The sky was blue and almost entirely free of clouds, allowing the sun to shine down. A gentle breeze blew through a small forested area, rustling the leaves on the trees and the blades of grass sticking up from the ground. The wind wasn't the only thing manipulating the grass, though; in the undergrowth, something moved slowly through one of the taller clumps of grass. It seemed to be a type of canine creeping on all fours while its green eyes looked around as it reached the edge of the grass. It couldn't see anyone else around.

Its eyes then shifted to look at a log laying on its side a short distance away. Its eyes flashed; it was time to make a move. It stood up on two legs like a human, revealing itself. It was actually a fox, a fox with a pink nose and blue fur covering its body save for its face, down its front, and the end of its tail, all of which were white. Its body was very similar to a young human female with signs of possessing an athletic build. She wore a yellow dress that went down to above her knees, a brown belt around her waist that had a small tan pouch above her right hip, a light blue gem on top of her chest connected to a necklace, two bracelets on her right arm, one on her wrist and the other just below her shoulder, and a bracelet and a yellow brace above her left wrist. Her feet, which were in yellow boots, were positioned slightly apart from each other as she held her hands out at her sides.

She looked around one more time before running over to the log, examining the top and sides of it. She found a couple strips of wood that were sticking out as well as some spots that seemed to be loose. She pulled off the pieces that were sticking out first and then extended her claws, using them to scratch at the bits that felt loose. She stopped scratching after a minute and took a moment to examine her claws. They seemed a little sharper and there didn't appear to be any signs of chipping. She nodded and returned her attention to the log to pull the loose pieces of wood off, adding them to her pile, placing the smaller pieces in her pouch, which already contained some pieces of wood. When she was almost done, she heard what sounded like another creature making a call or shout somewhere nearby. Her head shot up for a moment, a tense expression on her face before she quickly finished putting the remaining bits of wood in her pouch and gathered up the larger pieces in her arms. She then stood up and turned, running past the patch of grass she'd been hiding in towards an opening in the rock circling the forested area.

A minute later, she came out of the opening and was no longer surrounded by trees. She could see the early afternoon sky clearly and a glance over the nearby cliff to her left would've given her a great view of the village she called home. There was no time to enjoy the view, though; she had to get home. After taking a moment to make sure nothing was following her, she faced forward and started running again. She had to cross a rope bridge to get home; there were several sections of wood missing from the center of it, but she was able to jump over the hole without any trouble. She finished crossing the bridge and continued down the path on the hill on the other side, heading back to the village.

Reaching the base of the hill, she kept following the path, running past a lookout tower. She also ran past the house across from it, which had a sizable field of long grass in front of it. A man, a human with a small sickle in his right hand, rose up from the middle of the field and spotted the fox as she ran past. "'Hoy! Krystal!" he called.

The fox heard him and turned to look at him, slowing to a stop. "'Hoy, Mesa!" she called back, raising her right hand to wave at him.

"Hey, be careful where you get rid of your excess fur! It's not fun finding it when I'm trying to cut the grass!" he said.

Krystal looked embarrassed at that and brought her right hand behind her head, rubbing it nervously. "Ah, sorry! I'll try to be more mindful of where I am!" she replied. She then turned and continued following the path down to the sand and onto the wooden bridge a short distance away.

The island, known as Outset Island, was separated into two halves that were connected by said bridge, which was supported underneath by a rock sticking out of the water. Mesa's house was the only one on the eastern side of the island; the rest of the houses in the village were on the western side, and the house Krystal lived in was the furthest to the west. It only took a minute after crossing the bridge to run up the raised land to reach her home. She ran up the ramp at the front and reached her right hand up slightly over her head to grab the doorknob.

After she stepped inside and pulled the door closed, she called, "Aryll, Grandma, I'm home!"

