text: [Themes: fantasy, fantasy]
  
  It soon becomes apparent that you are closer to the village than you thought. Is it just you, or are those buildings smaller than they seemed from afar? You come to the edge of the village to find that the smallest of the houses are about your height. Everything is half the size it should be, from the road through town to the stones that pave it. What's more, everything is made of the strangest materials, the likes of which you've never seen. (At least, not that you can remember). The only thing you've seen that looks remotely like this is Paper-Mache, but this must be sturdier than that, otherwise these houses would've fallen down ages ago as soon as the wind decided to pick up.
  
  As you draw nearer to the center of town, you begin to feel that unsettling feeling of being watched. It's been present for quite some time now, growing stronger as the sun continued to light up more of the sky. Are those eyes you see, poking out between the shuttered windows of the houses? Why is nobody out and about yet, it may be early, but even still-
  
  "What in the name of the water-pit are you?" A voice from behind snaps you out of your thoughts.
  
  You turn, knocking your elbow on the corner of the houses nearby. Grimacing from the pain, you see before you a strange creature, almost human, yet not quite. Its head comes up only to your waist, and it's skin has the same Paper-Mache quality as the walls of the buildings beside you. The ears are the strangest part, sticking straight up into the air. It's a wonder something so small can hold them up like that for so long. The creature holds something like a spear, made of wood, pointed straight at you.
  
  "Do you speak, you big brute?" The creature asks, "What are you, why have you come here, waking us all up in the night?"
  
  "The sun's out," you reply, "People get up when the sun is out, don't they?"
  
  "Do you like getting up at the crack of dawn? Some of us sleep in and that's besides the point. What the heck are you, and why are you here?"
  
  "What am I?" You ask, your irritation growing with each word this creature says, "What are you? What is this place? I've never seen anything like you."
  
  Other creatures, like this one before you, peak their heads out from doorways and windows, drawn out by the commotion at hand.
  
  "I am Merk, head of the watchmen of Arrorn." Says the creature, "This village and it's people are under my protection. If you have come to do harm, consider this my warning. State your purpose or leave this place, lest I am forced to raise my spear and drive you out myself!"
  
  "I haven't done anything!" You protest, "Why are you threatening me? Don't I have... rights or something?" That thing may be small, but the stick it's holding still looks pretty sharp.
  
  The creature pauses, lowering it's spear just a touch. "I don't know what you mean by 'rights,'" it says, "But you raise an important point. I apologize for threatening you, it's just that I've never seen anything quite like you in all my seventy-four years of life in this village."
  
  "I'm a human... I think," You say, still feeling a little annoyed, "And in all my... well, I'm not sure how many years of existence, I've never seen anything quite like you either. I think."
  
  "I am what is known as an Oalkwardner." Says the creature, (Merk, as he called himself), "As are all others like me. This village-"
  
  A high pitched whistle cuts through the air, cutting Merk off mid sentence. He seems to jump a little when he hears it, his stance becoming more rigid, more alert.
  
  "The alarm!" He says, raising his spear once more, "I'm sorry, but duty calls!" He leaps towards you and you flinch. Is he going to attack you after all? But no, he soars over your head and lands behind you, taking off as soon as his feet touch the ground.
  
  "Wait!" You call. The idea of being left alone in this strange village terrifies you. Who knows? The next person you talk to might attack you for real. You run after Merk, ducking through the too narrow streets, nearly flattening a few unsuspecting Oalkwardners. Even with your longer legs, Merk is faster than you, slowly drawing farther and farther away.
  
  "Please!" You cry once more, "I don't even know where I am!"
  
  Merk slows a little and looks over his shoulder. "If you want to stay with me, then do so!" He calls back, "But I must warn you, I have work to do. I may not be of much use to you."
  
  "That's... fine..." You pant, "Just... slow down... a little."
  
  "We're almost there, human! I cannot slow my pace, there may not be much time!"
  
