Two years had passed since the beginning of the new world. New Tazmily was steadily growing.  Everyone did their best at their respective jobs.  Tessie was a wonderful weaver, and spun the finest of linens, which were then given to Betsy so she could tailor clothes for the villagers. Paul and Linda would leave the town everyday to find the sand on the shores of the town’s lake, and they would make glass for windows.  Isaac worked hard to cut down the trees needed for housing, and it was Lighter and Fuel who helped build the houses and the furniture.  It was only a year ago that Mapson seemed to have disappeared.  He said that he wanted to make maps for all the locations in the world, and then come back to show them all to the residents of the town.  All over Tazmily, people were putting in plenty of work, and the small village began to grow up.

Everyone looked to Kumatora as a source of leadership (as she once was Osohe’s princess.  Wasn’t it obvious that she lead the people?), and the young woman offered her support without complaint.  Boney tended to lie at her side as she barked orders to the villagers and made sure that everyone was living comfortably.  The dog didn’t seem to have much zest for life anymore, and he simply lazed about at the former princess’s side, sighing every once in a while.  Rida seemed to handle the change pretty well, and although he could now speak at any time he wanted, he seemed to prefer to keep his thoughts to himself.  It was hard to teach an old dog new tricks, after all…

And Duster?  He became a normal person.  There was no reason for him to steal hummingbird eggs or save worlds, so aside from the routine search for Lucas everyday, he remained at his house, which, due to his lack of desire to improve it, was no more than a single room, really. Wes, whose house was a little bit bigger, did not pull punches when criticizing his son’s pitiful home, but Duster had finally learned (with Kumatora’s help) to ignore his father and live the way he wanted to.  He found that his calling dealt with music; he worked hard and made instruments for the town.  He was able to teach the children how to play their respective instruments and all the children from Al to Nicol were soon found with a flute or drum in their hands.  It wasn’t a very helpful trait that Duster gave the villagers, but the parents were happy to see that the younger children could do something with themselves.

And so, on most days, Duster would live in his tiny home, munch on some dried meat or nut bread, and play his bass for his roommate, Snake Rope, who slept in his messy dresser.  Life was good for the musician, until one night everything changed.

---

There was a knock on the door in the dead of night. Snake Rope poked his head from the open drawer of the dresser and groggily peeked at the door, which was trying its best not to crumble under the weight of the ferocious knocking. It was so annoying!  Who could be pounding on the door at this hour!  Surely, anyone in their right mind would wake up and go check on who was at the door!  Except for Duster, of course.  Yawning widely, the snake turned to Duster, who was splayed out on his tiny bed; he snored loudly, and his bed coverings were on the floor.  The man certainly was not the cleanest of creatures. Snake Rope was about to awaken his friend by slithering out of the drawer and biting him lightly on the nose, but the knocking suddenly stopped.

Fearing the worst, Snake Rope ducked back into the drawer, and let his imagination run wild.  Perhaps it was a man from the stars?  What if it was the last remnants of the pig army, prepared to do his best friend in?  Duster snored quite loudly about this moment, which really destroyed most of the tension, and only made Snake Rope mad at the fact that his friend was such a nut when it came to dramatic moments in a game.  Or story. Or real life… it was kinda hard to tell sometimes.

It was then that the window just above the dresser that Snake Rope was dwelling in seemed to rattle.  Snake Rope cried out and hid further in his dresser. The window began to open and Snake Rope could see the faint outline of a silhouette upon the wall across from him.  He shivered lightly as the creature entered the room, quietly as a mouse (which seemed in contrast to its loud banging just moments before), and the person took a large whiff of the air around her.  She gagged, and Kumatora plugged her nose.

“Good god, does he clean anything in this place!?”

Snake Rope replied almost instinctively.

“One learns to get used to it.”  He froze when he realized that someone WAS in fact in the room, and he turned to stare into the eyes of the person who was breaking and entering.  Kumatora stared back at him; she was crouching on the dresser.  She resembles a very tall, very skinny orangutan… Snake Rope thought to himself.

The animal forgot that Kumatora was psychic, and could read his mind. The next thing he realized, he was being strangled.

“What was that?” She growled, “I oughta tie you into a square knot and see how long it takes for you to get out of it!  Then I’ll skin you alive and turn you into a pair of boots!”

