"Look what you did! He made stinky water!"
"I didn't do nothing! We were just playing a game!"
"Well, he's scared of Witches. Why did you have to scare him like that?"
"It was just pretend. He is such a baby… His name shouldn't be Hero. Heroes don't cry like that and they don't wet their pants."
"Yeah! He's not Hero the Brave! He's Hero the Briny! Because he cries so much!"
"Briny Hero!"
"Yeah… Humans are disgusting."
"You're disgusting! And mean!" Margol heartily says as he grabs his sobbing little brother by his hand and begins to pull him away from the group of older children, now standing uncertain. More of them run up, some still pretending to be creepers and zombies, while Janik holds a hat with a stack of wheat stuck beneath its edges and a rope tied around it and trailing to his feet to imitate Rapunzel's long hair. Marish, playing the Witch in the story, scowls helplessly.
"What happened?" Terik hurries over and frowns at them, holding a stick that's supposed to be a sword as he helps fight monsters spawned by the Witch while she takes Rapunzel away to her tower – a lonely tree growing at village's edge. Now with several weeks passed after the near-drowning incident, the grown-ups are already forgetting to reenforce the rules and the children have a little more freedom about where they go to play.
Here, at the village edge between the houses and the wheat fields, they now run and play hide-and-seek and tag, and act out the stories that they heard the old librarian tell them.
"Nothing! I pretended to be a Witch who took Rapunzel away to the tower. And I guess I did it too well? Hero got scared and made stinky water." Marish winces with resentment and disgust, sticking out his lip. "Margol is going to take him home to change." He points at the younger villager who pulls his human brother with him.
Noticing that they are not going in direction of their house, but heading for the woods, Terik startles and runs after them.
"Margol! Margol, wait!"
The little villager refuses to pay attention as he keeps striding away. Still sniffling, the white eyed human runs along with him, a small wet patch showing on his trouser leg beneath his villager gown. At the sight of it, Terik wrinkles his nose and frowns.
"Margol, wait! Where are you taking him?"
"To the woods. Our cabin is too far. I'm just going to change his clothes and come back, all right?"
"Margol, wait! You're not supposed to go to the woods by yourself!" The older child helplessly protests, before he remembers to put on a stern tone and image. He is the leader of their group, after all. The elders said so.
"Margol, stop right now!" This time he speaks firmly and the younger villager stops, glaring back at him defiantly.
"What?"
"You cannot go to the woods by yourself! The elders said so!"
The younger villager hesitates and sniffs. "But it's right there. Just behind those bushes. I'm not going far. It's still within the village boundary, so it's safe." He stubbornly points to the sparse trees and the berry bushes growing right beyond the wheat fields, where a faint trail leads further up into the hills to the forest covering the wall of cliffs.
"And anyway, we don't have to be scared of monsters when Hero is around. His special magic will protect us. Right, Tnul?" The young villager turns to his brother, who runs up to him and joins him at his side. Immediately, the smaller villager readily nods his head.
"Aha. We safe. Hero's magic." He says simply, slightly slurring his words.
The two older children exchange a look, but Margol continues. "My atta says that his magic not just heals, but also tames all monsters."
"Well, I wish his magic would keep him clean instead, like our magic does." Marish huffs as he joins them, his hands stuck in his pockets. He looks at the little human with disapproval and Hero immediately shrinks, stepping behind Margol and clutching to his gown as his eyes fill with fear again and chin begins to tremble.
"Oh, stop it, Hero. He's not a real Witch. He was only pretending. Cannot you see that?"
White eyes turn to Margol at the admonishment and Hero obediently nods, trying hard to calm down. It is hard though because of the terror that keeps trying to rise within him, sending chills down his back. His trousers are uncomfortably wet and the disapproving looks all these children are giving him are making him feel embarrassed. Hero drops his gaze to his bare feet and continues to sniffle.
In frustration, his brother huffs and rolls his eyes. He then frowns at their group leader.
"Well, you're in charge, Terik. So if you come with me, then it will be all right. Right?" He demands to know. Terik exchanges a helpless glance with his friend Marish, who only shrugs.
"Oh, all right. Let's go then. I will help you." Terik makes his decision and goes to discouraged Hero and takes his hand, smiling down at him patiently. "It's all right, Hero. Don't worry. You're not in trouble." He turns to Margol. "You got his spare clothes?"
The little villager nods. Terik then starts slowly leading the way to the nearest bushes, hoping that they are far enough and dense, so the other children don't see what they are doing. Helping the little Human change is sort of embarrassing and his cheeks redden a little at the thought of helping someone change outside the house rather than in one's home. Margol seems unconcerned, though, because he seems used to the task, as he walks along with him.
"I'm heading back then." Marish says with a slight blush, too and waves at Terik's nod as he heads back to the other waiting children, ushering them back to the lonely tree. Forgetting about the Human, they resume their game. Only little Tnul gives the playing children a torn glance, but then walks with them.
A little later, everything done, the four children unhurriedly come out of the bushes and head back to the village edge. The little Human has changed into one of the several spares that Margol has ready in his inventory.
"Why is he so scared of Witches, anyway?" Terik curiously asks, eyeing the alien child walking with them, now calmed down and quiet. Margol shrugs.
"Atta says that a Witch badly scared him when she came to our house. We were all gone to the market and she came to our house and tried to take Hero away. So now he's scared."
"But the Witch is gone now. No one has seen or heard from her. And her house is empty and broken."
"Yeah? Atta says it serves her right for doing wicked things. The Jaio came and punished her."
"Oh. You mean the Creepers?"
"Yeah." Margol nods and says nothing else as he remembers in time that he shouldn't talk too much about what he overheard the other day between his father and grandpa talking. He walks ahead frowning.
"I think I better go home. He looks tired." He skews his eyes to the little Human as an excuse. Hero is walking slowly now as he peers at something on the ground, appearing to ignore everything.
"All right. I'll walk you home." Terik offers readily and again smiles at Hero. "Are you tired, Hero? Do you want to go home or do you want to play with us some more?"
Eerie white eyes lift and look at him as the child solemnly considers his words. He then opens his mouth and mumbles something.
"Hero, speak up. He cannot hear you." Margol sternly complains. White eyes flick to him nervously and then return to Terik apologetically.
"… Home." The child says softly. Terik's eyebrows creep up and he grins.
"He can talk now?" He asks with surprise.
"Aha." Tnul confirms cheerfully. Margol only shrugs.
"Well, he can say a few words now. Just very quiet. But he's learning better." He casts the little Human a grumpy look.
"That's good."
"He tattle-tales!" Margol frowns, revealing his reason for discontent with his brother's improving ability.
"Ah." Terrik stifles a smile and nods. "That's not good."
"Aha." Tnul confirms with a pout.
Together, the children continue to walk the trail leading to grandpa Grake's home.