//------------------------------//
// The Village 
// Story: Return of the Savior! Wait ME? 
// by NnoDragonEclipse 
//------------------------------//


	I Just saw a dragon! I mean you only see those in myths and legends! I always wanted to see one! How was that even possible? Dragons don’t exist! It was even intelligent enough to talk to me! It gave me a fright with its unscheduled blow dry when it saved me from drowning. I’m still a little soggy from it though at least I’m not a wet dog. Now I’m frazzled and in need of a good brushing.


If dragons exist now and are intelligent, where did I end up? I can’t be anywhere back home because I live in basically a desert, and I think Europe doesn’t have mythological creatures that they have been hiding in the countryside. The buildings in front of me don’t even seem to be very modern with their thatch roofs but they did come in a variety of colors. From blue to pink and everything in between. Some of them even have white picket fences with nice front yards full of grass.

This place looks like early Surburban life in America with how they’re houses are set up. The roads are still made of dirt and looked like they have horse pull carts here and there. This place looks like someone took Europe from a few hundred years ago mashed with America from eighty years ago. I didn’t see a single person out and about. It almost felt like a ghost town but the sound of laughter off in the distance filled the atmosphere with hope. Is there a festival going on right now? I think I need a new plan of interaction. If dragons exist now, this could mean other myths will come to life. If I somehow ended up in a D&D like world does this mean I would be safe enough to show myself?

The dragon bowed to me when it put me down. What does that even mean? Myths tell of kitsune being tricksters. I don’t remember them being gods for worship. This could be bad if I show myself to them and they only see my “trickster” nature, but why did that dragon bow in the first place. It makes no sense. Dragons in myth are either wise or unstoppable death machines with enough gold to crash the gold market if they ever chose too. They are also fiercely independent, only gathering to procreate. Nothing in legends have ever pointed them out to be submissive to a fox.

This place is just getting weirder the more I think of it. First it was the castle with their obsession with horses, next is wooden wolves that tried to eat me, a dragon who talked to me and now a suburban medieval Europe. My original plan was more based on back home and not a D&D world. This might mean I need to change my strategy of interaction. It might be better to talk directly to them than it is hide and eat their trash, though that is plan b if I get run out.

I can still hear the laughter down the road. I have a choice to make, and I don’t like either. With it being midday, I think have more time until the festival ends, so I have time before I have to choose. It might soften the blow if I walk in on the festival and interact with them. They would probably think I was a part of celebration and invite me. This relies on too many assumptions though and I don’t like it. I don’t want to be eating trash though so it might be my only chance to get in good with them. Hopefully they accept me enough that I could get a job.

God, I’m going to hate this, but I really do have to talk to them. I guess I follow the road down. There were even more houses of differing colors, some even had gardens in the front. I looked at the side of a mailbox to find that I couldn’t read any of the writing on the side. While it looked Latin based it was not in an order I can recognized. The numbers on the houses though were very much roman, and not the typical one and twos. It had X’s, V’s and I’s for which I am grateful for one of my teachers teaching how to actually read them. This house’s address read five thousand four hundred and fifty-seven.

Now I just wondering who would use such an inefficient system of counting. Well at least it is a good sign that I could read something even if it is so minor like numbers. It’s a start but not a very good one. I have to move on before the celebrations end if I’m going to get a good impression. I followed the sound of laughter down the road, I could start to see more commercial building, but most seemed to be closed for today. The tables out front of what seemed to be restaurant were way too low for even a normal human to use. The signs out front were unreadable but I starting to see a trend with horses on their signs.

This might be the extension of the horse society I saw at the castle. I starting to get a bigger picture of what is going on here. I don’t want it to be true but with seeing a DRAGON it probably is. I don’t even know how they would make a society with their hooves. This might mean they are more likely to accept me though but on the other hand it would mean there would be no humans. I really don’t know if this is a good or bad thing.

I got to see what is going on though. Moving down the street through colorful building led me to the middle of town where all the festivities were going on and what I found, while surprising, was not unexpected. I saw small colorful horses swing dancing which I have no idea how they even have the balance for. The festivities even included small game booths with Prizes that look right out of fair back home. There were also shopkeepers that I supposed yelling out to get people to buy their food. In center stage, was building in what I assumed a square horseshoe shape in a shade of tan with the balcony being used as stage for this consort. 

