Book 1, Chapter: 1

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"Wow…!", I couldn't help but to awe.

There were hundreds of buildings around, and each of them built in a distinctively unique way; some were very long wooden houses with beautifully sculpted entrances in the form of animals, whose mouths opened and closed, functioning as doors, others were simple cone-shaped leather tents, and more looked like huge circular structures of wood and leaves.

There was so many people around, eight humans for every one half-animal person; the noise was almost deafening, so many voices speaking at the same time, so many products being moved around, a myriad of things and people I didn't know a thing about, so much to discover!

And the smell! Food, drinks, desserts, beauty products, pets and plants, all emanated an incomparably unique scent that overstimulated my nostrils.

I would definitely have lots of fun in that place. My hopes for the village life couldn't be higher!

"But first, I'll have to find some answers", I said to myself, looking at the 99 remaining ominous links of my chain tattoo.

With a smile on my face, I walked towards the Bear Mountain ahead; the village being built a few kilometers away from it.

Leaving the city behind, sure that I'd come back soon enough to explore it, I came across some trees between the settlement and the Bear Mountain, and after that, another open grass field. Finally, as I approached the astonishing entrance, I-

"Uh?", looking around, sick and disoriented, I found myself back in the forest between the village and the Bear Mountain.

Had I lost myself in my own delusions so hard I started to hallucinate? Recovering from the sudden dizziness, I got back to walking towards the learning place ahead, and-

"What?!", Falling on all fours, I found myself back in the forest.

Frustrated, I looked ahead, and finally sensed some kind of powerful magic imbuing the grass field that led to the Bear Mountain. Was it some kind of defense system? How did I get in, then?

…The only solution I could think of was to wander around the city, and ask for help. And so I did.

I quickly learned that the place which concentrate the most people was what looked like an open market, in which the customers came in with the most unique objects, and changed them for other items and magical services. Was that the way the Bear Mountain shamans obtained their supplies without getting away from their studies, prays, and meditations? Some of the vendors looked just as uniquely dressed as their customers, while others wore a cloak of black crow feathers, and blue a feather on their hair. A uniform. It was worth a try.

Bypassing a trio of annoyed thug-looking guys, I found one of the vendors who wore the black cloak and the blue feather seating under the shadow of a tree; he had a shiny green hairpin with some kind of rat carved in it, and was exposing many rings, earrings, labrets, and other ornaments. I asked:

"Excuse me, sir, could you tell me how I get inside the Bear Mountain?"

For a moment, the vendor stared at me with what seemed to be surprised, before answering:

"Well, you need a proper offering first. Then, on the day of the Selection Festival, you humble yourself before the Mountain, and if everything goes right, you reach teaching grounds and that's it, you automatically get accepted."

"Thank you", I smiled. "And what can I use as a proper offering?"

"Usually, everyone offers something different", the vendor shrugged. Then he frowned: "When youngsters are sent here, the spiritual or political leader of their land gives them an offering good enough to enter the Bear Mountain… Have you run away from your village, or something like that, boy?"

"I- I have to go now, thank you for everything", I nodded, and hurried to get away from the vendor with complicated questions.

On my way, however, I bypassed a man carrying a basket of cornbread, which smelled delicious, and was reminded by my growling stomach that I had not eaten anything since that morning, and it was already early afternoon: "Grooowl~"

"Boy!", The vendor with the green-rat hairpin called me, apparently having exchanged one of the rings for the bread. "It's impressive you've gotten here on your own, but you should hurry back home!", he threw me one of the breads, and I caught it, eyes going wide and thanking him profusely. "I bet your family is worried."

What a nice guy!

I almost asked him for more information about the offerings, or if he knew a place in which I could stay until the Selection Festival, but I decided to not bother the man anymore, and left the open market.

"I can make an explosion for you?", sweating nervously, I offered the longhouse owner the only thing I could in exchange for the bedroom.

"…Yeah. Like, half the of people here can throw fireballs", the owner replied, deadpan, tucking away a red stone with two eyes carved on it, one on top of the other and one crossed out. "If you have nothing to offer me, then, out, boy!", he finally shouted me away, tired of me begging him for a place to stay during the night… like a dozen building owners had done before.

Sighing, I walked away from the building.

Night had fallen already, and the pretty streets had become eerily dark, the village turned from interesting, to scary really quickly. Plus, my stomach was already once again empty, and I wasn't really excited to sleep on the ground in a random corner…

"But I guess, I have no choice", dispirited, I turned the next corner, in between two earth mounds. And saw a group of three men brutally beating and kicking a child, not taller than my waist.

My body moved by itself, before I even had fully registered what was going on, or realized what I was doing.