Thoughts raced through my mind, contemplating ways to escape. A miracle dawned upon my sight. Spotting a nearby rock, a light bulb lit up in my mind. Seizing the rock, I could divert their attention by throwing it in the opposite direction. With their footsteps growing closer, I knew I had to act fast. Acting swiftly, I grabbed the rock, threw it in the opposite direction, fooling the pursuers. Cautiously, I moved away from the bush and made a break for it.

Finally returning to my village, the sight of thatched roofs and cobblestone streets brought immense relief. Concealing the creature in my backpack, I rushed into the village.

The villagers, noticing my presence, approached me in a hurry, asking if I was alright due to how long I was gone and the scars on my face. Concerned, my mother ran to me, moving over everyone that stood in her way. Finally making it to me, she hugged me. Worried about the scars, my mother rushed me to the clinic. In the clinic, my mother, overwhelmed with worry, bombarded me with questions about the incident. Trying to ease her nervousness, I simply stated I had tripped; the questions subsided, allowing me a moment to breathe.

My dad entered the clinic, hugged me, and inquired about my well-being. Reassuring them with lies, they finally let me be to get some sleep. In my tired state, I drifted away into sleep, until I suddenly remembered what was in my bag. Getting up out of bed, I walked towards my bag to check inside, only to see the creature in a state of delirium. Scared for the creature, I searched around the nursery to find anything to help. Finding some water, I rushed towards my bag and gave some water to the unknown creature. Out of nowhere, a familiar voice appeared. "Achlys, what are you doing?" It was Elizabeth. I thought, "Nothing, I'm just searching my bag for something." From a distance, I could see Elizabeth had a worried look on her face. Walking up to me, she asked, "Are you okay?" Worried about her noticing my bag, I said yes, "I was worried for you; everyone in the village is talking about what happened to you." "Really?" I said, "I didn't know I was that important," as I gave Emily a smile. Suddenly, her face began to blush as she gave me a hug, saying, "I'm glad you're okay. I was really worried about you." This moment was my savior from my constant anxiety about the situation at hand. "Emily, come down here; we ain't got that much time. We have to go to the local shop for spices," I said as she moved away from me, said bye, and walked through the door. My heart began pounding with excitement as she gave me the relief I so desperately needed. Still, it didn't last as I snapped back into reality and looked at my bag; it was the creature. As I picked up its body, I placed it on my bed, trying to find some tools to pull out the tiny but sharp pieces of bark in the creature's skin. I scavenged around the room until I found some until I dropped them right in the sight of the creature healing itself.

"This is one of those divergent creatures. If I keep it here, it might end up hurting others. Why did I even decide to save it?" I thought as I began to plan ways to put the creature back out into the wild. "I got it. I can go out at night and put the creature back. It is healed, so it won't be that bad in a situation out there. I mean, those guys did capture it, but why? These are one of the weaker ones. I would imagine they would capture the stronger ones to obtain their power or something like that. It doesn't matter now; I should just find a way to get this thing out of here." After this, I got dressed and picked up the creature, putting it into my bag until a sound came from it. It was like that of a bird but quieter. Suddenly, my examination of the creature came to a halt as I heard knocking on my door. "Hey Achlys, it's me," it was my dad. As I opened my door, I saw my dad in his training gear. "Wow, you're already dressed," he said. "Yeah, I was just getting up for a walk. Why do you have on your training gear?" "Well, I was going out for a training session and came to check on you and ask if you're willing to train with your pops. If you're not too weak," he said with the intent to tease me. "No, of course not," I said, "not even trees can take down me, the mighty Achlys. Well, let's put that to the test, old man." Smirking, Achlys added, "Besides, it's more exciting to spar with you, old man. Who knows, you might need those warrior skills to face the fearsome creatures of the night." It worked, I thought, as we began walking out the door. I left behind my bag, unaware of the troubles it would cause.