“Mercy!” Snake Rope cried, flailing in her grasp as she stretched the snake, wondering how much tension was needed to snap him in two, “Mercyyyyy!!!!”

There was a rustle at the bed, and it was Kumatora’s turn to freeze.  An awkward silence passed as Duster, still in his day clothes, turned to stare at her, who was strangling his snake and standing on his dresser.  Kumatora slid down from the dresser very slowly, and placed Snake Rope on the dresser, petting him lightly.  Then, she placed her hands on her hips, and broke the silence.

“You know, you could try changing your clothes once in your life, Duster.”

“Huh?” He muttered, blinking the sand from his eyes.  He yawned widely and then suddenly remembered his manners, “…want some tea…?”

“You’re kidding, right?” Kumatora asked, turning around to survey the house, “If there was any sort of food in this house, I’d deem it to be poisonous.”

“You didn’t have to come, then,” Duster said as she went to rifle through his belongings.  She found a bag and listened halfheartedly as she began to stuff what little he owned into it. “I mean, what kind of person breaks into houses through windows?”

“What kind of thief leaves his windows unlocked for anyone to enter and steal their stuff?”

“What kind of person steals all my stuff by going through the unlocked window when the door was unlocked as well?”

“Erk!” Kumatora stopped her rifling through his stuff for a brief moment, but she regained her composure quickly, “Well, it doesn’t matter, anyway!” She said, glaring at Duster as if daring him to even think something that went contrary to what she said.  The musician gulped and Kumatora turned back to stuffing things in. “The fact of the matter is, you need to pack.”

“Why’s that?” He said nonchalantly, sliding out of his bed and completely ignoring the fact that she was grabbing his unmentionables and stuffing them into the already overstuffed bag.

“Because I’m tired of waiting.  It’s been years, Duster, and there’s been no sign of him.  This world is huge.  I walked for an entire day and saw no hint, no sign of an edge.  He could be anywhere, and we’re going to find him.”  Finally, Kumatora was finished stuffing what little clothes he had into his pack and thrust it into his hands, “We’re leaving, and we’re going to find Lucas.  You promised we would, so I’m making sure you keep your promise.”

“But… but the town…” Duster began, frowning at the thought of leaving them alone.

“They’ll get along without us,” Kumatora interrupted matter-of-factly, “After all, what kind of village needs a musician and princess, anyway?  Useless.”

“I would think a leader’s pretty important to the growth of a town,” Duster said as he shouldered his bag, “You know… leading’s a big job…”

“Yeah, and when Rida led, he was the greatest leader ever, I’m sure.”  Kumatora shot back.  Duster couldn’t say anything to that; Rida never really did lead much, did he?  During his thoughts, Kumatora grabbed him and dragged him for the door.  He then remembered something very important.

“Oh!  The egg!”  He wriggled from the former princess’s hold and went to go collect the Hummingbird’s Egg, “I had it hidden away, so that it’d be safe.”

“Hmm?  You’re still holding onto the egg?” Kumatora asked, tapping her foot, “It’s not really necessary for you to protect it anymore, is it?”

“Yeah…” Duster replied as he drew back a piece of the floorboard.  There, among the dirt was a glittering, bright white egg with angelic wings.  It seemed to embody very essence of purity itself, so it seemed silly to have the dirty thief place his dirt covered hands around it.  He pulled it slowly out of its hiding place and wrapped his fingers around it, looking much like it was years ago, “I just don’t think it’s safe to leave it just lying about.  Nothing has ever been made to do one thing alone, so maybe its role in this hasn’t finished yet.” Kumatora blinked at it over her friend’s shoulder, and she frowned impatiently.

“Well, are we ready?  We don’t have all night, you know.  I wanted to get out of here before the other townspeople figured out about this.  I’m sure they’ll think of something to keep us from leaving.”  Duster didn’t say anything about that being a good reason about the fact that they should stay, but snapped to attention when the young woman addressed him again, “Hey Duster.  Shouldn’t you say goodbye to Snake Rope?”

“Oh!  Right.”  Duster really didn’t forget about Snake Rope, he just forgot that the snake wasn’t with him.  It had become second nature to have Snake Rope pop out of his bag and mention something that was or sometimes wasn’t needed.  Placing the egg tenderly on the floor, he stood to speak with the red snake and say goodbye.

