It was early winter, a small layer of snow had gone out the night before but didn't settle, very few animals were out at this time of year and food was getting scarce.
Beetle had gone further than he ever had before, he needed to find something, anything to come home with otherwise they wouldn't eat that night.
A squirrel had made itself known on an oak tree, nibbling an acorn.
Making sure he was downwind, he slowly brought up his bow and lined up the shot. Before he could release the arrow though, something else got it first.
Walking over to the corpse of the animal it was obvious it wasn't shot by something precise but rather something like a stone launched by a slingshot.
So he started to scout the area.
He had a good visual search, nothing out of the ordinary.
But then he heard it, heavy footsteps.
Something, or rather, someone was headed for their kill.
Beetle ducked behind a large, thick tree and prepared his dagger.
Peeking round he saw something he'd never seen before ever.
Another person.
And not just another person but another species.
His mother had taught him about the outside world, about the most common species and some his mother had heard about but never met.
But this one. This was a faded green with scales coating it head to toe, horn and spikes shooting out if it's head like a hedgehog, it had a pronounced snout that seemed so irregular to him, a person who had never seen anyone who wasn't human.
His fascination grew and grew as he watched it, they picked up their kill and sniffed it, clearly being able to scent that Beetle had tampered with it in some way.
As soon as Beetle realised he was at risk of being found by an outsider, he did what he had been trained to do.
He came out behind them and pinned them face down on the ground, pointing a dagger at their neck.
"HEY HEY THERE'S NO NEED FOR VIOLENCE!!" It said. Beetle had learned about the existence of different languages, the fact that different species and professions were more likely to know different characters and dialects, but he didn't expect a species he'd never even heard of to know common.
"Why are you in this neck of the woods, my neck of the woods, if there's anyone else here with you then you better tell me right now!" He held the dagger closer to its neck as he made his case.
"I-I'm just a provider for the local village! We only send three different patrols out a day and into different woods entirely! I came in here to score some kill during a tough time for the village when we have barely enough to feed ourselves let alone our families and giving sacrifices!"
Beetle felt stunned "Why would you waste food for sacrifice in a period of struggle? Shouldn't you put yourself and your families first?"
"That might be how things work in your village but not in ours, in Balhelm, Baphomet comes before all, he would rather we die serving him, than live happily outside of the village."
"Your an odd one... Come with me..." Beetle felt an odd sense of trust with it, leading it to a tree stump to sit down on and, well.
"Talk. Who are you? What are you? What do you do? Where are you from?" Beetle re-lifted the blade in his hand to the kids throat.
"Whoa whoa ok! I'm Arin, Arin Truclulent son of Aria Truculent and Reynold Truculent. My only other family is my sister Reya."
"Go on, next question what are you? What species? I've never heard of or seen something like you."
