Margol was dreaming something nice, when a familiar cry sounded in the night. It was Grandpa Grake's human crying because of scary nightmares about a Witch. The sobs reduced to a sniffle as soon as Grandpa Grake's voice sounded, hushing his foundling.

Margol just drifted back off to sleep, when his atta's raised voice briefly broke through.

"I'm sorry, uncle! I'm sorry! How many times do I have to say it? If I could have done it differently, I would have done so! I am sorry that I believed her. It was hard not to, after what she showed me. And… maybe it really is the truth? We cannot know about it, can we? Because if what she told me is right, then… I have seen him respawn with my own eyes! That at least says that what she said about him is true."

"Shhh. Not so loud, child. And I'm not blaming you. Did I say anything?" Grandpa Grake's voice came sad.

"I'm sorry, uncle. I really only did what I thought was best. I… " Beor's voice came hushed this time, but so openly upset that even in half-sleep, Margol wondered what was the matter. It was probably because of the Human again. The sleepy small villager pouted, concerned and angry a little. Even though Grandpa Grake and his atta tried not to argue anymore, sometimes they still did, and it was usually about the little Human.

They paid so much more attention to him than to Margol and Tnul! The little villager jealously huffed and then stubbornly grasped his pillow and turned it so it covered his head. He wanted to go back to sleep!

The voices fell even lower and then the door of Hero's bedroom closed, entirely muffling the sound. Lifting up the corner of the pillow, Margol suspiciously listened, but heard only indistinct words that seemed calm as both his atta and grandpa Grake came to an agreement about something. Relieved that the argument smoothed over, Margol restored his pillow back to a more comfortable position and rested his head on it. He was asleep only moments later.

…

"Shhhh! Here he comes!" Margol whispered to his brother as both of them tried to stifle the giggles. Both of the children lay in the aromatic, gathered hay piled high to the rafters of their atta's barn. At the sound of the creaking door coming open, both children dived into the hay and held their breaths, doing their best to stay still. Margol peeked through stray pieces of straw sticking up and tickling his cheek at the small figure that appeared in the lit up doorway.

The small Human hesitated, his thin neck drawing forward as he mistrustfully swept the dark barn with his gaze. White eyes narrowed, brightening in the dark with faint glow that made the child's face seem ghostly pale.

Tnul couldn't help a small giggle before gulping in another breath and freezing once more. White eyes immediately pinning on their location, the strange little being stepped forward in small, unsure steps.

Margol waited a little longer, letting Hero get closer.

"Boo!" He sprung from the hay, bits of it exploding around his small figure and liberally covering his gown. Almost immediately, his brother jumped up, too, but too late – a stifled gasp sounded next to them and then the small Human's form darted out of the barn. Only the door remained slightly swinging back and forth.

"Boo!" Tnul repeated, late. Both children burst in open giggles, holding to their sides as they did so. Grandpa Grake's human was so easy to scare!

A thud came as of something falling outside followed by a small "Ow…". Margol's giggles dwindled as he turned and listened. A small whimper cut off their laughing entirely.

Margol hastily climbed out of the hay and ran to the door, followed by his younger brother. They found Hero's small form sprawled next to an overturned bucket and hoe. The little Human held on to his leg with both hands, his face scrunched up with his mouth open wide but no sound coming forth. Margol's eyes worriedly searched over him and settled on the long scratch across Hero's ankle, where bright red was already welling up.

Margol's eyes shot back to the little Human's face, noticing the usual briny water droplets oozing out and spilling past his wide open mouth. Tensing, the little villager waited and startled when as he expected, the strange child finally managed to pull in a breath and made a quiet little wail that quickly grew in strength.

Margol startled and winced.

Another breath and another wail carried across the wheat field even louder than before. Margol shot a worried look to the house.

"Hero! Hey, Hero! Look!" He called out and grinned when the child turned and looked at him. With pretend exaggerated show, Margol ran a few steps and stumbled, falling into the grass right next to the little human.

"Look, Hero! I fell, too!... " Margol tried to distract him. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. It… didn't. Though Hero's wail softened to a less loud sob. His whole body jerked with sobs. Wincing, Margol leaned closer and checked the bleeding scratch. As he expected, it was already closing, though strange red marks also appeared. It was they, which hurt Hero more than the scratch did.

