Keep running.

"go go go" his breathing cadence was awful, the body he had was out of shape. after the first kilometer, he was winded, after the tenth, he no longer had any contents of his stomach. A treeline in the distance was his best bet to disappear, he was familiar with living in the woods as part of his military training.

"This is too much, really." Errit's feet crashed through puddles, the mud that had already dried would become slick and tacky again. "How long will they follow me?" Errit hadn't seen any pursuers, but that didn't mean they weren't above him waiting for a chance. He wouldn't dare look, too much was riding on his concentrating on running away.

a firebreak of rocks showed a border of the treeline. Only a few feet and he would be back in the shade, the sporadic treeline outside of the forest did little good to cover his position. his only hope was that his pursuers were still looking inside of the town. 'A River.' it came into view after another hundred feet.

He dove in. It was cool, and swept the mud from his body and his body along with the current. Swimming wasn't a problem, he knew how to swim, any time was a good time for him if he got to spend it in the water.

Fish of all kinds and some other things he didn't understand full were in the river with him using its force to move them along. As the river grew faster, rocks began to split its path creating turbulence and rapids. Hitting one, he could feel a rib break. It almost took the breath from him, he grabbed his chest while floating downstream.

As the body healed itself, he could feel his muscles pulling the bone back into place, setting itself. "Am I an Undead?" The words escaped his mouth, but he didn't believe it either, though, he had come back to life.. and immediately killed someone.

The concept was strange and he became lost in thought as he flowed down river.

Hours passed. Waterlogged, he stepped out of the river when a town came into view. After drying he made his way through the streets.

It was quiet, not a lot of activity. Masks adorned the faces of its residents, they all had tails. From the back, they seemed like Cats but they had hands, feet and wore clothing. It was a village of Nyankin Mystics. He was the first visitor they had seen in some time, most humans from the settlement up river didn't come that direction.

A large armored and masked man came up to Errit.

"All guests must see the Elder." He seemed intent on his position, Errit didn't have the energy to fight or run.

A grim feeling fell over Errit, but he refused to believe he would only encounter violence and let himself be led to the Elder's hut. A grass enclosure, no bigger than a small cottage stood surrounded by slightly smaller huts in a small circle. Everyone, even except the children wore colorful masks, all of them looked home made. Some were gilded with plants or pigments others were covered in flesh and furs. It seemed very ritualistic and part of their culture, he didn't let emotions register but as he entered the hut it just came out.

His stomach growled intensely, giving away his need and answering a lot of questions before he was prepared to answer anything.

"A traveler, lost and wreaking of the river wanders into our village. You are lucky to be alive. No harm shall befall you here, but if you are to remain, you must abide by our customs. only children show their faces in our presence, a mark of our desire to stay from the ways of the world." The Elder took a mask from his wall and passed it over.

The markings on it resembled a lot of the masks he had seen on the way through the village, it wasn't heavy. He looked it over and turned it around a few times, his observation of it was keen. he could feel every fiber of it, another feeling.. a strange one. he felt a pulsation from inside the mask, it felt alive. "What is this thing made of?" He asked.

The Elder wasn't upset but instead intrigued. "The Hunted" It left an ominous tone, they way he had said it.

"Hunted?" Errit was now confused and was about to reject the offer.

As a host, the Elder was slightly offended but held his tongue on the matter, instead he said, "You are a hunter, are you not?" The subtlety wasn't lost after his words. "Stay, or go. The mask is yours now." Picking his legs up, the Elder sat in a lotus position and closed his eyes.

Errit was unsure if he could leave, but he put the mask on and stood up to leave. The guard outside didn't stop him at all, Children noticed the mask and no longer seemed phased by his presence.

"What a strange place" Errit walked out into the Village and looked around. Everyone was busy doing something. Watching, he studied their actions.

There was a clearing beside the village under the shade of a large tree. Errit walked over laid under it and relaxed. The first thing he saw when he looked up was a strange looking fruit. It glowed with an amber hue. the banding around the fruit showed it had several segments, looking like a pod of peas with something the size of apples inside it looked inviting.

Errit started to climb the tree, his fingers held tight to the trunk. Scaling to its branches he plucked one of the fruits and ate it. Peeling its flesh at first and tasting a small portion. It was sweet, not at all bitter.

The Suns were fully upon the land, strange birds moved in the distance. "This isn't so bad." He took another bite from one of the sections of fruit. It tasted differently, more like cake than a fruit. the texture caught Errit off guard but he enjoyed it still.

"Not bad at all." Sitting in the branches he looked down at his new hands, his tattoos were gone, all reminders of his previous life washed away. 'What now?'