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Jelanii liked to think he had learned a lot about the world since Cerith was taken all those years ago, but traveling down the coastline of Matori made him realize that he didn't know a thing. Not only had he been ill-prepared for the journey, but everything was so new. Setal, for all its beauty and commerce bustle, was just a small point in something much grander.

Matori was beautiful. Animals he had heard of and never seen had flitted through his camps and across his feet. Most were harmless, but there were a few that had him either scampering up a tree or running for cover. The vegetation was a tropical wonderland and often he would look on and wonder if he was truly willing to leave all this.

In the end, the answer was always yes. He hoped to come back some day, but right now, his fate led him on a different path. From Setal to Arota to Braun, Jelanii had learned a lot about Matori and himself. He had never realized how sheltered he was or how naive. That same naivete had almost gotten him killed during the long stretch through jungle from Setal to Arota. By the time he reached Arota he had been barefoot, his fine clothes torn, and desperately hungry and thirsty. Half of his supplies he had thought he needed had ended up being useless and he ended up leaving it behind. While things he had truly needed he had run out of all too quickly.

He ended up staying in the small village for a week and a half before he had recovered enough to keep going. He had bought better and smarter supplies, for once thanking his parents for having given him the funds he needed. Something they had been saving for him ever since he had lost his sister.

They had always known he would leave.

He pushed thoughts of them from his head. Instead he focused on the moment. He glanced down at the crudely scrawled map that he had gotten in Baun, he had left that town not too long ago. Just being there had reasserted in him just how much the Oban were a plague on the world. The village was recovering and flourishing, but it’s people still wore the scars of slavery.

Jelanii’s hands tightened on his map, his teeth gritting as he held back anger. He let a breath hissed through his teeth and shook if off. Right now he had to focus. Sald first and then he would cross into Oba. There he would scrounge the cities in search of his sister. He wasn't sure how he would find her, but he knew he would. He refused to acknowledge any other option.

A noise. The rustle of grass. Jelanii froze, his dark orange eyes narrowing as he tried to pinpoint the sound. He crouched low, behind a bush, keeping himself out of sight. Holding his breath he listened. The noise grew louder. Whatever it was, was coming closer. Then he heard it, clear and unmistakable. Giggling, a child’s giggling. His eyes widened in surprised. A family out for a walk? He must have been closer to Sald than he thought.

"Finding where thingy went, where the thingy went, I'm finding where the thingy went~"

Strange. He could only hear the child’s voice. Where were the parents? Then finally he saw the child. She was alone, jumping from stone to stone, obviously playing by herself. Not only that, but she wasn’t just any child. A fire child in Matori. Jelanii gritted his teeth. What was their kind doing back in Matori, couldn’t they managed to stay in their own borders. He slowly seethed, glaring at the child and waiting. But as the child passed by his hiding space, no adult fire earthling followed.

“Not my problem,” he whispered to himself. He would just wait for her to continue passing by and move on like he planned.

At least that was the plan until he heard it. A low snapping sound off in the distance, but still way too close for his liking. His time in the wilds have taught him to recognize the sounds. It sounded like a snapptrotter, not a particularly aggressive animal, but that didn’t make it less dangerous, especially if you were wandering in his territory. Surely, the kid heard it though and would turn back. Yeah, kids were smart.

Still, he didn’t leave immediately. Come on, turn back. Go home to wherever you belong.

Are you kidding me?

Jelanii stared as now the kid was running in circle making her presence known to every wild thing out there. Each time she got a little closer to where the snapptrotter was probably nesting. It would be long before it decided to take a bit of the girl. He twitched and then twitched again. Closer and closer, and seriously, where was this girl’s parents. Didn’t she have someone that should be watching over her, protecting her.

The thought made something sour curl in his stomach. This has got to be some sort of punishment.

Before he could thing better of it, he rushed forward. He probably sounded as loud as an Mammu trappling through the jungle like this, but he needed to be fast. Who knew-

Just as he reached the girl the snapptrotter rushed from its nest, it’s long snout open to reveal jagged teeth as he went for the girl. Jelanii didn’t think., he just grabbed the girl and ran. The snaptrotter barraeled after them, but Jelanii had no intention of fighting the thing with a girl in one arm. As soon as they were far enough away from its nest, it would leave them alone.

