FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Well, I've come up with a rather nice (and amazingly long) plot which is expanding on what I already came up with while writing my first section. This part is still sorta an introduction to the story but it leads to the main plot. Stay in tune for my next one; Full of action and new characters it will be!

I certainly hope that I've got this story group thing in order...

For those of you who have yet to find out that no matter who you want to be, you are what you do.

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Random sights flash before my eyes and ears, treating me to whatever my imagination could ever want. Horrible shapes and beautiful curves. Ancient and new smells. Objects more sensed than seen. Black shapes regroup from behind my eyes and shape themselves into a being of shadows with huge wings, and together they say "You are a mere pawn! You have no place in my world"

White fire becomes it, shattering it's image in the brightness of the full moon. Lights dance upon the specter in the sky, making tiny circles or grids like a million wildfires burning eternally.

But like all those before it, it is quickly replaced. Insensible images flash vividly, scenes from my recent life. Her, whom I once thought was my captor dragging me from my home but now know is a kind soul with some unknown hope for me. She is there more often than not, smiling in the peculiar way or explaining some unknown topic to me in that cheery voice of her's. But it doesn't ever last, and the cruel world intervenes.

"Demon, Demon, Demon!" Cry the dead faces of the two men who blocked our way through the bridge and tested my friendship with her.

"Menth!" She cries, clear terror invading her throat. "Menth, wake up! It's time to go."

Things were getting sharper and clearer now. That is not terror... That's just her.

"Hellooo? Ugh, you earned this!"

An ocean falls on my face.

Then I see the shape of a canine hovering over me, blocking the bright morning sun from my eyes. Fluffy clouds drift off to either side of her. She shifts to the side and details appear all over her as I squint against the dripping water and oppressive light.

"Deep sleeper... You made me waste some of my water."

"Ugh."

"Get up. We need to start off soon or we won't make it before night falls."

I slowly stretch myself; All of myself before standing up beside her. "Why not go in the night?"

"Nocturnal? Was easy to guess. Eh... I don't really like to travel after dark. I'm a bit afraid of things like you!" She giggles.

"Don't worry," I say groggily, smiling for the first time in... I can't even remember, and eliciting a short laugh from my captor. "I'll protect you from the evil me."

That feels... Strange. It is good to hear her laugh, but at the same time, I just called myself evil. Maybe that fallacy is what she finds so funny. Menth is evil? No, I have a heart full of love and caring, but when I or others are threatened I will be the one protecting those I know.

But that raises another question. She calls me by my name all the time, but I don't know her's.

"Uhm."

"Yes?" She says and raises an eyebrow at me.

"What is your name?"

"I'm not really supposed to tell you until we get to town. My job and all... I'm not supposed to have any emotional connections with you."

I think this over for a full second, then respond. "It is too late for that already. Go ahead."

"Do you promise not to tell anyone or say it near other people?" She asks with mocking mystification.

"I promise."

Breathe in, breathe out. Keep a straight face. Why is this so difficult all of a sudden?

"I'm Ameah. It's a rather uncommon name. My dad gives things weird names, so... Just call me Amy if you want to."

"What is promise again?"

She pushes me away from her gently, then grasps the neck-rope and pulls me back in nearly making me choke.

"You're kidding, right?" She asks, half serious.

"Yeah. I know."

"Smartest beast I ever knew..." And at that last remark she begins the awaiting trek down the hill with my rope in hand. "...Speaking of, who are your parents?"

This is awkward. I have no recollections of any upbringing besides the inkling of a warm voice. "I don't know. They were nice though."

"Where were you raised?"

"Where you found me."

She pauses for a second in thought. If only I could get into that head and speak feeling for feeling, thought for thought.

"Without your parents?"

"I have no memories of them."

"Soo... I'm sorry I guess." She drifts off. Apparently this is a topic sensitive to her too. Avoiding that, perhaps I should start with questions.

"Do you know when we can get food? My stomach is beginning to hurt."

