Droice, home sweet home. Seeing the familiar woods and distant mountaintops covered in the fresh snow made my heart race. I'm finally home again.

The past 6 months had been a grueling war between selling my furs or going to sleep, it seemed like selling the furs won out nearly every time, I couldn't remember the last time I had slept in a warm bed. My bed was calling for me even though I was at best another hour away from it. Seeing the familiar territory I knew I could make it there within the hour if I kept walking, but I could be there in half that if I ran. I saw a familiar break in the trees that lead down an "unsafe" path. At least that's what we tell newcomers, any Droice citizen knows this narrow path, it goes from the border all the way to the capital, and passes right by my community. 

I bolted down the path at top speed. The cold air hit my lungs, it felt like breathing in small icicles. I welcomed it. This was the feeling of my home, harsh, burly, and strong Droice. After running down this path for 20 minutes or so I began to slow down to a walking pace. Running in always concerned Janais, and I'd rather avoid the lecture from her. You don't run in Droice unless there's something scary nearby. Seeing the smoke from one of the fireplaces made me break into a toothy grin. I smelled the delicious scent of fresh-baked bread and seasoned elk, along with many other foods I couldn't identify. I walked up in between two houses and entered the town circle. 

I set my bag down on the stairs to my hut and looked into the center to see our large feast table full of food I had only seen when the King was around. I for once didn't see anyone around it. I called out, "Janais? Marion? Hello?" This call was met by silence, silence isn't a good sign in Droice. 

I walked around the small community looking for someone when I heard footsteps behind me. The people had been in the woods, I thought it was my turn to give Janais a lecture about scaring people this time. 

As if on cue Janais came barrelling towards me, dropping the wicker basket in her hands. "Anahi!" She cried. I couldn't help but laugh.

"What's going on here? Did the King pay you all a visit while I was away?" I replied. "There's enough food to last all of us a week here."

"He's coming back in a minute. You're one of the countries top fur traders now, he wanted to help celebrate your return." Marion spoke. "He went to grant you more opportunities. He seemed rather excited for you."

"Is that so? Nice to see my hard work has paid off, but really the greatest reward would be a good night's sleep." We all gave a small laugh and nodded in agreement. Sleeping in winter here could be a bit tricky. But we manage, the money I make from fur trades goes into more fabric to make blankets for other communities and new families. 

Droice is a close-knit country. There's only a small area where people live, in the summer it yields lovely crops with almost no effort. The rest of the year our King takes care to make sure we're all okay. He comes to each community at least once a week to check in a drop off some fresh vegetables and fruit. We handle just about everything else. We've always been more of a hunting group, and Droice is perfect for that, you can hunt and fish wherever you please as long as it's not on someone's house. 

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I heard the hearty laughter of Janais's father, it was warm and robust, much like himself. It brought me back from my thoughts. "The King will be here soon Anahi, go get cleaned up. We put a new set of clothes on your bed for you, Echor is quite a different environment, I don't want you freezing."

"Thank you. I'll be out in a few minutes." I ran inside my hut grabbing my bag as I ran up the short set of stairs. My boots crunching the snow underneath them. My house was warm, Janais must have turned on the fireplace for me. As her father had said they had placed a new set of clothes out for me. These looked freshly made and very warm. I couldn't seem to fit into them fast enough, grabbing the new shirt, and quickly replacing my tattered thin one from Echor. Echor was a beach country and I had to get a set of replacement clothes when I got there. I was thankful to be back in my own clothes again. It felt nostalgic almost. The thick elk hide pants made for a welcome warmth and comfort and a new set of snow boots was set by the front door. I slipped them on. I looked in a mirror and used a light amount of water to get the dirt off my face. I had no idea how long it had been on there. There was a loud knock at the door.

"Anahi Clark, the king is here, and he's looking for you, my dear." That voice belonged to none other than Janais King. God this girl always knew how to make me laugh. I opened the door and smiled at her. 

"Let's go then, my dear." This comment caused us both to laugh so hard we doubled over. I heard someone clear their throat and looked in that direction. At the bottom of my steps stood our King.

King Tinyl. King of Droice. He had chosen a younger form today, he appeared to be no older than 23. He gave us both a kind smile. He was a kind king. He reached out both of his hands to us and helped us off the icy steps. The king makes sure all of his citizens feel loved, and this was one of his many ways. He leads us both to the table to sit down with everyone else. The table was loud and rambunctious, just like Droice. 

King Tinyl stood tall at the head of the table. He seemed happier than normal today. He lifted one of his hands, a signal for silence. The table went hush in an instant and he had all eyes on him. "Today, I came here to help you celebrate the return of one of your daughters. Anahi has been gone for 6 months, and in that time has sold more of her furs than any other trader gone this long. This feat wasn't easy, her furs are hunted by this community, and are treated here. Her success couldn't have happened without every one of you. She's currently ranked number 10 in the country. Making her the youngest top ten traders in Droice's history. Tonight, we celebrate your success!"

Tinyl lifted his mug high in the air and the rest of the table followed suit, including me. We let out a hearty howl, that the king joined. Tinyl was in a very good mood, he never joined our howl. Soon the table was empty, the old men were drunk, the young men leaned up the table as the young women danced and sang. 

Janais and I joined the fray and one by one women began to drop out, becoming tired. The dancing women were replaced by dancing men once clean-up was done. I danced with Marion for what seemed like forever. The upbeat drumbeat was taking over our bodies and was allowing us to dance freely. Soon a new dancer came into view. King Tinyl himself. He was a king with a young heart. Although I suppose being the god of celebration keeps you young. He began dancing with anyone who would let him, eventually extending a hand to me. I grabbed his hand happily as he twirled me around the dance area. Eventually, I had to tap out, sadly. The king flashed a toothy grin to me before saying, "Welcome home, if you need anything, you know how to reach me. Congrats on your success."