Chapter 4:
Building a Village Anew
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When we got up the next morning, the sky was still a deep shade of indigo.
At the Calcut Mountains’ base, dense white mist swirled over the forest like a sea of clouds, giving the peaks the appearance of islands. The whole scene looked rather mystical.
Several tough-looking men and women, laden with equipment, had already gathered in the village square in front of Hanzo’s home. A little farther away, other villagers watched.
I stood in the center of the group, dressed from head to toe in my armor. Atop my helmet, Ponta let out the occasional yawn. Ariane was next to me, in her usual form-fitting leather armor, her long white hair blowing in the chilly morning breeze. Chiyome—along with the village chief, Gowro, and the military commander, Pittah—stood stoically beside us, wearing her ninja garb.
Last night, in the middle of my long-winded attempt to explain my skeleton body to Hanzo and the others, Ponta got fed up from all the waiting and started to howl, so we’d moved on to dinner.
The stew consisted of greens from the Calcut Mountains, meat, and flour dumplings. It had a slightly peculiar taste, but I enjoyed it. The greens, meat juices, and salt provided most of the flavor, leaving me wanting just a little something extra.
Later that evening, Chiyome revealed that flour was incredibly rare in the village. They’d really gone all out for Ariane and me last night.
From the outside looking in, the village seemed to be doing all right, but the food situation told a grimmer story about their difficulties.
I could only hope that the villagers’ new home would bring them the stability they were looking for.