The streets seemed to get a little busier and sprightly the closer they got to their destination. Everyone was acting as though another Harvest Festival was going to begin. No such event was being held, but the advertisements for the fun festivities that were to take place later today had certainly livened up the populace.

More vendors, and even a few street performers, were coming into view as they rounded the corner. Bryce saw a trained manekale doing tricks with a couple of kerricks. The kerricks were balancing themselves on top of large balls that could support their weight as the manekale balanced one on its nose while standing up on its hind legs. Many people were gathered around them in a crowd that was not too dense in order to be able to see the tricks being performed. The trainer was a green female lizard dressed in a ring-master outfit with red streak markings on her arms and face. Grabbing her top hat she made an elegant bow to the crowd as they applauded the performance her well trained creatures had demonstrated.

Bryce smiled gleefully as he had never seen those types of animals do anything besides pull groundcars before. His mother chuckled softly as she too smiled at the fun activities and performances happening around them, but it was her son's smile that affected her more positively than the festivities at hand. Just then, she had a sudden thought that she believed would be the best course of action after they had completed their original goal for getting something to eat. “Hey kiddo,” she said still keeping her happy smile. “How about after we get our bite to eat, we go ahead and enjoy all the festivities that are going on? Seems like a waste to just look at them and not actually get in on them right?”

Bryce's eyes lit up with excitement. “Yeah! That would be awesome mom!”

Naylene continued to keep her smile and chuckled once again but with much more glee in her voice. “I thought you'd love that. Come on, lets go get some food in our systems already so we have enough energy to seize the day.”

“You're the best mom ever.” He gave her a quick hug. “I don't know what I'd do without you.”

Naylene felt a rush of emotion course through her. Surprise, anxiety, fear and sadness. Fighting them back and the tears they were attempting to cause, she allowed the words to come out without letting them get to her. “I don't know what I'd do without you either kiddo.” Her son's gesture of affection affected her negatively, but only because of how much she cared about him. It was because Bryce was the only family she had, and because she knew the same was from his perspective as well. She feared the thought of both of them suddenly leaving the other, even though the odds of that happening were impossible due to how much they loved and cared for each other. But she knew that life was full of surprises, both good and bad. She didn't fear the world around her, just the thought of the one thing that could happen within it; losing her son, and vice versa.

Naylene hated herself for letting such thoughts enter her mind so inadvertently. So much so that she feared that thinking of such things could undoubtedly lead to them actually happening. Taking in a quiet and deep breath, she slowly released it to relax not only her mind but her moderately skittish nerves as well. She then felt Bryce eagerly pull on her arm to show that he wanted to get what they had come for to be over with. All so that they could then have the fun they excitedly wanted to enjoy afterwards.

She cleared her mind of the negative and unwanted thoughts and gave her son another happy smile to show that she understood what he wanted. “Okay, lets stop just standing around.” She said playfully. “Lets get some food already before we actually start to get super hungry.” They continued on their way not long after.

They came up to the large crowd of people that were still gathered around to observe the animal act of the manekale and kerricks. It was still not too dense so they would be able to get through fortunately, as they politely apologized to those they gently bumped into. A fun and rare display of well trained animals would make anyone around gather in large clumps of spectators.

Being careful not to rudely bump into anyone was a little difficult, but as long as an apology was given only an inconsiderate person would react angrily in the process. Bryce did however accidentally bump into another Dreamkeeper a little too hard as they appeared to be in a rather obvious haste to be somewhere else. So much so that when Bryce turned his head to apologize, they merely just kept walking without acknowledging him. It was just for a brief couple of seconds, but he could see that they wore a pair of dark blue pants and a hoodie just like his own, only in a light shade of aqua blue and sleeveless.

They disappeared from sight as everyone in the crowd moved back to where they were prior to moving out of the way. “Weird.” Bryce spoke quietly to himself as he turned his attention back to his mother. They gingerly exited the crowd of people and entered into a more open area. There were still some people around watching the animal act while not gathering into the crowd of spectators.