  You can hardly begin to imagine what he means by that in your current state, (you're not going to be able to run much longer with this pain in your side), but he's clearly not slowing down. Maybe it's the fear of being left behind, but somehow you find the strength to keep up the pace. The road grows wider with each twist and turn, until it gives way to a dilapidated plaza with a strange tower in the middle. Atop it is what looks to be a horn of some kind, with an Oalkwardner blowing into it. This is where the high pitched noise came from earlier.
  
  Most of the people milling about the square ignore the horn, as if this is some kind of daily occurrence. Merk slows at the base of the tower, stopping in front of an Oalkwardner in something resembling a dress, it's ears drooping. You catch up just in time to hear the ensuing conversation.
  
  "Fila?" Merk asks, "Why have you sounded the alarm? What's wrong?"
  
  "Its Pila," Says Fila, "She's dis-" the Oalkwardner notices you for the first time, "What in the world is that?"
  
  Her ears stick straight in the air and she leaps backwards, trembling. Merk turns and sees you standing there.
  
  "This is human. It's friendly, don't worry." He turns to you and says, "And this is Fila, my wife."
  
  "Why is everyone so afraid of me?" You ask, "I haven't done anything wrong."
  
  "I'm sorry... hue-mon." Her ears begin to droop once again, "I'm just worried, that's all. Our daughter," She gestures to Merk and herself, "is missing. She went to play with her friends yesterday evening. I meant to stay up waiting for her, but I was so tired that I just couldn't stay awake. And when I woke up, she still hadn't come back."
  
  Merk's eyes grow wider, and he grips his spear tighter. "What do you mean, she hasn't come back."
  
  "I mean, she isn't here, Merk! She might've disappeared like all those other-"
  
  "No!," he says, "I'm sure she's fine. She probably just got lost. We'll find her."
  
  A chill runs down your spine. You'd forgotten about the kidnapping you saw in the forest after Merk confronted you. You were too worried about staying alive to think about someone else's troubles. But now the memory returns in full force, the fear it brings creeping through every fiber of your being.
  
  "I'm not so sure about that..." You say, voice trembling a little.
  
  Merk turns to you. "What do you mean? Did you have something to do with it?" He picks up his spear, gripping it tight.
  
  "No! But I think I might have seen what happened." And you go on to explain the strange events which you saw when you first awoke. When you finish, Merk covers his face with his hands.
  
  "I've dealt with this sort of thing for years," he chokes, "But it's always been someone else's kid. Someone else's heartache..." He looks up at you. "This is the fourth kid to disappear in the last month. If these people that took... that took my daughter, took the others too..." He stops and covers his face again.
  
  "Then," Fila says, "If we find her, we find them all. Hue-mon. Please, will you help us? Take us to where you saw her, tell us which way they went. Then, maybe, we can find her. Her, and everyone else."
  
  > say "Naw, I'm good."
  "I'm sorry." You say, "I'm not sure where, or even who I am. I don't think I'm up to this sort of mission."
  
  Fila stares at the dirt, clearly disappointed.
  
  "Could you at least tell us where you saw them last?" Merk asks
  
  "I guess it couldn't hurt," you say. You explain how you came down the path from the top of the hill, and how you went in the exact opposite direction as them. "Just keep going down the path and, I don't know, get some kind of tracker-person to pick up their trail. Am I saying that right?"
  
  "I suppose that helps," Merk murmurs, "Thank you human. I hope that the knowledge you have granted me is a fair substitute for your presence on this journey. Come on Fila, let's go round up a search party."
  
  You watch as they walk back into town, leaving you alone in the square. All the things you felt after witnessing the kidnapping resurface, guilt, helplessness, the whole package. For a moment you sit there, feeling sorry for yourself. Then you notice the Oalkwardners looking your way, suspicion in their eyes. Maybe you'd better find somewhere else to stay, you're not quite sure you're welcome here. It wouldn't do to have another incident like you did with Merk.
  
