, and leave the rest," he 
ordered carrying the little girl with him out into the main room.

"Now wait just one minute," Shawnee finally found her voice. Put her 
right back where you got her. I told you that I don't have any money 
to pay a healer, and what makes you think I'll just up and go with you anyway?"

"Your sister's very sick, your brother looks as if he to might be 
coming down with it and you said yourself that you have no one here 
to help you, so I'm taking you to a place where you can get some help 
with the kids illness, a good nights rest in a comfortable bed and 
three square meals a day."

"And where pray tell is this fairy tale land located?" Shawnee asked 
in a sarcastic tone of voice, her aqua eyes opened wide in question.

"Whiteriver Warren," the man replied, "I Saul, rider of Fayloth, do 
so promise you Shawnee that the bad times are behind you now. At 
Whiteriver you and you siblings can start over, and no one will care 
who your parents are. "
____________________________________________
--------------------------------------------------------------

Well Shawnee and the kids are on their way to the warren.
Let's hope life's not TOO PEASEFUL for them *grin*

It's really nice t be joining you all :}

******** Submitted by: *************

                 Barbara
Shawnee ( & we'll soon find out)
           Whiteriver Warren