My new fanfic.. This is different from my last on but I hope you enjoy it. Name of the story might change because I'm not good at names.

I had no idea where I was. I had been wandering the thick forests in these parts for a while and I was fairly certain I had gotten myself lost. My tail swished behind me, hitting the leaves as I walked. Leaves on the trees caused the late summer sun to dapple the ground. I had been walking for as long as I could remember, I couldn't seem to remember what happened after the incident at home and waking up in the middle of nowhere.

Now I simply sought a place to rest from my long journey. I had travelled across a cold mountain range and had caught a few fish but hadn't had a decent meal since waking up to find myself here. I could smell smoke, lots of it, which meant a town by my reasoning. My nose was so sensitive that I could smell the animals that populated the forest.

I reached a hilltop at the edge of the forest. Just as I thought I could see a small town by the sea. I only needed to get past this rocky hill to get there. Unfortunately in my rush I forgot that the rain that had come last night had made the cliffs muddy and slippery. I slipped and found myself falling off the side and into the river below.

The shock of the cold water hit me instantly. The current pulled me under even as I tried to fight my way to the surface. I broke through once but the rapids quickly pulled me back under. I could feel the strain of not having air. My vision began to fade and the last thing I saw was a shadow leap into the water.

I woke up in a soft warm bed. I sat up and saw a shelf lined with medicines. A hospital, although I had no idea how I had gotten there.

"You're awake." A voice said. I looked up. It was a young man with chestnut colored hair said. He was gentle and smiling. "Aria pulled you out of the water."

"Where is this?" I asked.

"Alvarna." He told me. I could tell he was trying not to stare but I could tell he had noticed my ears and tail. I kept forgetting that people outside my home had trouble understanding. "Is Aria around?" I asked trying to divert his attention. "Umm," he started, "she lives on the farm just outside of town." I muttered thanks and left before he could say anything. I knew I was in that town I had seen, there was a strong scent of earth and ocean throughout the town.

The farm was small and filled with budding crops. The scent of the soil smelled refreshing and reminded me of the forest around my home. There was a man in the fields, he noticed me and waved me over. He looked up and called to an open room. "Aria, that girl is here!" I heard a muffled response back and a few seconds later the door opened. Aria was a teenage girl, about sixteen who had long brown hair.

"Hello!" She smiled, rushing up to me. "I'm so glad you're okay." She was staring at me.

"You're staring." I flicked my tail.

"I'm sorry." She said. "It's just your tail and ears."

"I'm half monster, my name is Kei. Thanks for saving my life." I told her.

"Where are you from?"

"Umm, I'm from Corseca, it's a very small village in the northeast by the ocean." I told her. She seemed to understand but I doubt she'd heard of it.

"So, are you going to head back?" She asked me. "No." I responded. I hoped she'd drop it there but she didn't. "Why not"

"Because my father is dead." I said quietly. "Can we not talk about this?" I didn't want to remember what happened that day.

Aria seemed to realize I didn't want to talk about it. "I'm sorry Kei. What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know." I said. "I've been walking for the last week and a half I think." I tried to remember what happened after my dad's death but I still couldn't.

"Why don't you settle down here?" Aria said. The suggestion shocked me. I had only been concerned with reaching the town not what I would do after.

"Can I really do that?" I asked her.

"Sure." She looked over at the guy in the field. "Dad, is Byron at his home?"

"He should be, it's only three in the afternoon." He walked over to us. "Who is your friend?"

"My name is Kei." I told him. He held his hand out to me and I took it. "I'm Kyle, Aria's dad." He looked at Aria. "What do you want to see Byron about?"

"That small house near the school."

"I should probably come with you if it's about land." He said. They walked me through town and pointed out different places. The hospital, church, a store as well as homes. Byron's house was on the edge of town, he was the mayor. Kyle knocked on the door and entered, beckoning me to follow. Byron's office was small and organized.

"Kyle, Aria, what can I do for you?" He smiled.

"This is Kei," Kyle introduced me, "you remember, the one Aria brought back."

"Of course, the strange girl who nearly drowned. A pleasure to see you okay."

"I'm looking to settle down here. Aria told me there was a house I could use." I told him. He rummaged through a drawer before pulling out a few papers.

"That place by the school." He looked at what was written on the paper. "Yes, it's perfect for a single person. No one's lived in that for years so it might be a little run down and overgrown. I could sell it for twenty thousand gold."

I didn't feel good about that. "I don't have that. My father is dead and my home was destroyed."

"I'm sorry. Perhaps you should stay at the inn for a while."

"Wait." Kyle said to Byron. "Would it be okay if I pay for it?"

"I don't see why not, but are you sure Kyle?" Byron said.

"Definitely." Kyle said. Byron accepted the money and gave me the papers to sign. I was very grateful to him. "Thank you, Kyle. I'll pay you back when I can." I flicked my tail. He shook his head. "Don't mention it. If you really want to pay me back you can lend me a hand once in a while on the farm."

"Well then, everything is in order." Byron said as he looked at the papers. "Kyle, would you mind showing Kei where it is, I'm rather busy." He placed the papers in his drawer and went back to the documents he was looking at before we came in. Kyle ushered me out and led me to the school.

"I built the school almost seventeen years ago so the kids in Alvarna could have somewhere to learn together." Kyle told me. I looked up and it was an impressive building. "What do you teach here?"

"My mom teaches cooking classes in the morning." Aria said. "In the afternoon Barrett teaches crafting and forging, he's really good at it."

"We didn't have a school where I lived. My dad taught me everything." I said. I had only ever lived with my dad. My mom was dead so my dad raised me and taught me everything.

"You're going to like living in Alvarna, Kei." Aria laughed. "It's quiet and lively when we have festivals."

"You're new home." Kyle said as he presented it to me. It wasn't as bad as I had thought. It was a nice house that appeared to be well built. The outside wasn't badly overgrown, removing a few bushes and cleaning up the weeds would make it look nice in no time. But, I hadn't seen the inside yet. I pushed the door open and was surprised. The inside was rather nice. It was small but open and clean. There was a table and a couple chairs located near the fireplace and several shelves for storing things. There was a simple stove and a work area to cook while on the other side there was a sitting chair and a few bookshelves but they were empty. I took the stairs up to the second floor and there were two small rooms, one had a bed and a set of drawers. The other was an almost empty room except it had a small table and a shelf.

"What do you think?" Aria asked me.

"I love it!" My ears pricked up. My tail swished happily behind me. It was certainly small but it was really nice.

"You're going to love living in Alvarna." Kyle told me.

Review please. I like to read them before I post a new chapter.