She stops suddenly. What?

"Eh, hurt? Does it ever growl at you?"

What an odd question, my stomach is a part of me, and the only part of me that growls is my throat.

"No... It- It just hurts. Really deeply when I don't eat for over a da-"

I'm interrupted by her hurrying towards me with one of her palms out at me. Her tail twitches mysteriously. "Menth, stand still."

I do, and she stuffs her paw into my fur at the base of my neck. Ack! Cold!

"No, stay still! I'm not going to hurt you, silly."

I brace against a cold palm that brushes against the semi-hard scales beneath my black fur. She feels my collarbone, then the cold touch of the hand goes away.

"Ooh, Menth, I think you're a drakkin."

"A what?" I'm thoroughly confused. It's once of those many words I have never heard before, but seem slightly familiar.

"A dragon half-blood... But you look so different. Most of them aren't black, and most of them don't grow hair out like this," Something seems strange with this fur thing. My fur is a part of me, and definitely makes me a successful hunter. "And I haven't seen any that don't have a small nose and ears."

"What with the fur?"

"Most drakkin just shave it off, and after it's shaved it doesn't grow back. Some leave a little bit on, like a mane or maybe a spot behind the ears."

"How do they shave it off?" I ask.

"Oh, I'm not saying you have to, it's just that most drakkin look... Well, like that scaled highwayman at the bridge."

"Highway-man?"

"They're bad people who steal money from travelers. Money is..."

Down one long, smooth hill, up another, with Ameah's constant informative drone following me speaking with and of references I can't grasp while I walk in a new world. To think that this is her home... It's just astonishing. There's no cover to hide from anything, only clear space to run and be caught by any predator faster than you. The morning sun shines brightly and harshly, revealing every object to the world's scrutiny. This is truly a land without secrets, or so I think.

"... with coins being minted all the time and going out to the people. It's a really big system that only the royal family could set up, which is one of the reasons why we give thanks to them every evening at dinner..."

Ugh, food. Somehow that topic escaped, but I'm still getting hungry... I wonder what they eat. I never saw any meat on her... In fact, I never saw her eat anything yet. Should I try to change the topic to find out? No. It will just make it worse. Best to leave a surprise a surprise.

Up one hill, down another.

"... but far as I know most farmers don't usually make that much, but the things they grow they eat, so it counteracts that a bit. I'm really not all sure about it..."

She just goes on and on from one topic to another, explaining away her complicated life and expecting me to soak it up. After awhile it just seems like background noise.

Up one hill, down one slightly rough path? It's clear other's have walked this trail, and someone has removed the gray grasses from it as it winds into or around the soft country-side. Amy didn't seem to notice too much. Now would be a good time to ask then.

"Does the... The trail mean we are close?"

"Oh, no. It just means we are going in the right direction. Its still almost a good day's walk to town. I think there are eight different towns under the city of Mishnu, and the one we are going to is the second largest. It's not really big compared to the city, but I like it. It's mainly based on farming and growing things, from families to food to businesses and such. Me and my dad work as guards there, they are the people who make sure that everyone is..."

There she goes again, off on another wild spree of explanations. Nothing to look at without my eyes hurting from the sun. Nothing to listen too without my head hurting from her attempt at sharing her life. When do I get to tell her about my life? Stupid question. To her, my life is simple and I've already told her enough. All I can do is wait out this mental barrage and wait for something to happen that breaks this terrible monotony. I take occasional glances around me and keep my senses keen to try to find some way to interrupt her, but this land is so barren.

"... other stations all over the place. All these ancient sites are really fascinating but there's only a few people allowed to go near them. Sometimes you'll hear strange sounds or lights if you get close enough, but no matter where you hide they find you and drive you away..."

A cloud I didn't even know existed failed to block the sun's rays any more. It's heat begins to permeate me, driving me past any comfort I could take from it. My body seems to trap and hog the heat like it is trying to cook me alive.

"I'm soo... Hot. Can we take uh break?" I let my jaw hang slightly open after finishing just to emphasize my point.

