Chapter 1: The Fire

Deci ran through the forest, listening to the soft padding of her quickly tramping toddler feet as she ran through the forest, though it was quickly turning to night. The cool air felt so fresh on her skin, and banished the overbearing heat of the sun for at least another day. Though Deci sometimes appreciated the warmth that the sun brought her, this wasn't always the case.

She could hear the sounds of someone shouting for her behind her, but she didn't really care. Deci just ran through the forest to her heart's content, listening with wonder to the howls of a nearby wolf pack, the serene huffing of cows, and the nagging bleating of hungry sheep.

The air grew steadily blacker, and with a grudging resentment Deci finally realized that soon it would be too dark to get home at all eventually. She slowly came to a stop, and sighed.

She stood at her favorite spot in the forest. A large outcrop of rock overlooking a vast land full of trees that varied of all sizes, a waterfall, a pristine lake, and just out of sight she could just barely make out some sort of building, though she had never brave enough to venture towards it. The name Deci had given to this little safe-haven of a rock was "my place". Whenever someone asked where she went for long periods of time, the answer was always, "my place."

Several times, the grownups, led mostly by my parents, would try to follow her to wherever the heck "my place" was, but that was just it. To her, it would always be her place. Not theirs.

So Deci would lead them off on all sorts of goose-chases that would only leave them breathless as they couldn't keep up with her tiny, yet energy-filled body. Just like this time. "My place" was a secret, and nobody would take it from her. It was too important.

But all the same, Deci was surprised to hear the sounds of footsteps approaching her from behind. She turned, ready to give herself up to whoever it was that had managed to find and follow her.

But Deci wasn't expecting what she came to view with.

A pair of long, black legs. Hands that were attached to arms that were just as long as the creature's legs, and also these were midnight-black. A torso that seemed kinda skinny, and large all at once. And finally a set of eyes that shined out in the dark.

The man looked kinda funny, but he seemed to just regard her for a few seconds, shaking a little. He looked up and glanced around, as though looking for something.

"Hiya!" Deci said, smiling widely, though having difficulty trying to enunciate her words with her two-year-old mouth. "What awwe you doing?"

The man seemed honestly surprised to hear Deci speaking the way she did. He looked down at her, and she looked up into his eyes again, waiting for an answer.

She squealed with laughter as the man picked her up deftly with his super-long arms.

"Wheeeee!" she said, spreading her arms as the man put her under his arm securely. Without a warning, purple glyphs began swirling around the man and the girl. "Oooooh!" Deci said, reaching out to touch one of the particles.

There was a sound. It was soft at first, but it gradually became louder and louder, and then suddenly, it stopped. Deci looked around her.

The man put her down on her feet, and ushered her silently towards a light a few blocks away. The light looked familiar. In fact, the house in front of her looked familiar.

Deci giggled as she ran up her the steps of her house, before turning back around. The man was gone, the only proof of his existence were the few glyphs still hovering in the air, fading one by one.

The door swung open, and hands grabbed Deci around the waist. She was lifted and turned to face her mother's face.

"Deci!" she said, hugging her daughter fiercely, as her father also ran into the room. "Deci, thank Notch you're okay!"

Then her mother pulled her away from the hug and looked into her eyes with a disapproving stare.

"Don't ever do that again, alright? It's night. NEVER go out at night." She said firmly. Deci didn't understand her mother's fear of the night. Or her father's, for that matter, although he seemed to be more okay with it than her mother.

"It's dangerous out there," her father had once said, when Deci had asked him why she wasn't allowed outside at night. "But when you're ready, and when you're older, you will see the world in darkness."

"For goodness sake, Josh, what do you plan on DOING when she's 'old enough'?" her mother had said in response, using strange gestures with her hands.

"C'mon Ann, she's going to have to learn what it's like someday! How will she know how to survive if she doesn't even know about the mobs that com—" her father protested, but her mother rushed over to Deci and had covered her ears.

