(A/n: No Southern-accented Kenny in this two-shot fantasy AU.

Summary: Being born differently can bring about different reactions out of people. In this world that's inhabited with humans, spirits, and monsters it would certainly be strange if a human did not appear so. However there are few people who are accepting of such 'flaws', an orphan will come across them and will soon learn the reason why he'd always been shunned and treated harshly.

Please enjoy)

Chapter 26: Nice People Do Exist (Pt.1)

The child ran. His speed was frantic and his breathing was sporadic, tears were dampening his flushed cheeks. Something had agitated the boy. He zoomed passed green leaved trees, surrounding him on his left and right sides. Some were short while others were tall enough to reach up to the clear blue sky, the gleaming sun peeking through the clutter of branches. The grassy path was smooth and sturdy, the boy dashed straight ahead with no signs of slowing down, the gust from his small figure kicking up viridescent petals that had long since fallen from the trees.

He didn't know how long he'd been running for. He had one place in mind he wanted to go to, however he'd been running for what felt like hours, he might've gone passed it. He wouldn't mind venturing all the way over to the next village though, as long as he got away from them he didn't care. Even now, he could still hear them, their jeering, their laughter. Clenching his eyes shut and covering his ears with both hands, he tried desperately to cancel out the noise. But instead, through the darkness of his eyelids several human figures emerged, their grins vicious and mocking. The volume of the ridicule increased. All the insults were ones he'd heard plenty times before, calling him foul, mean names, cursing his existence, etc. But one remark pierced deeply into his already wounded heart.

"No wonder your parents abandoned you, they gave birth to an absolute freak."

The dark haired child stopped and shouted, "THAT'S NOT TRUE!" at the top of his little lungs. He stood there, panting and sobbing. The voices had ceased, all was silent save for his heavy breathing. His eyelids split apart to reveal mystical sapphire orbs, the glint of the sunlight and his tears highlighting tiny stars in both of his iris' like miniature galaxies, obscuring the dark pupils. His arms dropping down from his ears, he collapsed on his knees. Up ahead were more trees and shrubs.

Perhaps he should stay right here until nightfall, no one would notice or concern themselves about his whereabouts anyway. They'd most likely be glad to never see him again, like they were that one time he'd gotten lost while in search for some food and water. He'd been forbidden from such necessities by the village chief, hoping that by doing so he'd eventually starve and die. Too bad for them, he wasn't going to give them that satisfaction, even at his young age of being 6 years old. It was the very first time he'd journeyed out from home.

It was this very forest he'd wandered into, having lost his sense of direction as soon as evening struck that day. Eventually he'd came across a clearing, it was passed a gateway made of bamboo trees. As soon as he stepped passed them, the world changed around him as if he'd traversed through a puddle of water. In that instant, he was left stunned in awe. It was as if he'd entered into a different realm, the scenery before him was breathtakingly beautiful. Everything had an enchanting glimmer to it, even under the orange hue of the setting sun. The trees, the grass, the plants and bushes, the distant waterfall, and even the woodland animals and the fluttering butterflies.

The boy felt hesitant and out of place, he was dirty and undoubtedly smelled in his tattered, worn out clothing and straw sandals while this setting was clean and had a lovely aroma wafting around. But the longer he idled there, the more he felt at peace. The negative and sad emotions were being cleansed from his soul. The bullying, both verbally and physically, the abandonment from the people he once thought were amiable and civil, his parents...all of those troubling thoughts whisked away. Leaving him calm and unworried. For the very first time, he smiled. He wanted to live there, at that time he was unaware that the thicket was someone's home.

Still beaming, the boy ambled into the ethereal looking forest. All the animals had stopped and looked at him, he noticed this but continued on, until a voice spoke.

"Please stop."

The young child came to a halt. His eyes wide he first glanced around, then settled his gaze on the flock of critters. That voice just now, it sounded high-pitched. He couldn't tell specifically if it belonged to a girl or a boy. Did he imagine it? One of the animals, a rabbit, hopped over to him.

"You mustn't trespass any further or you will be punished."

The boy blinked his confounded, sparkly eyes. "A-are you a spirit?"

"No, none of them are." This voice came from a different being, sounding normal and evidently female. The child spun in the direction he heard the newcomer in, a bit of fear and tranquility washing over him. The woman had fair skin, her long glossy black hair was draped comfortably over her shoulders, her orchid iris' were glinting warmly at him, and she wore an elegant purple, white, and gold robe. However she was barefooted. She took a few steps towards the human child, smiling at his stupefied expression. "Are you lost?"