  So, you head out of the village the same way you came in. Luckily, the most threatening thing you encounter on your way out are a few nervous glances as the rest of the village wakes up. Soon, you've left the buildings behind and are back on the path through the forest. After you've gone a ways, you turn off the path and head out into the field surrounding the village. Once you're far enough from the path that you're not likely to run into any unfriendly villagers, you toss your bag onto the ground and pull out your sleeping bag and pillow and spread them out on the ground. Not that you need to go to bed yet, but just to give yourself something to do, if only for a few minutes. Guess this'll serve as a camp for the time being.
  
  For a while you stare off into the distance, thinking of nothing in particular. Your mind wanders, replaying the events of the day, contemplating your memory loss, trying to tease something from the thick fog that seems to engulf your thoughts every time you try to remember anything before you awoke in the forest.
  
  After a while, a line of figures appear in the distance, coming from the village, following the trail into the woods. You can just make out Merk and a few others, all carrying bags slung over their shoulders and spears in their hands. They don't notice you watching them, and carry on into the forest, following the information you gave them. Hopefully they find what they're looking for.
  
  The rest of the day is uneventful at best. You busy yourself by building a fire, even though it's far too hot to need one, and exploring around your campsite. It crosses your mind that maybe you should head back into the village and introduce yourself, show them that you're nothing to fear. You go back and forth as to whether or not you should, but eventually sheer boredom convinces you to be brave and face the Oalkwardners. So you stamp out the fire best you can and start towards the path into the village. You've almost reached it when a lone Oalkwardner comes dashing out of the forest and trips, falling right on its face
  
  "Are you alright?" You ask, rushing to the creature's side.
  
  "They've been taken!" It gasps, "Merk and the others... I was the only one... to escape. Man that hurts..." It rolls onto its side, revealing a gaping hole, oozing a clear substance.
  
  "What happened to you?" Your heart pounds that the sight of the... well, you think it's blood. "I... I think you need a doctor or something."
  
  The creature doesn't respond. It just lays there, taking in shallow breaths, coughing every once in a while. You don't think, you just act, scooping up the body and taking off running towards the village. It's lighter than you'd expect, but maybe that's just adrenaline.
  
  "Help!" You shout as you run through the village streets, "A doctor! She need a doctor!" The Oalkwardners look at you terrified.
  
  "A monster!" One of them cries, seeing the creature in your arms.
  
  "No!" you shout, "Don't those ears of yours work? I'm trying to save-"
  
  "Run it'll kill us all!"
  
  The Oalkwardners scatter in all directions, screaming. But there's no time to worry about them, you keep going, still calling for a doctor. A minute of this and the alarm sounds once more, cutting through the air. Still you search, frantically, for someone to help you. Then, you round a corner and come face to face with a wall of spears. The Watchmen of Arrorn have come to stop you, thinking you're a monster.
  
  Before they can attack, you kneel and lay the Oalkwardner in your arms at their feet.
  
  "I didn't do this." You say, "You have to help her, she's going to die!"
  
  "Why should we believe you, monster?" One of the watchmen asks, "For all we know, you're responsible for all the disappearances."
  
  "Why would I come here if I was the one who did this?" You ask, "What, do you think I'm stupid?"
  
  "I don't know," the watchman says, "I don't make a habit of dealing with monsters."
  
  "Enough of this!" A voice from behind the line of Watchmen startles everyone. "Clear a path, you idiots! This is no monster, but an acquaintance of Merk! He spoke to this creature just this morning and determined it was no threat!" The Watchmen part to reveal an especially wrinkly Oalkwardner.
  
  "I found her on the path!" you say, "She's from the search party that went out after Merk's kid, but I think something went wrong!"
  
  The wrinkly Oalkwardner takes one look at the wounded creature at your feet and gasps. "Never, in all my years as an elder... I can treat her, but we must get to my office quickly. Come on, I need you to carry her, it'll be quicker that way!"
  
  You scoop her up and follow without a word. The elder's office is on the edge of the town square, (Which, thank goodness, is pretty close). It's bigger than some of the other buildings in the town, so you can just squeeze inside.
  
