"Where are we?" asked Flint, "I've never been in this part of Kurea before." "I think it's Dunklang Forest," Quinn said. "Ahh," Flint said. "Alright, is there anything else we need to know about this place?" I asked. "There's a ton of stuff you need to know," Flint said. "Great," I muttered. "There are many kinds of creatures in Kurea, humans and Fey being the highest percentage of the population. Fey are basically fairies by the way, but don't call them that. They are human like beings with wings. Don't confuse them with pixies. Pixies are small creatures with wings. Kurea is ruled by two bodies, the Royal Fey Court, and the Court of Heroes," Quinn began. "Can we skip the politics," I asked, "Can you tell us something interesting?" Quinn sighed. "Here's something interesting: there is no oxygen in Kurea," Quinn informed us. "What?!" Kiera exclaimed. "Then how are we alive?" asked Alan. "The air here is filled Oxreo, a gas that allows humans to develop an Aku, or a special ability that cannot develop in our world. Oxreo works as a substitute for oxygen," Quinn explained. "So everyone here has Aku powers?" I asked. "Not exactly. The Fey have powers that come from their wings, called Weyku. And tribes have Triku. Tribes are formed when humans leave the diverse cities and create their own civilization. Tribe members all develop the same or similar Akus, so they are called Triku. The Flamen is one tribe. They have fire abilities," Quinn continued. "Wait, so you're in a tribe?" I asked Flint. He nodded. "Another tribe is the Kouga," Quinn added, "They tend to be nice to travelers. And a small group of them has just surrounded us." "What?" The other four of us asked. An old man stepped into the clearing. He chuckled, "Well, it seemed our stealth needs some work. My name is Kayne of the Kouga, leader of the Kouga. You appear to be new to Kurea. Would you like to join us in our village?" I glanced around at the others. Flint and Quinn nodded. "Yes," I accepted. "Then come this way," Kayne told us. We began walking. "How did you know we were surrounded?" I asked Quinn. "My Aku is a sensing ability. I can detect people and objects nearby. If I know the people or the tribe, I can recognize them. I can also identify some objects and tell how powerful they are from a distance. The more powerful a person or object is, the further away I can sense it from," Quinn described. "Your Aku doesn't have any offensive or defensive value. Do you have a Chakra as well?" Flint asked. "Whats a Chakra?" I asked. "A Chakra is a magical weapon. People who's Aku's don't work well in battle often have them. This is mine," Quinn said, pulling a dagger out of his pocket. The blade itself was 8 inches. The hilt was another 5 inches. The metal of the blade was white. There was a star-like design carved into the center of the blade. The entire knife was a solid white. He held it out to me. I took it. I was surprised by its weight. It wasn't overly heavy but it wasn't super light either. I gave it back. "You said it was magical. Does it do anything special?" Kiera asked. Quinn nodded. The blade began to glow. The blade appeared to melt and form a long rope shape. Then it melted again and took the shape of a sword. Then it became a knife again. "It can change shape," Quinn. "Cool," I said. Then we arrived. The village was filled with platform tents of many shapes and colors. There were streets of rocks that went through. In the center, there was a large bonfire. A few kids were making s'mores. "Woah," came Kiera, Alan, and me. We gaped. "If you're this amazed by the Kouga village, just wait until we get to the Faerie Kingdoms," Quinn remarked. I glared at him. Flint chuckled at that. We were still looking around when a squirrel came up to us. "Kaaaaaaayne," it complained, "You should have told us you'd be returning early. Then we would have had supper ready for you." Kayne chuckled. "Sorry Yoshino, I'll let you know next time," Kayne promised. Alan, Kiera, and I all gaped. "You said that last time! And the time before!" Yoshino cried. "A-a talking squirrel?!" Kiera exclaimed. Just as Kayne opened his mouth