The tired soldier rode his horse through the town gates. It was a small town, but one in the enemy’s path. A hundred thousand orcs were headed towards them. He rode swiftly from town to town, warning the people, but they refused to listen. They were stubborn folk and refused to believe that their peace was ending. Orcs had not been seen in this land for over a hundred years, why would they come now? Hope was fleeing from the soldier’s eyes. These were his people and they were too stubborn to listen to one of their own.Orcs had not been seen in this land for over a hundred years, why would they come now? Hope was fleeing from the soldier’s eyes. These were his people and they were too stubborn to listen to one of their own. He tugged his hood back over his head, coming in doggedly from the edge of town to the center to make his announcement. At the town’s center well, he stopped his horse and dropped out of his saddle. His soft brown boots were stained and travel worn, but made no noise nor print on the ground. His long sword thumped against his side and loose chain mail shirt inside it’s plain scabbard. His cloak masked him well and fell evenly to the His soft brown boots were stained and travel worn, but made no noise nor print on the ground. His long sword thumped against his side and loose chain mail shirt inside it’s plain scabbard. His cloak masked him well and fell evenly to the ground as he stepped down. He was tall, as high as his horse, but needed more height to gain the eyes of the stubborn folk he now had to speak with. He kept his hood on as he cleared his throat to speak.ground as he stepped down. He was tall, as high as his horse, but needed more height to gain the eyes of the stubborn folk he now had to speak with. He kept his hood on as he cleared his throat to speak. It had been quite a while since he used it. “People of Ceritan!” He spoke loudly and with authority to gain their attention and thought. “I bring news from outside your lands!” People started to gather around him, eager for news, much more for curiosity sake than interest. He cleared his voice throat again to keep it going. “Orcs are coming from the northern passage! A hundred thousand strong! Heed me and come out of the valley to the high lands for safety!” Immediately people laughed. One came out and started arguing with him. “Orcs?! In this valley?! You’re been drinking too much ail good man!” “There has been no sign of orc nor troll since our founder’s days!” a man in back shouted. “There is no fear of such creatures here! Go back to your king jester!” The soldier stood firm. “I tell you this not in jest,” he spoke clearly, “but in warning! If you do not come to the highlands, than all shall fail you! They are too strong for the Soldiers, Rangers or Knights! You have no hope for survival if you do not flee now!” Many more laughed. A figure approached him, serious and not laughing, making their way cautiously through the crowd. This caught his eye because the movements were graceful, yet very sure of themselves, a combination not known to human kind but to elves alone. The person stopped before him, clearly in view now, and startled him because of what it was. It was a human, plain as could be, with dirty ragged clothes and soot covering the face and arms. It stood before him and stared intently at him, matching his eyes perfectly, wanting to make him look away if he could. It was a challenge or a test, he could not tell, but he had to know what this creature was, for it confused him a great deal. It seemed to be a girl of sorts, but she dressed and walked like a man and stared at him squarely as an equal, no fear of man in her eyes. Her raven hair was cut much like his, barely touching her slender shoulders, but it seemed to also frame her face and brought more attention to her eyes and mouth. Her eyes were a rainbow of colors, shaped like a cats and just as unnerving, sly and clever. Her mouth perfectly shaped with full lips that knew smiles and laughter just as much as sorrow and grief. She seemed neither happy nor sad, merely watchful. Her skin was firm and golden with speckles everywhere and had no lack of scars. She seemed to be more of a man than a woman by how se stood and dressed, in plain foreign leggings and tunic, but her figure and face stated that she was indeed a girl. She stood no higher than his saddle and could be no more than twelve years old. She did not fear him nor anyone else that looked at her then. The crowd had quieted with her approach. The soldier matched her gaze, very intent and serious. At last she spoke. “How far are they?” Her voice was firm and fair as well and spoke of unknown authority, but it was obvious that she listened well to people by what she said. The crowd roared in laughter. “You believe such wild tales urchin?!” a man next to her. He laughed and almost hit her. She ducked easily away, ignoring him. He continued to banter. “She believes