The boy quickly snapped out of it to answer. "Y-yes, I am." He frowned. "I came here looking for something to eat, the villagers don't feed me..." Guilt and bitter sorrow seeped in his reply. He then tensed, fearful of the repercussions of his confession. Even though he wasn't going to harm not one of the animals here, he still felt obligated to apologize. But the woman spoke before he could utter a word.

"Oh you poor thing!" Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his neck, embracing him in a hug. A crisp fragrance drifted into his nostrils, pacifying his anxiety. The woman separated, much to the boy's displeasure, a sympathetic frown on her pretty face though her eyes were still cordial. "Come, I will feed you." Standing, she took the boy's hand. Facing the entrance of the clearing, she stuck out her free hand, a pale blue glow emanating around it. A similar colored bar of light flashed from the very tips of the equally aligned bamboo trees, then briskly flickered downward. The little noirette blinked, amazed and also perplexed as to what she just did, then he's led away.

"You all collect as many berries and nuts as you can, and bring them over here."

"Yes Lady Wendy," the animals chorused without any questions and went straight to work, scattering in various directions.

After watching them scamper about, the boy paid attention to where he was being taken to. The forest had another gap deeper within, the rush of the waterfall sounding louder the closer they neared it. Radiant blues absorbed the landscape all around, the late evening sky could be seen entirely overhead. It wouldn't be long until the moon showed itself. The space only harbored the waterfall and a bed of flowers off on each side. No matter where the boy looked, he couldn't find a house or any other sort of dwelling the woman resided in.

In the very center of the clearing, Wendy lowered herself to the ground, creasing her gown to sit on her knees. She outstretched a hand in beckoning. "Have a seat." Stiffly, the child did as told, copying her posture. He stared at the sleek sod. "You needn't be so nervous, I'm not going to scold or hurt you. Let's start by greeting each other, what is your name?"

The boy gradually began to relax, his fists on his knees unclenching. "S-Stan."

"It's nice to meet you Stan." A warm tingle tickled his chest. "My name is Wendy, as you've just heard, and I am the spirit of this forest. The Halcyon Forest."

This discovery didn't surprise Stan, it was a fact that he anticipated the moment he'd stepped foot into this place. Everyone had their fair share of knowledge about spirits, they came in diverse forms but most took on human appearances. Every land had a spirit, sometimes two or maybe even three that acted like a guardian, however coming across one was rare. Even though they differed in elemental aspects, they all had one goal in common and that was to maintain harmony, inside and outside of their region. Anyone that dared to disrupt the peace would either be banished from their home or killed.

Seeing as how Stan had never seen this nature spirit before meant that she wasn't a guardian of his village, otherwise he wouldn't constantly be mistreated like this. Realizing he hadn't responded back to the aforementioned entity, he hurriedly did so. "It's nice to meet you as well." He blushed at his fast way of speaking.

"Which village are you from?"

Stan deepened his frown. "The one up North."

"Ah, so it was merely a coincidence that you stumbled here. My forest is South of your village." Well that explained how he'd lost his way, he was heading in the opposite direction that whole time. "Seems like your village's guardian is being neglectful of their duties, have they ever stopped by to address the issue occurring there?"

Stan shook his head, not as far as he knew. He raised his head when multiple footsteps entered his eardrums. A pair of deer and four chipmunks were coming towards them, hauling a blanket filled with assorted fruits and nuts, the chipmunks using their small arms to keep it from touching the ground. They carefully set the cloth down before Stan and Wendy, the woman expressing her thanks with a nod and a smile. Bowing their heads respectfully, they scuttled away.

Wendy regarded the child's astonished mien. "You don't have to worry about them being poisoned, they're only harmful to those that enter unwelcomed."

Stan wasn't worried about that at all, but it was good to know at least. He nodded his understanding then reached for a reddish-pink berry. "T-thank you very much..." As soon as he put it in his mouth and clamped his teeth down on it, juice burst from the fruit, engulfing his taste buds in a sweet tang. His already bright eyes lit up even more, he began to munch on more berries, occasionally eating some walnuts.

Wendy appeared pleased with his eager appetite, a solemn gleam in her eyes. He's so young and looked so innocent yet he's being treated so cruelly, she yearned to know of the cause but opted to wait until the boy was finished eating. After awhile, Stan felt someone's gaze on him, glancing at the spirit to see her looking at him, her lips a thin smile and her eyes distant. As if she's deep in thought. He felt awkward, knowing that he'd been eating like a starved person by himself these past few minutes. "Umm, you can have some too, if you want."

