Tel Town was a prosperous town. It was surrounded by thick walls with six gates. Two in the west, one in the east, two in the south, and one in the north.
In a small corner of the town, a little girl was sweeping while humming happily. She was waiting for her mother. Today was a harvest day!
"The sky is so clear this morning. The harvest must be plentiful!" She chuckled.
Even though farmers were poor, a harvest day was different. There would be celebrations, food, and friends. She definitely did not want to miss it.
"I hope we will have some meats, potatoes, and sweet fruits." She clasped hands, then continued her activity.
In a brief moment, she heard a noise but it was gone in a second.
She immediately let the broom in her hand, then ran towards the noise. Her hearing was quite good among the villagers so she could hear something even if in a far distance. Yet what she saw made her complexion sink.
"Who is that?" She furrowed her brows while looking at four men in the distance.
These four men looked like beggars, unharmed and weak, but they might be dangerous like what her mother often warned about. Their clothes were covered by sand and mud.
Stabbed a pointed, wooden straw into tree trunk, they directly drank water that came out of it as if they had not drunk for ages.
Seeing this, the little girl thought, 'what kind of people is this? Mother never told me about this.'
Their distance was about five hundred meters yet the girl could see them clearly. She observed their condition meticulously, from hair to toes. The more she looked at them, the more she was shocked and confused. Her feeling was complicated now.
She never saw such a weak human, not even the weakest kid in her village. Moreover, their height was around her mother. It meant they were adults.
The little girl noticed scars on their body. Few were new, most of them were old scars that didn't receive proper treatment, healed by time, and left oblivious marks.
Enjoyed the water and chewed some leaves, the four men unnoticed that someone was observing them. Of course, they were Gu Banma, Yi Majo, Po Eldu, and Danny Dun.
When they woke up several days ago, they were covered in snake blood. They thought the blood had toxins so they desperately bath a few times in the river. Besides, the smell was awful to the point they immediately vomited after waking up.
After that, they felt they could move better. Their complexion was brighter a bit, and more importantly, they felt grateful that they were alive.
They cried in the same night, although crying was not special anymore, it was just a form of consolidation. The unknown power of the fantasy beasts still lingering in their mind. It became a part of their nightmare.
They did not realize the fierce bird, and they did not bother to find out the source of the shriek.
The person who felt the changes the most was Yi Majo. He definitely felt his limbs were turned jelly while escaping from the mythical beasts, even Eldu had to assist him, but now he could keep up better. Still, this change did not mean they could survive without food.
The usual goal every day; suppress their hunger and keep moving.
Fifteen minutes had passed since the girl observed those strangers but she became more confused. Suddenly, a gentle hand patted her head, "dear, what are you looking at?"
"Eek!" The little girl was startled. Behind her was her mother...and she always liked this! She loved surprising her daughter and enjoying her reaction.
The little girl looked up at a warm smile that was warmer than the sun. Her mother's hand was covered in mud, which made her hair a bit muddy through the pat, but she didn't mind it. "Mother, look!"
Her mother followed the direction of the little index finger and found four young adults enjoying water from a tree stem. She frowned, "who is that?"
The little girl was quite satisfied with her mother's reaction. She said, "they looked like a beggar. Since they are strangers to me, they must be dangerous, but they don't look like it, though?"
Her mother shook her head, "you couldn't judge it from their appearance. They might do it to disguise their intention. I will inform the chief."
Before the mother turned away, a tiny palm held her sleeve. "Mother, please look at them. Their body seemed to hurt. I think they want to eat."
Looking at the pleading eyes of her daughter, she finally gave up. She looked at them for a few seconds then she frowned even more.
"So weak!" She looked carefully at their plain clothes. Their tattered clothes barely cover their body. She could judge whether it was intentionally made tattered or not.
"Ziya, let's meet them. They need help."
Ziya, the little girl, nodded while keeping her hand on her mother's sleeve without looking at her mother. She didn't realize a tear formed in the corner of her mother's eyes.
'Pitiful child..'
The pair of mother and daughter started walking. They walked pretty fast, especially her mother.
Noticing her mother's speed, Ziya asked in concern. "Mother, what's happened?"
Her mother didn't answer her.
'Something is wrong..' Ziya lifted an eyebrow.
Usually, her mother didn't answer because of serious occasions like the village meeting or something like that. Aside from that, her mother usually prioritized her. Now, it was just four beggars, were they more important than her?
Ziya did not ask further and started to run. She couldn't keep up if she walked casually.
And as she did, her mother did something strange. She started to run, pulling her arm without saying anything.
However, a drop of tear touched Ziya's finger as she left behind one step. She looked up and caught her mother almost crying. This triggered her to cry.
"Mother, don't cry." She said softly and started to hug her mother's left arm.
The four men noticed footsteps but they were not happy. They remained cautious as the last lesson was still boiling their mind.
Po Eldu and Gu Banma stand in the front, holding a wooden stick and a sharp, black scale that was taken from the snake. They swallowed a few times as they heard the footsteps become closer and closer.
"Stop there!" shouted Gunma in a hoarse voice. However, there was no sign of stopping.
The footsteps became slower, and immediately, they saw two humans.
They instinctively dropped whatever they hold.
Human.
Their goal to get out of the hellish shackles was human. To live properly, to smile wholeheartedly. Humans needed one another.
This didn't mean the human in front of them had good intentions toward them. They knew it clearly but at least they could be at ease for reaching the goal.
At least, this time, it must be fine. This time, they could return and feel 'home'. Yes, this time...