"Oh, its just a little scratch, Hero. Look, its already gone!" Margol pointed out in frustration. The child's cries dwindled to mere sniffles. Relieved that it had gone without notice from the over-concerned grown-ups, Margol let out a breath.

"See? It's all right. Stop crying." He frowned. "Anyway, you want to play again? Its your turn to hide. Now you hide and we will look and you can scare us!" Margol generously offered, fully intending to hide in a place where Hero would easily find them and then pretend to be scared. That would calm him down for sure.

Hero just about quieted and made a small nod, when the house door opened and all three grown-up villagers appeared. One look and at the sight of Hero sitting on the ground with his hands still holding on to his foot, and Grandpa Grake gasped, hurriedly shuffling toward him. Of course, seeing him, the little Human once again started to cry, lifting his hands as he did so.

Margol huffed. Still sitting on the ground, he folded his arms across his chest and frowned, watching the old villager pick up the other child and start fussing over, checking if anything hurt. Finally, making sure Hero was fine, the elder hoisted him up and carried him to the house.

"What happened?" Margol's atta quietly asked, his face calm as he looked at both his children. Margol frowned, displeased. Tnul eagerly jumped.

"H-he fell!" The younger villager readily offered. "W-we were playing hide-and-seek and…" Their atta's expression relaxed. All three of them turned and watched Grandpa Grake carry the sniffling little human to the house. Sticking his thumb in his mouth, the child rested his head against his favorite caretaker's shoulder, while the old villager shushed him, gently saying something as he patted his back.

"Why were you playing? You didn't finish your chores, yet." Their atta glanced at disapproval at the abandoned tools laying by scattered stacks of wheat. Margol looked up, pouting.

"I am tired." He complained, meeting his atta's patient eyes. "How come we have to do everything when he gets to play?"

Margol's eyes returned to the little Human with new resentment, just as grandpa Grake carried him inside the house. For sure, the crybaby would get a piece of bread to snack on, while he and Tnul would not be allowed to eat until dinner time. It wasn't fair!

"You only have to work for an hour, child. You're old enough to start learning trades. He… is not." Their atta glanced toward the house where grandpa Grake disappeared with Hero, his lips twitching a bit as though he tried hard not to smile. Margol's eyebrows lowered even more as he stuck his chin out.

"He is older than we are!" Margol stubbornly complained. Even from their distant place, he could see groups of children running around and playing in the village, but neither he nor Tnul were allowed to join them without supervision, simply because Hero might follow them and get lost and hurt again. For some reason, both their atta and grandpa Grake would always get scared if that happened, even though Hero had magic that would heal him every single time.

This time, his atta did smile. Coming over, he reached out his hand and helped Margol get up.

"Come on. Clean up and come inside. I have something to tell you. Both of you." He said calmly, but for some reason looking slightly guilty. Margol narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously, but then obediently nodded. Their atta smiled again, helped shake some of the stray straw from their gowns, and placing his hands on their shoulders led the way inside.

…

Scowling, Margol stood in the square of their village, stiff in his best ceremonial robe, which rubbed his shoulders and made him afraid to lift his arms so as not to tear the strained cloth. It was also hard to breath, because this gown felt too small. He was growing faster than Tnul. A look next to him showed to Margol his brother, who stood with the same look of boredom and misery that Margol felt himself. That made him feel a little better.

All around them went on a celebration as other grown-ups villagers cheered, exchanging pleasantries and food.

A Day of Blessings. A lot of new babies had spawned in the village today and all were already claimed, with some even fighting over who the children were meant for, sure that they were here for them.

"Look at his nose! It looks just like my nose! He is definitely for me!" One villager would say and glare at another, who would huff with disbelief. "No! His eyes are definitely mine! Look how big they are!"

That brief fight had ended quickly after an elder came and looked at the child, after which he pointed to the second villager. The first deflated but accepted the ruling since everyone else was watching. The second villager then picked up the child and now didn't let him go, carrying him from one group of villagers to the next, showing him off.