to reply, a wolf cub bounded out of a bush. "Mama!" it yelled. It ran over to the squirrel and started chewing on her. "Canan! What have I told you about eating me?! Starry skies, what kind of child eats their own mother on a regular basis?" Yoshino yelled. "Wha-what-what's going on?" I asked. Kayne cleared his throat. "Yoshino, these are some travelers. I took them in as guests. And three of them are brand new to Kurea," he explained. "Oh dear, that explains that faces they're making. This must be awfully confusing," Yoshino said. Then the squirrel began to grow and change. After a few moments, there was a woman standing where the squirrel had been. "Hello, my name is Yoshino of the Kouga. I'm the daughter of Kayne over here. This is my son Canan of the Kouga. It's a pleasure to meet you," she told us. "I-uh," I stuttered. Quinn leaned over. "The Triku of the Kouga Tribe is being able to become animals," Quinn informed me. "Couldn't you have told me that BEFORE we came here?" I asked angrily. Quinn shrugged. "Sorry, it slipped my mind," he said, smiling sweetly. I glared at him. Flint put his hand over him mouth, trying not to laugh. He was failing. I turned back to Yoshino. "Um, my name is Cale Raines. This is Kiera Gonzalez, Alan Jones, Flint Furnace, and this little jerk over here is Quinn Hunter," I said, pointing to them each in turned. Quinn saluted. "That's me," he remarked. I glared at him, again. Kiera and Alan joined in Flint's chuckling this time. Yoshino laughed. "Well, why don't you come over to the fire. It will get cold once night falls," she told us. "Wait, night?! Didn't we leave at dawn?!" Kiera asked. "Yeah, I'm confused," Alan agreed. "Time works differently here. The time the sun shines each day is different. Morning is when the sun rises and night is when the sun sets. The times do not match up with those of your world. While it may have been dawn when you came from your world, the sun has been shining here for almost 15 hours," Kayne explained. "15 hours!" I cried. "Yes, here the sun shines between 6 and 18 hours a day. When the sun does not shine, the moon is out. The time it does not shine and the moon is out falls within those same time restrictions, and the time the moon is out is in no way related to the time the time the sun is out," Yoshino continued. "And sometimes there are more than one sun," Canan added, transforming into a human. He looked about 5 years old. He held onto his mothers hand. "And de staws awe diffewent evwy night!" came the voice of a pink butterfly. The butterfly morphed into a little toddler in a pink dress. She landed softly on Yoshino's shoulders. "Sarrah!" Yoshino exclaimed. "Mamaw!" Sarrah yelled. "She's right though. The stars are completely different every night. Oh yeah, and the world is flat. Well technically it's curved just as much as yours is but there's a lot less land so it's basically flat," Kayne continued. "Insane," I whispered. Quinn leaned over and whispered, "Yes you are." I glared at him as hard as I could. This time, Flint, Kiera, Alan, Kayne, and Yoshino all laughed. "I-uh..." I tried to think of a good comeback but I couldn't. "I will get you back. Sooner or later," I promised. "Can't wait," he said, seeming bored. Another woman came up to us. "Time for supper," she told us. "Thank you, Arana," Yoshino said. Yoshino led the way to the bonfire. We sat there eating. "This is good," I told Arana. "Thank you!" Arana beamed. Yoshino walked over to where we were sitting. "How're you doing?" she asked, putting her hands on Kiera's and Quinn's shoulders. Mistake. Quinn froze. Yoshino noticed and removed her hand. "Are you ok?" she asked him. Quinn faked a smile. "I'm fine," he said, though he didn't look like it, "I just don't like being touched." "Oh, sorry!" Yoshino apologized. "It's alright," Quinn said, though he still looked shaken up. I shook my head. I didn't understand why he was afraid of being touched, or why he tried to hide it. I supposed I would never know. A nearby tent flew open. An old woman came out. Her white hair was in a series of braids and she walked on a fancy wooden cane. She pointed