While she set the wood pieces in her arms down to the side and was slipping her boots off onto the rug in front of the door, a human girl clearly younger than her with blonde hair tied back into short pigtails and wearing a light blue dress with red flowers on it came running around the corner and towards her as she exclaimed, "Big Sister!" Krystal had just finished getting her boots off when she felt the girl wrap her arms around her midsection.

"Oof! Easy, Aryll! Don't knock me over!" Krystal jokingly said while placing her left hand on the back of her sister's head. She slipped her feet into her white sandals next to where she left her boots while she patted Aryll's back. The girl let go after a few moments and she gathered up the wood, both of them walking further into the house.

Around the corner, their grandmother was standing in front of the fireplace, looking down at the weak flame in the hearth. She turned her head to look at her granddaughters and smiled, "Krystal, my sweet child. Did your search go well? You were gone a while…"

Krystal and Aryll stopped in front of her, the former saying, "I'm sorry, Grandma. I had to go across the bridge in order to collect wood. The trees on this side haven't grown new bark yet."

As she was setting the wood in her arms down next to the fireplace, Grandma asked, "You had to go to the tree by the lookout tower?"

Krystal answered, "Yes, Grandma."

Grandma asked, "You didn't go up the hill and into the forest, did you?"

Krystal froze at that. "Um…" she started.

Grandma smiled a moment later, "No, I'm sure you didn't. Now, how much wood did you collect?"

Krystal mentally breathed a sigh of relief and started pulling the smaller pieces out of her pouch. She knew Grandma didn't like her going up into the forest, especially alone, and she wouldn't have gone if the tree by the tower and the ones on top of the hill had given her enough wood. Lately, it seemed like the trees were taking longer than usual to grow new bark and they all had to do their best to make do with what they had.

After a minute, two small piles of wood pieces were sitting on the floor next to the fireplace. As she stood back up, Krystal looked at her grandmother and asked, "Is that enough wood, Grandma?"

The elderly woman smiled, "Yes, dear, that's plenty. That will do for now. Now you two go off and play while I get started on dinner." As Krystal and Aryll turned to go, she added, "And no going into the forest." They both nodded in reply and headed outside.

As the they walked down the ramp outside, Aryll asked, "Why did Grandma say that, Krystal?"

Krystal replied, "Ah, I wouldn't worry about it, Aryll. She knows you know better."

Aryll asked, "So, why did she say it?"

Krystal simply replied, "Because she's Grandma. She has to say it." The two were halfway down the hill now and as Krystal looked up, she spotted a familiar old man leaving the ground floor of the house at the bottom of the hill with a fishing spear in hand. "'Hoy! Orca, sir!" she called as both she and Aryll came to a stop.

The balding man looked up from his porch at the siblings. "Ah! Krystal, Aryll! Where are you two off to?" he asked.

"We're going to go play, Mr. Orca!" Aryll answered.

"I see. I was going to do a little fishing. Would either of you like to join me?" Orca asked.

"No thank you, sir. I'm not very good at fishing," Aryll said.

The man looked at Krystal and asked, "What about you, Krystal? Would you like to join me today?"

Before the fox could respond, they all heard two voices shout, "Krystal! Aryll!" The two looked up the path going up to the other side of the hill and saw two young boys running down towards them.

They could also see their father, Abe, running down the hill after them. "Joel, Zill!" he called after them, trying to get them to come back.

The two boys didn't heed and kept running, both bumping into Krystal who stepped in front of Aryll to spare her from the impact, particularly from Zill's constantly running nose. She raised an eyebrow at a sudden wet feeling on her left leg, but she put it out of her mind when Joel, the older brother, spoke, "Krystal! Krystal! Did you go up the hill earlier?"

Zill spoke up, "So brave!" While he was speaking, he sniffed up his runny nose, though moments later, it was dangling down to his little legs again.

Abe caught up a second later and said, "Boys, you can't go running off like that. You could get hurt if you're not careful."

The boys turned to him and Joel replied, "We want to play with Krystal and Aryll, Dad!" He swung the stick in his right hand around a few times, "I want to show Krystal that I can be like her and scratch things!"

