I opened my eyes in a white space. “Where am I?” I asked. There were numerous people in front of me, talking and laughing, seemingly having the time of their lives.

I walked up to them. They paid no attention to me. I waved, spoke, yelled. Nothing. I pleaded and cried. I even tried to touch one of them, only for my hand to pass right through their body as if it were a ghost.

I broke down. The figures disappeared. I was all alone.

“Yaomi…” A voice came from nowhere, speaking a name. “Is that my name?” I wondered. “What was my name?”

“…I’m sorry.” The voice sounded sorrowful, yet serene to my ears at the same time. I wanted more. It was something so familiar and captivating.

“…I have to go.” The melodic voice faded as they said the last sentence. I yelled back, “No! Don’t leave me here! Please…”. My pleading went unanswered. Before I knew it, I was awake, back to the world I hated.

—-

My memories were foggy. When I had awoken, I saw a dried-up puddle, a sign of my eyes shedding tears during my sleep. Still, I couldn’t remember what my dream was about. Only certain parts, such as a name and a voice, still remained in my consciousness.

I sat up from my makeshift bed. The floor was hard and uncomfortable to lay on, but I had to make it work. I gathered the few items I had and exited my tent. Then, I went to a nearby source to wash up, making sure to clean my tail and ears. I’d get some food by hunting and cooking with a campfire. This was my usual routine.

Interacting with others is exhausting, so I prefer to stay in a forest with trees and animals. At least they won’t look at me with disdain, I thought to myself.

I dreaded what was coming next. I was running out of resources. I’ll have to go find a town or city to stock up. A part of myself wanted to stay here, maybe to die in a place where no one could discover me, but self-preservation took priority.

“Curse these instincts.” I scowled. As much as I tried to hide my tail and ears, there was only so much I could do. Hiding them in a hoodie will make me look suspicious, and I can’t hide my fangs if I want to talk. The best thing I could think of was having a hat to smush my ears while hiding my tail in my pants. It was painful. My tail being unable to move felt so unnatural.

I sighed and started to move to the nearest town. I could sense a bundle of signals a few kilometers away using my detection magic. Looking past the forest, there was a road that seemed to lead to civilization.

Trying not to look suspicious, I cautiously walked on the road, looking back and forth to ensure nobody was watching me. The coast was clear. I breathed a sigh of relief.

I eventually saw the town gate up in the distance. Surrounding the town was a wall, equipped with watchtowers and a gate to go in or out. There were two guards next to the entrance.

Trying to look as least suspicious as possible, I approached them. They stared at me in puzzlement, which made me nervous.

“Hello. I’m trying to find entry into this town.” I carefully spoke out, taking care not to open my mouth too much as to hide my fangs. “What’s the problem?”

“How did you get here? This town is very far away from any other town. There’s no way you walked all the way here.” One of the guards eyed me with suspicion, and I quickly realized my blunder.

Trying not to break my neutral expression, I calmly said, “I’m here to visit a sick friend. I have been camping out near the road during the nights.”

“…Fine. Do you have an ID? We’ll let you in if you do. Just scan it over there.” The guards still seemed suspicious of me, but they didn’t seem to take their jobs seriously, so they just pointed to a small box with a hole that fits a card. I took out my card and put it inside, and a moment later, the box flashed green and the card popped back up.

“We’ll open the gate for you. Since you’re visiting, you are allowed to stay here for a week maximum. Deal with your friend or whatever.” One of the guards took a few from his pocket and inserted it into the hole next to the gate. The large doors started to open. “Go.” The guards turned away, going back to their talk.

I was relieved. That was the most stressful part. I walked into the town, where I saw a welcome sign at the very front.

“Welcome to Bondstown. Have a nice stay.” It said. What a redundant sign.

I walked into what seemed to be the town center, a large fountain with a statue of someone. I didn’t know who, though. Whoever it was was obviously important as the material seemed to be made of silver, a stark contrast to the wooden and stone houses surrounding it. Thankfully, there was a sign that located certain parts of town. I wouldn’t have to get lost trying to find an inn or a market, speaking from experience.

I squinted up at the sky. The sun’s rays intensely beamed down to the ground, signifying that it was near its peak for the day.

I made up a plan for today and tomorrow. I’ll buy my necessities, sleep at an inn, and then get out early in the morning.

Walking toward the shops, I saw numerous people passing by. Children, couples, and even the elderly were all walking up and down the streets. Despite the town’s remote nature, the place still seemed to blossom with life.

I was conflicted. I felt happy these kids and people could run around with their friends, to have each other to protect and nurture each other. Yet, a part of me felt envy. Why couldn’t I have been one of them? Why did I have to be the person to have been forsaken?

Before I delved deeper into my self-inflicted despair, a little girl snapped me out of it with her cheery mood.

“Hi, big sis! Your hair looks so pretty! Can I touch it?” The girl energetically swayed her head back and forth.

“…Sure.” I crouched down for her to pet my head.

