Bamwind had forgotten how long it has been since he fled the village.

It seemed like he was trekking unknown territory for his whole life with nothing but his clothes and the backpack on his back. He didn't even know if he was even getting anywhere. All he knew is he had to be away from his village.

A pang of guilt came from his stomach at the reality that he abandoned his village. But it was too late to go back, they surely wouldn't forgive him.

No matter. He must go on, and so he does, towards nowhere. Bamwind shuddered at the thought of living alone for the rest of his life, as appropriate of a punishment for abandonment that is.

He took a moment to sit down on the grass, exhaustion prickling his eye. He promised himself that he wouldn't sit down for too long, he would fall asleep otherwise, and it's only the middle of the day.

When he woke up, he heard crickets and felt a lack of sunlight on his face, and cursed himself for letting himself doze off, pulling himself up and drinking from the canteen in his backpack.

He continued along his journey, stopping along the way to hunt and gather berries. Bamwind wasn't sure if these were safe, but didn't care at this point, eating a bland meal of cooked meat and questionable berries.

As he walked further, he noticed a... whirring sound from far away? Hope swelled in his chest at the idea that his journey wasn't for nothing, but still walked cautiously towards the sound.

Bamwind bumped into what appeared to be a metal gate, climbing over it, to feel air whooshing by him in what he assumed to be some sort of fast device. He stayed in the grass, unsure of what to do at this point.

He tensed up at the artificial yelping in the distance, as a fast device slowed to a stop, a metal door opening as someone approached Bamwind with squeaky shoes.

He rushed to take out his katana, expecting a fight, but was greeted by a frightened voice.

"Uhh... Sir! Put the weapon down, I am not here to hurt you."

Bamwind slowly lowered his katana.

"Not to say it like this but... where did you come from?"

"...my village." He gulped down a sob. "I fled it."

"Oh... Oh. I'm sorry. I'm here to help you. I know a good homeless shelter in Popcorntopia, they'll get you cleaned up. Step inside."

"Thank you." A million thoughts raced around his head at once. He felt self conscious about how he must've looked, covered in debris with uncombed hair. He was amazed that Popcorntopia was real. He was skeptical of the man, unknowing of his intentions.

Bamwind stepped inside the device, uncomfortable with how bouncy the seats are, but dared not complain. The device began moving, making that artificial yelping sound again.

"What's your name?" The stranger asked.

"I am Bamwind."

"My name's Officer Yambo." The sounds of buttons could be heard, though he could not discern what Yambo was doing. "Hmmm... You aren't in the system, Bamwind. We're going to have to hold you for the night."

"The... system?"

"The legal system." Yambo turned on a radio, speaking into it. "Officer Yambo. I'm bringing an unidentified male to the station. No hits on him, but he refers to himself as 'Bamwind.' Was standing on the side of the road, claiming to have fled his village."

"Copy that." A male voice said, as Bamwind tensed up, realizing that the man was some sort of authority. His heart jumped into his mouth as he realized he wasn't in charge anymore. He didn't know how to feel in this position of powerlessness, but took a deep breath to avoid showing any signs of weakness to the man.

He placed his hands on his lap, unsure what was awaiting for him in Popcorntopia.