"You're going to scare her!" her mother whispered harshly, though Deci could hear through her mother's hands just fine. She wasn't scared. In fact, she really wanted to know what her father was talking about, but even her toddler brain could see that her mother had not been open to the idea.

Deci was brought back to the present when she was finally laid down in her crib for the night. Her mother laid a hand on her forehead, and said goodnight, before closing the door. As the door closed, Deci could glimpse her father, donning his shiny blue helmet from the stand near the door. Why he needed it, Deci couldn't guess, as it probably had something to do with the things outside, whatever they were.

Deci closed her eyes, and quickly fell asleep.

She awoke a while later, when there was a sudden crashing sound. And a boom. Distant screams and hisses. She opened her eyes.

The soft glow was all around her, and the soothing sounds of a crackling fire nearly made her fall back asleep, but the heat was just unbearable.

She opened her eyes, and stared up at the ceiling of her room.

The smooth flames licked the air around Deci, as she watched the delicate dance of the tongues of fire with mesmerized wonder as they lashed at the oak walls of her room. Though Deci was too young right then to realize that this could prove dangerous, she could feel that the heat was only growing worse and worse. It was very uncomfortable.

She rose to her feet, and wobbled over to the latch on her crib. She cried out for her mother, but seeing there was no answer, huffed.

Deci reached over the side of the crib, and found that the latch was only just out of her reach. She huffed again, and wondered what she was going to do to get out of this unbearable heat.

Just then, a rafter collapsed, and perhaps by blind luck, it crashed down, striking the latch so hard that it popped off, and the crib slid open.

Deci clambered down from the crib and began crawling across the floor, panting with heat. The smell of smoke was reaching her nostrils, choking her. She began coughing as she opened the door.

Her parents were weirdly splayed out across the floor, their eyes closed. Deci crawled over to them and shook them, but they did not wake up. Deci shook her head, wondering how they were still asleep in this awful heat. She resumed crawling towards the doors of her house, coughing as she did so.

Slowly, she pressed against the door, but it did not open. She tried to reach the latch, but she just wasn't tall enough to do so. The fire began to crawl closer from behind her, choking her even more.

Suddenly the door itself burst into flames, as a figure crashed through the door and limped into the room, moaning. Upon seeing Deci's parents lying on the floor, the figure seemed to ignore the roaring flames, and walked over, slumping over them. Deci didn't know what the strange figure was doing, but she didn't really care at the moment. Her toddler brain was only fixed on one thought. Air.

She crawled out through the ruined remains of the wooden door, and out into the streets. Outside was almost as bad. Fire was everywhere, and Deci saw several other people sleeping in the streets, and some of them had arrows in them that didn't look comfortable. But they were still sleeping, so who was Deci to judge? She stood and brushed off her clothes. When she woke up, her mother would give her a fit about A.) being outside, and B.) getting her clothes so dirty.

There was a sound behind her, and she turned.

The man was back.

The man stared at Deci, she stared back at the man.

The man glanced up at the burning wreckage of the building. Then back down at her.

He stared at her for a few more long moments, before he looked up at something behind Deci. Deci turned again.

Another strange figure was regarding her. The white man was awfully skinny. In fact, Deci would nearly admit she could see right through his skin. Two hollow eye-sockets met hers, and the clattering of bones reached her ears. The skeleton raised its arm and fitted an arrow to its bow silently.

Suddenly, in a blur of green and black, the first skeleton was knocked to the side by a different figure. This one wore a tattered lavender dress, and had a slightly shriveled red flower in her hair. The man from before, the black one, suddenly appeared in front of Deci, spreading his arms protectively. The lady in the lavender dress moaned loudly at the skeleton, and for a moment Deci was afraid that the lady in the dress had injured herself. The skeleton clattered its bones for a moment, and it finally registered to her that they were talking to each other. But she had never heard anyone talk like that.

She peeked around the man's tall legs, and looked up at him. His eyes had a determined look in them, but about what she didn't know. He caught sight of her looking at him, and looked back down at her. Though she didn't know if she could see the man's mouth or not, she could tell he was smiling. She smiled back.