“So, you’re leaving?” Snake Rope asked of his friend.  Duster wasn’t psychic, he really didn’t want to be, but he could still understand the snake.  It was just a bond between best friends.  They really didn’t need to speak to convey each others’ feelings, kinda like a pair of friends who finished each others’ sentences.

“Yeah, I suppose,” Duster replied, shouldering his bag once again, “Can you take care of the place while I’m gone?”

Snake Rope looked around the room, and then turned back to Duster, “Yeah, I guess I could, if you don’t need any help, I mean.” Duster blinked.

“Are you asking if you can come?”

There was silence for a moment, and Snake Rope looked down at the empty dresser he was hiding in, embarrassed and shocked that he was found out.

“Well… I’m not much help… I’m just a snake with some rope characteristics,” he really didn’t believe in himself. “I’m just snake with rope characteristics. I’d be more useful if it were the other way around.” The snake gave a gasp as Duster picked him up and let him slide onto his shoulders,

“What are you talking about?  There are plenty of things we may need you for.”  Snake Rope waited for his friend to give an example, and the former thief came up blank.  The snake sighed unhappily.

“You’re rather small!” Duster suddenly said, “And therefore… you can fit in places we can’t!  You never know when that’ll be important!”  Snake Rope looked rather skeptical, but wasn’t able to relay the feeling very well. Then, Kumatora suddenly gasped.  Duster turned around swiftly to face her. “Kumatora, what’s wrong?”

“I… the egg…” She was kneeling before the Hummingbird Egg, her eyes wide.  She trembled lightly as she stared at the egg on the floor. “I… picked it up to bring it with us, and…”

“Oh yeah…” Duster scratched the back of his head.  She hadn’t touched it in so long, it wasn’t a surprise she reacted that way, “You remember what the egg does, right?”

“I just… didn’t think it’d remind me of… of that. Oh man, I thought I could have forgotten it too…”

“The egg was made to make people remember things they’d rather forget, otherwise its purpose would have been meaningless,” Duster replied, “as it was supposed to remind us of everything that we lost.”  He waited a moment, and opened his mouth.  He thought against it and chose something else to say, “Should I hold onto it?”

Kumatora stared numbly at the egg, nodding lightly.  Whatever she saw must have shell shocked her, so Duster allowed her a moment as he picked up the egg.  Visions of horror, of anger, and evil flashed through his mind.  A cyber spider, a crowd of people that seemed like zombies, and the last time he had seen Lucas and Flint; the child had worn a face of pure determination that shone through the streaks of tears on his dirty face, and his father was missing his hat, staring at his son with a slight nod of his head.

Memories Duster would rather forget flooded his mind, and even he stood shocked for a moment, trying to calm the raging emotions that the memories brought up.  Kumatora had stood and wiped her clothes of dirt by the time he began to calm himself down.  The two looked at each other, and nodded slowly.  Duster placed the Hummingbird Egg away in its hiding place, and turned to Snake Rope. “Are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be, buddy!” The snake replied, “The three of us, on another whirlwind adventure!  It’s just that we’re missing your dad and we’re not looking for anything to steal from a castle.”  Kumatora smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, let’s go pick up Boney and leave before daybreak comes.”  She motioned for the man to follow her and she went to leave the house. She was getting tired of the smell anyway.

---

Crossing the village square, Kumatora gestured that they should remain quiet.  She felt a little excited.  It would be just like before, going on adventures. Once they find Lucas and Flint, they would have to bring them home, and that’d be an adventure in of itself!  She was so psyched about it that she almost walked pass her destination.  There, just outside her house, was Boney sleeping peacefully.  He was snoring lightly, and didn’t seem like he noticed anything around him.  Some watchdog he was.

“Hey, Boney! Boney!” Kumatora poked the dog’s side, and he moved groggily, grumbling a bit before going back to sleep.  Kumatora frowned and lifted one of his ears. “Boney!  Wake up!”

“Uuuuwaaaan…!” Boney whined, looking up at the one who woke him.  His ears were still ringing, so it was hard to think straight, “What is it, Kumatora? It’s the dead middle of night!”

“I know!  Isn’t it the perfect time to make escapes from sleepy, little towns like this?” She said, smiling at her friend, “Come on, Boney, we’re all leaving to find Lucas and Flint!  It would be nice to have you along.”