Zill added, "Let's play!"

Abe looked down the hill and saw Orca. "It looks like old man Orca might want Krystal to come with him, boys," he remarked.

"Aw, really, Krystal?" Joel asked, looking disappointed.

"No fair!" Zill said.

Aryll looked up at Krystal and asked, "Krystal?" The fox looked at her for a moment before looking over at Orca, who did not look like he was enjoying being left hanging.

Abe picked up on this too, as he said, "You should go ahead, Krystal. Go catch some fish with Orca."

Joel and Zill both whined, "Aw, Dad!"

Abe said, "Don't worry, boys. I have a feeling you'll be seeing Krystal a lot tomorrow. You can play with her all day." He gave Krystal a knowing look, which she seemed clueless about. "Let Aryll have a day to play."

Aryll started, "But sir…"

Abe looked at her, "I've seen you these past few days, Aryll. You've been wanting to talk to Sue-Belle, haven't you?" The young girl nodded a bit hesitantly. "If you come play with the boys, I promise to talk to her and have her come talk to you before it's time to go home."

Aryll's eyes lit up at that and she looked up at Krystal excitedly. She smiled back, "Have fun, Aryll. I'll try to catch a big fish for you." With that, Abe led Aryll and his kids up to their house up the hill while Krystal turned to see Orca still waiting for an answer. He gestured to his front door with his left hand and Krystal nodded. He turned to continue down to the beach while she ran into his house to get ready.

A few minutes later, Krystal had a fishing spear that was comfortable for her to use and she and Orca were out a fair distance away from the shore in a small boat. Orca sat at the front of the boat while Krystal sat at the back, the former currently looking over the port side while the latter looked over the starboard side. Between them was a small pile of fish on top of a fishing net, most of which had been caught by Orca. Krystal had caught a few, but she was hoping to contribute more.

She spotted a distinctive fish shadow come close and immediately raised her spear, thrusting it into the water. Before she could pull it back out, the shadow turned and moved. Krystal gasped and tried to catch it before it escaped, quickly thrusting her spear several times. She leaned over further and further each time until, on her last thrust, she lost her balance and let out a cry as she fell towards the water.

She felt the cold, unwelcoming water wash over her head, arms, and upper body, but she also felt something firm pressing against her torso. She felt it pushing against her, lifting her out of the water and back. Her backside made contact with the inside of the boat a moment later, causing it to rock slightly while she took a few seconds to catch her breath. She then turned to look at Orca as he shifted his spear around to hold it properly, giving her a look as cold as the water dripping off of her onto the floor of the boat.

"Krystal, what were you thinking?" he asked in that dry tone he tended to use when he was unhappy.

"I, er… I thought I could catch it," she nervously said, realizing how foolishly she had acted.

"Have you forgotten all I have taught you? You won't catch any fish acting rashly like that!" Orca chided her. He turned to the port side of the boat, "Remember, be it swordplay or fishing, you must do your best to remain calm. You can't always jump in headfirst; you have to make an effort to stay focused and examine everything carefully." He looked down at the water and held his spear tightly in both hands. A moment later, he stood up and thrust his spear down into the water at an angle with a shout. When he pulled it back out, there was a big fish impaled on the point. "And we are not competing. Take your time and strike while taking the water into account. There's more than just what can be seen on the surface," he finished.

Krystal watched him shake the fish off his spear tip before raising herself up, crouching as she looked over the side again. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly for several seconds to clear her head before looking again. She saw another shadow come close soon after and she watched it carefully, trying to predict which way it was going. It got within range and she readied her spear, but rather than repeat what she did earlier, she remembered Orca's teachings and words just now and adjusted her angle before thrusting her spear into the water. When she brought it back out this time, it had a moderately-sized fish on it. "I got one!" she exclaimed.

