Lost and Found [Filler Name]

      The village was… interesting. It rested in the middle of the woods, deeper than Aya would have dared to go on her own. Not that she had a choice now. Clearly, these people spent most of their time outside. There were large fire pits in the middle of what seemed to be ‘neighborhoods’, sets of wood cabins gathered in a circular shape. For cooking, perhaps?       Aya limped forward, the woman who had revealed herself to be named Drya hauling her along. Well, not hauling necessarily, more akin to helping. But she was rough in the way she handled her. It wasn’t mean, just… Drya had a general gruff demeanor about her. They all did. The bearded, grizzled man was blunt, but seemed kind hearted enough.       The youngest guy, the one who had seemed shocked and apprehensive at the idea of bringing Aya to their village, had a slightly unpolished vibe about him, like he hadn’t quite figured out manners yet. However, he did not seem unkind, so Aya decided to reserve her judgement upon him for later.       Stumbling faintly on a tree root, she let out a pained yell, scowling slightly at the shushing of the second girl that had been with the group that had found her. “What’s your problem…” She mumbled, in a predictably grouchy mood. Being in pain would do that to a girl.       The girl scoffed. “Well that’s one way to introduce yourself. I’m Olivia.” An eyeroll. “And my problem? Well, maybe that we’re taking in some random huma- er, person, into our village, just because a few older members of our patrol took pity on you.” She groused, flinching at the elbow to the side she received from Drya. Clearly a sharp elbow was a common reprimand for the younger members of this village.       “Well, apologies that your superiors decided my injured state is more important than your issues with the outside world.” Snarked Aya, clearly irked by Olivia’s words. Limping forward with the support of Drya, she flinched at the elbow that connected with her ribs. Clearly, she was not immune to the admonishment given to the locals.       “You would do best to watch your tongue.” Warned the grizzled man. “You are a guest in our village, do not make me regret the decision to help you. Even if some of our younger inhabitants do not seem to have learned the art of manners.” The last bit seemed directed towards Olivia and the youngest male. Aya blinked slightly, mumbling a sheepish “Sorry.” as the group continued farther into the village, leading her into a wood building that was a fair bit larger than the rest. Once inside, Drya helped her sit down on a stool, the quietest of the group wandering deeper into the building to go get someone. He hadn’t spoken since they’d found her, only watching wordlessly and taking the care to move a few branches out of her way.       While waiting, Aya took the time to look around. The building was not painted, nor drywalled like the structures in her town. The interior of the establishment was not, however, giving off a primal or uncivilized vibe. It had a rugged sort of charm, the wood of the walls and floor were polished and sanded down to be smooth, small painted figurines decorating the walls and floors. There were two hallways that led deeper into the building, one of which the quiet one had disappeared down.       Soon, he returned, accompanied by a short statured, wrinkled woman who seemed a few decades older than the grizzled man.       “Kier?” She asked the grizzled man. So that was his name. He hadn’t bothered to introduce himself earlier, too busy shoving his elbows into the sides of his juniors. “Who is this… stranger that you have brought into our midst?”       Kier grunted, before speaking, “This is Aya. We found her in the woods, near the west meadows. When we saw her, she was passed out on the ground. We’d usually leave someone like that, but her ankle is broken. She clearly tried to help herself and leave our woods, but…” He gestured at the makeshift splint she had attempted to create. “Didn’t work, obviously. She’d freeze out there at night anyways.”       Aya rubs the back of her head, giving an awkward, pained smile to the old woman.       “She’s harmless.” Drya butts in. “Look at her. Only thing she’ll hurt is a cocky ego. She… seems to have a sharp tongue,” The last bit of the statement was spoken with amusement, causing Aya to flush softly with embarrassment. “-but otherwise she’s harmless.” Finished Drya.       The woman, who seemed to be some sort of village elder, held up her hand, waiting for silence, waiting to speak. “Okay. And you want to let an outsider, a human, to just stay in our midst while it- she heals?” The woman deadpans. It wasn’t necessarily a no…       “Human?” Aya interrupted, sitting up straighter. “What does that mean? We’re all human, obviously you’re going to have humans in your midst.” She said, like it was an obvious fact. Everyone in the room sort of… stared, for a moment.       “Er… Duh, of course, Don’t worry about it, newb.” Snapped the youngest male, the one who had seemed so shocked at the idea of taking her with them, when she was found.       “Manners, Kevin.” Reprimanded the woman, gently swatting him with a flexible stick. Not necessarily a physical punishment, not painful of course. Just a swat, a warning of sorts. “But fine. She can stay. For now,” She cleared her throat. “Provided she obeys my conditions, of course.”