Chapter 2

"Well, that's a good start," the man says, lowering his hands now that he is no longer under imminent threat of the sword.

"Now then, what's your name?"

Her name?

The girl looks confused. Does she have a name? Surely she should, and yet nothing comes to mind. Did she forget that too?

"Too afraid to talk? Well there's no need for that, I'm harmless," the man says as he crouches down to her eye level. "So please, tell me your name. Maybe someone in the village will know where you belong."

Again, the girl starts thinking. Of course she should have a name, but every time she thinks, her mind comes back without an answer. She should say she just doesn't know-

What? That's weird. Why can't she talk?

The girl's mouth opens, as if she is about to say something, anything at all, yet silence is all that hides inside. Not a single sound escapes her lips. Even the girl looks confused as she reaches up to her throat, surprised.

"Oh, can you not talk?"

The man sure is good at guessing. The girl nods.

"Well, do you want to come with me to the village? Perhaps someone there knows where you're from."

Again, the girl nods.

What other choice does she have? Staying in the woods? No, that is no good at all. Besides, she was looking for people in the first place, and here this man is, offering to take her to them.

"Well, I must say this is a little unexpected, but I guess I can look for firewood tomorrow," the man says.

On his back is a strange pack with plenty of sticks packed inside. It is barely half full, but even then it looks very heavy.

Wait, didn't she just have a stick? Where did she drop it!?

Quickly, she whips her head to the ground. Her eyes quickly lock on to the strong, sharp stick she had just dropped. Just as quickly as she had looked down, she is back up, holding the stick out to the man, a proud look on her face.

This really is a good stick. Surely the man will like it too.

"Oh, for me?" the man asks. "Yes, this should burn nice. Thank you," he says as he places the stick firmly in his pack.

"Now then, let's go to the village. You can follow me..." the man trails off as he looks down at the girls feet.

No shoes or socks.

"Actually, would you like me to carry you so you don't hurt your feet walking?"

Hurt her feet? The girl looks down at her feet. She hasn't even noticed she had no shoes on. Should she accept his offer?

She thinks for a moment, feeling her sore feet from stepping on twigs and small rocks.

Yes, she should accept his offer. The girl nods.

"Okay, here, hop on my shoulders," the man says, crouching back down. "I can carry you while you keep a lookout on my shoulders. You can make sure no bad guys sneak up on us."

The man smiles at the idea, seemingly pleased with the little game he had created on the spot.

Lookout? Are there any bad things she and the man should worry about?

While it was a game to the man, the girl took the idea very seriously, turning from side to side in a quick search.

"You should sit on my shoulders, you'll see better with a bird's-eye view," the man says with a smile.

He's right. She can see better when higher up.

Quickly, the girl scrambles onto his shoulders, immediately vigilant of the surrounding woods. Meanwhile, the man starts walking.

"How old are you? You don't look older than nine, but perhaps you're ten?"

The girl misses all of the words he says. Instead, her focus was entirely on the woods around her.

So far, no threats in sight.

"I don't know why I asked when you can't answer," the man says with a sigh.

What did she just see!? Oh, just a squirrel. Still safe so far.

"Are you listening up there?" the man asks, shaking her a little to grab her attention.

She seems almost surprised by the sudden shake. Why would he shake her during her important mission?

"The village shouldn't be too far. About thirty minutes and we should make it. Do you know anyone there?" The man asks, looking up to the girl as he walks.

Does she know anyone? She can't think of a single person. But that's weird, doesn't everyone know someone?

She shakes her head, but even she seems unsure.

"Okay, well hopefully someone there will know you then."

The man continues to walk, and as he does, the girl resumes her mission. Nothing will distract her now.

The leaves above her are rustling, but not a threat, just the breeze. Nothing is moving around them on the ground, not even the squirrels. They must be too scared of the pair.

They should be scared. If anything gets close, she'll slash it with her sword!

She mischievously smiles at the idea. Wait, no, she's getting distracted again! Focus on surveillance!

The girl shakes her head, resulting in a curious look from the man, but she pays it no attention. She needs to focus.

Wait, how much time has passed? She doesn't know, but she is certain it must be a lot. Still, her focus is strong as she watches her surroundings.

"Hey!" the man says loudly, giving her a little shake.

What could it be this time? Doesn't he know she has an important job.

"Finally, you're listening. Look, were here. There's the village," the man says, pointing just ahead of them.

Sure enough, they were walking through the edge of the woods, and just beyond the edge was a nice clearing. They had entered the clearing, and not too far off ahead of them was the village.

There were plenty of buildings all centralized around a big stone well that sat directly in the middle. It seems almost large enough to hold a hundred people.

Maybe it does hold a hundred people! Surely one of them would know who the girl is then!

The girl's ruby red eyes open wide as she smiles super big. The man happens to catch a glimpse of her at just that moment, her silky white hair flowing in the breeze.

"Surely someone here will recognize you."

The girl only nods with excitement.