We were well into spring, which meant the traveling merchants would be visiting Oberen, and I hoped to find work with one. I had no place I particularly wanted to go and decided to let fate determine the destination. I didn't know if I was searching for a place, a people, or a profession. All I could do was wander the country and hope I’d know it or them when the time came. I spent the first night off to the side of the road after finding an area hidden from view by enough brush and ground debris that I would likely hear any intruder long before he or she reached me. I had heard enough stories from the folks at the compound to know the hazards of traveling, especially for a woman alone. Ironically, I didn't feel like a woman. More like a female wolf, I mused. I made Oberen early in the afternoon, and went straight to the market area, which appeared busier than the other times I had visited. I stopped at the entrance to view the notices: help wanted, sales, new venders, and other general information.