a boney finger at us. "Leave us! Leave us NOW!" she yelled with a surprisingly strong voice. "Grandma Tala!" Yoshino exclaimed. "Mother! They are guests!" Kayne yelled. Granny Tala struggled closer to the bonfire. "You must go now. He comes here for you now, as we speak. If any of you wish to live, leave! With haste!" Granny Tala cried. "Who is 'he?' Why is he after us?" I asked. Granny Tala just pointed at us more. Kayne looked at us. "My mother is usually right about these things," he said, "If she says you must leave, then you probably should." I nodded. "Thank you for having us here. We appreciate it. But we'll be fine on our own," I told them. I had just stood up when Granny Tala said, "No." "What Grandma Tala?" Arana asked. "You do not know the dangers of this world. As a tribe member, the Flamen knows only a small portion, and the Hunter has not been here for a long time," Granny Tala explained. I frowned. The Hunter? That would be Quinn, seeing as his last name was Hunter and the description fit him, but that was an odd way to refer to him. "Take Zia Icondez with you," Granny Tala commanded. The Kougans gasped. "Zia Icondez?!" Arana cried. "But she's a criminal!" another Kougan protested. "Her only crime was breaking the Kouga rules to help us get medicine for Sarrah. Besides she knows Kurea better that we do," Granny Tala interjected. "Zia saved my daughter's life. I think she would help you," Yoshino agreed. "Yoshino..." Kayne started. "No," Yoshino interrupted, "Grandma Tala thinks she can help them. And if she is willing, I will free her." Yoshino turned to us. "Come," she told us. We followed her. We entered an old wooden building. It looked unstable, like it could fall apart at any minute. There were several wooden cells yet only one was occupied. "Hello Yoshino," said the girl. She was small, but she seemed about our age. "Nice to see you Zia," Yoshino replied. "It seems you've brought guests from outside the Kouga," Zia observed. "Yes, I'd like you to meet Cale Raines, Kiera Gonzalez, Alan Jones, Flint Furnace, and Quinn Hunter," Yoshino introduced. "Greetings," Zia said. "I'd like you to help them with their mission," Yoshino told her. Zia snorted. "Ha! That's funny. Why me?" she asked. "Grandma Tala recommended you for the task," Yoshino stated. Zia stopped laughing. "What does she think I can do?" she asked. "You know Kurea better than anyone in the tribe, plus, you're their age," Yoshino reasoned. "Alright, but what can I do in here?" Zia asked. "We're gonna break you out," Yoshino announced. Then she looked around helplessly. "Uh, could one of you do it?" Yoshino asked. "Quinn, you do it. I'll burn the entire building down if I try," Flint said. Quinn stepped forward and... gently poked one of the wooden bars. I was about to get on him for making fun of the old building when the bar fell down. He proceeded to poke the rest of the bars. Soon, there was nothing separating Zia from the rest of us. "I think you may want to invest in repairing this building," Quinn said. "Alright, what now?" I asked. "You must leave now," Yoshino told us. I nodded. "Let's go," I replied. Then the six of us turned and left.

Wooo! Longest chapter so far, at over 2200 words. Sorry about that giant block of words.

Terms to know:
Humans - Homo sapiens; the main characters are humans (😏).
Fey/Faeries - human like beings with wings; act like royalty.
Oxreo - substitute for oxygen; gives humans powers; does not affect Fey.
Aku - the powers of a normal human.
Weyku - powers of the Fey; come from their wings.
Triku - powers of tribe members; each tribe's powers are similar.
Flamen - Flint's tribe; they have a fire Triku.
Kouga - friendly tribe with animal shape shifting Triku.
Chakra - magical weapon mainly used by people who's Akus aren't good for fighting.
He/Him - This is the person Granny Tala says is coming. No one knows who He is. Well, I know, along with Granny Tala and one other character, but you don't!

If anything this chapter confused you, please ask.

Zia Icondez is an important character.
No one else who's new is really important.

Hope you enjoy!
        -Dell