"My little Danek is the best looking little villager. He has my eyes and chin!"

The villagers would lean toward the new baby, who would look at them with huge, green eyes full of curiosity at the noisy, cheerful place surrounding him. The child in Raz's hands looked no different to Margol's eyes than the two other babies in hands of other villagers nearby, but they for some reason nodded, agreeing with his excitement.

"Mine has a big head and nose. You can tell right away that he will be smart. He will definitely become a better librarian than me!" Old Fir grumbled with proud tone from his side and everyone next to him began eagerly nodding, too. There were even more villagers looking at the old librarian and his chosen child simply because the stern villager had so unexpectedly decided to claim him. He had not warned anyone that he would do that and when he came, strolling along the line of babies gathered to the village square, everyone fell back and waited. The elder stopped by one child, glaring at him as if displeased at what he saw, and then to everyone's surprise reached out and picked him up, the air around the child shimmering as he named him.

"Tavish…" Someone said with respect and awe. The old librarian humphed, giving his child a small smile. He had not let go of him since.

Now, everyone agreed with how serious the child looked while he waited for his caretaker, while the others cried or giggled. He was meant for the librarian!

Margol huffed and sullenly looked away from the group. No one came to congratulate his family about their blessing. With envy, Margol could see other older siblings jumping with glee as they boasted to each other about whose sibling was best. Unable to help himself, Margol skewed his eyes and looked at his and Tnul's new brother. The little Human stood next to them in a new villager robe that was too big for him. His mouth hung slightly open as he foolishly gazed about him at all the commotion. As if dressing him as a villager could fool anyone into thinking that he was one.

Margol huffed and turned away, pouting as he decided to ignore the dumb human. He was so angry right now! Why did their atta have to adopt Hero and make him their brother? Why couldn't he just stay with grandpa Grake as before?

"Stay right here. I'm going to get us some food." Uncle Rangil's nervous voice distracted Margol. Glancing at the older villager, Margol watched their uncle hurry out of sight into the nearest building – a bakery. Huffing again, Margol frowned. His uncle's words would have been a good excuse to escape from the crowds. Only he went inside! And Margol could clearly see a table right there by the door, full of candied apples, sweet breads of all sorts, and other tasty things just waiting for everyone. Margol's stomach rumbled at the sight of it all. He could only hope that their uncle would remember to pick up a few sweets when he came back! That would be the only good thing about this Day of Blessings.

Where was their atta?

Frowning, Margol searched in the shifting, colorful crowds. He found grandpa Grake, smiling as he bent to pat a little shy villager on his head, before saying something kind to his family. Timmy - adopted just last year by that goofy looking villager nervously stepping from foot to foot - Murry. The other villagers in the village sometimes called him dumb behind his back, and Timmy seemed just as lost, but at least they were both nice when they came to visit and always brought good things to eat. They came each week. Timmy didn't mind playing with Hero, either, if he tagged along. At least he used not to mind. Last two visits, he didn't even come with his atta to visit and when Margol waved to him in the market, he turned away, pretending he didn't see him.

"Hey." A mild voice made Margol's eyes snap before him to a tall child who was nearly a year older – Kish. Behind him lingered four other children – his best friends, Luk, Mirs, Tomas, and Deras. They all smiled, but Margol frowned at them with mistrust, his entire body immediately tensing.

A few months ago, when Margol and Tnul got permission to leave their house and go to the village on their own, these children had been friendly to him and Tnul, even though they didn't like Hero very much. One time they went to play and Hero tagged along and then went missing when they were not watching him. The End Traveler brought him home that night, but Margol's atta became so angry that he forbid Margol and Tnul to leave home without supervision. The other children then came and started teasing that they were babies and Margol became so angry that he yelled at them. Since then, they no longer wanted to be friends with either him or his brother.

"What do you want?" Margol grumbled, unwillingly casting a hopeful look to the door of the bakery and wishing that uncle Rangil would come out. It remained closed. Next to him, Tnul uncomfortably shifted, stepping just a bit behind Margol for protection. His already big eyes got even bigger as he watched these older children.