She takes one long look at me, then smiles again. "Hey, don't be such a baby-face! Acting cute with me isn't going to get you anything more... But yeah, I'll stop for a minute. Want some water?"

Cute? Was I really? Humph! How could she think that? But water does sound really good right now. "Yes, water."

She stops and turns her head to look at me... And just stares. Did I do something wrong? Seconds pass with her expectant glare drilling into me, only made worse with the lack of water and the fact that I'm standing still in the middle of nowhere burning up inside with an aching stomach! Why can't she see the pain I'm in!

It is taking a lot of effort not to get outwardly angry with her. I could just grab the water and be on my way...

"Do you have anything to say?" She coldly drones out.

Something to say? It clicks almost instantly. These new strange rules are always catching me off guard, making me think about every little thing I do and say. It's not like saying something nice means I'm any nicer on the inside.

I breathe in a not-so-calming lungful of hot, dry plains air and irresolutely mutter "Please."

"Better. Here."

She hands me her water pouch, and I frown at it. It feels so light, is there even any left in there? If so there's only a sip or two, but what about her; Is she thirsty?

No, she wouldn't let me have this water if she was.

Holding the nearly empty sac's nozzle to my mouth I raise it and wince as I feel a meager gulp of cool water make it's way down my throat. That's all? That was nothing! It didn't help at all!

"It's empty." I glumly report.

"Well it's all I had. You should be thankful. Let's go." Her stern look is burying into me. Disappointment is all it told me.

"But you said I could have a break."

Her complexion remains the same. "You seem to have forgotten your manners and it raised the question of if you deserve a break."

"What! I'm hungry and thirsty and hurting all over! This- This journey isn't working with me!"

"Then the sooner we get to town the better! Follow."

She begins to walk off, her strong arm soon to tug on the rope around my neck. The longing I've nearly forgotten, something buried along with my past in the deep of my mind arises. My want of home. I could easily escape her and outrun her. I could retrace my steps and make it back to the bridge. Would she try to follow me? Would she even care?

There's just a second until the rope connecting us is pulled taught, just a second until the time I will break away from this nightmare forever. She is looking forward and away from me while walking at a hurried pace, so I take that second of negligence to lean in close to the ground and coil myself up. One hand holds the rope close to my mouth, waiting for the right moment to snap down on it and free myself.

But that last instant proved to last forever as she stopped her advance.

"Menth, please try to think clearly while you listen to me."

That sounded... Sad. Bad. She really does care?

"I don't want you to go through this. I don't want you to hate me, or feel trapped, or taken. If I had any choice I would have let you go after you saved me, but this is what I have to do in order to survive. Trust me, I've seen all the good you are. You're smart and kind and so many other good things. You just need to try, to try and help me like I am helping you."

"Helping me?" That came out more quiet than I wished for.

"Yes! I want to give you a new, better life. One with purpose, with a real home and real friends."

She said it again. 'Better life'. "You are saying that my own life isn't good enough?"

She turns around and sees me ready to escape, but she doesn't react. She continues, "Would you really like to be stuck in a hole in the ground surrounded by things that will eat you than in a safe warm place with people you enjoy and enough food to not have to worry about tomorrow?"

"I- I am- Eeeeuhhhhhh..." I am at a loss. I am trapped yet again, though I am not sure whether it is by her convincing words or my own heart. During all my life I have placed my own needs and wants at the forefront of my attention simply because I knew no one else would, but with her now leading my life there's no clue what I should be doing now.

Slowly, reluctantly, I get up. I lost this battle and I would have to go with her now. But was there really any argument against her? No. It was just the world working against me; Making me irritable and rash. No matter what I may think in the future she has only kindness for me. I must always remember that.

She walks off again and I stumble alongside her to avoid the choke of the rope.

"I'm sorry." I say without hope.

No reaction.

In the dead silence that followed I could barely make out voices behind us. They were far; Too far for the her to hear but just close enough to make out some words.

