"Hey, Dad." Said Jachum in between mouthfuls of bear soup during lunch.

"Yes," said his father raising an eyebrow.

"How do you tell between good people and bad people?" asked the boy

"Ahh, that's difficult. Being able to see someone for who they really are is a skill some practice their entire lives with limited success." Jachum's father paused, gathering his thoughts.

"Some people are easy to spot. When they talk, they are either hiding from the world or trying to express themselves to the world. The ones hiding use words they don't mean so as not to scare their prey away. The people who don't hide aren't always good, but they'll let you know. The ones who hide themselves are harder to see. For them, you have to watch their actions. Watch how they tilt their hear, how they wave their hands, how they smile, and even how they walk. All of these things will tell you a lot about any creature if you have eyes to see."

"That sounds really complicated." Said Jachum.

In his mind, his dad always overcomplicated things.

"Of course it is. Understanding the people around you is always going to be difficult and complicated. But that's ok. I'll teach you eventually."

Jachum groaned, wishing he hadn't asked at all. That only meant he was going to get another really dull lecture, maybe even two.

The rest of the day followed the regular schedule. Today was a tracking tutorial, and Jachum spent the early part of the day trying to follow the track his father had left behind. This was hard but also fun. The lecture in the afternoon didn't know what fun was. It was a lecture on how to speak formally in a clan meeting. The strange way of speaking, as well as the extensive bowing, annoyed Jachum to no end. And when his father told him it was over, he felt elated.

"Off you go. I'll see you in a bit." Said Elden, shooing Jachum to go play for the evening.

Jachum started moving but stopped after only moving a couple of steps. "Dad, will you go with me."

'Shit,' Elden thought to himself. If Jachum became too scared of the forest, helping him grow to become independent would be significantly more difficult.

"Sure, Buddy." What do you want to go do."

Jachum smiled and took Elden's hand. And the two walked into the forest in search of adventure.

Elden made sure not to lecture at Jachum while they were wandering the forest. This was Jachum's playtime, and He was a participant, not a teacher. They ran through creeks, climbed trees, and even whistled through pieces of grass. This was done by placing a long blade of grass tightly between both thumbs and blowing.

After playing for an hour or so, Elden decided that because of the wild things that had happened to Jachum over the course of the last couple of days, it was important to show the boy that the world of spirits could be wonderful and fun He had originally been planning to give Jachum a couple of weeks to adjust, but the child had already died twice. He needed to provide the poor boy something fun and exciting. Jachum seemed to already be losing his fearlessness. Thinking this, Elden decided to take Jachum to go visit the Sauros clan. A group of lizard-like spirit creatures that were friendly with Elden.

"Do you want to go meet some really cool people?" Asked his father to Jachum.

"I guess," said Jachum, "They won't try to eat me, right?"

"No, they shouldn't." said his father ruffling his hair.

"Ok."

And with that off, Jachum and his father went to go meet some really cool people.

Jachum was feeling rather excited. It would be his first meeting with a whole clan of spirits. While they were walking, Jachum realized something and asked. "Dad, if we are visiting a group of spirit creatures, how come they live here instead of in the spirit world?"

"I explained this to you before."

"I don't think I remember you ever talking about that." Said Jachum shrugging non committedly.

He did mentally often drift off when listening to his father's lectures.

"Well." Sighed his father. "Think of them as the unwanted children of the Spirit world. They got kicked out long ago and now live in the world in between the Spirit world and the ordinary one. We, as aatma, are able to react in the world without issue.

"Oh," said Jachum thinking for a bit. "But what happens if a Spirit and a normal human being are in the same place? What do we see."

"I'm not sure." Said his father laughing. "One day, we'll have to try."

By the time they reached the lizard camp, the sun was already setting. Jachum looked around in gob-smacked amazement at the numerous lizard men. They were all massive creatures ranging anywhere from 10-12 feet tall. He and his father looked like tiny people compared to them. Jachum moved ever so closer to his father. He wasn't scared. He just wanted to not get lost. At least, that was what he told himself.

A large creature stomped its way up to the pair, with its tall, moving back and forth behind him at every step.

"Elden." Growled the creature in a deep hoarse voice. "You've finally decided to come to visit after so long.

"I have." Said Elden giving a slight bow. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Lord Drog. I hope everything has been well for you and your folk."

"It is well, Elden of the shadow walkers. Is this the child you mentioned before?"

"Yes, this is my son Jachum." Replied Elden.

Then speaking to the kid, he said, "Jachum, why don't you introduce yourself."

Elden said this while giving him the signal he had taught Jachum, showing that it was a formal setting and he needed to present himself well.

"Hi." Waved Jachum shyly as he stared in wonder at the tall, beautiful creature.

The lizardman broke into a smile. "I see he is still quite young."

"My apologies if he has shown you any disrespect. As you said, he is still quite young and has many lessons ahead of him.

"It is nothing." Drog waved him away with a smile. "We of the Saurus clan are not so shallow as to try to break a contract over something so petty. Much unlike those of the Ursa, treacherous disgusting creatures that they are.

Elden ignored the hate-filled comment and gave a slight bow, "You are very generous, Lord Drog. I look forward to our continued cooperation."

"Of course, of Course." Said Drog waving a large claw in dismissal. "Come, let's introduce your son to some of the tribes' young."

Jachum followed beside his father, staying as close as possible to him. As they walked, Jachum stared in awe at the weird, novel sights and sounds around him. His head moved at a rapid pace as Jachum tried to take in all there was to see. There were massive stone structures in a clearing where lizardfolk lay basking in the son. There was a waterfall nearby that was bluer than even the sky to Jachum's eyes. Everything, from the creatures weaving silver threads on one side to two large creatures dancing around a fire, enthralled and captivated the little boy. The amount of Sauru that were within the community amazed Jachum. It was more people in one place than he had ever seen. Even in the dreams he had of what towns and cities were like, he never would have imagined this many people in one place.

Such new and amazing things excited Jachum but also made him feel scared. If not for his dad providing a comforting hand he could grab onto, he may have tried to run away.

They continued walking until they reached the center of the village, where ten smaller Sauru milling about.

The Massive lizard man that was leading himself and his father turned. "These are the younglings we're raising."

Jachum shivered every time 'Lord Drog, as his father called him, spoke. It was a slithering growl that raised the hair on the back of Jachum's neck. Jachum himself was very unsure of the creature, but his father didn't seem too worried, so Jachum wasn't gonna worry too much.

"They have already been made aware of the existence of your offspring. I believe there shouldn't be a problem with anything." Spoke to the Sauru chief to his father.

His father nodded his head, then turning to Jachum, said, "Off you go, Jachum, go make some friends."

Jachum stared at his father as if he had lost his mind. He was supposed to go over there and talk to all those small creatures by himself.

He would have been fine if it was only one, but ten? That was a ridiculous number. Jochum swallowed and clung a little tighter to his father's hand. He was, however, betrayed by his own father when instead of keeping him close, he laughed and pushed him toward the monstrous creatures. Jachum turned back to give his father a dirty look. The man's face was serene and even smiling. Accepting that his father would not be providing any assistance, Jachum stepped forward into the dragon's den. He had died before. This shouldn't be that bad.