The music was sounded like some country and light rock mixed together, not unpleasant to the ear. There was even a banner spanning from the one side of the building to the other, though what it said was lost to me as I couldn't read it. It could have been what the holiday was or the band currently on the balcony for all I know. None of them seem to notice me at the moment which I guess is a good thing. I kind of want a better look at the band as I hear guitar and guessing from the population in front of me, I want to know how they play it with hooves if they are these horses.

I started to move forward into the fray. The first person to spot me was a yellow coated horse with a mocha-colored mane and his first reaction was to stare right at me in shock. Well, he's not screaming but him staring is not a good sign. 

"Umm, hi there," all I got was a blink, "I'm new around here and I really hope you can understand me."

Again, I got no response. I heard what sounds like a neigh off to the side, so I turned to faced it. What meet me was a stark white Unicorn! This one look more female with its eyelashes and deep blue mane. She was pointing at me now with her mouth agape. She then franticly starts to talk very fast and bowed as deep as she can. She even yelled at the man I just meet and that shook him out of his stupor with him now bowing. This did not go unheard by others until everyone was staring a bowing. I think I either just killed the festival or now am the main point of it.

I saw regular horses, but some even had horns or wings on them. All of them stopped what they're doing. This is not what I expected at all. I was expecting some looks not them worshipping me. This is making me uncomfortable with them like this. I thought to wave, and they took this as a sign to get up but none of them took their eyes off of me. What looked like an old horse with wings in black robes and hat with a pendant with nine waves surrounding a circle like a sun. He even had what looked like a bag you would put on a horse on his sides. I think he might be a priest from the looks of it. He even spoke for a little bit though I don't know if it was to me or the crowd.

"Umm, what did you say?" I questioned

This seemed to puzzle him, before he sat down to get at his back pulling out a book from his bags. I want to know how he is holding it though, so I stare at his hooves as it magnetically held the book. He flipped it open, how, and started reading for a little bit until what it looks like he found what he was looking for.

"Wel-we-welcome how-hoe-home lie-low-lord," he said very shakily as if he was unsure of his response. Good thing is now is that they speak my language even if it is not common and only spoken by the clergy. Bad thing is that he called me lord for an unknown reason.

"Thanks for welcoming but I don't own land so I'm no lord," I responded clearly confused at his statement. This even confused him further. I don't think he fully understood what I said, I could have guessed that he was proficient in English from the way he spoke it. Well, there goes any hope of quick communication.

"We wou-wow-wood-would li-like to inv-invitation into homes fo-or fea-feast," this time he was even jumbled and now afraid with ears laying back his head. Wow that is kind of cute.

"Lead on," I said trying to speak in a calm demeanor even with the staring freaking me out. I even raise me hand/paw thing in a sweeping motion as if to say go on. He seemed to get the idea and did something similar to follow me motion with his hoof. I did as I thought he intended, and he seemed to perk up at that. He was leading me towards the tan horseshoe building which might be the town hall due to its size in comparison to other buildings around it. 

The crowd parting letting us through, but they are still STARING! What is their problem? Never seen a giant fox that is double your height and looks down upon you. The priest yelled something out that made the crowd start cheering. Fuck I hope they aren't cannibals, wait that doesn't work because they are a different species from me. Horses are also herbivores. I got a look at their sides and noticed most of them even have a tattoos or pictures on their ass, they had all different types from carrots, ha, to what looked like a mug. Why they had them is another question to add to the growing list I wanted to ask.
Entering the building, inside wasn't anything fancy but had a nice grand hall for events. With tall pillars on the corners and a marble floor this room is most likely meant to impress anyone coming in. I hear the boom of the heavy oak doors closing behind me with the muffling of the cheering voices. I could still see a couple looking through the windows trying to get a good look at me, but the priest led me ushered in quickly and up the stairs to the second floor away from some observers. Red carpet covered the ground upstairs with the same tan walls of the outside.

He led me down the hall into what seemed like an office. This office had very little furnishing with only a wooden desk, two potted plants in the corners and a cabinet for papers. He rummaged the cabinet for some paper and when he had some walked to the far side of the desk. He grabbed what looked to be a quill and ink out of the desk drawers and went to work writing something. I just sat like a dog on the other side of the desk not knowing what he was doing.

After a while he finished what he was writing and moved to get another piece of paper.  He took out his book that he had earlier and started to write something. He soon than gave me the paper. It read Welcome to Hoovesdale, Lord Kitsune.