The skeleton watched this confrontation with no small amount of shock. Ender barely let anyone look at him in the eyes. Ever. Certainly not any Players. But this one seemed to be comfortable around the mobs as they convened with each other.

"Bones, you can't disagree that this one seems very different. Ender seems to like her. She's looking straight into his eyes, for heaven's sake!" Zoe moaned.

"But…" Bones said, perhaps sounding kind of bone-headed, "She's a Player."

"But she's definitely different. Look, watch. I'll prove it to you." Zoe said, turning to the small toddler.

Ender remained silently impassive, but alert as he moved aside. This kind of contact between the Players and the mobs was strictly forbidden. But he couldn't deny that he too felt that this child was different than the others.

Zoe knelt down, holding out her outstretched arms towards the tiny Playerette. For a moment, she felt the hunger rise, but she pushed it down. Her curiosity was getting the better of her. This child was simply too at ease around them to be normal.

The toddler squealed and rushed over, right into Zoe's green arms. She didn't seem to mind anything about Zoe, nor Bones, nor Ender. Bones, should his eyes have been able to widen, would have widened his eyes. Ender watched, silently as ever, but with interest in his eyes. Zoe grinned.

"Wooow, she really doesn't mind us!" Zoe said, holding the toddler at arm-length. "This is fascinating!"

"Hey guurl, what's happening over he—PLAYER!" a familiar voice hissed from behind. Zoe turned, gasping.

"Crea, stop!" Zoe said, holding the toddler in one arm, while holding her hand out with the other. "Don't explode, it's friendly!"

The pink creeper slowed. It gave Zoe a strange look, switching every now and then between Bones, Ender, the child, and back again to Zoe.

"Zoe… it's a Player. It can't… be friendly?" Crea said, finally noticing the ease with which the Player was nestled in the zombie's arms. "What the— How did you actually tame a Player?"

"Relax, Crea. You know what happens when you get worked up." Bones said, miming an explosion with his bony fingers.

"Okay, well, regardless of the fact…" Crea began, hissing frustratedly, "There are always bigger Players following those things, with shiny sharp swords. I don't want my hide pierced today, or any other day, thank you! Now put her down, before other Players see you with it!"

"Well, I don't want to just leave it here to die!" Zoe said, before taking a step back, lifting a hand to her head, and grinning slightly as though she was dizzy. "I cannot believe I just said that, but she's just too frikkin' adorable to leave behind!"

"Would you rather leave her behind, or get killed again? Maybe this time they'll feed you to the family dog? Just put her down, she'll wander home again." Crea hissed.

"That, actually, will be more of a problem than you might think." Ender finally said, speaking up. He pointed to a particular pile of flaming wreckage behind them. Crea glanced at the burning building, as it collapsed as though to prove Ender's point. "Her home is a little burnt."

"Fine. It can't go home. But if any of the other mobs see us with it, not killing it…" Crea hissed worriedly.

"Relax. We're good. All the others already left." Zoe said. "Besides, what kind of monsters would we be if we left this thing to die in the woods? Probably killed by wolves, even!"

"Uh, terrible ones. The kinds we're supposed to be towards the Players." Crea hissed, but Zoe shrugged her off.

"Oh, you're just a worrywart." Zoe said dismissively. She held the giggling toddler up, beaming all the while. "Look. Just look at her!"

Crea bent down, her face coming close to the toddler's, studying her carefully. The toddler giggled and reached up, touching Crea's face while she babbled nonsense. Crea stood back up straight, her expression only slightly unchanged.

"Okay fine. I'm sold. What are we supposed to do with this thing though!?" she said.

"Well… we couuuuuuuld…" Bones rattled, but he was at a loss. What should they do about this PLAYER-kid?

"We could take it home." Ender's voice suddenly said.

"WHAT!?" Crea and Bones said. Bones might be sentimental, even Crea might have even been partial to the child, but to bring the Player home…

"Why not? None of the other mobs ever visit us, and we all live together anyway. The child can grow up with us, since her parents are, ah, otherwise indisposed." Ender said, noting two newly changed zombies shuffling out of the wreckage of the house. "Besides. The girl and I… our paths have crossed before. She knows me."