"Good. Continue to show me you've taken my words to heart," Orca responded without looking at her. Krystal shook some of the water still on her off before moving the fish into the boat and going back to looking for more fish. After a couple of minutes, they both had caught another fish and Orca said, "We're seeing less fish now. I suggest we move to another spot." Krystal nodded in reply and they both set the spears down in the boat and picked up their oars to paddle over to a different fishing spot.

A little while later, they returned to the beach with a significantly bigger pile of fish between them. Orca gathered up the pile in the fishing net and Krystal followed him up to his house as he dragged it behind with his left hand. When they got to the front step, he turned to her and took her spear from her as he said, "Not bad, Krystal. I will say you made up for earlier. There's no time for a training session today. We can have one tomorrow. I'll sort through our catch and set aside portions for your grandmother and Abe and Rose."

Krystal bowed respectfully and said, "Thank you, Orca sir. I'll see you tomorrow, then." Orca nodded and went inside with his spears and the fish. Krystal stood straight up afterwards and looked around, not seeing Aryll. "She must still be playing with Joel and Zill," she thought. She looked over at the ladder leading to the second floor of Orca's house and decided to visit his older brother Sturgeon. "He is quite smart. Perhaps he could share some of his knowledge with me and it would nicely complement what I've learned from Orca," she thought as she walked over to the ladder and started climbing up it.

As she finished climbing up the ladder, the door opened and out stepped a young woman with purple-blue hair wearing a pink dress. She spotted Krystal and said, "Oh, hello, Krystal."

The blue fox replied, "Good afternoon, Sue-Belle."

The woman kept her hand on the door, holding it open as she asked, "Did you need something from my grandfather?"

Krystal answered, "I was going to ask if he would be willing to share some of his knowledge with me. I've been meaning to ask for a while, but I wasn't sure how to ask him."

Sue-Belle smiled, "Oh, you don't have to worry about him, Krystal. I'm sure he'd be willing to share what he's learned with you." She turned and leaned back inside, "Grandfather! Krystal is here to see you!"

Krystal's sensitive ears heard the man inside say, "Oh, really? Well, send her in, my dear!"

Sue-Belle turned back to Krystal, "Go on in. I have some things to take care of. I'll see you later." Krystal nodded and thanked Sue-Belle as she walked in, the woman pulling the door closed afterwards.

As she walked inside, she heard Sturgeon chuckling and looked over at the older man. Even though he was Orca's older brother, the two looked vastly different from each other. Sturgeon had always had a rather large head as far as she knew and, due to not having a single hair on top of it, it was his most distinctive feature. Unlike Orca, he spent his days inside studying and didn't make much effort to improve himself physically. Krystal had heard Sue-Belle had traveled to Outset primarily to take care of him, and looking at him now, she was glad his granddaughter was so selfless and caring.

Krystal walked over to him and he said, "Ah, Krystal! It is good that you have come to see me. I had my worries that my ruffian of a brother was the only one welcome in your mind."

Krystal, still feeling a bit nervous, replied, "Er, no, sir. I just… I guess I didn't know if I was welcome up here. You're always here and Sue-Belle says you're usually busy studying."

Sturgeon played with the end of his mustache with his right hand, "I suppose that's true. …But don't let that deter you, my dear! In fact, I'm glad you came to me on this day."

Krystal tilted her head, "You are?"

Sturgeon replied, "I'm getting on in years and I've been thinking of entrusting my vast sum of knowledge to someone. You could be that one."

Krystal asked, "What about Sue-Belle?"

Sturgeon said, "She hasn't shown much interest, and I'm not sure she really needs it. You, however… I think my knowledge would benefit you greatly!" He gestured with the staff in his left hand at the wall, "I believe a good place to start would be with the various notes I've compiled on the wall there." Krystal looked and saw ten piles of paper attached to the wall. "Now I know the way they're laid out is a bit unusual, but organizational issues aside, the information is extremely valuable. I have been around longer than you have, so I know that having good knowledge is important to succeeding in life. Once you've finished perusing, we can discuss further and delve into other matters."

