"I was always told," Air started her story quietly, feeling a little awkward with all eyes now upon her. She cleared her throat and continued on, a little louder. "That you should always offer assistance to those who appear lost. But they're wrong. If you're not careful, spirits will trick you and you'll be lost forever."
There was a tremor to her voice, a shiver down her spine. "I'm not trying to frighten you for fun," she went on, making brief eye contact with a few others. "I'm trying to warn you."
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When I was finally old enough to be on my own, see the world and find my own adventure, I wasted no time. I wanted to explore everywhere I possibly could. I met many others in those early days - every stranger was a potential friend or temporary ally; or even a clue or direction to some place I had yet to see.
It was one such a stranger that almost tricked me.
I never accepted anything for free if I could help it. I always tried to make an exchange. A treasure I found; help gathering food for a meal; watching young ones for an afternoon so parents could have a moment's peace. But I never helped expecting anything in return, either. Helping was just something you did to be kind, not to expect a reward.
And so, when I heard someone calling for help in the thick fog, I didn't hesitate. I was simply trying to do the right thing.
When I think about it now, I cannot recall what the other looked like. I know they looked like a kin but in this memory they're an acha - in another they're a kiokote. Sometimes, they're a foal and other times they're much older than even my parents. It is never the same shape no matter how hard I focus. This time, it is a zikwa, thin and frail.
"I'm lost," Their voice is hoarse and comes out in a rasp. I can see they're sightless but they sniff the air and turn in my direction. "I'm lost."
They never said anything else - or if they did, I can't remember. I tried to ask where they were going, who they were, did they know how long they had been traveling for. I thought they must be in some sort of delusion, or ill, because they did not answer only kept repeating that they were lost over and over and shambling further into the fog.
At one point, I stopped, frustrated. How could I help someone who couldn't give me the answers I needed to help them? They faced me, eyeless faze burning into me and just whined "I'm lost" over and over until I started following again. The fog was so dense it felt like trying to push through snow. I would list sight of the zikwa but just when I thought they'd disappeared, their call would echo out again.
I couldn't see anything but fog. I couldn't hear anything but the zikwa's faint cries. Their image was completely lost to me now. I was lost now. Panic spurred me and I spun in circles.
"I'm lost!" I screamed to the fog but the thickness of the air muffled the sound. My heart beat frantically in my chest - I had been tricked. I dropped to the ground, laying flat so as to feel something solid to ground me. I could find my way out, I just had to stay calm.
I couldn't tell you how long I wandered for. It felt like hours. It felt like days. A cry snapped my from my stupor and it took me much too long to realise I had been hearing it for a long time. The fog eddied in front of me, swirling as if something moved through it and it thinned, enough for me to see trees again. A shrill cry. I pushed forward, willing my legs to move quickly though they were tired. There was a woosh ahead and the fog continued to swirl and dance, revealing the path ahead. Finally, cool fresh air met my damp skin and I gasped with relief. When I turned, the fog was gone without a trace. A soft trill came from the trees ahead and a crane, transparent, tilted its head at me.
"You saved me," I replied, bowing my head. "Thank you."
The crane only stared in response, beak clacking rhythmically.
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"When I recounted the tale to others, they told me that I had eaten some bad mushrooms or water gone sour. And maybe I did. But I'm wary of strangers now and it's saved my hide more than once. I've never encountered.. whatever that was.. again. I hope I never do. If you find someone lost, be wary if they try to lure you into the fog. You may not be as lucky as I and you may end up the one doing the luring after."