Wendy blinked, momentarily taken aback. But she took him up on the offer. "Thank you."

The next several minutes was spent snacking, no words were said, except for when Wendy called some animals over to help them finish. By the time that was the case, the sky had darkened. Now a big silver moon hovered in the upper atmosphere, dotted almost entirely with dazzling stars.

Stan laid on his back with a loud belch, full and sleepy. This was a whole new experience for him, even though all he ate were berries, walnuts, and sunflower seeds they'd managed to somehow satiate his hunger as if he'd eaten a full course meal. He was happy, but when a distant guttural growl came within hearing range his mood plummeted. That definitely didn't come from one of Wendy's animals.

"The Yin monsters are out," the female spirit muttered, contempt apparent in her tone. They were horrific creatures that only roamed the forests and outskirts at night, they feasted on spirits' vitality and human flesh. Stan sat up, frowning at Wendy's standing figure. She looked to him forcing up a small smile. "It's far too dangerous for you to walk back home so you'll have to stay here till sunrise."

Stan would've been elated had there not been one vital thing missing. "But there's no house, am I gonna have to sleep out here?"

Shaking her head, Wendy turned sticking out a hand as she faced a crowd of slim trees, the same faint blue aura immediately manifesting around her hand. Soon, a small cottage magically sprung forth in the direction Wendy was looking in.

Stan gaped at the abode, speechless. Spirits could do just about anything couldn't they? Rising to his feet, they walked over to the house. The moment Wendy opened the door, a sudden breeze blew passed Stan and he went rigid. While Wendy proceeded inside, Stan found himself unable to move. Something flickered before his eyes, a transparent wall blocked his way. He couldn't go in there, not a monstrosity like him. He couldn't taint the cozy ambience with his sullied presence, fearing that he'd contaminate the air like a plague. The villagers always told him that would be an end result, thus he never left his hut unless he was dragged out by bullies.

"Stan?"

The little noirette blinked with a jolt, looking passed the barrier at Wendy. She said nothing else after calling his name, letting her tender countenance convey the message for her. Comprehending the significance of her smile, the obstruction shattered into dozens of pieces. Stan walked inside with the door shutting by itself behind him. Wendy led him down a short hallway then into a bedroom, it was the only room in the small house. Stan stood still in the doorway while Wendy headed off somewhere within the room. He eyed the bed. Was he really...going to sleep on that? Was he really going to sleep under a real duvet and rest his head on top of a comfy white pillow? This felt way too good to be true...

"Will you need help bathing?"

The sudden question brought him out of his brief stupor, flustered. "N-no I can do it myself." He then heard the sound of running water.

Wendy was skeptical, but didn't push. She held both her hands out with her palms facing upward, neatly folded up clothes appeared on top of them out of thin air. "Change into these once you're done." She handed them to Stan. The boy took them, they felt so soft and warm to touch, smelled earthly too. Wendy walked off, Stan inching into the room to see where she was going. He saw her bend over slightly inside a compacted room, turning off the water to a bathtub. The bathroom, he even had his very own bathroom. Wendy came back developing a timid expression on her face, confusing him. "Actually, would you like to stay here for awhile?" Stan widened his eyes at her, surprised by the query. "I-it's okay if you don't-"

"Yes I'd love to!" Now it was Wendy's turn to appear aghast. She gazed into the child's eyes, acquiring a strange sense of fellowship from the twinkling pair. This greatly puzzled her, and was something she needed to delve into for a better understanding. She knew one thing though, and that was that this child...wasn't completely human.

Pushing the thought aside for later, she expressed her delight at his earnest acceptance. Petting his head, she began to leave the room. "I bid you a pleasant night then." She closed the door.

Stan's cheeks were once again a bright pink, his heart racing. So much had happened today. It started off painfully dreadful, as it always did. But his spirits were lifted tremendously the mere second he'd entered this forest, and his day had only gotten better from there. He met a very kind spirit, ate delicious food, and now he's living in an actual home. Even if it's only temporary. Smiling with a tear sliding down his cheek, Stan rushed to the bathroom to start bathing before the water got cold.

