Aeryn followed Karli and Bjorun through the jungle, trying her best not to step on anything that looked like it could swallow her alive. The ground was moist and dirty under her feet, and the air was warm yet airy. All around her were the signs of a breathing forest, as she passed many thick jungle trees, rich with inhabitants like parrots and insects, and even some containing monkeys, as they darted from tree to tree. She stayed close behind them as Bjorun slashed through the thick shrubbery with his spear. She looked up and saw Karli looking back down at her over his shoulder.
"Don't worry, we're almost there. Can't imagine your confusion. We'll explain everything, I promise. But for now, just stay close behind. The jungles of this island are mostly friendly, but it's what lurks in the unexplored shrubs you should be wary of. Luckily, we're on a good path, taken many times by the people who live here," he reassured her.
"Island? Are we on an island?" she asked. From just a few metres ahead, she heard Bjorun sigh and then chop down a branch shortly after so they could pass through.
"We'll tell you everything you want to know. I know it comes as a bit of a shock at first. But just trust us, ok? And yes, this is an island."
Shortly after, they arrived at an opening in the trees where the sun was finally visible again. It was as if some giant had come through and ripped out a few trees in an almost perfect circle. Inside the circle were many huts and tents, made from the sturdy jungle tree wood and held up by what looked like bamboo frames. In the centre was a great fire, and Aeryn saw as people, many in basic, revealing clothing due to the extremity of the sun. Throughout this camp were many different people, some with skin as pale as snow, and others with skin as dark as the bark of the trees around them. Some were bigger, much bigger, and others smaller. As far as Aeryn could see, there were no children around here either. Disappointingly, she saw no elves like herself.
Walking through the camp, they passed by some tents where people slept or sat organising their things, some cooking food on their open fires, and others simply decorating with anything they found worthy from the beach. On the outskirts, a group of men were working tirelessly in the sun to create a new hut.
Eventually, they reached a hut that was surrounded by different-sized tents, and a group of people were sitting outside on a makeshift bench and stools, playing some sort of game with what Aeryn could see to be small gems, all of different colours. Kali approached the group, keeping Aeryn close to him.
"Good to see everyone around here in high spirits," Kali said to the group. They smiled as he approached, and Aeryn could tell he was well respected.
"Kali, you're back. Find anything?" one man said, as he rolled one of the gems across the table.
"Nothing too important. We caught one of those bastard crabs, though. It's down by the water, if anyone wants it. On the East side of camp, that is. Now, is Argein here? Or is he still up the mountain, doing whatever it is he does up there?"
"No, he's back. He's in his usual spot," the man replied.
"Thanks. Good luck with the game," Kali said, smiling at the group as he beckoned for Aeryn to follow him up a flight of wooden stairs and into the hut. It was the largest out of them all, and had a domed thatch roof, whereas the others mostly had pointy or square tops.
Nothing too important, huh? Glad he thinks a lot of me.
The hut was softly lit inside and was decorated with animal skins and woven rugs. In one corner was a makeshift bed, with its own bedside table and wall decorations, consisting of a few animal skulls and feathers. In another corner looked to be a station with various cooking supplies and pots and pans. In the centre of the room was a fire pit, gated off so as not to burn the flammable house materials to the ground, and sat by its side was a man with a feathered headdress and dressed in some kind of reptile skin gown. However, as Aeryn approached, she noticed that this was no man at all, but a reptile himself. He had all the limbs of a human or elf, sure, but his entire body was covered in scales, and his lizard-like tail rested in his lap. She had never heard of any race of being like this, and she cautiously joined Kali and Bjorun as they sat down by the fire opposite the reptilian man.
Aeryn enjoyed the warmth of the fire, although it was much hotter outside than in.
"How have you been, Argein? We're back from our scout, and we've brought you a gift," Kali said.
