Keep On: Cassandra's Tangled Journey

Cassandra woke up to find a sheep inches away from her face.
"Holy sheep!"

She frantically looked around, trying to remember where she was. She was perched up against a tree, in a field, atop a mountain. This was Knavitt's Point. Cassandra remembered everything that had happened the day before, the incident in the woods, and the rain, and her dream, and the extremely attractive woman who helped her reach her destination. Okay, this was definitely the right place. Nothing really had changed about her location, other than the fact that it was now daylight, and there was a sheep staring into her soul.

But then Cassandra remembered something. Where was Owl? And Fidella? Oh no. She looked around frantically at the large field of sheep. Finally Cass noticed a man in his early thirties who was leading Fidella away from her.

"Hey!" She shouted as she raced after them. "What do you think you're doing?"
The man turned around. "Oh, I'm sorry, is this your horse?"
"Yes," Cassandra responded as she finally caught up, "her name is Fidella and I need her."
"Really? Aww man!" The man seemed disappointed. Fidella seemed confused. Cass rolled her eyes.
"Come on girl," she grabbed Fidella's reins and started leading her away from the man, "let's go explore the town."
"You're not from around here, are you?" said the man.
Cassandra turned back to him. "Gee professor, figured that out all by yourself?"

This was the man's first proper look at Cassandra. Holy shit. She was incredible. The short black hair, the sass, the nerve- just his type. Cass stared at him in disbelief, waiting for his answer. But then his cheeks turned red. Uh oh. That wasn't a good sign. Probably time to get out of there.

Without saying another word, Cassandra started leading Fidella out of the field again, but the man finally gathered himself and rushed over.
"Wait, wait! Let me introduce myself. My name is Albrecht Bertram, but you can just call me Bertram. I'm the sheriff here at Knavitt's Point."
"Really?" Cassandra wasn't sure if she believed him. "You don't really look like a sheriff. More like the owner of a pottery shop."
Bertram's eyes grew wide as he clenched his teeth. "Ahh yes, I'm sorry, you're right, I'm not the sheriff, I am the owner of a pottery shop. And this farm."

But now Cass was even more suspicious. A pottery shop. This guy. Who thought he could pass off as a sheriff. Cassandra just shook her head in disbelief. "Unbelievable." She tried to walk away again, but Bertram grabbed her by the hand.
"Please sweetheart, even if I'm not the sheriff, I still know more about the place than you do-"
"Woah, woah, boundaries!"
"Sorry!" He quickly let go. But Cassandra was already mad. Really, really mad.
"Listen nitwit, cut it out! Do you have any idea what I've been through?"
Bertram looked really ashamed. "No."
"No! Exactly! I have been taken advantage of my entire adult life, and believe me when I tell you that you do not want to know about the kinds of paths I've been down. I let my emotions get the better of me, and you have no idea of the prices I've paid as a result. And now, I'm finally out in the world, making my own decisions, which is a choice I made, trying my absolute hardest every day and night to not repeat the same mistakes I've already made. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and find my owl.

At first Bertram remained silent, but then he finally processed the last part of what Cassandra had just said.
"Owl. I love owls! I'll help you find your owl! What's his or her name?"
"...Owl."
"Okay. Hello? Owl?"
Cassandra shook with rage. "Did you not listen to a word I just said?"
"No, no, I did, I just- look, I'm sorry, okay? We don't usually get visitors."
"You don't?"
"No. Okay, we do, sometimes, but they usually..."
"Usually what?" Cassandra could start to hear faint noises in the background.
"Oh crap, they're at it again!"
"What?"

Bertram grabbed Cassandra's hand and pulled her into a nearby stable. They both watched through the cracks as four young men wearing balaclavas made their way through the small town just outside the field.
"Who are they?" Cassandra asked quietly.
"Shh!"