"Nothing. Just wanted to look at your new… brother." Kish grinned, his green eyes turning to stare at the hapless little human. Glancing next to him, Margol saw Hero looking up with a friendly and clueless expression. He couldn't help a wince. The Human looked so stupid, standing there with that goofy smile. Kish sneered with open mocking before shifting his gaze back to Margol.

"Are you going to become like him now?" He asked Margol.

"What?" Margol frowned.

The older child's lips twitched as he continued to smile. "Are you and your brother are going to become nitwits, too? Since he is now your brother?"

"… We're not!" Margol instantly flushed, his hands clenching into fists. "And he is not a nitwit!" He yelled, making several grown-up villagers turn in their direction with surprise. Their faces disapproving, they turned away, shaking their heads. Margol felt embarrassment rushing up and filling his body with trembling. He hated this!

Kish held Margol's glare. "He is a nitwit. Everyone says so. And my father, too." He firmly declared.

"Yeah. Mine, too."

"And mine!" The other children readily agreed, nodding. Margol scowled at them.

"He is just… little, that's all! When he grows up, he'll be smart like all Humans. Smarter than you!" Margol tried to keep himself from yelling, desperately trying to use the words that his atta said himself. He knew that he didn't sound convincing, since he didn't really trust those words himself when atta said it. His atta's look in Hero's direction had been doubtful. But even if Hero was dumb, he was still family! So, nobody could talk about him like that!

"Margol, Tnul. I know you may not like it, but I have made my decision. Your grandfather is getting too old to care for Hero and he is going to need a family. You will be his big brothers, so you can protect him and help me take care of him."

"But whyyyy?" Margol cried with disappointment. Everyone in the village already made fun of him and Tnul because a human lived in their family.

The very first time that atta brought all three of them to the village and left them alone, the other children had instantly surrounded them.

"He looks weird and he smells." One of the children immediately declared.

"His eyes are weird. I don't like them."

"And what are those things in his mouth?" One of them leaned closer, rudely peeking in the gaping little boy's mouth. Turning around to the other children, the little villager teased. "He looks like some monster from the woods." Everyone laughed, but it made Margol regret that Hero was with them. And now grandpa Grake's human was their brother?

"Everyone deserves to have a family." Their atta gently insisted.

Margol fumed. "Then he should be with his own family! With the other humans, not us!" He hated this news! His atta exchanged a sad and uncomfortable look with grandpa Grake, who sighed as he looked down, his posture slumping. Their atta forced himself to smile when he looked at Margol again.

"I already made my decision, kari. You are going to be a big brother. It means that you'll be in charge. Both Hero and Tnul will have to listen to you and do as you say."

Margol looked up; a bit mistrustful. "Yeah? I'll be the big brother? Even though he is older?"

"Of course." Their atta encouraged. "He is human, so he is still very little. Look, even Tnul is now taller than he is. So, both of you will be his big brothers."

Margol turned and looked at his future brother, who was nodding off at the family table. Hero still had to sit on a little bench to be able to reach to his plate. After a bit, Margol nodded in agreement.

"He is small. And he gets scared a lot. I'll be his big brother and protect him." He declared with a lifted chin. Remembering about his own brother, who was not paying attention to anything as he played with noodles in his soup, he hurriedly added. "And Tnul, too!"

"Good job, Kari." His atta smiled approvingly, which sent warmth through Margol's heart. "I'm sure that you will be the best big brother in our village."

"No, not just our village. He will be the best big brother anywhere! In our entire world!" Uncle Rangil said seriously, though his eyes laughed.

"Best big brother in all the worlds." Grandpa Grake added, chuckling. Margol happily grinned. He was almost happy with his role, then.

He felt so stupid now. He hated this!

"Your brother is also dumb. Does he still not talk?" Kish stared at Tnul, whose face immediately twisted as he prepared to cry. Instead of doing so loudly, he turned away and hid his face in the sleeves of his best gown.

"Both of your brothers are dumb. Dummy dumb dumbs." The older child concluded with satisfaction.

"Yeaaah." Kish's friends nodded.

Margol made a step forward. "Take that back!" He yelled, no longer caring that other villagers turned to look again. All Margol could see was that child's mocking grin.