Krystal looked back at him and nodded, "I understand, sir." She walked over to the other end of the wall where she guessed the beginning was. Sturgeon let out another chuckle as he turned and made his way over to his shelves of books.

A little while later, the door opened and Sue-Belle stepped inside carrying a vase on her head. After she closed the door, she turned and saw Krystal sitting cross-legged on the floor with a book on her lap and Sturgeon sitting on the raised part of the floor next to her. The man looked up at her a moment later and said, "Ah, Sue-Belle! Did you finish all your errands?"

She answered, "Yes. It took a little longer than usual because Abe and Rose said Aryll had something she wanted to ask me. She's certainly a curious and caring girl." She set the vase down, "I take it your time with Krystal also went well?"

Sturgeon replied, "Oh yes, quite! As you can see, she's also quite a curious girl. Once she's willing to sit and stay, she'll not only learn all she can, but ask interesting questions as well."

Sue-Belle asked, "Oh?"

Sturgeon nodded, "Yes, especially about the world beyond our little island. You, my dear, are probably more well-versed in that than I, however." Krystal had looked up at Sturgeon while they were talking and was now looking over at Sue-Belle.

The woman noticed this and said, "Well, I'm afraid I don't know all that much. I've only ever lived here and the island where I was born."

Krystal replied, "I know, and that's fine. …It's not strange, though, to want to know about the world and what else is out there, right?"

Before either Sturgeon or Sue-Belle could answer, they all heard Aryll calling, "'HOY! BIG SISTER!"

Krystal looked out the window and noticed the change in how the light outside looked. "Goodness, I hadn't noticed the time. Grandma will surely be wondering where we are soon." She shut her book and set it down next to Sturgeon before standing up. "I have to get going, Sturgeon sir. Thank you for offering to share your knowledge with me."

Sturgeon replied, "Of course, Krystal. It pleases me to see that you have an open mind for learning more about the ways of the world. I hope you'll come by again soon." Krystal bowed respectfully and said goodbye to him and Sue-Belle before leaving. After climbing down the ladder, she saw Aryll looking for her on the beach and snuck up behind her to playfully scare her. The younger girl let out a yelp and played along when she realized it was her, chastising her while giggling. They both then headed home afterwards.

A short while later, Krystal and Aryll were seated at the small table in their home as they ate the fish that Orca had delivered and their grandmother prepared for dinner. She had already finished eating and had moved to her recliner next to the hearth as she watched her granddaughters eat. They were finished after a couple of minutes, Aryll saying, "Mmm! That was delicious, Grandma!"

Krystal nodded, "Yes. Mr. Orca might catch the fish, but the way you prepare them is unmatched."

Their grandmother replied, "Thank you, my sweet grandchildren." She looked down to her right and reached for a thick brown book on the floor. It looked quite old, the covers faded and tears along the edges of some of the pages. She set it on her lap and said, "If you're all finished, dears, then come sit in front of the fire and let Grandma tell you both a story."

Aryll replied, "Okay, Grandma!" She got up, ran over, and took a seat on the rug, Krystal sitting down next to her a moment later.

Grandma looked down at the book and opened its cover. She flipped through the old yellowed pages for several seconds before finding her place. She then began, "This is but one of the legends of which the people speak… Long ago, there existed a kingdom where a golden power lay hidden. It was a prosperous land blessed with green forests, tall mountains, and peace. But one day, a man of great evil found the golden power and took it for himself."

Aryll let out a small gasp and Krystal reached over to place her hand on hers. Grandma continued, "With its strength at his command, he spread darkness across the kingdom. But then, when all hope had died, and the hour of doom seemed at hand…" She lifted the book up and turned it to show the picture on the pages of a boy in green clothes wielding a sword against some sort of beast man with a yellow triangle above them, "...a young boy clothed in green appeared as if from nowhere. Wielding the blade of devil's bane, he sealed the dark one away and gave the land light."

