The sound of a maul hitting a fence post echoed through the otherwise empty landscape. Sweat trickled down Thomas’ bare back as he raised the maul again, swinging it down as hard as he could. He gave the fencepost a good kick to make sure that it was deep enough in the ground and let out deep sigh. Seventy-five done, another forty to go. He looked up, it seemed to be a few hours short of midday. He frowned; winter was coming early this year. A cold breeze made him shiver. Thankfully the harvest had been bountiful, the village could handle a long winter.

He walked back to the cart with fenceposts and sat down against one of its large wheels. The work he had been doing today wasn’t particularly useful, but his mother had wanted him out of the house for a while. He drank deeply from the waterskin his sister had given him on the way out. He eyed the other skin his father had given him with a wink and one of his bellowing laughs. Not yet, it was too early for drinking, there was work yet to be done.

Groaning he got up to get yet another fencepost when he abruptly halted. In the distance he saw a figure moving, slowly coming his way. Quickly he set the second post in its place and started hammering it in. When the figure came into shouting distance he started with the large overhead swings. “Thomas.” A melodious voice shouted. He pretended to ignore it, even though his heart started beating faster.

He hit the fencepost again with all the strength he could muster. “Thomas.” The melodious voice called again, now closer. Another swing. “Thomas!” She was standing right beside him now. In the mid of his swing he halted and looked up. “Oh Anna, I didn’t see you there.” He said with feigned casualty. She arched an eyebrow. “I only called out twice.” She said drily. He wiped some sweat from his brow as he sat the maul down, careful to lean on it in an uncomfortable, but flattering position. “I must have been too absorbed in the work.” He said, imitating his father’s deep growling voice.

She was about to say something, but seemed to change her mind last minute. A wave of insecurity went through him. Did it work? Will had told him to “flaunt his assets”. After the older boy had explained what assets were, he had given Thomas some pointers on the flaunting part. He had practiced and thought out any possible scenario that might happen and so far, he was on the right track.

He looked at her face, trying to remain casual, but then something happened that he hadn’t foreseen, she started laughing. It wasn’t a cute smile or chuckle either, but a roaring laughter that brought tears to her eyes. All confidence left him. According to Will’s estimations they should have been kissing right now. She just kept laughing and he started wondering whether he could hammer himself into the ground next to the fencepost.

“You done?” He asked a little briskly. She held up a hand, while removing long strands of red hair from in front of her face. After a few more seconds she stopped laughing, but a wide grin remained fixed in place. A blush crept unto his face. “If you came here just to laugh you better move on, I’ve got work to do.” He put the maul on his shoulder and walked back to the cart to get another fencepost, trying to shake off the embarrassment.

Great goddess, but she always did this. Any time he thought of doing something vaguely romantic she made fun of him. “Oh, don’t be like that. You were funny, acting all rough and manly.” Humour filled her voice as she trailed him. He growled a response which was barely audible. “You’ve been talking with William, haven’t you? You shouldn’t listen to him, only Mindy doesn’t consider him to be a gigantic tool.” He was also the only boy in the village with a girlfriend, so he must be doing something right, Thomas quietly thought.

“Fine, be all sullen. I thought we could spend some time together, but if you’re going to be a stick in the mud then I guess not.” The words sent his heart racing again. The two of them spending time, alone. He turned around, staring straight into Anna’s smiling face. Another trap? The smile wasn’t her regular teasing grin however, so perhaps not.

“What….” He swallowed, acutely aware of the amount of saliva in his mouth. “What did you have in mind?” He asked hesitantly. “I was thinking about walking up the ridge” She trailed off in the middle of her sentence, her eyes fixing on something behind him. “And?” He urged her on. She held up her hand. “What is that?” She asked, pointing at something behind him. He turned around, but saw nothing. “What is what?” He asked. “That. Right there.” Impatient she took his hand and pointed at the object. Her hand was warm and soft around his, distracting him from what she was pointing at.

