Kel opened his eyes the next morning and slowly rolled out of bed. His head hurt something fierce. Glancing around the camp, it took a few moments for his eyes to focus. Groaning, he got out of bed.

He looked over at Mel's bedroll, and froze upon realizing she was not there. Looking around, he realized their camp had been torn to pieces.

"Mel?" he whispered hoarsely, the effort of pushing sound through is throat left it burning.

There was no answer.

Fully alert now, he began frantically digging through the camp. Looking up, he realized it wasn't early morning, but rather sundown.

Heavens, how long was I asleep for?! he shuddered.

"Mel!! MELL!!" he screamed frantically. Still, there was no answer.

It was then he noticed the tracks leading out of camp.

Gods above, I slept while my sister was kidnapped, he whispered in horror. Just in case she had managed to escape and hide, he ran in ever increasing circles around the camp, screaming her name all the while. It didn't take long before he was forced to accept the truth. Falling to his knees, he watched as the last vestiges of sunlight fell beneath the horizon.

Some brother I am he thought to himself ruefully. The night was pitch black and any hope of tracking would be impossible unless the cloud cover cleared. He didn't even know which way would lead him back to camp at this point; the waist high grass almost covering his head as he knelt in the utter darkness.

"How could I let this happen" he whispered through the tears. He had failed his mother. Even if it wasn't his fault, he still felt he failed her. Should have stopped her somehow.

But to sleep through our camp being raided and my sister taken?!?

Kel crumpled over his own body, his knees folded beneath him and put his hands over his head. Who knows how long they have been gone? It might already be too late.

"But I have to try" he whispered into the dirt beneath him.

He remained crouched there, in the middle of a pitch black field - so ashamed he couldn't move. Eventually, he took a deep breath to try and clear his head.

It was then his hand brushed against something on the back of his neck.

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He sat back up on his knees and felt the object again. It seemed to be stuck to his neck. Not really caring about consequences, he ripped it out of his neck. Even in the pitch dark, he could tell what it was.

A dart.

The Bastards. Kel grit his teeth. They had drugged him! Drugged him, destroyed their camp and kidnapped his sister - and left him alive so he would know what they had done.

His anger abruptly vanished, followed by an odd and absolute calm. "Oh, I see" he spoke aloud, his voice monotonous. I see indeed. You want me to kill you" he continued, to no one in particular.

"Don't worry Mel" he continued as he stood. "I will find you soon."

The earth seemed to feel his anger, small bits of leaves and debris struggling to leave the ground - slowly beginning to orbit him. Somehow, he just knew which direction he needed to go.

But the night was dark, and Kel saw none of this. He simply took the first step forward - the step that would begin his story.

===============

He had managed to walk for a while before a sudden wave of exhaustion had knocked him unconscious where he stood. He had collapsed to the ground without even realizing it - the debris falling about him.

***

A small field mouse poked it head out of its home. The clouds had cleared and the moon shone strongly now. Slowly, it crept out of its home and cautiously approached the human collapsed on the ground before it. Sniffing inquisitively, it cocked its head before sitting back on its haunches.

"How strange" is spoke, its tiny voice nothing but a squeak. It then continued on with its night.

***

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Kel woke the next day more sore than he had ever been. Groaning as he pushed himself up, he glanced about him. To his delight, he tracks beneath his feet - tracks that matched the footprints from his camp.

It seems I was going the right way last night he realized with delight. Forcing himself up, he ignored the pain and hunger to push on. He would find his sister.

===============

He travelled for the rest of the day before his stomach forced him to stop and eat. The berry bushes were as abundant as ever, and he had been able to grab some water when the tracks crossed over a small stream. If he had not been so intent on pursuing his sister's kidnappers, he would have adverted to the strange lack of animals. Usually, he and Mel would have to hide and tread carefully so as not to become some wondering predator's meal.

He would have been even more surprised to see the eyes of those predators watching him from the distance, leery and uninterested in drawing near.

Later the following day, he finally stumbled upon the kidnappers camp.

Or what was left of it.

As he drew near, he was assaulted by the ever increasing smell of slaughter. The ground was slick with blood, and the bodies of the kidnappers lay strewn in haphazard destruction.

The entire area had been levelled. Huge gouges were torn into the earth, as if some giant hand had simply reached down and plucked handfuls of dirt out. The trees were cut in half - literally. Every tree in the vicinity had been cut down, but Kel had no idea what had done it. Walking over, he ran his palm across one of the stumps.

"Perfectly smooth" he whispered in wonder, "As if the wind itself cut them down." Out of idle curiosity he rubbed more vigorously, but no matter what he tried, he could not pull a splinter from the wood. Looking at the bodies more closely, he realized whatever had cut the trees had cut the bodies as well - effortlessly chopping straight through muscle and bone.

Covering his nose with his shirt, he began searching for his sister. Whatever had done this was powerful, but he would not give up on her now.

After more than an hour of searching, he was forced to admit she was not there. "Either very good...or very bad" he mumbled to himself. One one hand, it meant she had escaped the kidnappers. On the other, what if she had escaped the proverbial frying pan, only to find herself caught in the fire?

"Mel" he croaked, his face upturned to the sky, "What do I do now?"

The wind gusted slightly, setting strands of his hair floating about his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a piece of paper stuck in one of the fallen tree's branches. Hurrying over, he carefully picked it up.

Kel, I'm ok. Don't worry - my rescuers found me before anything happened. I have to go now though...I'm sorry. Kel? This world is even crazier than we thought. I'll be ok - you go find something for you out there now. We will meet again one day, I just know it. When we are both stronger, we will find Mom. I promise.

Mel

"She's ok" he mumbled to himself, the words on the page blurred through his tears. "But she's gone too." His heart felt like it was being pulled into the earth by a huge weight, while also being lifted out of his chest. Honestly, he didn't know what he felt.

The wind gusted harder and ripped the paper from his hands, blowing it in ever increasing circles - higher and higher. Away from him.

And so Kel stood alone in the middle of a battlefield. Alone and lost in a world he did not understand.

He turned to face a random direction...and began to walk.