The man lead the boy down the paved dirt path between the buildings, walking a little faster than before.

  The boy, and the softness surrounding his flesh, received a number of looks from the passersby. Some intrigued, some suspicious, some scoffing. To most people, though, the boy was of no interest. The people went about their lives. The boy watched it all intently.

  The town had a great many people. More than he’d ever seen before. Most of them carried things, he noticed. On their sides, in their softness, in their hands, on their backs, and some even on their heads. One small child in particur was holding a fish over his head, grinning and ughing as he ran away from a pair of other children doing the same.

  The softness upon the boy’s skin was different from the softness around the others. The others had more colors and designs. Threads were obvious and visible at parts. There was something more than that, an obvious difference that set his apart. But it wasn’t anything he could discern yet.

  Noteworthy. Everything was noteworthy.

  Another noteworthy thing, most people grow looks of displeasure when he stares at them.

  All knowledge is good.

  “Are you alone?” The man asked, tilting his head towards the boy as they walked. “Was there anyone else with you?” He remained at least a step ahead of the boy, and did not notice the way he stared at passerby.

  “there was a man. colorful. fatherly. but he is somewhere else.”

  “Fatherly? Your dad left you alone out there?” A subdued anger was in his voice.

  “the man is not my father. to my knowledge.”

  “… Eh?” Curiosity had repced it.

  “i do not know who is. i am not certain.”

  “I…” Silently, the man decided it wasn’t his job to ask any more about that. “Anyway, was the guy alone? do you know where the guy might be, boy?

  “he was alone. i do not know where he is. but he is not close.”

  “Damnit…” The man muttered. “Probably too te now, but I’ll have to report this. Let the adventurers and the hunters know to keep an eye out…”

  The boy nodded, although he doubted the man could be found. But he wasn’t certain, so he kept that to himself.

  The church was a very tall building, a little north of the center of town. It looked like most of the others, except its roof was significantly pointier. There was a big window in the front, high above the door. The gss was dark, and very hard to see through. Beside the window on both sides were the images of swords, with some indentations on the wide end of the bde.

  Swiftly, the man pushed the door open, and took a heavy step inside, leading the boy into the church.

  “DAAANAAAY!” He shouts. “STRAY COMIN’ IN!”

  The boy left the church.

  The hardened man lead him to another man with a long, all-bck softness over much of his body, and promptly left.

  The new man took a single look at the boy, and said that he looked funny.

  The boy had no response, and the man looked him up and down.

  The new man told him he was fine.

  Boy thought this was good.

  He asked if the boy needed anything.

  The boy didn’t think he did.

  The man told him to leave.

  The boy left. The process took around 42 seconds.

  Once more, the boy was by himself. This time, though, he was surrounded by humans.

  He began to walk along the road once again. There was much to see when he walked, and the town had many more sensations to offer.

  Everything he saw was notable, of course, but soon enough he found something that gave him enough pause to stop and stare again.

  He passed by a slightly-rger-than-average building, with a rge window along the wall facing the road. He witnessed humans sitting at tables, pcing baked goods and sandwiches into their mouths, before crushing them repeatedly until the objects became a sludge-like substance, which would then slide down into their bodies.

  It took him a long time to discern exactly what was happening, as it seemed that most people preferred to conceal the act behind closed lips.

  The process was deeply entrancing. He had to imagine the sensation was incredible.

  Eventually, an angry woman stepped out and shouted at the boy move away, and stop making her customers uncomfortable with his “freaky-ass bug eyes.”

  The boy nodded and continued down the path.

  Hours ter, the boy had reached the end of town. His route was hardly that long, but he found himself entranced rather often, by all manner of human activity.

  At this point, the path was no more. There were no more buildings in this direction. But the path had split off before. The town had many more sensations to offer.

  But something just beyond the end of the road caught his eye and intrigued him far more than the rest of town.