  "Set her down here!" he says, sweeping the contents off a table in the middle of the room in one motion. You obey, and the elder gets to work without another word, it's as if he's forgotten you're even there. For a while you stand there awkwardly, watching as the Elder stitches up the wound. What if he needs you for something? He probably won't but even still, you'd better stay put.
  
  Surprisingly, the operation takes only a half hour. After the Elder finishes bandaging the wound, he looks up at you.
  
  "Thank you, human." He says, "We are in your debt. You may leave if you wish, but-"
  
  The injured Oalkwardner moans on the table, cutting him off. "They're gone... Dead, all of them." Her eyes are open, and they're staring straight at the elder.
  
  "What happened?" You demand, perhaps a little too swiftly.
  
  "Don't pressure her, she just woke up," The elder says.
  
  "No, I'm okay," she says, wincing, "But they're not."
  
  "If you feel you have the energy to talk, please go on," The elder says, "I would like to know more about this myself."
  
  "We were tracking... the kidnapers." She says, "But... they found us. A whole hoard of them. There was some kind of talk of a base... said they were gonna... overthrow the king... but no time... to pay attention..." Her ears droop, "And... they killed... I was... only one..." Her eyes roll back in her head and she passes out.
  
  "My word!" The elder says, rushing to her side and taking her right ear in his hand, "She'll be alright once she gets some rest, but you should probably head outside for now. We must make preparations for a funeral for those who were lost. Do you have anywhere to go?"
  
  "I set up camp just outside the village," you say, "I'll be alright, just tend to her."
  
  > The funeral
  After word gets around about how you helped save that Oalkwardner girl, the villagers seem to trust you enough to allow you to roam the city without sounding any alarms. Over the next few days, you help with preparations for the funeral, in part because there's nothing better to do, but also because you feel a little bad about not helping Merk with his search. Who knows? Maybe you would've been the difference between his life and death.
  
  When the day of the funeral rolls around, the entire town gathers in the square. It's the most extravagant display you've ever seen in your short time at the village, with tons of food for all and more flowers than you've ever seen in one place before. It must've cost a fortune in... whatever these guys use as currency. Merk must've done quite a lot to help the community, because there sure are a lot of drooping ears. (Which, you've learned, is the Oalkwardner's equivalent to crying).
  
  You stand at the edge of the crowd, still not quite feeling like a part of the community, as the Elder gives a speech.
  
  "We are gathered here today to commemorate the life of Merk, Gertra, and Silia, three of the greatest-"
  
  A pounding in the distance interrupts the speech. The whole crowd turns towards the source of the noise just in time to see a whole procession of Oalkwardners dressed in the brightest reds and yellows, all riding creatures like ponies, but with little spines running down their back instead of manes. They beat on little drums, all in sync.
  
  The Oalkwardner at the front of the pack raises her arm and raises her voice.
  
  "Presenting, the great Yelgar, Grand Protector of Realgna and the surrounding country!"
  
  The Drummers beat their drums faster and faster now, parting to allow a carriage to pass through, drawn by three lizard-like creatures, the size of bulls. The crowd parts for the carriage, and it stops right in front of the stage.
  
  The door on the side of the vessel opens, and out hops a rather tall Oalkwardner wearing a red cape and strange, red bracelets spiraling around the entirety of his forearms, like snakes.
  
  "People of the village of Arrorn!" He says, "I have come with grave news. It truly is a shame to interrupt such a lavish funeral, but there are more important matters at hand. It has come to my attention that there is a base of Rebels in the area, planning to overthrow the kingdom and estate a blasphemous 'new order.' These are the very same rebels that killed these three!" He gestures at the paintings of the three fallen Oalkwardners, set on easels on the stage. "We must act now, lest our glorious empire be overthrown. Outside this village is the seventy-third division of the King's army, sent to protect this village and take out the Rebel scum in our midst! It is for this reason, that the King and I felt the need to impose martial law on this village and the surrounding area! We will also be tripling the tax to sustain our troops. And we'll be taking all this lovely food you've set out for the funeral. Desperate times, desperate measures and all that."
  