"... Ends up hugging everything... Right past them, no problem... Think we should tell him about it coming?"

I can't make out any emotion, and the responding voice is so hushed I can't make out anything but the first one's response.

"Alright, alright, will do, but when... Not sure how long it may take... Perhaps at the old skull."

Such odd words, but I'm thankful for any distraction fate will send my way. This last encounter with her just makes me feel so foolish. The sooner things pass the better.

The sun is falling to the horizon behind me now, and my shadow dances along the weathered path that is constantly showing more signs of use. Wooden poles connected with planks lined the edges in some places as the trail widens out. Across one of them I see the regular brown grasses have been removed and replaced by neat rows of small green plants. There is two people with small tools heaving back and forth across one row or another. An elder gray canine with sagging features and a still tail and something I've never seen before. It's thick body is covered on long fur; Black with white stripes originating from it's nose and down it's back and finally ending in a wide tail. It is hunched heavily, making it seem shorter. Both of them are wearing hats made of dried straw and clothes similar to her's without the metal links.

As soon as the old canine looks up at us I look back down at my feet. Never catch anyone's eye. There's no clue what they will do.

"'Ey Ameah!" Calls a heavily slurred male voice, hardly understandable behind the accent.

I don't even have to look up at her to know that her expression went from solid nothing to relieved as her tail twitches in excitement. She raises the hand that didn't grasp my rope and waves in greeting. "Hey! How long has it been?" Her loud voice so close to me aches my ears.

The two workers come trotting up to the fence and begin leaning on it, sweaty and panting. The accent was the first one to respond. "Not 'at long, still too long."

Then another voice, this one female and smooth, the absolute opposite of the canine's. "I'm glad to see you made it back again. How was it?"

"Tough, but this one was a good help." She glances at me but I am still looking away from the group. "He's good-natured and never did anything wrong, just shy and emotional. I got lucky."

"Ei'd nevuh seen un like that before." I can feel his stare, examining me as if I was her trophy. "Wut's he?"

"He's a drakkin as far as I can tell. His name is Menth."

The striped one talks now, her calming voice tainted with mixed disgust and wonder. "You named another one?"

"Not me. It's his name. He speaks."

"'Ell I dunno. Ya comin' outta that jungle with a sometin I ain't never seen before and it talks and names itself. If it wasn't you I'd say there's uh nasty hanguvah comin' yer way..." The voice trails off into nothing.

Everyone laughed a little, or at least everyone who knew what was happening.

"Ey beastie, you wanna talk tuh me? Or a'yuh shy?"

It's talking to me? Why is it being so derogatory? What will Ameah do?

I look up to her for some sort of signal, but all she does is look back and nod towards the elder one. Perhaps this is some kind of test. Probably not, but I must still treat it like one. Summing up my courage and fighting my instincts to keep my eyes away I slowly bring myself face to face with a stranger.

The old gray dog is worn, very worn. It's brown eyes spoke of infinite memories within them, and it's pair of ears circle and follow every sound the world makes. A hot breath comes from a slightly open mouth that no sane person would look into twice.

"'Ell hello!" It says to me.

I begin to say "Hello" back but the sound never escapes my throat. Try again. Try to think that you are talking to Ameah, not this unknown.

"Hello."

He smiles almost sarcastically. "Min' tellin' me how old ya are?"

"I... I dunno."

Thankfully he looks away and back at Ameah, letting my gaze sink back to safety. "'Ee sure is shy, butcha got a good prize 'eah."

"Definitely." The other one agrees.

"Oh," Ameah says happily, "He's a bit more than that. He saved my life once."

The other two draw in breaths of surprise. Ameah seems to be playing them now, with me no less. "A pair of highwaymen blocked us through the hanging bridge. He escaped, but came back to help. That's where this came from..."

She lifts her right arm up, showing the dirty white bandages wrapping around her shoulder and clinging to fur.

"Ooh, does t'urt any? 'Ow bad wus it?"