Boney stared at Kumatora, who was still holding his ear in her hand.  The dog whimpered a bit, and looked away from her and down at the floor, “I… I won’t go.”

Kumatora looked confused for a moment, and then laughed.  She released his ear, placed her hands on her knees and peered down at him. “Oh, Boney, don’t joke around like that.  Come on; let’s go find your owners.”

“Dogs don’t live as long as humans, you know…” Boney murmured, stretching a bit, “It’s been two years since and I thought that all of that was behind me…You can’t see so well in the dark, but I’m sure you’ve seen me graying all over.  I’m old, Kumatora.  I’m not as fast as I was, and I’m not as strong, either.  Also…I’m tired.”  Kumatora’s eyebrows turned upward as the dog continued, “I’m tired of losing people.  They’re my family too… I lost Hinawa…  I lost Claus… and now I’ve lost Flint and Lucas…  I don’t want to think about it anymore…”

“But-”

“But what? What if they’re out there?” The dog made a snort that sounded like a scoff, but Duster wasn’t too sure. “I’m tired.  I’m tired of losing things.  I don’t even want to lose you, but you’ll leave no matter what you say.  So I want you to do one thing for me.” He looked back up at Kumatora. “I’ll protect the town for you until you return.  All I ask is that when you do, you do your best to bring them home.  If you don’t come back with them, then I’ll know.”

Kumatora looked mad that the dog refused to assist them, but she understood his plight, so she nodded at him. “Yeah, Boney, I’ll search the whole world over, no matter how large it is.  Then, when I find out what happened to them, I’ll bring them back, and I’ll bring them back alive. Because they’re alive, and I’ll make sure they stay that way!”

Boney continued to look at her while Duster tried to piece together the one-sided conversation. (To him at least.)  The dog snorted again and shook his head,

“You never change.  That’s what I like about you.  Take care of yourself and you too, Duster.  I’ll wait until you come back, and that, I promise.”

Kumatora opened her mouth, but closed it when Boney went back to sleep.  She stood up and turned to Duster.

“Looks like we’re on our own.”

“Well now…” Kumatora nearly jumped when another voice was heard next to them, “I wouldn’t say that…”

“Fuel!?” The woman nearly screeched when she realized who had spoken to them, “What are you doing out here?  It’s in the middle of the night!”

“I had to take a wiz,” Fuel replied a-matter-of-factly with a slight shrug of his shoulders.  “And then when I was going to head back in my house, I heard you shouting for Boney.  You know, you really should keep it down.  People are trying to sleep outside.”

Kumatora groaned and glared at Duster as if daring him to speak up about it.  He turned away and whistled innocently.  She then turned back to Fuel.

“Well!  Well then, I was just having a… a discussion with Duster out here. Yeah.”

Fuel turned to Duster and then turned back to Kumatora. He then clicked his tongue with a thoughtful frown on his face.

“Uh huh. Discussion…sure.”

“Wanna make something of it, punk?” Kumatora looked prepared to punch someone’s lights out.

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” Fuel seemed keen on changing the subject.  Kumatora turned to Duster. Was it that obvious? “I mean, you’re all packed up with overflowing bags, and it’s been who knows how long since I’ve seen Rope Snake (“Snake Rope!!” the snake cried in anger) out and about.  You’re leaving for a long while, aren’t you?”

The two weren’t sure what to do. Should they lie through their teeth or come clean?  Fuel was a smart kid, so it was probably for the best that they told him the truth.

“Yeah, Fuel, we’re leaving,” Duster said. “We’re going to go search for Lucas and Flint and bring them home.  I know you’d rather have us stay here, but…”

“Oh, is that it?” Fuel asked with a shrug.  The two blinked at him. “Everyone assumed you guys were going to do it sooner or later, so I guess now’s as good as any, before we all die from the tension.”

“Oh!” Kumatora said, looking a little better. “Well, that solves one problem.  Come on, Duster, let’s blow this popsicle stand.”

“Why are we blowing up popsicle stands…?” Duster started to head off after her and stifled a yawn.

“…Well obviously it’s because… um… You know what?  I have no idea.”