  A cry of protest comes from deep within the crowd. "You're already taking three quarters of everything we have!" A female Oalkwardner pushes her way to the front of the crowd to confront the Yelgar. "We can barely survive as it is! And that food for the funeral is the last of our reserves, we only took it out in the first place because Merk and the others did so much for us in their lives!"
  
  Yelgar stares her straight in the face. "I understand your concern." He says, "But as I said, desperate times, desperate measures. Guards, restrain her!" Two of the horsemen hop off their steeds and grab the girl by the arms, forcing her to her knees. Yelgar raises his hand, and slaps her across the face, and the crowd gasps.
  
  "Do not question the authority of the Crown." Yelgar says, still deathly calm, "Or you might wind up like them too," he nods towards the paintings.
  
  "Who gives a crap about the Crown? We're all gonna die anyway under your 'martial law', so may as well go out fighting!" The girl glares at Yelgar, as the whole crowd seems to hold its breath.
  
  "I see how it is," Yelgar says, clearly disappointed. "Then let this be an example to anyone else who thinks of dissenting." He reaches beneath his cloak and pulls out a wooden knife, raising it above his head to strike at the girl, now trembling in the guards grip.
  
  "C-come on," the girl says, voice faltering, "They can't stop all of us! I say we finish what those rebels started!"
  
  Still, no one moves. The whole thing reminds you, once again, of the girl in the forest the night you woke up. The guilt of leaving her behind wells up within you, are you really gonna let it happen again?
  
  > Heck no you're not letting that happen again! Attack Yelgar!
  "Hey, stop!" You cry, before you can think of anything cleverer to say.
  
  Everyone turns towards you, shocked. Even Yelgar raises an eyebrow. Before anyone has the chance to grab you, you rush towards Yelgar, and his eyes go wide.
  
  "What are you?" He cries, dropping the knife to the ground with a clatter.
  
  You don't answer, just slam your foot into his face, full force. He goes flying into the side of the carriage and crumples to the ground, dead. Holy smokes, did you actually just do that? How the heck did you do that? But there's no time to think about it now, a few of the other guards are just realizing what's happened and are charging you.
  
  "He killed the Grand Protector!" one of them shouts, "Stop him before he does any more damage!"
  
  You should probably run, but something stops you. So, you tense up, and get ready for battle. Soon as the first horseman gets close, you swing at him with everything you've got. He goes flying off his steed, tripping up one of the others.
  
  Then it's rinse and repeat for the whole fight. You find, to your surprise, that you're extremely strong compared to the Oalkwardners. With every swing, you take out another guard, and a few from the crowd cheer. But now more of the guards are waking up to what's happening, and they begin to encircle you. There's no way you can beat them all, no matter how strong you happen to be in comparison. Before you have time to react, you're surrounded. They all point their spears your way, slowly closing the circle now that they know they've got you cornered.
  
  Frantically, you look around for any sort of weakness in their wall of spears. But you can't seem to see... wait, there! One of the guards is a little further forward than the others, and smaller too. If you attack him, then maybe you can stay out of reach of those spears.
  
  It's a split second realization, and you act on it, charging the guard and tackling the pony out from under him. (That way, you stay out of reach his spear too). You don't stop to look at the damage you've caused; they'll be after you in seconds! So, you dash towards the edge of the village. Even though it's only been a few days, you've already got a rudimentary knowledge of this village's layout, which is much more than the guards have, (seeing as they've only been here for an hour, tops.
  
  You quickly manage to lose your pursuers in the twists and turns of the city, but that doesn't mean you're stopping. You don't slow down till you've made it out of the city, and left the buildings far behind. This is a different path than you've taken before, so it's a good thing you've already got most of your stuff with you. No chance you'll be able to swing by your little campsite on the way out. So that means you'll have to do without the sleeping bag and pillow you left there this morning. Hope you like sleeping in the dirt.
  
  Speaking of camping, the field surrounding the village is dotted with Oalkwardners in the same red and yellow cloaks of the other guards, setting up tents among other things. Luckily, they don't notice you, and you soon find yourself in the forest once again. It's only then that you allow yourself to slow to a walk. You feel a little sad about leaving Arrorn, even if you never felt like you truly belonged there. There's no way you'll ever be able to return, at least, not for a while.
  