"Not that bad. It was a crossbow bolt right into my mail, so it wasn't very deep and I wrapped it up as soon as I knew we were safe."

"Good, but get it checked soon. It may begin festering." The unknown female commands.

"Will do. Thanks and see you later!"

The two workers of the fields got off their respective wooden posts by the path and wave a goodbye which Ameah mirrors then begins to walk away. Last words are shouted from the gray canine.

"Keep 'em outta Jessie's way, it's that time again!" Followed by friendly scolding from the other one.

That engagement seems to have made her forget about the outburst earlier. Now I should try talking to her again.

I ask, "What are they?"

"Hmmm?"

"Like you are part of the guard, what are they?"

"Oh, they're farmers. They grow a lot of the food we eat- Oh, you must be starving, I'm sorry."

I look up ahead. The sky is beginning to dim with the coming of night and shadows trace across the world. The outline of structures in the distance can be made out, along with a very slight buzz in my ears.

"It's okay." I lie.

As we near this town the buzz gets clearer and turns into such an amazing collection of sounds as to nearly stun me. The voices of hundreds of creatures and objects... It's too much for my acute senses to adjust to. The smells too, such awful odors all mixing into what I can only call a 'town' air. The activity we are nearing easily clears my mind of all other thoughts, and every time I try to focus on something a particularly loud noise will suddenly steal my attention.

We get closer and I can see a large round stone tower bordering the road at this entrance to the farm-surrounded town. From it's many windows shine a fluttering yellow light and atop it's turret I can make out two people sitting on the gray slabs looking down at the town or at each other.

Most of the other structures are made out of any combination of wood, stone, earth, or dried plants. So many people of so many species walk the streets on whatever business of theirs that the ground is pounded perfectly flat.

Luckily for me we aren't going past the stone tower, but into it's doorway facing the street.

I enter behind Ameah into a room with a wooden floor and ceiling, with a table on a cloth mat surrounded by chairs, with symbolic paintings of who knows what on a wall that opens up to a winding staircase. A candle on each wall and another on the round table for eight brightens the room, yet the wood seems to absorb the light and make the place feel soft and peaceful.

She stops just after passing through the doorway and I nearly run into her. She dropped the rope...? She is just starring at one of the chairs. It is occupied by a male canine with rich brown coloration and a slightly lighter underbelly wearing similar clothing to Ameah that covers more of his body, reaching out to his ankles and hands. He is looking over a flat image of some land. A map.

"Dad!"

His ears perk up only an instant before his head, then his whole body as he dismounts the chair and they both run into each other and hug.

"Amy! I'm so happy you came back again!" His voice is rough and commanding but not unkind. "Everyone's been worried sick this last day!"

"You know I always come back. Nothing can stop me."

At the words 'Nothing' he looks past her at me for a second. What else is there for me to do but look back at the strange scene?

"Don't go walking up to a dragon saying that. Ugh, it doesn't matter, you're here. Sit down with me and tell me all about the trip! Please, seat our... Guest."

Ameah waves a hand towards me. "C'mon. This is my dad, Rokae. Rokae, this is Menth."

I say the name silently to myself. "Row-kay."

"Nice to meet you, Menth." He holds out a hand towards me casually. There's nothing on it. It's not reaching for anything. Why?

Ameah cuts into the awkward silence. "Uh... He hasn't learned that yet. Don't worry, he's a fast learner."

There they go talking about me as if I cannot hear it again.

"Well then come and sit with us for awhile." And he lowers himself onto a chair, sweeping his tail to the side to avoid sitting on it.

I slowly walk up to a chair next to Ameah and mimic his action, the loose neck-rope falling alongside my tail. As soon as I am seated her father asks about the trip.

"Well, the longest part was actually catching him, but once I got him he seemed to warm up to me so quickly. He immediately began speaking and gave out other clues that he wasn't always out there. I think that he may have gotten lost or kidnapped when he was young."

"Interesting indeed."