She turned the book back around and set it on her lap again. "This boy, who traveled through time to save the land, was known as the Hero of Time. The boy's tale was passed down through generations until it became legend…" she concluded, closing the book.

"Wow! That's an amazing story, Grandma!" Aryll exclaimed, jumping to her feet in her excitement. Krystal smiled at her, knowing this wasn't the first time that Grandma had told them the tale, or rather, this particular version of it. Aryll calmed down a bit and a curious expression came across her face. "But… What happened to that kingdom?" she asked.

"Oh, it's a very old legend, dear. Older than me, maybe even as old as the Great Sea, ho, ho," Grandma chuckled. "But all legends contain some truth, you know. That's why we keep them as part of our traditions even today, so that they won't be forgotten." She noticed Krystal had turned to look towards the window with a familiar expression on her face. It was as if she was searching for something far beyond her reach, far away from Outset Island. "Krystal? Is there something you would like to say?" she asked.

Krystal blinked and looked back at Grandma, shaking her head slightly to clear it. "Oh, uh… No, Grandma. I…" Her eyes briefly flashed over to the pictographs sitting on Grandma's dresser, one of the three of them together and another of a man and woman, before returning to the older woman. "Is it all right if I go out for a run? I think I may have eaten a bit much and I feel I should do something about that," she finished.

Grandma looked at her for a moment before smiling, "Of course you may, dear. Just be back before dark." Krystal smiled and nodded.

As she was standing up, Aryll looked up at her and asked, "Why do you worry so much about what you eat, Krystal? No one else seems to worry about it, and you're the most active person on the island!"

Krystal put her hand on the girl's shoulder, "Well, I've been watching, Aryll, and I think I do need to worry about it. Being active as you say is helpful, but I can't relax too much or it could start to add up." As she turned to leave, she added, "You'll understand someday, Little Sister."

After Krystal changed into her boots and left, Aryll turned back to Grandma and asked, "Will I, Grandma?"

Grandma replied, "Perhaps, yes, but I don't worry, dear. I don't think she's as worried about that as she says she is. I think she just needs to go out for a bit."

Aryll asked, "But why, Grandma?"

Grandma sighed and said, "Krystal is growing up, Aryll, and her curiosity is changing along with her. I've seen her. Rather than wondering about all sorts of things, she's focusing on specific matters. And more often than not, she wonders about the world beyond our little island. What's out there, what kind of people are out there, where she really comes from…"

Aryll spoke, "But why would she wonder where she comes from, Grandma? This is her home! Everyone loves her and she knows it! So why would she still be worried about that?"

Grandma replied, "Yes, that is all true, but it's not wrong for her to wonder. She was not born here; she has to have come from somewhere. And there's no one like her here. No matter how much this is her home, I'm sure that bothers her at times."

Aryll argued, "But it shouldn't! No one thinks she's different! No one doesn't like her! She shouldn't worry about what else is out there! This island is all she needs!"

Grandma said, "This island is also all she knows. She can't know if there are others like her out there. And the rest of the world can't be ignored either. Travelers sometimes come across our island and stop here, and they don't all share how we feel about Krystal. No one has struck her, but some of them have gone so far as to make their feelings known. Don't forget that."

Krystal, meanwhile, had run across the bridge to the other side of the island and up the hill. At the top, she passed the bridge and walked over to the edge of the hill. There she stood, looking to the north over the ocean. This was her favorite place to go when she needed to be alone and think. Looking at the vast Great Sea and the strange structure to the north had a way of calming her and letting her thoughts wander.