  > Wandering in the woods
  For the next few days, you continue on the path, surviving on nothing but the supplies left in your bag. You're almost out of Cheez-Its, so you'll have to find another village soon or you might starve. No one comes after you, probably because you took out their leader. No-one to give orders. Still, you move quickly as you can, just in case they are still after you.
  
  On the third night, you veer off the path a little to find a nice place to sleep. You've given up on finding something even remotely comfortable, (as your aching back won't let you forget). What you're really looking for is something concealed, so if anyone tries to find you, they'll just walk right past without noticing. Tonight, you're lucky. There's a shallow divot in the ground, just big enough for you to spend the night in. All you've gotta do is cover it with leaves and sticks, and you're set.
  
  The sun hasn't even finished setting by the time you finish, so you sit on a nearby rock and pull out your last bag of Cheez-Its and stare at it. If you eat them now, you'll go to bed hungry, but be hungry in the morning, but if you wait, you're not sure you'll even be able to sleep due to the hunger pains.
  
  The snapping of a twig behind you breaks you out of your thoughts. You turn around, just as something, you're not sure what, slams right into you! It sends you toppling off the rock and into the dirt on your back. Before you even have the chance to comprehend what's happening, you find yourself staring into the eyes of a raggedy Oalkwardner, standing on your chest and pointing a spear at your throat.
  
  "I wouldn't try to escape, if I were you." The Oalkwardner says, "You may be strong, monster, but I'm certainly quick enough to drive this spear right through you before you have the chance to take a single swing at me."
  
  "What the heck is this?" You ask, a quaver in your voice. "Where did you come from?"
  
  "The King sent me after you." The Oalkwardner says, "They call me Kralmer, I'm one of the greatest bounty hunter's this side of the water-pit."
  
  "So you're a filthy mercenary! You kill people for what... money?"
  
  Kralmer spits out of the side of his mouth. "I'm not doing this for money! The king's holding my family, said he'd only let them go if I took you to him. It's nothing personal, I assure you."
  
  "Well, that sucks," You say, "But isn't there another way, aside from, you know, killing me?"
  
  "I wish," He sighs, "But the king says bounty hunting is illegal. That's why he took my family. I was gonna be executed, but he said he'd grant us a pardon if I brought you to him. Filthy rat won't follow his own rules. Anyway, really sorry about this. I heard what you did back in Arrorn. Heck, I'd join you if I could. But I've got my family to think of. I'll try to make your death swift." With that, he raises his spear to deliver a killing blow.
  
  "Wait!" You cry.
  
  "What?" Kralmer says, sounding impatient, "Look, I don't like this any more than you do, so may as well get it over with."
  
  > say "Don't I at least deserve a fair fight?"
  Kralmer pauses for a moment and thinks. Your heart pounds as you watch him, hoping against hope that he's honorable.
  
  He sighs and says, "Why do ya gotta make things so complicated?" And he leaps into the air, landing about ten feet away from you. "I guess you have a point. This way, I at least don't have to feel so bad. Stand up now, I guess we'd better do this."
  
  You stand up, feeling just a little bit relieved. But the danger's not over yet. You've still gotta fight him.
  
  "Monster," Kralmer says, "Just promise me this."
  
  "What?
  
  "Show me no mercy. On the off chance you beat me, I'd rather not have to face my family to tell them... I've failed."
  
  "Well... okay."
  
  Kralmer readies himself. "Now... are you ready?"
  
  "I suppose I am." Your palms are slick with sweat.
  
  "Right then. Now fight!"
  
  Before the words have even left his lips, he's already flying through the air towards you, faster than you could've imagined possible. There's no time to put up any sort of defense before he smashes right into your head, his spear penetrating straight through your right eye. The pain is so great, you hardly notice as you fall to the ground, or Kralmer's whispered apology as the world fades around you.
  
  Well, that ended quicker than expected...