As they reached the city block that the diner was on, Bryce thought to himself about that stranger he bumped into while keeping his grip on his mother's hand. The curious thoughts were of who that person could have been. In an instant, his mind thought back to the two wolves on the ferry and the conversation they obliviously spoke of out loud. Were there really other Dreamkeepers who are hateful and or scared of the usage of powers and the laws against them? So much so that they'd risk using them in the open to satisfy their own goals? That person he bumped into could have been someone who either used their power in the open and is trying to lay low, or plans on using it without getting caught in some way.

Almost all of the knowledge he had been taught about this sort of thing flooded his mind all at once. To the majority of citizens in Anduruna who abide by these laws, to those who accept them the way they would any other laws. Bryce easily knew this like any normal citizen would, but also knew that there are those with less authoritative personalities and ideals to be submissive to these laws. The ones who were the antithetical citizens to them. The number of those types of individuals may be one against a hundred but even so, they could cause trouble that all hundred of their opposing forces would have to deal with.

Bryce felt uncomfortable thinking such things as his grip tightened a little but went unnoticed by his mother. He didn't want what some stranger said to affect him in such a negative way. He shook them off and gave himself a gentle slap to his face to snap himself out of his meager paranoia. He spoke quietly to himself again without drawing his mother's attention to him. “Quite thinking like that man, you're here to have fun with your mom, not worrying about crazy power using people.” He held his head up to look at his mother and expressed a proud smile on his face which she did not notice. “If anyone like that ever tried to hurt me or my mom, power or no power, I'll beat them up myself.”

His proud little moment wavered however as they came across the one festive activity that was advertised on the bulletin board from earlier. This being the trained knossus sitting in the middle of the four-way intersection they had just entered with a closed off area in the form of a ring. Two of the four streets were also closed off to avoid problems with groundcar traffic.

A line of people waiting to eagerly ride the beast stretched from the center all the way to the block on the opposite side Bryce and Naylene were on. The owner, a large male bull with a few noticeable piercings in his horns and wearing overalls, could be seen at the front of the line looking towards the others. It was clear that he was explaining everything they needed to know before riding the knossus. Groundcars with the smaller manekales and kerricks were being discreetly directed around the enclosed area by a couple of troopers who were facing away from the behemoth. Sometimes when they're not cracking down on illegal activities and power usage, they were more than happy to help keep the festive activities under control and enjoyable for the citizens they protect.

“Oh boy,” Naylene said sarcastically. “Another one. Thankfully this one looks tamed and not too dangerous.” She looked at the line of people waiting to ride it. “Everyone looks pretty excited and antsy to have their turn.” She scoffed but with a reassured tone and grin. “Guess we don't have to worry this one, huh kiddo?” She looked down at Bryce who was giving her the same expression to show he thought the same way she did at what was in front of them.

“Come on mom,” He pointed to the other side of the intersection towards the diner they had traveled across the city for. “Lets get something to eat already. Seeing all this fun stuff everyone else is getting to do is making me super jealous!”

Naylene laughed agreeably. “I hear you kiddo. Come on. Let's go get that food in our bellies already.” Bryce chuckled happily as his grip on her hand grew a little tighter from the excitement building up in him, and they began to make their way across to the other side. He didn't know what he wanted to do first after their meal. Except for the knossus ride, everything they came across on their little journey looked as fun as the last one.

They had to wait in the middle of the non blocked off street briefly as a trooper held up his hand ordering them to stop. The groundcars that were halted for foot traffic were now being allowed to make their own way through the streets. Naylene stood a couple feet away from the trooper as he directed them to not have any civilians run over on accident. Bryce waited patiently and respectfully so as not to annoy the trooper in any way. Despite knowing what the man in front of him would do if he knew he was using his power every day, he reminded himself that they're only here to help keep the city and its citizens safe.