"Why? It's true. Neither of them can talk." Kish shrugged.

"Tnul… he is just shy!" Margol exclaimed but the other child only smirked. With a growl, Margol leapt at him, tackling the taller child to the ground.

…

Beor, politely talking to one of the friendly traders inside his stall, heard yells outside and his heart immediately fell as bad feeling appeared. He ran out the door and froze.

Sure enough, he saw his oldest child pummeling another child in the dirt while several other children jumped and ran around them, crying. Frowning, in few great steps Beor interrupted the unbecoming sight. Pulling Margol up by his torn up and dusty shirt, while his child continued to try to jump forward, growling like a little animal, Beor blinked at him with confusion. Another grown up villager hurried to run in and shielded his child, who sniveled as he looked up with excessively frightened face.

"Y-you… Keep that monster away!" Narid threatened. Beor looked at his child with a lost look. Margol still tried to hit the air with his hands, his eyes glimmering with fury.

"Your child is a monster… P-pale-faced!" He accused. The villagers around them gasped and Beor himself startled. A glance at his child, however, showed only the normal skin tone. Margol, only now realizing that everyone was looking at him, hung in his father's arm without further attempts to fight.

"It's… it's your Human!" The injured child's father pointed a shaking finger in direction of the little Human, next. Everyone turned as one and stared at the small figure huddling by the wall. Wide-eyed, not understanding the reason but frightened by what happened and the strong wave of disapproval that suddenly poured against him, Hero visibly shrunk and took a step back. To Beor's relief, uncle Grake already hurried toward him. Clutching to the old villager's gown, the small child hid behind him.

Narid looked to everyone for support. "That Human's very presence brings violence and bad luck!"

Some uncertain hums followed and some of the villagers nodded. Beor's brows flew up.

"What? That's ridiculous! Little Hero wouldn't hurt anyone. It's probably just a fight because of careless words that your children say. Your children tease mine. That's not nice." Beor's voice gained a firm tone.

"Your child attacked! I demand recompense! Or I'll be taking this to the elders!" The other villager yelled back. Beor sighed.

"Fine. We will discuss this later." He reluctantly gave in.

Just then, Rangil stepped out of the bakery with a big packet in his arms. Freezing, he blinked with wide eyes at the scene. Noticing Beor's gloomy look in his direction, he visibly shrunk as guilt appeared on his face. Beor turned away and searched for Tnul. As soon as his eyes found the little villager, fearfully peeking from behind the corner of closest building, Tnul ran to him and grasped on to his shirt, hiding his face in it. His child's face was red and puffy from crying.

Forcing himself to straighten, Beor turned and gave the hushed crowd a firm look.

"This won't happen again." He promised. At that, many villagers relaxed and nodded. Several conversations started at once as they turned to each other to discuss what happened. Beor frowned at his child and Margol shifted under that heavy look, biting his lip as he realized how much trouble he had just caused.

Not willing to scold his child in public before he determined the reason for all this, Beor took each of his children by hand and led them from the market. His brother hurried to catch up and walked next to him with meek expression.

"You were supposed to watch them." Beor accused quietly and the younger villager slumped even more, casting his gaze to the ground as he walked. The bag of sweets felt very heavy in his slightly shaking hands.

"I'm… m sorry." Uncle Rangil apologized. Beor's lips thinned, but he nodded, accepting his brother's apology.

He didn't say anything else, slowing down his pace long enough for grandpa Grake to also catch up to them, leading the little human, who had to run to keep up. Letting go of Tnul and Margol, Beor leaned and with one easy movement caught up the strange child. Carrying his weight in one arm, he resumed his walk, trying his best to ignore the hum of conversations starting up behind him.

"He really adopted him?... Grandpa Grake's human?"

"Is that what the fight was about?"

"Yes, I heard them. Narid's children did tease. They called the human a nitwit."

"Well…" The doubt carried in the villager's tone spoke plenty.

"And they called Beor's other child a nitwit, too." The other villager pointed out.

"That's not right." The listening villager's tone changed immediately. "I know that child. Tnul is quite bright."