When her father shows no signs of continuing she resumes. "We were about halfway out of the forrest and he didn't struggle at all, so I let loose all the ropes but the ones around his hands and neck."

For a long time I just listen to her recounting her perspective of our journey. I wince at her description of me fighting the highwaymen, then smile as she is recounting watching the full moon with me. She retells every word, all the details to her father who merely sits perfectly still, his ears and eyes trained on her. She recounts the discussion with the farmers and how I responded to their questioning, then she finally ended.

"You're done?" He asks politely.

"Yeah."

"What about you, Menth. Do you have anything to add to that story?"

I shake my head.

"Well pardon me if I come out as rude at all, but I am required to do this. Menth, I will now ask you some questions. Please answer as truthfully as possible. If you don't know that is okay, just say so." He nods to Ameah who get's out of her seat and walks someplace behind me. I can hear her footsteps ascending the stairs.

"Menth, do you know your parents and where they birthed you?"

He immediately hit a weak spot in my memory. "I dunno."

Without pause he moved onto another question. "Menth, do you always believe that you were a beast?"

I stop from opening my mouth in answer for a second, but I've just as fast forgotten what stops me. "No."

"Menth, what was your first reaction to being captured?"

"I... I felt small."

"Menth, did you develop any trust or goodwill towards the hunter?"

The answer for this just comes out without any thought pushing it. "Yes."

The brown canine raises an eyebrow. "Menth, please tell me what you believe is the best and worst thing that happened during your trek?"

This is taking awhile. So many vivid and fresh memories arise from the last two days, but which to choose? For some reason only Ameah comes to mind. Ameah, Ameah, Ameah...

"Worst part was seeing the look on Ameah's face after we killed highwaymen. Best part was sleeping the night after that. I-It's a hard question."

The faintest glimpse of a frown crosses his face, but for what reason I know not.

"Menth, do you really want to be here?"

"What?"

"Menth, if you could go home right now, just leave out that doorway and walk home, would you?"

That decision was made long ago, but it still elicits 'sour' thoughts.

"No."

I want to stay. I want to stay in this place where I don't even know but one person out of hundreds and the very atmosphere outside seems more hostile than the wilderness ever could be. I want to stay here, starving and sleepless in a place that just may not feed me. I want to stay here upon the word of one person?

Yes. All the invisible forces inside me say so.

"Thank you. Amy is waiting upstairs to show you your room. In a while we'll eat dinner and I've got quite a buffet ready to be laid out so we can hopefully find what you like. After that we'll bed for the night. Tomorrow is gonna a busy day."

Ameah was sitting at a desk upstairs and brought me to a room with a tough bed, a small desk, and a chest of three drawers with a mirror set on top, resting against the wall.

"We've got about an hour I guess before dinner is served and I'm going to get my arm checked out. Feel free to explore the place, just don't break anything or go outside- Oh, and listen to whatever anyone tells you. Almost everyone that goes in here is a guard and there's more people living upstairs. If anyone asks who you are just say Amy brought you."

The rest of the evening passes only with an occasional footstep outside my doorway as various people walk by. I have explored all the items in my room and I found a comfortable position to lay on the bed, feeling it slowly conforming to my body. I let my thoughts drift for awhile, letting my imagination free to do it's bidding. I was about to walk back into my forest. Ameah was just behind me, struggling to break free of the gnarled branch and brush I adeptly navigated, and I taught her how to break free from the forest's bonds. I was teaching her to hunt and ambush, to scavenge for plants that are poisonous or that help close up cuts or stop pain. She was lost, as lost as I really am, but I would help her...

"Heeeeey Menth, time to eeeaaat." Ameah half-said half-sung.

"Ugh..."

"Hurry up, everyone's waiting for you!"