Aeryn looked to see Bjorun scoffing his face with a leg of meat that had been roasting over the fire pit, and he sat like a boy waiting desperately for his dinner. That's when it became apparent to her. Bjorun was young, much younger than she had expected. He looked no older than fourteen. It had been the hideskin clothes and mouth cover that had made him look that much older. And if she thought that he was older just by his eyes, and his eyes held experience, it made her wonder what exactly he had seen in his life to warrant such a drastic change in appearance. She then looked at Argein, who was already looking at her. He smiled.
"The tides washed another outsider to our shores. Who might you be?" he asked.
"My name is Aeryn. Can you please tell me where I am or how exactly I got here? I don't quite remember where I was before I ended up on that beach, but maybe I was sleeping? I feel like I'm dreaming, and my head just doesn't want me to wake up."
"Relax, Aeryn. You aren't dreaming. It might seem that way, but I promise you're not. Tell me, what do you remember?"
She tried as hard as she could to recall her life and her identity. She said, "I'm an elf from Helsgard. I live with my sister, who is studying to be a mage. I hadn't found my own purpose yet, but..."
"What is an elf?" Kali asked.
"What is... what do you mean? You don't know what an elf is? We're all over the continent," she replied.
"There is no continent," Argein said. "This is just an island. Wherever you have come from, it no longer exists."
"What do you mean? Please, just tell me plainly. My head is a mess. Who are you people? What is this place?" she asked furiously, tears welling in her eyes. She hadn't had a moment to think straight, and now the memories of her hometown were flooding back to her; her emotions were as high as ever.
"Please, relax. I'm sorry. I'm sure this is all so difficult for you. It was for all of us, once. It took me two weeks to speak to any of the inhabitants on this island because I was sure my friends and family were coming to rescue me," Argein said, poking at the fire. "Listen, Aeryn. For decades, people have been washing up on this shore. Some humans, some not. I can't say we've ever had an... what did you call it? Elve?"
"Elf. I'm an elf."
"We've never had an elf. Or anyone that looks like you. Your ears are pointy. Your hair, it's ice white. We have no one who looks like you here. This further proves to us that none of us are linked in any way. Where I'm from, my world, it's people like me. That's it. I had never seen a person with dry skin before arriving here on this island. Humans, they call themselves, like Kali and young Bjorun over here. Bjorun, why don't you tell Aeryn about your homeland?"
Bjorun finished his loud chewing and slurping and turned to face her. He swallowed the rest of the leg of meat and said, "Where I'm from, it's cold. My dad used to have fire like this, all the time. But not for the hot sun. He had it for the cold wind. The whole world. Cold wind. People like me, and ice and mountains as far as the eye could see. This is how I know that this world is not my world."
"So, what world is it? What exactly do you mean?" Aeryn asked. "Are you trying to tell me that there's more than one planet? I mean, where I'm from, beaches like this exist. But we don't have lizard people like you, either."
"Lizard people? Those little things you see slipping around on rocks? No, that's not what I am at all. But I understand your point. The leading theory is that everyone here is from a different world. Some are from the same. Halwai and Guama say they are from the same world, and that they live only a country apart. But you, elf. And me, lizard, as you say. We are outsiders."
"So why am I here? Why am I on this island?" Aeryn asked.
"No one knows. There are two main tribes on this island. There used to be one, and some of those people tried their best to find out about the island, and so they went searching, but they never returned. Then, a feud started, and now we, the shell-tide tribe, live here by the water. The other tribe, the sun-kissed tribe, lives on the mountain just East of here. I go there daily, and there isn't much of a feud anymore. The fact is, no one knows just why we are here. How did we get here? What's the purpose? No one knows. But we must survive. And that doesn't happen if war happens."
"Have you not tried to sail? Find a nearby island or landmass?" asked Aeryn.
"We have. But a storm always starts, and capsizes our boats. We have lost many lives trying to do so."
"What about my memories? Will they come back to me? I don't remember anything about the days leading up to this. It's like when I woke up, I was being born again, with no knowledge of who I was."
"No, they won't. I'm sorry to tell you this, Aeryn. But this island is your home now. This is where you must live."