Zoe turned, looking at Ender with an eyebrow raised. "How in the world have your paths crossed before?"

Ender did not reply, but simply reached out. The toddler in Zoe's arms reached out as well, and her tiny hand met Ender's large one. The toddler giggled, before squirming a little to reach for Ender.

"I think she wants you to hold her for a little, Ender. Wanna carry her a little ways?" Zoe asked.

Ender suddenly looked unsure. "Uh, I don't know right now. I don't think I… could…"

Zoe shrugged. "Well it's not like I mind holding her. Suit yourself."

It was at this point that Deci could no longer keep her silence. So many questions were crowding through her mind.

"Ex-hoose me, maam…" Deci began, grabbing the lady's attention. "Who 're you?"

The lady looked at her friends for a few moments, groaning. She turned to look back down at Deci.

"IIIII… a-aaamm… Zzzooeee…" she moaned slowly, as though trying to herself articulate her words. "Tttheessseee… aaare myy friiiieennndsss…"

The lady took her to each of the strange people and introduced Deci to each of them. Crea the Creeper, Bones the Skeleton, and Ender the Enderman. Deci clapped her hands.

"My name is De-ci." Deci said, pointing to herself. "I-It's nice to meet you."

Now that the heat of the fire had finally died down by now, Deci was beginning to feel the cold of the night creeping over her.

"Deci's a nice name." Zoe said. "I can't believe we're able to communicate! I'm so excited!"

"Yeah, and it only took you twenty minutes or so to introduce us. Ready for a full conversation?" Bones clacked, chuckling his rattling laugh.

"Cut me some slack, it took me time to remember the Players' language." Zoe huffed.

"Still, it's not like the rest of us can communicate." Ender said, sounding mildly melancholy. He was the first to notice Deci's shivering. "She's cold."

"Well, let's not waste any more time in this drafty place. Let's go home." Crea said.

"Perhaps we should get her approval on this?" Zoe said, gripping Deci.

"Why? It's not like she's got anywhere else to go." Crea said.

"Because it's polite?" Zoe said, before turning to Deci in her arms. "Dddeeecciii…"

"C'mon, please try to speed it up from last time." Bones rattled. "Even I'm getting cold."

Ignoring Bones, Zoe continued. "…Dddooo… yooouuu… waaant… too.. cooome… hoooome… wiiith… uus?"

Deci shivered. The lady in the dress, she had said her name was Zoe, seemed awfully nice. Though she talked funny, Deci liked her. And she knew that the tall man, Ender, was nice too, so he seemed.

She looked at the house behind her, noticing for the first time that it was flat. Had her house always been flat? It looked very blackened, too.

Or maybe her house hadn't ever been there. Who knew? Deci was having fun with these people.

She nodded, and Zoe seemed pleased by this.

"Alllriiight, theeennn… Leeett'sss goo hooomee…" Zoe said slowly, eliciting a giggle from Deci.

The four creatures began walking off in what seemed a random direction, almost completely unaware of the gazes of two newly formed zombies watching them earnestly.

Ender felt the twin gazes on him. It irked him. Like, a lot, when people looked at him. He felt kind of self-conscious about his height and frame. He turned, staring right back at the two zombies.

"Wait. We've been spotted." Ender whispered. The group halted, turning to see what Ender was glaring at.

"Well, we can't go home with them following us." Zoe whispered.

"Yes we can. They just won't be able to keep up. Everybody grab my hands." Ender said, his gaze not moving from the two zombies. He really wanted to go over there and teach them a lesson for their staring. So rude. But he had to get his friends home first.

The purple glyphs began appearing in the air once again as Ender opened an invisible rift in the world. On the other side was the cave. Their cave. Torches gleamed hospitably, per Zoe's instruction.

Without hesitation, Ender stepped through, and was on the other side of the portal. Everyone else let go of his hands, and clapped politely, for those who actually had hands.