She closed her eyes and breathed in the air from the sea, standing like that for several seconds before opening her eyes partway. She was already starting to feel calmer, her thoughts turning to why she needed this. "It's been a while since Grandma read that old tale to us. She's never wanted to upset Aryll with the full story. She's told it to me, how that evil man returned one day and the Hero of Time did not come to save the kingdom. That tale is supposedly the only thing from that kingdom that survived. When boys are old enough here on Outset, they used to have the chance to be like the Hero: wearing green clothes, finding heroic blades, aspiring to cast down evil…"

Krystal let her eyes wander across the horizon, "I wonder if… Aryll's father took part in that. Did he ever leave the island? Is he still wandering out there somewhere with her mother? Or did something happen to them? Grandma has never told me. I…" She stopped that thought, knowing it was going to go to the one place she shouldn't let her thoughts go. "This… this island is my home. Everything is peaceful here. We're all close to each other, like family." She looked down and her right hand reached up to clutch the gem on her necklace, "I know, especially because of… that day…"

It was a warm and lovely day on Outset Island. Krystal was out for a walk with Grandma, who was holding the fox's left hand with her right hand while her left arm was holding Aryll, who was swaddled in a white blanket. Her little sister was just a baby, and Krystal herself was a little girl. Grandma was also a little taller and more ambulatory, more capable of filling the role of a parent to her two little bundles of joy.

As they were making their way down the hill, they noticed Orca was standing with another man on the beach. The man was wearing fancy-looking clothes, the hair on top of his head was cut relatively short, and he had a long mustache that went out to the sides. A fairly large yacht was floating in the water at the end of the dock. Whoever this man was, it was clear he was quite wealthy.

Grandma didn't know what the man had come to Outset Island for, but decided it was best to stay away from him. She led Krystal past the path that led down to the beach and the dock, but the wealthy man noticed her and called out, "Excuse me! Ma'am, a moment of your time, please!" Grandma turned her head and saw him looking directly at her, his left hand up and waving at her as he started to walk up the beach towards her. Unsure of what else to do, she stopped and turned to face him completely, moving her hand to Krystal's shoulder and lightly pushing her, making her stand behind her.

"Let them be! They've done nothing to you! Leave this island at once!" Orca said as he followed the man, who simply waved his right hand dismissively at his words.

"Oh please, you old coot. Surely, this fine lady is not as distrustful as you, and I believe I may be in a position to help her," he said. He came to a stop in front of Grandma and spoke, "Hello, dear lady. Thank you for stopping. Can you possibly help me convince this old fool to stop trying to accuse me of doing horrible things and go bother someone else?"

Grandma looked at Orca for a moment before looking back at the man and asking, "What do you want? We're a simple village; surely there's nothing here that you want."

The man replied without missing a beat, "Ah, dear lady, please! I'm not looking for anything special. I'm simply sailing the seas visiting the islands I find, meeting new people and helping where I can. I see you're taking care of a young child; that's wonderful!" He noticed some slight movement behind Grandma. "And what's this? Another child?" he asked as he began to peek around while she tried to keep Krystal hidden. Alas, he soon got a glimpse of the young fox and he recoiled at the sight. "My goodness, what is that thing?" he asked, disgusted.

A glint appeared in Orca's eyes and his brow furrowed at the man's words. "I beg your pardon?" he quietly asked.

Grandma, however, responded while letting Krystal step forward, though she kept her hand on her left shoulder, "This is my older granddaughter, sir. Is there a problem?"

The man looked down at Krystal with a critical eye while she shyly rubbed her hands together and looked up at him. "Well, my dear, I must say… Oh?" His eyes focused on the Krystal's necklace, specifically on the gem it had. He knelt down and brought his left hand forward, cupping the gem as he continued to examine it. Krystal brought her hands back, but otherwise did nothing as he did this. "My, my… What an interesting objet d'art. I don't believe I've seen a gemstone like this before. How did a beast like you come into possession of it?"

Grandma's eyebrow twitched. "What did you call my granddaughter?" she asked.

The man ignored her, still entranced with the necklace. After a couple of seconds, he looked up at her and said, "I must say, I'm quite impressed by this gemstone, my lady. How would you like to sell it to me? I'll pay you good Rupees for it. It would be better for it to be in my possession than being worn by this monster."