That whole week he was under Wendy's hospitality, she'd treated him as her very own son although female spirits were incapable of birthing children. It just felt natural to her since she took care of animals, bugs, and plants; which were all living things. One week was the limit, she couldn't keep Stan no longer than that not because she didn't want to, but because the energies surrounding the forest could become toxic to the mortal body. Too much of it at least, irregardless of Stan only being half-human. Plus he already had a home he needed to go back to, despite the abuse he received there. The past seven days were long enough for her to grasp the boy's true identity. However she didn't disclose her findings to him, rather she knew he would learn about himself in the near future. Her parting words on his last day there were:

"The humans abhor you because you are special, you possess something extraordinary. Once your abilities come to fruition, you'll-"

Stan blinked his eyes, startled. A faint noise had interrupted his recollection of Wendy's forewarning. He blinked again, snapping his head upwards. He's shocked, although thankful, to see that it was twilight hours. Nighttime was presumably two hours or so away. Stan lowered his gaze with a heavy sigh, he shouldn't be so anxious. He wanted to stay out here until it got dark, he wanted a Yin monster to get him. He's sick and tired of being isolated and humiliated like some beast at his village, he held out for as long as he could - for two years nonstop at the age of 4. He couldn't bear it any longer, no 6 year old should endure such malice or any at all for that long. Especially when he did nothing wrong.

The comment about his parents leaving him behind suddenly rung like a bell inside his mind, he nipped his bottom lip trying not to cry again. No matter how hard he denied it, slowly he began to think, "What if it's true...?" He remembered not a single thing about them, not their faces, their personalities, their names, nothing. He started to wonder if he even had parents to begin with, had he always been alone since he was born? Had anybody looked after him in their absence? If so, why did they abandon him as well?

Such questions were pointless, he soon noticed, no one would answer them anyway. He missed Wendy and her kindness, he would love to see her again. But for some very odd reason, she along with the Halcyon Forest had disappeared. He'd heard this information from passerby's in his village within his barely stable home one day. It had severely worried, bemused, and also put doubt into him, but after running today in search for the reserved forest, perhaps the hearsay was right after all...

Abruptly the same sound that broke the silence a minute prior, did it again. Something was here with him, moving around through the throngs of trees and bushes. Despite already accepting his fate, Stan began to feel uneasy. Wasn't it too early for the Yin monsters to come out? Perhaps it was a harmless furry creature...he hoped it was.

Realizing his posture, he tried to stand up. Due to sitting still for over more than a few hours his legs were rendered thoroughly numb, moving them was impossible. He let out an agonized groan, it felt so discomforting not being able feel your own limbs. He felt like he was floating, but it wasn't a good sensation.

"Oi kid." Frightened enough to release a scream, the unforeseen presence of a fox was sat a few feet across from Stan. It had four bushy tails and golden fur, the tips of it's tails, muzzle, and paws were white. "What are you doing just sitting here?" The boyish voice came from the fox, it's mouth even moved when it'd asked that question.

Stan could only stare at it, talking animals weren't unusual to him anymore, just it's pelt was captivating to look at. Was the evening hue playing tricks on his eyes or something? But a thought came to him, fueling him with a burst of adrenaline. "Are you one of Wendy's pets?!" He asked, desperate.

The fox narrowed it's eyes at him. "I am no one's pet, and how do you know Ms. Wendy?"

Stan frowned hopelessly. "She took care of me once..." Just the mere recollection of the woman's perpetual smiling face and her motherly love forced the tears to spill. He yearned to see her again, to be loved again.

Seeing him crying made the fox pity him. Based off of the dirt and bruises marring this child's skin, it was obvious why the spirit of nature did what she did. The golden fox heaved a sigh, got on all fours and padded over to the melancholy boy. "I understand that you miss her, but you should forget about her. You'll never be able to see her again."

"W-why?! Did something happen to her?!" Stan inquired with a heavy heart.

Now closer, the fox stopped directly in front of him. Through his blurry vision, Stan found himself looking into shiny yellow eyes. They weren't like that before, or they were and he'd just overlooked it. "Another village required her protection since the one she was at previously didn't need her anymore." That saddened the boy immensely. So that's why he couldn't find her forest, she really did disappear. "C'mon, you need to get home-"

"No!" Stan's exclaim took the animal aback. "Let them get me! I'd rather die than go back there!" Suddenly something fluffy smacked him in the face. He spluttered, feverishly wiping his lips. The fox had struck him with one of it's tails.

"Idiot! You're only a child, you shouldn't welcome death so easily!"

Stan scowled at the ground. "I'll be killed sooner or later anyway, by those monsters." He was referring to the villagers. So far they're worse than the Yin monsters and he hadn't even encountered them yet.

The fox frowned again, cognizant of what he meant. "Why do they hurt you? Are your parents doing nothing to stop it?"