The two walked off, leaving Fuel to his own devices.  The teenager bit his lip in thought, and turned around, rushing to his home as quickly as he could. A little while later Duster and Kumatora found themselves being called after. The young man was able to catch up to the two, as he was young, and still agile.  He had his backpack, and was dressed in his finest traveling boots.

“Hey!  Hey!”  He waved his hands at them as he ran. A coil of rope was wrapped around his shoulder, and he looked hunched over from his over laden backpack.

“And I thought you said to keep it down!” Kumatora hissed, turning to face the young man. “Go to bed, Fuel.  It’s late and you have a big day tomorrow.  What’s the point in talking to someone you won’t see in a while?  Hell, if we’re unlucky, it’ll be a year or two before we return to New Tazmily.”

“Kumatora…” Duster began.  She turned to him, and he elaborated by gesturing to the teenager, “I don’t think he wants to wish us goodbye…”

“Hey, Princess!” Fuel said, still stuck (like most of the residents) in “Kumatora is a princess of a made up kingdom, but she’s still a princess!” mode, “Can I come along?  I promise I won’t be a burden!  I’ve chopped up lots of wood, so I’m really strong and I know how to swing things!  I could hit anything that could attack us!”

“I don’t think that’s going to be what our main problem will be, Fuel,” Duster said. “Most, if not practically all, of the world is uncharted.  Wild animals will be the least of our troubles.  We won’t be able to sleep in a shelter, so pneumonia’s a common worry, as well as food issues.  We’ll really be roughing it with absolutely nothing but the clothes on our backs.”  Duster couldn’t be sure that they were paying attention to him. When Duster talked for more than two seconds, he always ended up talking so much that people would just tune him out after a while. It’s why he never took to talking too often.

“Not necessarily!” Fuel suddenly smirked widely. “I made this axe myself!” He drew out his pride and joy, showing off the craftsmanship of the stone axe in his hands. “You see, what I had to do was sharpen the stone down nicely with a grinder that Dad made, and then I hafted it in by wedging it into this firm branch of wood. But everyone knows that that wouldn’t be good enough, right?  Right.  So I had to…”

“Th… thanks… Fuel, but I don’t think we need to know much more,” Kumatora sighed. “Either way, that’s a smart idea.  We’ll need to be able to cut wood for just about everything, so I think you’ll be our most valuable member!”  The teenager blushed.

“Aww, you don’t mean that!” Kumatora smirked and shrugged, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

“Don’t be so modest.”

“Ok, then I won’t,” Fuel said, smirking. Kumatora gave him a playful punch on the shoulder before turning to Duster.

“So, shall we be off?” Duster nodded and they began to make their way past the fields into the great unknown. As they walked, the four (Remember that Snake Rope is here, too) each promised silently to Flint and Lucas that they would bring them home.  Home, where they belonged.

“Wait a minute.” Kumatora suddenly said.  She turned to the others, “Where do we go, anyway?”

The three stopped walking and stood in utter silence.  Where would one go to look for one’s friend who disappeared two years before?  Fuel spoke up.

“How about the mountains?  Lucas always loved to play in the mountains; maybe that’s where he is!”  He was about to continue and then he stopped. “Oh wait, weren’t we in the mountains when we woke up?”

“What about the ocean?” Snake Rope offered. “He might be around the ocean, right?”

“Yeah!” Kumatora looked to the red snake who lingered on his friend’s left shoulder, “Sounds right, Snake Rope!”  Fuel blinked, as he couldn’t understand the snake, and felt a little left out of the loop.  “After all,” she continued, “Lucas always loved the ocean, didn’t he?”

“He certainly seemed to enjoy being under the water…” Duster said, deep in thought. “Although I don’t think he enjoyed the oxygen tanks much.”

 Kumatora’s eyes widened and a bright blush appeared when the tanks came to mind.  Even Duster had a bit of red coloring his cheeks.  It really wasn’t their most shining moment during that adventure.

“So how do we find the ocean?” Fuel was looking a little discouraged. “No matter how far I strayed from the village, I’ve never seen it.”

The four came upon yet another quandary. How locate Lucas now?  They never really thought about how vast the new world could be. Kumatora, however, knew that the best way to take on supposedly impossible tasks was to take it one step at a time.

“Maybe if we head to Lake Hinawa, we’ll be able to think of something there.  It’s the best clue we have.”