“So soft! So fluffy!” Her eyes seemed to shine with admiration. “Come on! Let’s play together!” She pulled my arm, gesturing me to follow her.

“Hey! What are you doing, Mina?!” A young woman, who seemed to be in her mid-twenties, came running toward the girl, an expression of worry on her face.

The woman turned towards me, still a little breathless from running, “Sorry. This girl has a lot of energy. I hope she didn’t bother you.”

“It’s okay. She didn’t ask for much.” I tried to show a small smile. “I have to go somewhere. If I see you again, we can play then, okay?” I tried to calm the now-pouting child.

“Okay! Mina will see you later! That’s a promise!” Her face beamed with excitement before running off again and talking with another kid.

“Hah…” The young woman sighed. “My name’s Elise. Again, I’m sorry for my daughter’s impulses. She’s very energetic.”

“My name is… Yaomi.” It was on a whim, but I decided to take on the name I remembered from my dream. Something about it felt right to me.

“Okay. Yaomi, do you want to come to our house?” Elise asked me suddenly, which caught me off guard. It must have shown on my face because she then continued, “Ah. Sorry if it’s sudden. It’s just… she takes promises very seriously. I don’t want her to whine if you don’t come. Of course, you could decline.” She said awkwardly.

“Oh, um… sure. I’d be happy to join. I was just thinking… I’d be a nuisance…” My voice got quieter as I rambled on, but she still heard me anyway.

“You wouldn’t be! We’ll be happy to have you!” Elise yelled out, rejecting my self-deprecation. It made me a little happy to have someone to reassure me.

“Here’s our house.” She pulled out a folded map and a small piece of paper. “You can come whenever you like!”

“Thank you…”

“I’m going to catch up with my daughter now. See you later!” She waved to me before running toward Mina once again.

I was wholly puzzled by the whole situation. A little girl had walked up to me, and then I was invited to their family’s house. Happiness welled inside my heart, but what would happen if I let my ears and tail out? Will they still look at me the same way? These doubts clouded my mind, a persistent fog that would never dissipate.

I slapped myself, trying to get my uncertainty out of me. It took a minute, but eventually, I was back up and running. “Okay! Change of plans. I’ll buy the stuff I need, and then go to their house.” My mood had cheered up from that one interaction, and I was failing to hide my joy.

As I was approaching the commercial area, numerous shopowners were calling and yelling out their deals. People were yelling out their stalls and stores, saying things such as “Fresh fruit here! Only two silver for a bag! and “Beef and chicken sold here! Great deals! Come check it out!”

To put it simply, it was very chaotic. The place was bustling with activity. I took out some of the coins I had stored in my pouch before going to a nearby store.

The person in charge greeted me in a deep but friendly tone, “Hello. What can I do for you?”

“I want to buy some meat. Preferably enough that can last one person a month.”

“A month? Are you going on a trip or something?” The shopkeeper moved ahead with my request. “What type of meat do you want? Pork? Beef? Lamb?” He inquired further.

“I think beef would do just fine… and yeah, you could say it’s for a trip…” I was not used to such small talk. With my experience with towns and cities, this was definitely a first for me.

The old man yelled out to the back, “Yo! Get this girlie some good beef! A large amount, too!” A moment later, I heard a response from a slightly higher voice, “Sure, boss!”

He turned back to me, “Oh, cool, cool. Most of us are fine staying here. It’s a nice community, I tell ya. Judging by your attire, you’re not from here, am I right?”

“Yeah. I’ve come here just a little bit earlier to stock up on food and stuff. I’ve been running out.”

“You’re just travelin’ all over the place? Must be tiring.” He looked at me with a face of sympathy. “I’ve been like that once, too. Young me would be wild and go anywhere. But, getting old changes things, haha. In a way, I miss the old days, but I would never go back. Would never abandon my son and wife like that. They’re worth too much in my life.”

“Sounds nice…” Listening to this chatter made me feel bitter again. I suppressed the negative emotions once again and continued listening.

“Hey. If you need anywhere to go back to, this is the place. It’s pretty remote, but everyone’s tied together. You won’t be lonely here.” He showed a warm smile as if he was looking at his child. He saw right through me. I really need to work on my poker face; I sighed internally.

A few moments of silence ensued before a young boy, no older than eighteen, came from the back of the store. “Here, two big bags of beef. Ten silver. You need anything to refrigerate it? Since you’re traveling and all.” The young boy put the bags on the counter.

“No, I’m good.” I handed the boy the money and took the bags. “It’s been nice talking with you.” I gave a small gesture and placed another piece of silver on the counter as a tip. I then started to walk away.

“Hey! Come back here if you return to the town! We could talk a bit more; maybe tell me some of your adventuring stories!” The shopkeeper yelled out and waved.

Once again, there was a fuzzy feeling in my heart. With a smile on my face and hands gripping my bags, I started walking over to Elise’s house.

Vaychi

hi, personal stuff came up and i couldnt get motivation to write. im still progressing thru my stuff tho, hopefully things will pick back up again