Sage gazed at the bustling town that was Fareburry Quay. Chipped and cracked cement walls outlined the area, with people pushing through the crowded streets of the main plaza up ahead. Sage was never fond of big towns, so he just moved along towards the southern gate. 
Sage was quite dumbfounded of how majestic the plaza was though. A lion-head fountain made of stone jetted out from the two brick stairs that lead to the gate. Shoving through a deluge of people up the stairs, he approached the guards.
“Are you an army drop-off?” one soldier exclaimed. “Yes. I wish to proceed out towards Howlington,” Sage responded. “Very well. Open the gate!” the soldier commanded to two others on top of the walls. One of them reeled in the iron grated gate as the other one patrolled and watched for any danger in the fields outside of town. The gate gradually came up, but about halfway it jerked to a stop. “You may pass,” the guard said. After thanking him, Sage exited and was out in the open wild.
Sage took up the fresh scenery around him. Golden hills and clear blue skies welcomed the soldier into the peaceful world known as Boreas. It was such a breathtaking view, far more beautiful then the cold and bloody wasteland that was Garbaldio, the continent that was in the far west. 
As Sage treaded along the large dirt path, he had come across a crossroad about a mile away from Fareburry Quay. The path continued east towards more fields, while a smaller path that branched off on the right side led into the woods. Sage also noticed a sign. 

Fareburry Quay: 1 mile 
Howlington: .5 mile 
Eastern Checkpoint: 3 miles 

	Following the directions of the sign and walking along the smaller path, many mixed emotions and thoughts were going through Sage’s head. Will people remember me? Will they be happy to see me? Will they ignore my presence? Or the worst to think about, will my father still love me?
	Patches of shade and groups of trees started to appear more and more along the sides of the path. And to Sage’s joy, he found ahead of him the wooden entryway of Howlington. The same clock that was perched on the entryway had still worked, and nothing along the outside has changed a bit since he last came here a year ago. Nervousness took over Sage’s body, sweating with anxiety and shyness. The same thoughts went repeatedly in his head, and as the clock approached 11:00, he finally got the nerve to enter through.
Sage walked into the town in nervousness. He peered around the area, but no one seemed to be outside. To his left stood the Von Sagen residence. They were very friendly folk when he was in Howlington the year before. The wife Bella roasted the best vegetables whenever there were parties. The husband isn’t seen often though, and when he is, he’s usually reading a book at his home. Sage tried to remember his name, but it seemed to have slipped out of his mind. 
Sage peered through the windows of the cottage. The fireplace in their living room was burning, but it seemed to be vacant. They’re probably just walking in the woods, he thought. 
As he continued looking through the town, Sage felt something pressing on his feet. He looked down to find that it was only a kitten. Its tan pelt glowed in the afternoon sun, and its face dazzled with innocence (and cuteness too!). But that was the weird thing. Sage never remembered someone in the village with a kitten before. Nonetheless he picked him up and kept walking through the dirt paths. 
The kitten seemed to enjoy being held, but it leaped out of Sage’s hands and ran to the town park at the end of the road. It was there that he found tables and candles set up, but what were they for?
“Do you like how it looks so far?”
A voice called close behind Sage. He turned around quickly to find that it was only his father Lucius! 
“Father!”
Sage hugged him in a flash. It’s been months since he last saw his father’s jolly face. “Good to see you home, my boy!” Lucius cried out. “You must tell me all your adventures overseas!” 
Sage and his father were talking as they sat down at one of the tables in the park. “I’ve got so many things to tell you!” Sage exclaimed. “Oh, I sure you do,” his father replied. “This whole park tonight is going to be a giant feast all for you! We’ll have dancing, drinks, a fiddle group is performing, and your favorite, Bella’s vegetables!” It was all so tantalizing to Sage. No one’s actually made a whole feast for him before. “The other townspeople are in the forest to gather wood for the tables and stands. You better go greet them,” Lucius said. With a joyous nod, Sage burst into the woods. 
Patches of shade littered the forest floor. The woods were only a few feet away from the park, but there was a drastic comparison between the two. While the park is always shining with the sun’s blessings, the forest is shady and mysterious. Sage had been in these woods many times when he was a child. It seemed that everyday he went, the paths would change and lead him to different places. His most memorable time was when he went into the very corner of the forest, where the woods touched the sea, and there stood a majestic foundation. It’s hard to remember now what it looked like, but Sage remembered it to be the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He kept it a secret from everyone though, so only he knew about it.
“Sage, is that you over there?” Bella’s voice cried out. He looked around and found her carrying lumber along the path. “I can’t speak right now but it’s good to see your face again!” Not to bother her, Sage waved and continued to find more townspeople.  
	Two other figures were walking towards him with lumber in their hands. “Is that who I think it is over there?” one figure said. With just a wave of a hand he knew that it was Sage. “Come over here, boy! I want to take a closer look at you!” 
	That voice. It was at the tip of Sage’s tongue, but he just couldn’t remember…
	The image of the figures got clearer the more he walked, and right before he could make out the two, his mind just instantly knew! “Is that Big Tom I see?”
	“Boy, you never change!” One of the two walked the rest of the way to greet him, chuckling along the way. “How’s my little guy doing?” Tom said. “You know, thinking small.” The two strolled together towards the park, telling bad jokes along the way. But then, it hit Sage. “Tom, that other figure right next to you. Who was that?”
	Tom kept laughing. “It’s probably just your imagination or something, ‘cause I didn’t see anyone on the same path as me.” Sage could’ve sworn there was someone else beside Tom back there. He turned around behind him to see if it was still there, but it went away. “Just forget about that thing. We got a party to go to,” Tom said. 
	Up in the trees, that same shadowy figure Sage saw was watching him. A faceless blob of shadow that had the figure of a small girl’s looked with delight at him, and, using the trees, dipped into their image and scurried along the canopy, hurrying towards the sea at the other end of the forest.