Celta Thursday, rough draft of a scene in Heart Journey

Celta Thursday, rough draft scene bit of Heart Journey, and, no, I did not compare it to the final:

Steep Springs, Celta, 407 Years After Colonization, Late Summer, Afternoon

Helena D'Elecampane, Del, rode into the mountain town, hot and dusty from the frontier. It had taken all day by stridebeast to wind up the rough road from the plains to the town and was now late afternoon. After two months in the wilderness, she was longing for a long soak in a private hot spring, a good meal, and a bedsponge. And her HeartMate.

Not necessarily in that order, though it would be another couple of weeks before she arrived in the capital, Druida City, to meet and claim him.

She'd felt him during his Third Passage a while back, which made him younger than her, by how much she wasn't sure, but it didn't matter. She'd liked his mind touch and would no doubt like his physical touch....

"Hey, turn down that music!" A man shouted from the street, and she reluctantly thumbed off her saddle flexistrip player. From his scowl, the guy didn't appreciate the sophisticated sound. Del loved jazz. It was a music that only a few enjoyed.

**Stup has no taste,** said her fox Fam, Shunuk, raising his nose. He was riding on a pad behind her saddle. **Smells bad, too. Eats mostly vegetables.**

Del snorted. "There are a couple of jazz clubs in Druida. I heard places are admitting Fams. A good reason to visit the big city. We can stock up on new holobooks and vizes."

They'd watched all she had dozens of times. Maybe she could see a play or two. "Druida will be fine."

**Many busy people,** Shunuk said, watching a man hurry down a street.

"Yes, and a lot more there," Del said. "Too many people for us."

**Foxes are doing well in Druida.** Shunuk grinned.