Stamen was lost. And it was his own fault. He had wandered too far off the farmland in search of an apple tree, lost his sense of direction, and in a panic tried to return home. What troubled him was that he knew better. His people group, the Trazames, maintained an unspoken law; one always stayed at home and did not interfere with the world at large. There were those who protected it and there were those who stayed at home and minded their own business. Particularly in the fragile state the Western World was in, it was imperative to only leave home long enough to tend to the fields and animals. Stamen sighed; he did not know what had gotten into him. It was highly unusual for him to wander this far, and normally his nose led him home. He had an uncanny gift—his sense of smell was useful in trackin...

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