  There was a tall tree. Before that, stood a taller man with much bushy gray hair on his face, cd in an bck, hooded softness, which was patchy and well-worn. He faced the tree, and leaned his lower half towards the wood, while his arms reached for a spot between his legs.

  All the while, a brilliantly twinkling golden stream flowed from his body and onto the bark. The boy couldn’t see the exact source of the liquid, but it must have been from around the same pce the man’s hands were.

  The sight was utterly mesmerizing, the boy couldn’t avert his gaze. Not that he wanted to.

  Feeling an intense gaze suddenly beaming into him, the man tilted his head back. When he finally saw the boy, his face twisted into a look of anger, confusion, and a notable amount of detachment. A considerable part of his mind was not present at the moment.

  “Ehhhh?” The man’s cheeks were a deep red, and his voice low and course. “The hell’re you lookin’ at?”

  “you.” Stated the boy.

  “Ehh? Now why’zzat, huh?” He sneered. “Whadda think’s so special ‘bout a man takin’ a piss, eh!? Everyone does it! You does it! Whatzit matter where I do it?! You think you’re better than me?! Eh?!”

  “… i do it?” The boy’s eyes almost seemed to twinkle. “i do that as well?”

  “EHHheh?? F’kin’- ‘Course you do! The heck’re you on, kid!?”

  “i think it is called 'grass.” The boy looked down at the little green tendrils beneath his shoes.

  “Eh- Yaknow, whatever, man. Point is, I’m well within my rights to be pissin’ out here. Town ends right there, everywhere else is freeeeeeeeee nd, boy!”

  “can you not do that in town?” The boy’s head tilted.

  “’Course I can! ‘Least, I SHOULD!” The man hiccuped. “But guards’ll hit me or lock me up again if I do… But that ain’t how it ought to be! Pissin’s natural, damnit! If it makes ya feel weird, that’s YOUR problem! Shouldn’t make me have to walk anywhere to do it! That’s why I piss ‘ere, boy! Closest I can to town! I wan’ ‘em to see it, let ‘em know they aren’t gonna break ME anytime soon!”

  “wow.” The boy was in awe. “everyone can do that..?”

  “THAT’S RIGHT, BOY! EVERYONE! ALL THE TIME! PRINCE DOES IT, GUARDS DOES IT, WORKSMEN- EVEN BANDITS DO IT! ‘Course, I hate Bandits as much as erry’body else, but there’s a number of things I appreciate- Yaknow a lot of ‘em don’t wear pants? Even the girly types! Now THAT’S free- That’s the way to be, boy! That’s how I wanna be! ‘Cept I could never do it. Legs is too unsightly these days on account of all them bites. And it don’t feel good when the air touches ‘em. Best to keep them pants on, yeah… They used to call me Pants, y’know…”

  “pants? oh, is that the softness that covers the legs?”

  “Ehhhyeap, gotta have pants...” The man nodded, squinting wistfully as he looked at nothing. His hands in front of him shifted, and he seemed to put something away, and pull another thing up. “Wheeelllp, been good talkin’ to ya, kid, but I think it’s time to dig up the ol’ staff ‘n shield… Yeah, it’s huntin’ time…”

  “okay. goodbye.” The boy nodded and uttered an expression he’d heard on the town.

  The man nodded, and waddled away with a hunched back and unforeseen speed, as he crossed back into down and disappeared between the buildings.

  The boy stood in thought for a moment.

  According to that man, humans, including the boy, apparently, are supposed be pissing all the time. But the boy hadn’t even pissed once yet.

  With that in mind, he decided that should be his immediate priority.

  Although, the man seemed to imply that there were risks involved with pissing in and around town. Perhaps, then, to ensure that he’s doing everything absolutely correctly, he should locate a tree that was much farther away.

  He’d go far, far away from the humans. Taking in everything he could along the way. Humans were good, but there could be much knowledge to gain in the pces without them, as well.

  He stared ahead and walked again into the open and endless grassnd.