Before any other words could be said, the man suddenly found the point of Orca's spear less than a foot away from his face, which caused him to stand up and back away as Orca moved to stand in front of Grandma, Krystal, and Aryll. "I believe that's quite enough out of you. Keep your filthy Rupees and leave us in peace," he said darkly.

The man held his hands up in front of him, "H-Hey, c-calm down, old man. I-I didn't mean anything bad. It's just…" He was cut off when Orca moved the spear tip dangerously close to the man's face.

"I'm sure you didn't. I'm sure there's plenty of other things you've said that you didn't actually mean. You might think my eyes and ears are bad, but that would be a very big mistake on your part. Now you get back on that boat of yours and leave before I give you a reason to!" he threatened. It worked as the man quickly turned and scrambled away back to his yacht, pulling up the anchor and attempting to sail away as quickly as he could.

Once it was clear that the man wouldn't be coming back to bother them, Grandma looked at Orca and said, "Thank you, Orca. I was ready to give him a piece of my mind for saying such awful things about my Krystal."

Orca looked back at her, "You shouldn't have to waste your breath on a slime like him. I knew he was hoping to find something valuable as soon as he stepped off that boat, despite his claims to the contrary."

Grandma said, "I'm glad he turned and left. If he had drawn a blade…"

Orca replied, "If he had been foolish enough to do that, I would've been happy to teach him a lesson. I am certain, however, that he has never held anything sharper than a kitchen knife." Grandma gave a small titter at that.

Krystal softly spoke up, "He said he would give us Rupees… Are you sure that…?"

Orca walked over to the fox and knelt in front of her, getting as close to her level as he could. "Krystal… I know what you're thinking, and I think it's wonderful that you're thinking of others at your young age. But I assure you, you have nothing to worry about. You've only been in our lives for several months now, but everyone here accepts you for who and what you are. We all look out for each other; if someone is struggling, we're all willing to help them bear the load. It takes more than Rupees to be happy. If you continue to do as you're doing, you and everyone you meet will be much better off than with Rupees alone."

"Orca was right… He and everyone else in the village came to support us when things became difficult, and we've always returned the favor… It isn't always easy for everyone, but we get by all right," Krystal thought. She opened her eyes and raised her head, "It would be nice to find answers to my questions… But Outset Island is my home. Everyone I care about is here, especially my family. It's going to take something quite extraordinary to get me to leave." As her thoughts cleared, she noticed there was still some light left in the sky, but it was starting to fade, so she turned and started walking home.

A little while later, Krystal was removing her sandals, letting them drop onto the floor next to the bed she and Aryll shared. She looked up and smiled at Grandma, who returned it as she sat in her recliner, before she swung her legs up and turned so she could lay her head down on the pillow. As she began to settle down for the night, Aryll rolled over to look at her and asked, "Are you feeling okay, Krystal?"

Krystal tilted her head slightly and moved her eyes to meet her gaze. "Of course I am, Aryll. I'm exactly where I belong."

Aryll shuffled over to hug her arm and side, saying, "I love you, Krystal. I know everything will be okay when I'm with you."

Krystal didn't know what to say, feeling a bit overcome by emotion by her sister's words. So, she simply said, "I love you too, Aryll. She reached her left hand over and put it on her sister's side. They both fell asleep not long after. Grandma watched them for a little while longer to make sure they were sound asleep before standing up, walking over and climbing up to her own bed to fall asleep herself. The only sounds in the house afterwards were the crackling coming from the fireplace and the low sound of everyone's breathing.

Outside, there was a much larger world beyond Outset Island, but for its inhabitants, this was their world and it was peaceful. Krystal knew she was changing because she was coming of age soon and she thought that's why she'd been having all these different thoughts lately. She was sure she would never actually leave the island and entertain these adventurous thoughts.

She had no idea how fate and the past tended to work…