“Is that a rider?” He squinted. High upon the ridge something moved. “That is not a horse.” He said. Something that could be a cloak fluttered in the wind, but from this distance it was hard to tell. For a second the two villagers and the rider stared at each other, separated by an hour’s ride on horseback, then the rider started moving. He was quick, quicker than a horse, although not by much. “He seems to be coming this way.” Anna said nervously. “We should warn my dad.” Thomas responded equally nervous. Maplemore was a village far to the North of the Solestian Hegemony. The only strangers that came this far were the maple syrup traders and, during wars, tax collectors. It was too close to winter for the traders and the Hegemony hadn’t gone to war in six years.

The two of them hurried towards Thomas’ house. Inside his mother was making candles with his sister. She raised an eyebrow as he entered. “You can’t be done already; you better not be slacking.” When she saw Anna, a smile appeared on her face. “Anna dear, good to see you, how is Martha? I haven’t seen your mother in ages.” Thomas shook his head. “Mom, we got no time for this, there is a rider coming.” His mother looked up, but her face wasn’t alarmed. “Surely someone must have seen him by now? I’m sure your dad and the other men will be awaiting this rider as we speak.” Anna couldn’t contain her excitement. “He’s not coming from the main road. He’s coming from the ridge.”

Confusion was clear in his mother’s features. “The ridge? There is nothing beyond the ridge, just mountains and pine trees, who could be coming from there?” Thomas groaned; they were wasting precious minutes standing here. “Mom, where is dad? The rider might be dangerous, we need to warn the men.” His mother finished her candle. “Your father is salting the fish, with the other men, like every year.” She said calmly. Thomas rushed towards the entrance. “Oh, and Thomas.” His mother said in a tone that made him halt abruptly. “After this rider business is done, I want you back in the field putting those fenceposts in, or there will be consequences.” He swallowed. “Yes mom.” He spit out, before Anna pushed him through the door.

The two of them ran towards the salting house were everybody seemed to be in a festive mood. From a hundred meters away, he could hear his father’s deep laughter. When they entered the salting house, they were greeted by singing and more laughter. His father was in the middle of it all, singing, telling stories as he tossed giant salmons towards his buddy Steve, who caught them with little trouble. Gilroy was a giant, standing two meters tall, with slabs of meat for arms and a gigantic blond beard that would put most dwarves to shame. Not that Thomas had ever seen a dwarf, he wasn’t entirely sure they existed, but it made for a nice thought.

“Thom, done with the fencing already? I’m telling you oafs; my boy works harder than the lot of you put together.” His father was about to tell an anecdote or sing a song, so Thomas interrupted him. “Dad there is a rider approaching.” His father tilted his head. “Old Bill didn’t blow his horn, you sure?” Thomas shook his head. “From the ridge, not the road.” Steve chuckled. “There is nothing beyond the ridge, you sure you haven’t been standing in the sun too long?” Thomas was about to defend himself when a strange cry went through the village. The entire salting house fell silent. “What the hell was that?” Steve asked.

Gilroy strode outside, grabbing a large cleaver on the way out. Thomas was just a second behind, Anna trailing him in turn. As the townsfolk of Maplemore spilled out of the salting house and unto Mainstreet they were confronted with a strange sight. The rider and its animal were unlike anything they had ever seen. Covered in fur the bipedal creature stood in the sun. Its head looked like a goat, but that was where the similarities ended. The creature’s long tail, which looked a bit like a rat’s tail only then covered in fur, twitched nervously.

The rider’s gloved hand patted the creature’s neck. “Sekhair mon kar?” The rider asked, slightly muffled by the wrappings around his mouth, in a language none of the townsfolk had heard of. The rider himself was covered from head to toe in black cloth and leather, but it wasn’t the clothes that drew Thomas gaze, but the sword hanging from the rider’s hip. “Sekhair mon kar?” The rider repeated, louder this time and sounding more impatient. “We do not speak your language stranger. Shouting will not make us understand.” Gilroy said, eyeing the sword on the rider’s hip nervously. The rider tilted his head as Thomas’ father spoke.

The air was growing tense as the standoff continued. Suddenly the rider threw his hood back revealing his eyes, only they were not eyes. Together with a number of the people Thomas took a step back. It was as if he was looking at two little lakes of black water, through which little orange lights drifted. “Whatever the hell that is, it isn’t human.” A man said, circling his heart in prayer. “Calm people, we’re not sure it is hostile.” Gilroy said warily as he clutched the cleaver a little tighter.

