Who: Seajay and Orion
When: Friday night
Where: Their camp outside of town
What: Things aren’t as they seem.
Status: In progress
Rating: TBD

After Orion and Seajay’s trip into town on Wednesday and Seajay’s safe solo trip around the lake on Thursday afternoon, they’d decided that they’d move into town on Saturday. Some of their supplies were getting low and it was time for them to get their dog and pony show on the road again. They’d spent Friday practicing their routine and getting things ready for their move so by the time they laid down to sleep they were all pretty exhausted. Seajay was always extra nervous the night before they went officially into a new town and drew a crowd to their little song and dance.

He laid in his sleeping bag, petting Star who’d laid down beside him. He could barely see the outline of Orion who was taking his shirt off and getting ready for bed on the other side of the dying fire. He sighed and rolled over to try and sleep, but his worry about what the next day might bring faded slowly into reassuring thoughts of his friends, and then only to Orion.

( Is all we see or seem but a dream within a dream? )

Who: Seajay and Roma
When: Thursday Morning
Where: Along the bank of Sardis Lake, near the pier
Status: In progress
Rating: Probably G or PG

It had been easier than he’d thought it would be to convince Orion and Filly to let him take a walk on his own. Of course he’d brought Star along with him, and he had a knife at his side, although his musical hands were still awkward with weapons after all these years. The sun had just risen and started to take the nighttime chill from the air. It would be another warm day, and Seajay was almost tempted to take a swim as he walked along the bank of the lake. A half lap around the lake and he’d be back, is what he’d told his companions. It wasn’t like him to venture out on his own, but he’d been thinking a lot lately, about how he felt like a burden to them. Despite the reassuring conversation he’d had with Orion the day before and despite how much he loved them he still felt like a danger and a child when he’d get the spooks and make them move on to yet another town.

Star trotted along just in front of him, sniffing at the rocks and weeds along the bank and occasional prancing just inside the water’s edge to get her paws wet. Eventually she’d picked up a stick and insisted that he play fetch with her as they walked. He walked for a good hour before he came near the pier and he wouldn’t have seen the brightly adorned girl had Star not given a warning bark around the stick she still held in her mouth. Seajay felt that old turn in his stomach that happened whenever he came close to meeting someone knew. He had half a mind to turn around, but maybe, just maybe she would be nice and he did have Star with him after all.

Then Star forced him to make a decision by doing something she never did. Usually she never left his side to approach strangers but she took off towards the girl and Seajay had to run to keep up with her. He slowed down a bit when he realized that she was wagging her tail and once she’d reached the girl she was prancing around her and trying to get her to throw the stick.

“I’m sorry, she’s friendly, but not usually this friendly…” Seajay said, a little breathless as he reached the two.

WHO: Orion and Seajay
WHAT: Exploring a bit, scouting out the town
WHERE: Just outside of Clayton
WHEN: Wednesday afternoon
RATING: PG, I'd imagine
STATUS: Incomplete

( It was impossible to say no )

Who: Seajay, Filly and Orion
When: The morning of Monday, September 2nd
Where: The most north-eastern tip of Sardis lake, a mile or so in from Hwy. 271
What: Their first morning near Clayton
Status: Open and in progress
Rating: Probably G or PG

As usual, Seajay awoke before both of his companions. The fire was barely smoking, and as he rolled over on his side he could see the tiniest orange glow inside the ashes. The day was bound to be another warm one, maybe even humid from the little bit of rain they’d had to walk through the evening before. He’d had a more restful night than usual, no nightmares, only darkness. Yet, the darkness behind his eyes sometimes felt more frightening than the Technicolor images in his nightmares, at least in his nightmares there were other people.

He slipped out of his sleeping bag and stretched in the cool morning air. He wondered what this next town would be like. He was always nervous when they went somewhere new, but he was equally as nervous if they got too comfortable somewhere. He always felt the need to move, as there was simply nowhere that he felt safe. His family’s picture had been broadcast to the entire world, and although it had been years he still worried that someone would know him.

In only his pajama pants he slunk over to the fire, his bare feet making little brown clouds in the soft dirt around the fire. They’d camped in the forest, a ways back from the lake so that they wouldn’t get the chill off the water at night. The morning was beautiful though and the sun was shining. He stoked the fire and got a small flame going to boil some water. Their water supply was getting low, but luckily they’d had no shortage of streams or lakes to tap into. He knelt in the dirt, watching the flames grow. He could hear the soft breathing of Filly and Orion and the quiet whinny of Care Bear as he grazed nearby.

In that moment realized how odd it was that he hadn’t found Star at his side when he woke up. He turned to look behind him just as she pressed her wet nose to his elbow and gave him a start that caused him to burn his finger on the pot and send the whole of their water supply into the flames. The fire hissed and smoked terribly as he fell back to shake his pained finger.

“Jesus Star,” He was about to curse her more when he realized that she was just standing there with a large rabbit in her mouth and wagging her tail.

“Hey everyone, Star brought us breakfast…” He couldn't help but laugh and shake his head even though his finger was throbbing.