We advance through the forest, with Ronain leading confidently, and me following behind him. Still slightly uncertain about our goal.

I've gotten better at navigating the forest, but Ronain looks like a master. He moves with a fluidity that speaks volumes to the hours of each day he spends in this forest.

Then, he abruptly pauses and approaches a cluster of plants growing at the base of a tree. With a small knife from his satchel, he carefully cuts them off and gathers them.

I step up to see what he's doing, and he turns around with a smile on his face, pushing one of the gathered stalks up to me.

"Bidh am fear seo ag obair an aghaidh pian" he says, but at my confused expression, he instead mimes rubbing the stalks together and smearing the result on my wounds. Then he does a surprisingly convincing imitation of sleeping.

I guess it helps you sleep? Or make your wounds better? I'd love something like that, but from the looks of it it's not quite as simple as just rubbing them together. Ronain stores them in his pouch, and moves on.

We stop like this a few more times, Ronain nearly running through the forest, but never in too much of a hurry to show me what he's gathering or what the uses are.

I'm still in shock that the young boy in front of me knows so much about herbs. Much less that he's out here in the forest by himself gathering them. Are his parents not worried? His own worry seems to be chiefly returning home on time, his distraction this morning certainly not anticipated.

I wonder if he comes to that cave regularly? It would make for a fantastic hidey hole for a ten year old, just like it is for me.

At some point, in late afternoon, Ronain seems done, and sets off at a much more leisurely walk towards what I presume to be the village. I've managed to keep paying attention through most of this time, but I can feel my own eyelids drooping.

Suddenly, the village is there. The cluster of buildings visible past the trees in the distance. Clearly Ronain has no issues bringing me this close to the village, but I can hardly go with him all the way.

The child may think I'd be fine, but I know better. If their modus operandi is to attack me on sight. I doubt he'll be treated well if he shows up with me in tow.

I stop walking, and after a few seconds he notices this fact, then turns back with a question in his eyes.

I hesitate. I really want to continue with him, and see if the villagers will react differently with someone to vouch for me. If it had been anyone else, I might have gone with it. But Ronain has been nothing but good to me, and I do not want to repay that by putting him in danger.

I shake my head emphatically and point to myself, then slice my flat hand through the air in front of my throat. I hope that message is as clear in his world as it would be in mine.

Evidently it is, as he starts, then turns contemplative for a few moments. I can practically see the light bulb coming on. I don't know what he's realized, but it's something important. For a horrifying moment, fear flashes across his features, wholly out of place on a child's face. And he seems to take an involuntary step back.

It doesn't take more than a moment before he recovers though, the fear morphing to confusion. He shakes his head, eyes downcast, and mutters "Chan urrainn dhomh a chreidsinn, tha thu nad aon dhiubh."

I see him glancing at me out of the corner of his eyes, before shaking his head, as if dismissing whatever he was thinking.

Uncertain about his meaning, I look at him with a questioning gaze, my heart now filled with a familiar fear. All my muscles are tensed to bolt away should he suddenly decide I'm a threat, and start shouting to alert the villagers.

He stands there a little longer, thinking, when he suddenly jerks, and gives me a once over again, his eyes seeming to rest on the dress that I am wearing. Then he nods, as if to himself: "Agus gu dearbh is tusa am mèirleach".

He looks uncertain, and I hold my breath. Will everything be alright? The thought of losing my only friend just after finding one fills me with despair.

His eyes widen when he sees the worry written on my face and that seems to decide for him as, without hesitation, as only a child can, he runs back to me and hugs me. Though he's only ten years old, he's already quite sturdy and has no trouble encircling me with his arms.

I freeze. Of all the things I had expected, this wasn't it. He mumbles into my chest: "Duilich, bu chòir dhomh a bhith air tuigsinn na bu thràithe, bha mi dìreach..."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

He pulls back and the expression on his face is nothing less than pure embarrassment. Whatever it was that made him fear me, it evidently didn't last. He steps back, and points at my hair, then at his own. A rueful grin forms on his face: "Tha falt dubh air ar nàimhdean uile."

I still have no idea what he's saying, except it's about my hair somehow. There's certainly a difference between mine and his. Maybe they just hate everyone that has dark colored hair for some reason?

My gaze flits to his embarrassment. He seems to have just completely overlooked that my hair was dark until this moment?

The urge to facepalm is strong, but I really can't blame him. I overlook the obvious shit staring me in the face all the time.

"Don't worry about it kid." I smile. "But I'm definitely not coming with you to your village." I mime walking away back in the direction of my cave.

He laughs, then nods vigorously. The embarrassment from before gone, replaced with something else. Excitement maybe?