The rider unwrapped the cloth around his face, revealing two slits were a nose should be and a thin mouth. It sniffed the air as if it was smelling something. “Kavkar?” It asked, revealing needle sharp teeth that made the villagers back away even further. The rider’s voice was strangely high and as Thomas looked at him, he seemed to be quite tiny as well. “Kavkar?” The rider asked again, sounding excited.

Thomas looked at the creature’s eyes and saw green flecks dance through them. The rider dismounted, confirming Thomas earlier estimation. The rider couldn’t be taller than one meter seventy, making him smaller than even Anna. The rider approached Gilroy who calmly held his ground, muscles tight, ready to move if the rider went for his sword. The rider stopped just short of Gilroy and saluted.

Thomas mouth fell open. He had only once seen someone salute, that being old Bill when the tax collector came six years ago. “Komer Sada mon Tarabash.” The rider said, followed by many words in its strange language. The rider looked at his father with an expectant look. Gilroy hesitated for a second than lowered the cleaver. “I ehm am Gilroy, I’m a farmer from here. This is Maplemore.” He accented his words by pointing at himself and then at the surrounding village. Sada mon Tarabash nodded, walked back to his animal and got something out of the saddle. The townspeople stared at its every move.

“There are bones growing out of the back of its head.” Anna whispered. “I know, but have you seen its eyes?” Thomas responded amazed. Suddenly he felt her warm hand in his which made his already racing heart beat even faster. “What is he?” She whispered. “I think he might be a she.” He whispered back. “How do you know?” He pointed as the rider returned. Two slight bulges were visible beneath the leathers the rider was wearing. “Typical.” Anna said coolly, releasing his hand. “Oh come on, I’m just studying a possible enemy here.” He protested.

She just glared at him and he threw his hands in the air in frustration. The sudden movement triggered the rider, her hand going for the hilt of her sword in less than a second. “Knock it off you two, this is no time for games.” His father barked. The rider looked at the group in front of her for a moment, then released the hilt of her sword. A collective breath was released by the villagers.

The rider unrolled a piece of paper and showed it to Gilroy. A detailed map from one of the valleys led towards the village, marking a clear path the rider had travelled. The valleys the rider hadn’t travelled to were neatly bordered, drawings of plants and animals serving as decorations. The rider pointed at the drawing of a weird looking fish. “Kavkar?” She asked again, green lights dancing through her eyes. “I think she wants food.” Steve hesitantly said. Gilroy nodded. “Kavkar?” He asked as he brought his hand towards his mouth. The rider shook her head, pointing at the fish again.

“Kavkar.” Then she made the same eating motion Gilroy had made. She rolled up the piece of paper and put it in her tunic, replacing it with a pouch. She opened the pouch and pulled two silver coins from it, as big as a cow’s eyes. Gilroy’s eyes became big. “Steve, go get some of the fish, bring a nice big piece.” Steve hurried inside the salt house and returned with a wrapped fish. Upon smelling the fish, the rider got excited. Golden lights dancing through the black pools. She pushed the two silver coins into Gilroy’s hands and grabbed the fish out of Steve’s hands.

She unwrapped it faster than Thomas’ eyes could follow and bit into the raw fish. Like a starved animal she ate whole thing, grates and all. Frankly it was a disgusting spectacle. After she was finished, she said something, which sounded happy, then bowed to Gilroy. “Kavkar.” She said again and once more the pouch opened, this time producing a gold coin. “Steve, we’re going to need a lot of fish, as much as the animal can carry.”

The rider left with the fish shortly after, leaving behind her gold and silver, which all seemed to be of the same exact size, with the same image imprinted on it. On one side the head of the same species as the rider and strange letters. On the other a single sword standing upwards. For weeks the mysterious rider was all the townsfolk of Maplemore talked about. Everyone wondered whether she would come back, but then the first snow started to fall and everyone was convinced that if the rider returned it wouldn’t be before spring. They were wrong.