Tonight was like any other night. It was quiet, warm, and no one in sight. The main street is bustling with people during the day but at night, the people new to stay inside. Tonight seemed the same as all the rest except for one tiny little thing: a white rat walking across the road, heading from one of the bars to the other. Its beady red eyes flashing with alert and caution as it made its way across. High above it was being watched by a silver winged falcon. It’s height nearly reaching two feet and weight nearly thirty pounds. It was known as the watcher here in this town. Always keeping an eye for newcomers and people who just didn’t belong. Now it wasn’t watching the rat because it was food, no, it was watching it because it new it was another shape-shifter like himself. One of the few that lived here in the town of Talemor.

            Talemor was a small town, not many more of four hundred. Its main race was that of the humans. Others came into Talemor: like elves, shape-shifters, vampires and werewolves, though they were rarely seen. Vampires and werewolves were the business race, looking always for more to join them, protect them or to just feed. Each clan had a leader and the leaders were at war with each other, so they found Talemor to be neutral land. No one was allowed to fight here or allowed to feed, but the feeding rule was sometimes broken because a new vampire would wander and not be able to control their needs. As for the elves, they come into Talemor to trade with the humans. The humans would give the tools and things for their homes in return for food and medicine from the Elven lands. This race also has a leader, but they prefer to stay out of the war between vampire and werewolves. The shape-shifters were the rare ones to come into Talemor, for they were short and few themselves. When they do come, it is mainly at night and to stop at the bars and Inns for a place to sleep before they were to leave again.

            Talemor’s streets were hard and broken as well as were its bars and builds. The bricks falling to pieces and its people just above starving. Since the lord of the castle had stopped paying attention to them, they have had been taking care of themselves on their own and not bringing what they should to get more money for better trading with the neighboring lands and kingdoms. The castle stood at the base of the Northern Mountain range over looking its order.

            The silver winged falcon was a slave to the lord of the castle. He used the shape-shifter to spy on his people, to make sure nothing was out of order. Tonight the falcon was watching the rat, of which he was most suspicious of. He watched the rat disappear into a hole in the wall at the bar. He swooped down into the shadows in between the bar and the house and switched back to his human form. He tightened is long jacket around him to protect him from the cold, also to cover up the fact he was wearing slaves clothes and the bars did not serve the slaves who had no money, of which this night he had only a quarter.

            He walked in and saw only three customers: one at the bar and two in a corner. He walked over to the bar but close enough to here what the two in the corner were speaking about. The man in the black jacket had short brown hair and a scar on his right cheek. His body was thin and frail looking and was practically drowning his jacket. His face had a mousy appeal to it: long wiry nose, small beady eyes and thin, sunken in cheeks. His friend looked much the same, only with long white hair pulled back into a pony-tail. He was dressed a little better. His breeches were clean and his brown jacket spotless. He listened to them intensely.

            “What can I get you lad?” asked the bartender with a towel and cup in his hands. He looked at him and then gave him his request.

            “Just a cup of rum.” He placed the quarter on the counter and the bartender took it. He quickly returned with the cup of rum. Then he returned back to his work. The falcon drank his beverage and looked down at the counter and concentrated.

            “So did you hear? The vampire lord has returned from the Kingdom of Dushkan. He returned last night at midnight. They say he returned with more of his kind than he had originally left with.” This was said by the one closer to him, which meant that it was the shape-shifter with brown hair. His friend then responded to him.

            “What do you think he is gathering more of his kind for? Do you reckon that he and the werewolves shall start a war?”

            “We do not know. There are others keeping an ear out and eyes open. Some have heard that the vampire lord’s sister was in charge while he was a way. Though why she was in charge is beyond us. She is due to give birth in less than a full moon’s cycle. The father of the child was killed a few moon’s back so they are saying that the lord was thinking of raising the child as his own since he has no heirs.”

            “The child will be very valuable to the cause of this battle then?”

            “Some say so. He is the last heir to their throne. If the Lord and his sister die than her son will take their place and if all three are killed than there is no one and their clan will lose and soon cease to exist.”

            “Do they plan on keeping her child a secret until it can take control itself?”

            “Alas again we do not know. This is all the information I am able to supply. Keep us informed of what you find out of the werewolves.”

            “I shall.” They both finished what was in their mugs and walked out of the door and disappear into the shadows.

            The falcon finished his as well and the bartender took his cup and then nodded his head in goodbye. He walked outside and up the street towards the castle. As soon as he was well into the shadows, he transform back into a falcon and flew off to deliver the news of which he had just heard.