Chapter CCXXXIV: I Don’t Think We’re in Kansas Anymore ~Kentaro

Dori, 2853 CE

The small, mostly rural Ki'ran villiage of Venezzia lies in the foothills of the Abendroth Mountains, near the northern border of Ki'ran land. This location provides not only plenty of arable land in the valleys, but the Abendroth Range gives them a defensive advantage against possibility of invasion from the north. Also, the light Ymir Forest on the mountains provides a source of land for hunting and wood when it is needed. The River Meda on the eastern edge of town provides fresh water and transportation.

With tensions rising between Clan Ki'ran and its northern rivals, sentry duty through Ymir Forest has doubled lately. Currently on patrol is apprentice Kentaro Noneko, by no means the most shining example of Clan Ki'ran's military training.

Kentaro let out a long sigh. Patrol was easily his most hated duty...nothing ever actually happened, so it was always incredibly dull. Moving silently through the woodlands, his mind was anywhere but on his surroundings. After what felt an eternity, the watch he kept in his coat let out a single beep, announcing the end of his shift. Yet another uneventful report to make...he had made 3 complete sweeps, none of which revealed any suspicious activity.

On his way back, Kentaro caught the sound of something moving. He froze, partly hoping for some excitement, partly hoping it was nothing so he could just go home and kick his friends' collective asses again in whatever game they dared challenge him at in the arcade just a few blocks down the street from his house. He turned his head slowly and gazed through the trees to find the source.

"OOH! I haven't seen a wild boar that big in ages...looks like we're having fresh meat tonight," he thought, extending his claws.

Of course, the boars on Dori are known for being incredibly fierce beasts, and this one was no exception. Being a full-grown adult male, it was quite the deadly foe to someone unprepared. So Kentaro quickly found himself in a position he had grown unusually accustomed to...running for dear life.

By the time he had finally shaken the creature, he was very thoroughly lost...he couldn't even recognize most of the trees anymore, and the few he thought he knew grew nowhere near him. He pulled out his watch and glanced at it. He was due back with his report 15 minutes ago, so his absence might have been noticed. Maybe. With nothing else to do, he wandered around more or less in a random direction until he finally saw what looked like a clearing ahead. With nowhere else to go, he wandered into it.

The moment Kentaro stepped into it, however, the forest vanished, leaving him standing in front of a group of strangers (very strange strangers at that) eating meat by a campfire...and was it just a trick of the light, or was one of them GREEN...?

"Er, hi?"