The group looked at each other and shrugged.  It was as good idea as any. Kumatora led the way, with Fuel following close behind. Duster took up the rear, yawning all the way.  He wasn’t sure why they couldn’t have just left during such an ungodly hour.  He assumed it suited Kumatora’s demonic nature; he should have known.

---

Lake Hinawa was gentle and calm, much like the woman it was named after.  Fuel immediately set to the task of taking out his clay cup and filling it with cool water.  He quickly checked to make sure that there was nothing in it and downed it in a flash.  The lake’s waters tasted so good!  However, Kumatora and Duster took to thinking as Fuel took another cup.

“So, we’re here at the lake and…” Duster tilted his head one way and then the other.  Neither way seemed to make him think better, “And my mind is a blank.”

“Water water water ocean salt…” Kumatora began.  She snapped her fingers as she thought, and then spoke up, “Well, we all know that fresh water always tends to find its way to the ocean somehow, doesn’t it?” Duster turned to her and blinked.

“I dunno,” he replied with a shrug, “does it?”

“Ahhh!” Fuel said, wiping his lips of water, “I love Lake Hinawa’s water so much!  It tastes so nice!” He turned around to face his friends, “You know; it’s so much better than the mountain water we get back in town!”

Kumatora put her hands on her hips and frowned with disappointment at the teenager, “What are you talking about?  The water from Mt. Geon tastes much better than Lake Hinawa’s water!”

“Why are we fighting over this?” To Duster, the argument just seemed so silly, “I mean, doesn’t the mountain water go down to the lake anyway?  It’s pretty much the same water…  wait!”

The man stopped as something hit him like a well aimed PK Thunder.  He stared and thought and thought and stared, and Fuel waved his hand in his face.

“What’s up, Duster?  You thought of something?”

Duster looked down at Fuel after snapping from his stupor, and he nodded, “Yeah, I think I got something.”

“Well then, spill it!” Kumatora demanded, stomping her foot to emphasize the statement.  They didn’t have forever, after all!

“Lake Hinawa is connected to two rivers, right?  The River Geon that comes down from the mountain and the River Hinawa that heads to the south, right?”

Kumatora shrugged, “So?”

“So…” Duster counted on his fingers to keep his thoughts straight, “The water starts high and goes down; it ends up in the lake and it’s gotta go somewhere, right?  If we follow the river downstream, it’ll keep going until it can’t go any further.”  He pointed across the lake at the river previously mentioned, and nodded, “If we follow the river, that’s where the ocean is.  Does that sound right?”

Kumatora was silent for a moment as she turned the information over in her head.  Then, she crossed her arms and glared at him, “Duster?”

“Yes, Kumatora?” Duster closed one eye, bracing for a beating.

“That is the smartest and greatest thing I have ever, ever heard you say!  You’re a genius!”  Fuel blinked.  Duster, a genius?  Who would have thought?  He then turned to look at Kumatora; she had brightened up considerably at the news.

“I dunno. When you think about it, it’s kinda obvious,” Fuel was about to say something else before he found Kumatora’s fist beating down on his head.

“Are you saying I can’t tell what’s obvious or not?”  She growled.  Fuel rubbed his aching head, muttering a bit as she clapped her hands together, brightening yet again, “Well, we got our first lead, anyhow, so let’s go!  Hurry, everyone!”

“I can’t wait,” Duster said.  He sounded tired and having Fuel take the wind out of his sails didn’t help.  But he missed traveling, and he missed Lucas.  He wanted to see the world, he wanted to see Lucas, and he wanted to get away from his father for a while. It was the perfect excuse to leave the village.

The group was on their way for the first real time now.  All they had to do was search a huge world that could take months, if not years, to traverse, all the while looking for two people who for anyone’s guess could be dead.  It was like searching for a needle stuck in the ground, waiting the time that the chosen one would pull it from its resting place.  There was a miniscule chance that it would ever happen in a few generations, much less a few months.

However, the group was never one to worry about chances.  If they were, then Kumatora wouldn’t have so much faith in her powers.  It just wouldn’t be her to hold back even though having someone struck by lightning or a falling star isn’t something that pops up all that often.

And so starts their story: the story of Duster, Kumatora, Snake Rope and Fuel, as they left the safety of New Tazmily to find the one thing that was missing in their new, perfect world: their friend.