I sure hope he can keep a secret, because if I let him go my life is in his hands.

An unworthy thought crosses my mind, but my unconscious snuffs it out before my conscious mind even has a chance to address it.

He looks at me one last time, and raises his hand in parting.

"Chì mi thu."

Then he turns around, and walks in the direction of the village. I stare at his retreating back, expecting to watch him until he disappears, when he sneaks a glance back to see if I'm still there, and I snort.

Yes, kid, haven't moved in the five seconds you've been walking away.

In the end it takes him nearly two minutes and about six glances back before he's completely out of sight. I smile.

image [https://pub-43e7e0f137a34d1ca1ce3be7325ba046.r2.dev/Group.png]

As Ronain steps away, I wonder, not for the first time. If I'll ever fit into this world. I keep telling myself there's no way everyone is hostile, and at least getting to know him seems to bear that out.

I turn back and start trudging back to my cave. I smirk. At least I have a place to go back to now.

My leg aches with each step, the trek through the forest with Ronain having been exactly as bad for it as I expected, but I regret nothing. My spear, my Sleagh, is a reassuring weight in my hand as I walk; it's a link to Ronain, too, a reminder that I can bridge some gaps, even if not all.

Arriving back to the cave puts me in an odd frame of mind. Sure, coming back to the same place I'd slept in last night is strange already, but what is much more bizarre is that there's memories inside this cave. Happy ones, of shared laughter. Of the tentative bonds of friendship.

The absence of Ronains bright curiosity makes the place feel empty somehow. I run my fingers over the symbols that glowed with an ethereal light the night before, now just carvings in the rock. They're a riddle waiting to be solved, and something that can occupy my mind in the absence of anything else.

I think of all the words I've learned today. Spear, cave, and a smattering of other common words, half of which are already fading from my mind. Each of them invaluable for their ability to help me navigate this world.

The cave is getting darker. The shadows visibly growing longer as the sun sets outside. The cries of the animals out during the day fading, and being replaced with another familiar set of nocturnal cries.

I resolve to teach Ronain too, if he returns. I learned a lot from him, and while I told him a lot of English words, they're hardly of any help to him. But if this is a world with medieval technology, then maybe my knowledge of basic maths will be useful?

Until then, I have something to puzzle out myself. The symbols on the wall call to me, their existence and faintly glowing light the strongest link I have to something supernatural going on.

And somehow, aside from companionship, I really need that. I need something that gives some meaning to the fact I've been transported here. Even if it was ultimately a fluke of fate. Being transported to a world with magic would go a long way to satisfying that craving for some underlying meaning.

If magic is real, then I absolutely want to learn it. They say any sufficiently advanced technology looks like magic, but back in my world, I knew exactly how all the tech worked—definitely not magic. I'm really hoping that's not the situation here. But even if it is, at least it means I'll have years of intriguing puzzles to solve.

It all begins right here. As night sets in, I find myself sitting in front of the symbols, watching intently to pinpoint the exact moment they start to glow.

In the end, there's no sudden glow. It seems as if the glow just slowly, very slowly grows out of the grooves in the rock. Growing from barely perceptible to so luminescent you can hardly miss it. The only thing I do note though, is that the light seems to originate from one of the complex symbols first, then flows through the pattern to the rest.

I trace them with my fingers, wondering about the possibilities of what each symbol represents. Is it even anything other than a few random scratches? My heart tells me they are, but I could be wrong.

Before darkness completely takes over, I hurry out of the cave, taking advantage of the remaining twilight to find something to carve the symbols with—or at least what I can make out of them.

A sharp rock is quickly found, but it takes a little while before I find a suitable piece of bark, that feels solid enough that it'd be possible to carve something in without it feeling like putty.

Making my way back to my perch, I begin sketching out the symbols, before shaking my head in frustration, and rushing out again, trying to find a new piece of bark. The stupid things are complex.

After two more attempts, I have to give up, as it becomes too dark to see what I'm sketching. I think I have at least passable copies of most of the simple symbols, but the complex ones are hard.

'I really need to figure out how to make a fire...'

If I had a fire I could just keep going. But now I have to stop. On the other hand, it might attract animals. Or would it keep them away?

It is then that my stomach loudly grumbles, and I realize I haven't eaten yet.

I mentally facepalm myself, but try to make my way through the cave to where the sack is, and retrieve some bread and dried meat by feel. I quickly consume it, but leave the pot of water alone. I just can't see enough, and I do not want to accidentally knock it over and break it. I may feel confident in sneaking into the village once more, but I really don't want to unless I have to.

Drinking can wait until tomorrow. I lie down on my cot, and for once with happy thoughts in my head, I drift off to sleep.