After a long stay in Lugg, Norman was on the hunt for a horse and carriage. Rowboat had told him that she could somewhat drive a carriage, and that was good enough for him. He wouldn’t mind a bumpy ride as long as he didn’t have to walk until he almost passed out again. It would also be a lot easier to travel with Primrose now that she was a human; he doubted that she would be able to keep up on foot. Carrying her was an option, but he could already feel how sore his arms would be if he did that.

  Rowboat was taking care of the children, so Norman was free to look around without any distractions. They had been in this village for over two months now, making navigating a breeze. They didn’t mean to stay this long, but they had gotten into a comfortable routine. Norman was a creature of habit and fell into routines almost instinctually. Being the main caretaker of two dependents made routines even easier to fall into.

  The days started with getting the children ready, dressing them, brushing their hair, and washing their faces. Then, it was time for breakfast and the mess that came along with it. To give the children a proper education, Norman taught them and Rowboat about reading, writing, and money for two hours after that. The children were then sent out to play until it was time for dinner and another mess. After a bath, the day was suddenly over, and it was time to sleep. Norman felt like an unpaid nanny, nothing else, just a nanny.

  Still, it wasn’t too bad. Norman felt a strange sense of satisfaction whenever the children learned something new. It was a sense of accomplishment he hadn’t felt in a while, like finishing a long report or correcting a critical error. Pail could recognize the numbers 1 to 10 and even write his own name, albeit poorly. Primrose was getting a lot better at talking, and her motor skills using human hands have soared. Savant had asked him why he was keeping track of their progress if he was just going to abandon them, a question Norman ignored.

  Norman had managed to haggle with a retired coachman to buy his horses and carriage off him for a bit over market value. The horses were getting old, but they were still strong. The carriage seemed fine enough. It was a simple wooden cargo carriage with a curved burlap roof and an empty interior for transporting goods. Norman could easily fit both himself and the children in the back, with plenty of room to spare. The front seat was probably a bit too small for Rowboat, but so was every other carriage seat.

  “This is a pretty good carriage, boss,” Rowboat confirmed after she finished inspecting the wheels and interior. She wasn’t a great driver, but she had driven a noble’s carriage a few times in her youth as she was the only child large enough to do so. “The horses look strong enough, too. They’re on the older side, but they’re healthy. They won’t need too many breaks, and they look like they won’t get spooked too easily, either.”

  While Norman was busy listening to Rowboat’s insights, the children were itching to play with the horses. Rowboat had told them over and over again to stay put and not approach the horses until she said it was okay, but she was taking a really long time talking to papa. Still, they stayed put, fearing that they might be abandoned if they disobeyed. Nobody had mentioned anything about abandoning them, but the fear had been deeply ingrained into them after being discarded by their birth mothers.

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  “Alright, kiddos! I’m done talking with the boss. I promised that I’d let you pet the horses, but first we gotta go over some ground rules.” Rowboat’s voice boomed as she spoke, it was a deep but feminine rumble that radiated authority. Pail and Primrose stopped whispering to each other and snapped their heads towards her at the sound. It had become an automatic response after so many times of being called inside from playtime by her.

  “Always make your presence known to the horse before approaching; any noise will do.” She hummed as she approached the horse, making its ears perk up in response. “The safest place to stand is here, between the head and the neck. Never approach the legs under any circumstances, especially from behind, understood?” When the kids nodded with understanding, the giant woman continued her explanation. “Keep your feet away from the hooves and your hands away from the mouth. If the horse looks upset, don’t even approach it.”

  After a few more safety rules, the kids were fawning over the horses while the adults packed the carriage. Pail named the light brown horse Quick, and Primrose named the dark brown horse Baby. Quick and Baby got more pats and compliments during that hour than they had in years. Primrose was too short to be allowed to go close on her own, so she clung closely to Pail, holding his hand through the entire thing. Pail felt super cool protecting his little sister from danger, even if said danger was just a scolding from Aunty Rowboat.

  “It’s real cute, ain’t it?” Pail nudged her gently, keeping her tiny hand in his own. He was glad that she was his precious little sister and not anybody else. He couldn’t imagine that anyone in the world would be a cuter little sister than her. He would like her more if she stopped touching the things in his bag, though.

  “Kyoot baaybi,” The little fox girl babbled back. She had gotten the hang of how a human tongue and vocal cords worked, but forming proper words was still hard. Getting close enough to be understood was a huge step, though. Being able to communicate gave her a lot more freedom. “Baaybi come wiff?”

  “Yeah! Baby and Quick are gonna come with us! Aunty said they’re gonna pull the cart. We gotta cheer them on when they’re pullin’!” He clapped his hands together, and Primrose mimicked him. “You can do it! I believe in you!”

  “Yoo do itte! Belibe!” The little fox girl repeated with gusto. She wanted to let them know that she appreciated their hard work, even though they hadn’t done anything yet. She liked it when she got praised, so the horses would probably like it, too.

  Norman didn’t know how to react to two children clapping at a horse. To be fair, he didn’t know how to react to a lot of things they did. Everything was ready to go. The luggage had been secured, and the inn had been paid; all that was left was getting on the road. Rowboat took the coach’s seat in the front, ignoring the ominous way the wood creaked under her weight. Norman and the kids sat in the back, amongst the impressive collection of personal items they had collected during the last two months.

  “Are you guys sitting alright?” Rowboat asked over her shoulder, though she couldn’t see much on account of her massive head of hair. She looked like a pillar of fur from behind whenever she sat down, including now.

  “We’re ready to go.” Norman was sitting against the wall with Primrose in his lap, trying not to sneeze as her ears tickled his nose. Pail was sitting with his legs dangling off the back of the carriage. It wasn’t ideal, but the only way he would get on was if he had a clear escape route. It’s not that he was scared of the carriage or the people in it, but the trauma of being transported in slave carriages needed time to fade away.

  “We probably won’t be back here, so say goodbye.” Norman had read somewhere back on Earth that children won’t fuss so much about leaving somewhere if they got to say goodbye to it. It was probably made up, but it didn’t hurt to try.

  “Bye bye, Lugg!”

  “Buhbye!”