him! The proud queen of urchins believes a madman who dreams of orcs!” Laughter continued on. She spoke again. “How far are they?” The soldier spoke to her alone, for only she listened. “I cannot say. I lost track after being sent to warn the towns. They were a day or so behind me, but I fear that ground is taken in.” She nodded, thought running through her eyes. She bit one of her knuckles and looked down. “Not much time then.” The soldier noted her accent then. It was strange to him, and that told him much. He traveled the lands far and wide for several years and never did he hear such an accent before. She nodded again, deciding something. She looked back at him. “Can you lead us to a safe place?” He stared at her then. Us? He nodded, thinking she only had delusions. She was a street urchin after all. “Yes, if you’ll let me.” She nodded again. “Two hours,” she said evenly. “We’ll meet you by south gate.” She turned around quickly and darted past the people laughing. She then made sounds no one recognized and ran onward. The crowd laughed and dispersed. The soldier sighed. He had to wait those two hours now. He needed to rest himself and his horse anyway. Whether the girl showed or not, it didn’t matter. One urchin, no matter how foreign, was not worth his life as of yet. The two hours passed swiftly and the soldier tugged on his hood as he made his way past the vendors to the south gate. He looked up briefly to see if the girl was there or not and gaped at seeing several more than just the girl waiting for him. We’ and us’ were well used. There stood before him every urchin, runaway and orphan in the whole town, totaling fifty men, women and children(mostly children). The girl he met stood at the front of him and glared a bit. “You’re late,” she said tartly. He nodded in amazement. “And good that I am too if so much value their lives.” He looked around and saw cats and dogs also gathered there. Confusion spread across his face more. He looked back to the girl and she shrugged. “Some creatures are smarter than others.” She turned and started walking out the gate. She turned back to him. “Well?!” A huff and then a smile crawled across his face. He led his horse passed the others and started leading the people out of the doomed city. Hours passed under the sun. The soldier walked in silence and the people behind him followed. They walked across the wide fields that brought out great harvests every year and pass the flat lands that fed the herds. The urchins would not miss it. None of it belonged to them. Only their odd leader, the girl, looked around at them in awe. She said something in a language the soldier never heard before, one that made her voice almost angelic. He looked back at her and saw wonder in her eyes. She truly was a child. He shook his head and continued onward. “What?” he heard her say. “I said nothing,” he responded. “You thought something,” she responded quickly. “It must be interesting.” “What would make that idea enter your mind lass?” He looked behind him to see her, but she already caught up and was walking next to him. “You shook your head. That means something.” A smirk played on her face and he could tell she wanted to know more than why he shook his head. He shook it again. “I wonder why is it you trust I so easily and look with wonder on this land?” Her eyebrows raised. “Why do I trust you?” she asked him in clarification. She shrugged. “You’re honest man. Not many can look me in eye for long except best liars and most honest. I have. affect on people.” She shrugged again. “It scares some, intimidates others and makes rest look away in shame. You took my stare easily enough, so you must be telling truth. Liar wouldn’t lead fifty-four people to death after my stare.” She looked around. “And land is” she failed to find the right word and started saying word in her own language to substitute it. He understood none of it, so he guessed, throwing out words. “Flat, empty, green, plain, pretty” She snapped her fingers and pointed at him. “Yes! Pretty! It’s very pretty.” “You are a foreigner, true?” He wished to know where and why he did not recognize her language. She nodded. “Yes, I’m foreigner. Obvious isn’t it.” She cringed. “I can’t quite get your” she searched for another word, flailing her hands around, trying to pantomime it. The word though was impossible to describe in hand movements. She started to curse in her language and several others he did not recognize. She eventually just made a small gap between her thumb and pointer finger, trying to make it easier. “In between words,” she tried. Confusion ran across the man’s face until he understood. “Oh, article words. A, an, and the.” She snapped her finders again. “Exactly! Those are always difficult for me. Never can quite get them right.” She shook her head. “It’s always hard learning new language, especially without teacher or guide.” She folded her arms and grumbled in her own langu