"I know. So that's why his brother fought. Margol is a very jealous big brother. So I don't really blame him."

"Still, it's not right that he attacked Narid's child like that. That's not something that villagers do. We don't fight!"

"I agree. I believe it's because Beor is keeping his family too far away from the village. I know that he wants to protect his children from teasing, but they must come and learn with everyone else. All villagers must come and learn. Otherwise, how will they know how to follow the rules? Learning is very important."

"What about their Human? Last I heard, he still does not understand our words."

"Few Humans do! But he can still learn. He must learn! Or he won't be allowed to stay here much longer. Watch if Narid won't go to the elders and complain this very night!"

"Yeah, he will do that." The last villager's words came accompanied by a regretful sigh. They were the last words Beor and his family heard when their steps carried them out of the Market.

Rangil took a breath of relief. Uneasily, he gave his older brother a timid look.

"They are right, you know… You cannot keep keeping them away from the village forever." The younger villager looked at Margol and Tnul, walking next to their father with their faces down. "They need to spend more time with the other little villagers and listen to the elders. And he needs to come there, too." Rangil's look to their uncle's little foundling was almost unfriendly.

"It's probably going to be all right. That strange monster won't come to the village. He only comes at night or… in the woods, when no one is there with him. So, it will be all right to bring him to the village." Rangil's voice grew uncertain and trailed away.

Beor's lips pinched while his face darkened with worry. Grandpa Grake's silent look held on his nephew's face and turned away without saying anything. Only his stooped shoulders stooped more and his pace grew even more weary, while guilt settled on his face. He knew that he was placing a heavy burden on his oldest nephew.

"The more we keep him away from everyone else, the more false tales they are going to tell. Its better if they all see him. Then they will get used to him. And… They might be a bit mean, but they won't hurt him. It will be easier to watch him if he starts playing with the other children in the village." Rangil insisted.

"I know. We'll talk about this at home." Beor promised in a quiet tone and continued to walk.

Behind them, the conversations continued, getting louder after Beor and his family had left.

"It's that human's fault! Elder Jahn was right. He knew all along that we would have problems!" Narid eagerly told everyone nearby, still shielding his child who continued to sniffle as he slightly limped. The eyes of many villagers held pity and even a little anger as they crowded around the butcher, listening to him.

"Grake should have never brought that… that monster among us! Ever since he came, there was bad luck!" The villager said earnestly.

Next to him, another villager thoughtfully nodded in agreement. "I think Narid is right here. It was a bad idea to bring a Human among us. Especially since he has magic."

"Oh, its more than that! Its not even a Human! When I say a monster, I really mean – a monster! I mean, you know that it doesn't even say Human under his name, right?"

"That's because he is a mage." Librarian Fir grumbled from where he stood nearby, still holding his little child. The older villager's face twisted a bit, both reluctant and displeased. He glared at Narid, who briefly shied back.

"That's why his eyes glow with such unusual color. Silver and white. Because of his unusual magic. We think its some form of light magic." Fir's assistant, a younger villager readily added to support his teacher.

"He's scary! Every time he looks at me, I feel a chill, I swear." Another villager spoke up, undoing the defense on Grake's foundling's behalf. The librarian made a huff. The remaining villagers continued.

"Me too!"

"And me!"

"There is something very strange about that child. And it's not just because it's a Human." Raz noted thoughtfully, rocking his new toddler with worried expression.

"Because it's not a Human. It's not!" Narid burst out. At librarian's disapproving look, he hesitated, but then puffed out his chest. Fervent certainty filled his words. "I don't think it's a Human. And elder Jahn doesn't think it's a Human! At all! That's why they don't bring him here! He has strange magic!"

"What do you mean?" Someone frowned at the villager. Encouraged by their attention, he searched among them and his face brightened at the sight of the shy villager, who visibly shrunk when everyone's attention followed Narid's gaze to him.

"Murry! Tell them! Tell them what you saw!" Narid demanded.

The small farmer timidly looked around. "I… I…" He mumbled. Impatiently, Narid turned to other villagers.

"Two months ago! He went there to their farm and he saw… Their Human! He was standing and smiling, looking at the woods. His child went to see what it was he was looking at and… It was a creeper!"