"I don't have any parents, they probably thought I was a freak too," Stan replied, the word that's regularly spewed at him leaving a sour taste in his mouth.

"A freak?" The fox examined him closely. The only abnormalities he pinpointed were the black and blue blemishes and his bony frame, he may still be a child but he shouldn't be this skinny should he? It's a wonder how his clothes were able fit him all this time. The fox continued to inspect him, even sniffing him to find the reason why he was called such a name, trying not to groan in disgust at the stench as it did so. "Oh," vivid golds met otherworldly blues. "I see now."

Stan glared at the fox confusedly. "What are you doing?"

The aureate canine backed away, inhaling the fresh air around them. "Nothing. Since you don't wanna go home, I'll bring you to mines."

Stan raised his head, clearly twice as puzzled now. "Why?"

"Do you really wanna get eaten by those Yin monsters?" Stan flinched, but didn't give an answer. Instead he dried his face. The fox shook it's head. "Stand up and follow me, it's not a long trek so we'll be able to make it before the sun fully sets."

"..I-I can't feel my legs."

"What? What do you mean?"

Stan felt strangely bashful. "I've umm been sitting here since this morning...I think." Or it could've been the afternoon, at this point he didn't know for sure except that it was long enough to make his legs feel nonexistent.

The fox stared at him, dumbfounded. But then groaned, annoyed. "Ugh, good grief." Crawling a few steps back while closing it's eyes in concentration, a thin ring of clouds rose and swirled around it's figure, ruffling it's fur and tails. Stan gawked at the scene, watching the fox visibly start to look a little bigger. The process lasted another couple of seconds, the wind dying away indicating it's conclusion. Exhaling softly and opening it's slanted eyes, the fox approached him, turning and facing the many trees and brambles on Stan's right side then it lowered itself down to the ground. "Can you climb on?" It's tone changed slightly, sounding a bit deeper as if it'd aged as well.

Coming to from the shock, Stan attempted to do so. He stretched out his arms towards the fur, eyes widening all over again once his palms touched it's smooth texture. He couldn't help but rub the golden pelt, but stopped when the fox cleared it's throat. "S-sorry." But the swaying tails showcased that the fox didn't dislike being caressed. Stan tried to once again move his lower limbs, crying out as a strong uncomfortable pain throbbed throughout his whole body.

"What's wrong?" The fox looked back at him.

Tears stung his eyes, but Stan fought them from slipping as he gave the animal a crooked grin. "T-tried moving my legs, big mistake."

The fox looked away with a concerned frown forming. "Looks like I'll have to-Gah!" A heavy weight crashed down on it's back. Feeling slightly miffed, the fox looked back again. "Oi what-" But all it saw was the boy's butt and legs. It whirled it's head to the other side, seeing the rest of his body. Feeling it's gaze on him, Stan flashed it a sheepish grin. The fox faced forward rolling it's eyes. "Well, at least you managed to get on," it grumbled. It straightened itself upright, Stan's feet rising from off the ground. The fox took off down the path, not going too fast - which was the initial plan - so Stan didn't fall off.

Once his nerves calmed down, the boy decided to ask, "Where do you live?"

"We live in a pretty big house."

"We? Wait why are foxes living inside houses?"

"We all live in one house, you may think it's strange now but you'll see when we get there. We live Southeast from here." Stan began to wonder why he'd never seen this fox before when he'd stayed with Wendy. "It's not surprising that you've never heard or seen us before, thanks to some humans we had to go into hiding and have been for the past hundreds of years. There's not much of us left now, we hardly ever leave our home unless we really need to."

Well that abated Stan's curiosity, coming into it's place was anger. Humans were just heartless. He decided to switch topics. "Do you have a name?"

"It's Kenny, and yours?"

"Stan."

A pause followed. "I'm honestly surprised that you didn't flip out or anything as soon I started running."

Stan quirked an eyebrow. "Why would I 'flip out'? I can't even do that cuz of my legs."

"It's just a figure of speech jeez," Kenny deadpanned.

"Oh..." Stan didn't know what that meant. "Well, it's because I knew you'd be careful."

Stan couldn't see it, but his response made Kenny smile faintly. "I see."

The conversation ended there, Kenny's paws trampling the grass filling the silence. Occasionally, some obstacles needed to be jumped over, Kenny warned Stan each time they came across one.

Even though this wasn't Wendy Stan still felt an akin warmness coming from off the fox now, but should he welcome it so quickly?

He would know soon enough.

(A/n: I hope you enjoyed and the next part will be up soon)