They smelled Millhaven before they saw it. Woodsmoke and cooking food, livestock and tanned leather, the dense earthy scent of a working community. The border into Millhaven territory was marked by a simple wooden post with the pack symbol carved into it and nothing else. No gate, no guards, no checkpoint.
"That is it?" Liora asked, looking around for more formal demarcation.
"Apparently," Kaelan said, consulting his notes. "Luna Sera mentioned Corran had different administrative philosophies. I think this is what she meant."
They followed the road as it curved through increasingly cultivated land. Fields being prepared for winter, orchards with late fruit still hanging, livestock pens well maintained but without the rigid organization of Redstone. Everything looked prosperous but casual, functional rather than formal.