Dinner that night... Uuuugh. All eight chairs of that table are full. Me in one, and a set of rowdy creatures bombarding me with questions without even letting me answer the last one. There are innumerable plates of food laid out and Ameah quickly guides me in using the fork, knife, and spoon to sample each dish. There are all kinds of plants; Fruits and vegetables of many shapes and colors ranging from wet apples to freshly baked potatoes as well as herbs and spices. A heaping tower of bread, too many kinds to think about without shivering, dominates the center of the table. On one side was set out a collection of soups and creams that together exhumed a tower of steam reaching up and splitting at the ceiling.

I try each one. I hate them all more or less. Each and every bite causes my tongue and throat to convulse involuntarily and I have to drown myself in water in order to stomach anything. All this fancy 'food' and no meat is making me sick. Once I decide that enough if enough I leave the table without a word and walk straight up to my room. Ameah comes in a second later with a worried look on her face. She leaves ten minutes later with a look of brutal understanding and apologized to the others for my "Sour appetite."

"Next time he excuses himself!" I hear Rokae say over the racket of dishes.

Luckily no one else came into my room that night. Those people ate, ate, ate, and talked, talked, talked, then stumble up the stairs and past me without even noticing me. Getting to sleep is difficult. There is nothing natural about this room, although most of the surfaces are wood. The bed doesn't compare in the least to the soft grasses and mosses that grow in the plains or forest, and the faint buzz of activity outside still faintly exists.

This is my second time sleeping at night instead of day.

...

...

...

The next five days is spent trying in vain to adapt to the environment of the town of 'Eaststar' as it is called. Everything I do is a learning experience thanks to the vigilance of Ameah and Rokae, always telling my not only what something is and does, but how, why, and when. Names and dates fill my head at the pace of an onslaught. They are making sure that everything I see I know inside and out. Every scrap of cloth or metal or wood has it's purpose to ease or harden the lives of the people who make and use them

My 'vocabulary' expands as well, but everyone seems to be shocked at how much I already know. They say that it is unfortunate that I cannot read though. "Your eyes..." They say. "Usually drakkin, being half-bloods of wise dragons, have exceptional eyesight. It's a true pity."

Another three days pass, another three horrible dinners of not as much eating as trying to ignore the fact that I am eating. Thankfully there is always a plentiful supply of water. That night Rokae comes into my room carrying a sack with both arms and dumps it out onto my bed.

"Name and describe them all to me."

It was every single item from the dinner table that night. I knew all of it.

The next morning I got to see Ameah doing her job, or one of them. Someone drank too much liqueur and drew a sword in a pub named the "Old Skull". Ameah just happened to react fastest and rushed through the outgoing mob while I watched from one of the tower's windows. The rest of the day was a bore though.

Then the next day...

And the next. It's not that this place is bad, to say. Just unfitting for me. Only two days of this left, Ameah says. Then I'll get to travel again to see the big city of Mishnu.

To my horror I only found out that I would be traveling without anyone I know the day that the caravan rolled onto the trail next to the bustling town to be greeted by a small crowd. Heading it was one of what Ameah and Rokae call 'Relics'. Pieces of magic machinery left behind by ancient civilizations, of which only a few chosen people know how to operate. It's streamlined metallic edges seeming as unreal as the abstract 'face' it's attached devices made on it's forefront. Immediately in pursuit and attached by a thick metal cable was a cart that housed the guards, a spacious closed off platform of brown and gray covered in windows. I can guess up to ten people could pack themselves in it. The last five carts are all the same, cheaply made and attached in the same manner. Planks make up the floor, the low cieling, and the front and back walls with iron bars cast vertically between them and around a door. A single bench was nailed onto the middle of each and fitted with a cushion.

All the carts were occupied by nervous wrecks besides the first one.

One of the men operating the relic calls "Travel to Mishnu for the civil programs here!"

I step forward. Was this bravery? No, I never gained any of that, this is merely resignation. I look behind me and see almost everyone who has spoken to me, and a few more. Some are waving at me, others merely starring. Ameah is there, but her face is hidden. Rokae stands next to her, her kind father only giving me the look of encouragement.

Once again against my will and my ways I step forwards into this unknown.