"Nice thinking." Zoe said, shifting Deci's weight around. "Wwwweeelllccooommmee… hooomee… Dddeeccciii…" she said in the Players' language.

Deci clapped, as Zoe let her down. Deci ran over to the mouth of the cave, and just stood there for a minute, studying it. Then she giggled and rushed in the cave. Zoe began walking after her, before stumbling a little.

"Ouchouchouchouch…" Zoe began, clutching a little at her leg. "Ugh, my Achilles heel."

Bones walked over and helped Zoe limp into the cave a little, before resting her on the bed's corner. Ender walked over and looked at the old wound, deeming that it would quiet down in a few minutes. Zoe thanked them both and simply watched their new charge with wonder. She did not wake up last night thinking that they would adopt a Player by the end of the night. But she was kinda glad they had. She could tell good things were going to come about from this Player.

Meanwhile, Deci was enamored, running about the cave and looking at all the pretty decorations that each of the mobs had decorated their corners of the cave with. Zoe's corner was filled with pots of flowers from all over, and a few knick-knacks she seemed to have found. An iron shovel, a golden helmet… Deci even saw an iron sword.

Crea had laced her side of the room with banners with all sorts of pretty patterns on them, and paintings. There was a beautiful painting of a sunrise, or perhaps a sunset, from somewhere or other.

Bones had his corner of the cave covered in various weaponry and armors that he found from all over. Many helmets. There on the wall Deci saw a framed shiny blue helmet, much like her father had had. Next to it was an enchanted bow, but these things didn't yet have value to Deci.

Ender's corner was simple. Though the ground around it was changed to strange, yet also soothing cream-colored stones, There was a bed, two chests with purple particles floating around them, and a framed green pearl. The only other decorations that Ender seemed to have were only two bookshelves, labeled with words that Deci couldn't hope to understand as of yet.

Ender turned to her, watching Deci intently with those large purple eyes as she clambered up onto his darkly-colored bed, giggling. The small Player was not like any other creature that Ender had ever seen before. For some reason, she didn't fear to look into his eyes. She didn't look at him critically, nor did she see him differently than anyone else. And what's more, he didn't even feel that uncomfortable when she looked at him. Something that almost nothing else had ever been able to do before.

Zoe turned, seeing that Deci had crawled onto Ender's bed. Seeing Ender just staring at Deci, she began to speak, thinking he was irritated at the child. But then she saw his eyes, very deep in thought. She closed her mouth, and she too looked at the child. The child that didn't shrink away at her touch. It was strange to have something so full of life so easy around something so full of death.

Bones glanced at Deci, splayed out on Ender's bed, already breathing steadily. The child was definitely a paradox among Players. It wasn't frightened by the sound of his rattling bones, or the dusty bowstring that adorned his bow being pulled back. She wasn't even afraid of his toothy expression. It was strange having a Player that was so at ease around them, nor even fearful of the other-worldly looks of their small group.

Crea noted the small Player curled up on Ender's bed, occasionally shifting to a more comfortable position. Ender had fallen asleep next to the bed, not seeming to care that the child had taken his bed for the night. Crea pondered over the small child, who was not afraid of the smell of gunpowder lacing her scales. Or her gruesome expression, permanently colored on her face. She had had her doubts at first, but the child was beginning to grow on her.

It had been a long night. The sun was rising, and with it the mobs would all be heading to bed. A few stray creepers might stay out, maybe an Enderman, but for the most part mobs feared the day. The day brought Players.

The four mobs fell asleep in their respective corners of the cave, but all the thoughts in the room seemed directed with stunned surprise at the small child, sleeping peacefully on the bed in the cave of misfit mobs.

Whew! This was a long night for the mobs, and a super-long chapter for you readers! I would've split this in two, but honestly I couldn't find a good spot for it. All the spots I found were too close to the beginning, so… it would be just too short a chapter.

Anyway, hope to update soon, if y'all like this series/story! Please leave a review on the poll on my profile page! Thanks!