“So stupid!” He growled out before finally the sound of the creature disappeared and he was able to stop.

Sucking in a breath, Jelanii looked around, trying to make sure that no other wild animals might decide that little girls make tasty treats. Somewhat satisfied, he firmly sat the girl down, prying her clinging form away from him. His heart was beating way too fast and the rush of adrenaline was still trumping through his veins, so when he spoke his voice came out gruff and slightly strained.

“Are all fire children so extremely unaware of their surroundings? Or are you a special case?”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth he knew he as being unfair, but then again he just got chased through the jungle by a snapptrotter and on top of that he had just…he had just…

Did I just save a Oban?

He ran a hand through his black hair, the streak of blue tucked in his locks flashing between his fingers at the movement. This was the completely the opposite of what he had set out to accomplish when he set out on this journey.

Jelanii's jaw twitched. The big thing? She really had no idea what that snapptrotter was? He tried to think if all children were like this, but he hadn't really spent much time around children anymore. He turned over exactly what he was supposed to do now, when the girl interrupted his thoughts.

He blinked as she pointed at his hair. "What?" He asked then it dawned on him. The streak of blue nestled within the rest of his black hair. "Oh, yeah, thank you."

Thank you?

"Wait! No, not thanks, the opposite of thanks." He was certainly not going to thank an Oban, even a little girl. Jelanii mentally shook himself. A little girl. Was he really going to let himself get frazzled over a little girl?

He took a deep breath , calming himself, and then lowered himself to the ground. He braced both hands on the child's shoulders and looked her straight into her big red eyes. "You should go home."

Jelanii stared at the girl. The girl that now had a name. Kalli. Kalli who was lost and was looking at him like he would somehow unlost her. The very, absolutely very, last thing he was going to do is stroll up to some Oban family and say here's your daughter back. More than likely they would blame him or worst.

He squinted at the girl. The girl with her big eyes and trembling lips. She really had that whole puppy look down. Still, even so, he was halfway tempted to just leave her there to fend for himself. His shoulders sagged, because there was no way he was just going to abandon a child in the jungle, even an Oban child.

Maybe he was still too soft, too naive. Maybe in the future he would be cold enough to walk away from an Oban, even a little girl, but today wasn't that day. Instead he let out a sigh and plopped on the ground, defeated. Defeated by a red-head shorty with puppy dog eyes no less.

"Do you know what town your parents are from?" He said, his voice only hinting at his exasperation with the situation.

Jelanii winced at the soft whine of, "Don't leave me here." It made him feel bad for even considering it. He really should be tougher than this. Sure she was a kid, but she was still an Oban and eventually she would grow up to be a monster. His expression hardened at the thought. Was he doing the right thing by helping her? What about the future? Somehow in the future, she would oppress some other child.

He was jerked from his thoughts when he found himself with a lapful of Kalli. And to make matters worst she was hugging him. Hugging him! He stiffened and his hands twitched to shove the girl out of his lap.

"This has to be some sort of divine punishment," he muttered. But he didn't push her away and he wasn't quite sure why he didn't. But any thoughts on that were instead knocked clear out of his head at the girl's hesitant reply.

"You don't know where you live?" he asked, his voice rising a little.

"No, I don't like you," Jelanii said in agreement, trying to remind himself of that fact. He didn't like any Oban, even cute red hair girls that hugged him. He squinted at her and made a face. "A lady? Most ladies don't get themselves lost in forests or almost eaten by snapptrotters. And they certainly don't forget where they live." He shook his head in an imitation of remose and tapped her nose. "Total failure at Ladyhood."

Okay, sure, maybe he was being a little mean in his teasing, but if he was stuck trying to figure out what city sounded like berry then he might as well have a little fun with his new responsibility. Who would have ever thought he would be responsible for an Oban child. It really was ridiculous, and he snorted at the thought, before returning back to the situation at hand. "Berry? I thought for sure you'll live near Sald or maybe Baun." Then it dawned on him. She was an Oban. She probably wasn't even living in Matori. And if she wasn't living in Matori then her family was just probably visiting some village here before heading back to Oban.

This was much more complicated than he ever imagined. "Crap," he muttered.