As he stood there humming a little tune to himself waiting for their turn to cross, he noticed something conspicuous in the corner of his eye. Looking over to get a better look he noticed a strange and still figure next to the knossus in the closed off ring. They were on the other side of the large creature just out of sight of the owner who was still talking to those waiting in line, and the troopers who were still directing traffic. “Hmm? Who's that?” No one could hear his mildly quiet words over the sound of the wheels of the groundcars and crunching gravel underneath them.

The curiosity made him focus his gaze at the individual, and immediately he recognized them as the person he had bumped into from before. At a quick glance he could see that they had black furred arms and a bushy tail of the same color. Unfortunately their face was obscured by the hood they had up over their head. Whatever their Dreamkeeper species was, it would be hard to tell exactly who or what they were underneath without seeing their face.

They just stood there. Physically emotionless like they were in a very deep sense of thought. No one else had seemed to notice this mysterious Dreamkeeper except for Bryce. “Hey.” He said to himself softly with confusion in his voice. “How did they get-” Before he could finish his words, the hooded stranger placed their left hand on the knossus. It may have been for merely an instant and its color could not be made out, but Bryce swore he saw a halo appear above their head within that instant and then vanish.

Within that very same instant, what happened next was so sudden and unexpected that it took everyone near the knossus completely by surprise. It suddenly roared belligerently and rose it's front end up until it stood on its hind legs. The people in line gasped and screamed as the owner turned to see its tamed beast behaving in a manner they had never seem them in. Before he even had a chance to quell the knossus, it turned towards the street to its right. The same street that Bryce and his mother were still on. People panicked and scattered to get away from the charging beast as it ran in a straight line towards the two foxes frozen in shock. Naylene was so stunned, that it took her a couple seconds to become aware of what was happening.

The trooper, who was normally trained for bad situations from small to severe, didn't know what to do with an out of control knossus, as something like this had never happened to him before. All his instincts could do was tell him to get out of the way as he pushed off the ground to jump out of the large creature's path of imminent destruction.

All Bryce could do was stand there still frozen in fear. The same fear of the first time they dealt with one of these behemoths erupted and overflowed within him. So much so, that Bryce acted as if nothing was happening in front of him and that he was merely staring at nothing. When Naylene regained her senses, time had felt like it had slowed to a crawl has she grabbed her unresponsive yet terrified young son and tried to jump out of the way opposite from the direction the trooper had jumped. As the knossus was just a foot away from them, Bryce was able to look up at his mother and say just one word as the fur on the knossus's neck brushed past her head. “Mom?”

In that instant, the left front foot of the knossus struck the left side of Naylene's head as they tumbled on the ground underneath it. Her now unconscious body reflexively kept hold of her son as the back left foot swung forward and struck Bryce on the right side of his own head.

As they rolled on the ground now completely unconscious, the knossus continued charging forward down the street. Roaring as every Dreamkeeper who was able to get out of it's path screamed and jumped out of the way for their lives. Lamp posts, groundcars and vendor stands were destroyed as the bull owner and the troopers chased after it. The troopers yelled at civilians to move out of its way as the owner yelled out its name to try and calm it.

The one trooper who had previously jumped out of the way was about to give chase as well until he took notice of Bryce and Naylene laying motionless on the street. He felt his heart sink as only one word could be found to say. “Spirits.” In a panic, he rushed over to them. Dropping his springer rifle on the ground he gently placed his hand on Naylene's shoulder and saw her still holding on to her son. Streams of blood were flowing down the injuries they had sustained into small pools of blood on the ground around their heads.

The trooper called out to any of his fellow troopers still in the area. “We need immediate medical assistance! Two civilians, a woman and a child have been injured!”

The time that elapsed from the moment the knossus roared, to when the trooper called for aid was a mere eight seconds. So much fear and confusion all in such a short amount of time had drastically and completely changed to festive feel in Norvondire to one of turmoil. The hooded stranger who caused this had disappeared without a trace.