As she reached the base of the hill, she didn't stop her pace. Even despite this speed, the path was quite long. It was another three hours before she even was the city again. She was greeted by a wall of stone, at least forty feet high. The portcullis was shut and stood as immovable as the mountains in the background. If she had her wings, she could simply flap over the walls, and just fine an inn or something. But, in her current state, such a task was impossible, if she was not assisted by a rope and hook.
She figured that they shut the portcullis to prevent raiders and dangerous creatures from getting in. It made sense, but as it was past nightfall, she was stuck outside. Hopefully she could find a place to sleep. And so, following this desire for a place to sleep.
Her search yielded two places: a low hanging branch or a roadside ditch. The ditch would be much more solid and had the benefit of keeping her sheltered from the wind. However, it would be not necessarily comfortable, and would still be cold. In addition, the ground would mean she could be preyed upon easily, either by a hungry animal or a opportunistic bandit. Plus, the branch had the benefit of nostalgia. So, she opted for the branch.
She found one tree with a low branch. She pulled herself up, the extra weight from her strap and sword going unnoticed. After stabilizing herself, she then climbed up a second one, and then a third. At this point, she was about fifteen feet off the ground, and felt sure that she was safe from harm. So, she shut her eyes, and drifted off.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
She awoke to the sound of metallic clicking. Tilting her head along the edge of the tree, she looked to see what was going on. The portcullis was being opened, the iron gate sliding up into the tower above it. She saw guards getting up in the towers, as well as along the walls. Realizing this was her chance to get inside, she slid off the tree.
That was a mistake. She cried out in pain as she hit the ground. A small trail of fresh blood slipped out of a wound on her flank. It stung, but was ultimately not a concern. There wasn't much blood, and she stemmed the blood just by adjusting her scabbard.
Her cry however, had attracted the attention of the guards. Crossbows were pointed at her, and a few by the now wide open gate were coming down the road. She growled in annoyance, and stepped out onto the road too. She wanted to avoid any conflict with the guards, lest this place be closed to her.
The two guards were both lizards, wearing leather brestplates and what appeared to be bronze greaves and gauntlets. They both carried strange looking halberds, and had knives strapped to their sides. The one in front said, "You! Who are you, and what is your business at Kells Keep?"
"My name's Void Streak. And I'm just looking for a nice inn and some decent grub, at the moment." She replied.
The two looked at each other, before the lead one asked, "Then what was that cry? And why were you sleeping in a tree?"
Void snorted. "One, have you seen me? I think I can afford to be hurt after falling fifteen feet from a tree. Two, I arrived by your walls last night, just after dark. The gate was shut, and so I waited until morning. Now, am I allowed to go inside? Or am I stuck answering more questions?"
The two once more looked at each other, then the one in the back looked up at one of the guards on the battlements. Void didn't see the others response, but the two guards parted. She walked past them, with the two of them following her like a honor guard. She had to admit: she kind of liked the feeling. She then lasted by the heavy portcullis, and the thick wooden the door behind it.
She was inside a large courtyard surrounded by stalls and buildings, at the center of which was a large fountain. It reminded her a great deal of Attaistown. Unlike Attaistown, the towns streets arranged in a square shape instead of a semi-circle. Long roads ran along the insides of the walls, with a side street branching off the side about every twenty feet or so. In addition, the buildings were made of sturdier looking wood as opposed to cheap wood, adobe, and sheet metal. However, it did have some other similarities to Attaistown. For example, creatures of all types roamed around, shopping, or just wandering. However, she took note that there were even fewer ponies here. In fact, a lot of the creatures she didn't recognize, save for the Lizards, Hippogriffs, and a couple of minotaurs.
She picked out three ones more common then the others. One type was very similar to ponies, with only a few differences. Their hooves were more prominent, they had a pair twisting horns like a tree branch, and a more pronounced snout. Most of them were brown and white, however a few had other colors like grey or black. These seemed to be much more common, and Void actually recognized them. They were called....Reindeer? Eh, something to that effect.
The second were also very similar to ponies. They also had a very similar structure in terms of body proportions, but were a great deal more different. They also had cloven hooves, a pronounced snout, and a pair of horns, with the latter aspect swept back and curved like a drinking horn she had seen in a book about yaks. Many had darker fur colors, mostly dark blues and blacks. Many wore Bells for some reason. They were a little creepy, but since they were by far the most common of the three, she figured they would be common.
The final ones were by far the most strange. They stood on two feet, much like the Lizards. However, these creatures had a pale hide, sort of similar to that of a mules muzzle, instead of scales or fur. Most appeared to have some, located on the tops of their heads. They wore clothes and shoes, so she couldn't get a good look at the rest of their bodies. She was that they did have opposable digits like minotaurs, and were probably a better comparison then the lizards. They were certainly odd creatures, but she supposed it was sort of to be expected, being this far from Equestria.
She began to walk through town, taking In her priorities. She needed to find some way to get out of town, or at least directions to the next one over. But first, she needed somewhere to stay. A proper bed, a warm meal, and maybe a drink would put her back in proper spirits. For that, she needed to find an inn.
She smiled a little when she saw a inn down the road. She couldn't make out the name very well from where she was, but could at least make out the word 'Inn' on the bottom of the sign. Her desires spurred on by the presence of it, she began to walk toward the building. In her haste, she bumped into a small creature.
It was one of the Odd looking ones. It wore a shirt and pants that looked like they were made out of old sacks, and a belt made of rope. He was maybe fifteen to seventeen years old, and had a very gruff look to him. He actually reminded her of a royal guard in a way.
"Oi! Watch it!" He shouted. He then held up. his hand, all of his fingers folded against his palm except one. His middle finger.
Void cocked her head to the side, confused. She had never seen a creature do that before, and didn't know the meaning. The teen seemed to notice, but said nothing. So, Void asked, "What are you doing?"
He replied with a hint of annoyance, "I'm flipping you off."
"Meaning?"
"What?"
"I'm asking you what that is what to means. I'm not from around here."
"Its a non-verbal way of saying 'F*** you'."
"Oh. Well then, F*** you too." With that, the two parted ways, the boy disappearing into the crowd of the market, while she went off toward the inn.
As she got closer, she made out the name of the inn. The Snoring Drake. She pushed open the door, and was greeted with a similar sight to The Stalwart Pike, save for a Deer was behind the counter instead of a lizard. The deer wore a friendly smile, as well as a small pair of spectacles. Her said as she entered, "Ah, welcome. We don't have many ponies around here. I trust you are here for a room."
Void smiled slightly, happy for a little hospitality. "Yes, that'd be perfect."
The deer replied, "Well then, that's fifteen storm bucks a night. Simply pay me for your first night now, and I'll give you the key." Void, still smiling, reached back to her scabards pocket. When she stuck her hoof inside, she began to frown. Her hoof continued to worm its way down, but to no avail. Her pocket had nothing in it; her money was gone.