The villagers shifted, uncertainty reflecting on their faces. At their questioning glances, the farmer looked at his child, who with a similarly timid expression nodded. Stunned, the villagers exchanged confused looks.

"And… it didn't attack him?" Someone verified.

"No!" Narid raised his voice, giving them all a look. "And what's more…" He waited until he had everyone's attention. "He saw a fox! It was eating from the child's hands! It ran away as soon as it saw them." The villager pointed at the farmer, who again quickly nodded, easily giving in to pressure.

At that, the older villager, Grish, rolled his eyes. "Oh, that's just the fox he tamed. Nothing unusual. Humans do it all the time, with food. You don't need any magic for that." With everyone looking at him, he grinned. "Grake told me all about that. Complained that he didn't have the heart to get rid of it, because his little Human brought it home. He read a lot of books about the Humans and that's where it said that they could tame non-magical creatures, too. And maybe even magical. Maybe that creeper liked bread? That little Human is something."

The old villager shook his head in a relaxed manner. The librarian frowned.

"Yes, that's true. Humans can tame other creatures, with and without power. Even some monsters. You should not throw such accusations without proof."

Narid shrunk a bit again, but then furiously frowned. "Well, I still say that its not good that they brought him here! Human or not a Human! And you know that I'm not the only one!" With that, he turned around and left, leading his child away. Kish still limped, holding on to his atta's gown, though now it was on his other foot.

Watching them leave, the librarian shook his head with disapproval. Another villager stepped in to join them.

"I hate to say it, Fir, but he has a point. There has been a lot of discontent in our village, ever since Grake brought that Human here. And what will happen next? I have a bad feeling about it."

The librarian nodded, while the other villagers around them began to disperse into groups, still talking, the festive mood of the event not so festive anymore…

Margol ran from time to time to keep up with his father's big steps. He kept glancing up at his father's grim face. Soon, he began to sniffle. He was going to get in big trouble now for sure! And it was all because of that human. Margol gave him an angry look. Hero didn't notice. Too tired out by everything that happened, he was already half asleep, with his head leaning against Margol's atta's shoulders. His atta – jealousy burst as Margol watched the child in his atta's arms.

His green eyes returned again to his atta's face and saw the pinched lips and a frown. Atta seemed so worried. Jealousy turned to guilt. He really messed up. Villagers didn't fight. He knew that! Grandpa Grake, and uncle Rangil, and his atta all told him that many times. So why did he get so angry and hurt that other child? He wanted to hurt him! As if… as if he was some sort of Pale Faced from a story about monsters that grandpa Grake read to Hero at night!

What was wrong with him? He wasn't a good big brother… He wanted to protect Tnul and even Hero, and instead… instead he made everything worse!

Margol's sniffles broke through into outright sobs as he ran another few steps, only to drag his feet with his gaze dropping to the grass under his feet.

His atta's strong hand suddenly grasped his shoulder. Throwing up a look, Margol found his atta looking at him with so much kindness.

"It's all right, kari. It will be all right, don't worry." Atta's voice did not sound angry, only a little tired and worried.

"I'm sorryyyy…" Margol burst out in earnest. Slowing down to a pause, Beor allowed his oldest to hide his face against his gown, while he gently patted his back. His own face shadowing with guilt, he exchanged a look with his quiet uncle and younger brother.

"It's all right, kari. Its all right. Shhhh." He continued to pat the distraught little villager's back. With a sigh, Rangil stepped in and took sleepy Hero from his hands into his own arms, resuming their walk home. Grandpa Grake went with him.

Beor walked a little slower behind them, both his hands resting on his children's shoulders. When they looked up at him, he hopefully smiled back at them.

"Don't worry, my children. Everything will be fine." He promised. And his voice was so strong and sure that both Margol and Tnul calmed, their worries lifting away a bit, though they didn't leave completely.

"Let's go home." Beor said gently. Obediently, still looking up at their atta with trust, both young villagers walked next to him with their heads lifted, though Margol still sniffled a little.

He believed his atta. Everything will be fine. Their atta was the best, smartest villager in the world! Margol even smiled a little.