Zatz found Patz lying on the ground, his face hidden in the dry grass that had been trumped by hundreds of running feet. The bees and flies buzzed above Patz's head with joy and purpose that the boys did not share.

Zatz lowered himself to his knees and touched his friend's shoulder.

"Patz, the Soul Tying is about to begin. We should join the others," he said, motioning towards the Flizers that dotted the coastal strip around the shrine.

Silence.

"I told your parents I'd fetch you," Zatz tried again. "Ziya... I am sorry..."

More silence.

Zatz's gaze wandered from his friend to Klatz's motionless body lying nearby. He walked up to him and waved his hand before Klatz's face. The boy remained unmoving. It puzzled Zatz and he wondered what might have happened to him. He then shrugged and quickly hurried back to Patz's side.

Patz raised himself up from the ground and Zatz saw that his face was red and puffy. Patz began walking in the direction they had come from this morning.

"Wait!" shouted Zatz after him. He tried to grab Patz's by the arm, but he shrugged him off and continued walking.

"Where are you going? The shine is the other way," told him Zatz.

"I will get her back," replied Patz and Zatz' mouth flew open in disbelief.

"Wait! Are you out of your mind?" cried Zatz and planted himself on his friend's path.

"Get out of my way," said Patz pushing his friend aside.

"What about the Soul Tying?" asked Zatz.

"What does it matter? She is gone!" shouted Patz at his friend. Tears welled in his eyes anew. "I won't let her face the same fate as Old Zina! I will bring her back!"

"Patz... You can't be serious," Zatz tried to reason. But Patz could no longer hear him. He was running up the slope as fast as he could.

Zatz stood still, his gaze wandered between the trees where his friend had disappeared and the coastal strip where all the other Flizers were. It was a sad sight. Grieving families stood shoulder deep in the ocean. They washed away their grief with salty water and prayed to the Creators to watch over their stolen daughters. The girls' names will never be mentioned again. Dead must rest.

Zatz had waited for this day all his life and it was not at all how he had expected it to be. He felt sadness he never knew before.

On the way back to the village, heavy thoughts troubled Patz's mind. He was mulling over the events of that morning. Ziya's fearful face when the eagle's claws dug into her shoulders kept flashing before his eyes. He blamed himself for not having a better aim. And he flinched every time he remembered the look of surprise on Klatz's face when the stone hit him. Patz rushed home as fast as he could eager to be on the way, and it was not only the love for Ziya that drove him. He had to get away before Klatz could get to him. It did not matter that Patz had done it with his best intentions. This time Klatz's wrath ought to be terrible and thoughts of it made Patz shiver.

It was dark inside the house when Patz opened the door. He quickly filled up the travel bag he had on him, which still contained some of the food meant for the celebrations after the Soul Tying. He looked under his father's bed and pulled out an old wooden stick. His grandmother used to tell him stories about it. She said that a grey haired Forest Child gave it to one of their ancestors for help in need. Patz's father believed that it was just a normal stick and that his ancestor had invented the story. Still, Patz and his siblings were never allowed to touch it. However, curious as Patz was, he had examined the stick long time ago. This was how he knew that as old as the stick must have been, it was still as strong as it likely was on the day it was cut.

Patz found some chalk and quickly scribbled a note to his parents:

"Went to find Ziya. I took the old stick. Patz."

He tried not to think of his mother. It would certainly break her heart. His father might understand. Patz hoped he would. Patz brushed off the fear of never seeing his parents and siblings again and held on to the image of Ziya's scared face as a force to go ahead.

He gave the place, which was the only home he ever knew one last look and stepped outside. The twilight had deepened when he made his way out of the village unnoticed.

Patz thought he would feel sad about leaving this place, instead he felt that maybe this is how it always was meant to be. All his life he listened to his grandmother's and Old Zina's stories and wondered about the Cloud City, even secretly desiring to see it with his own eyes. How restless he felt the entire last year as if he knew that his life was about to change and take him away from here. There has always been a longing in him to see the places he had heard so much about. And now the time has come. And he could not have thought of any better purpose than leaving his home forest for love.

Initially the path was easy as he crossed the familiar forest. It was dark now and he had to slow down to avoid bumping into the trees or stumbling over the roots. Yet this did not diminish his determination and he walked on through the night. Only when he saw the clouds above changing from black, to dark blue and then light blue, did he allow himself to rest. He took some fresh onions out of his travel bag and drank some water he had brought along on the journey. He felt tired, but did not allow the feeling to overtake him. He needed to cover more ground and couldn't allow himself to rest just yet. He threw the travel bag over his shoulder as soon as he was finished with the breakfast and began walking again.

Somewhere behind the clouds, the sun was already high up when Patz finally left the Flizer forest behind. He pulled out an old map of Ailarin It was already partly faded and some names in the places where the fold-lines of the map were were no longer recognizable. However, it was enough to give Patz reassurance that he was headed in the right direction. As far as he could see in front of him there was only green grass stretching out into the distance. Yet he knew from old stories that before him the Swamps of Zurak stretched out. The swamps were traitorous, it was said, and he had to be more cautious from now on.

The old map told Patz that he had two options - one was to walk around the swamps to the east, which inevitably would lead him to the lands of the Water Children and their city on the lake, Waterese. He remembered his grandmother telling him that the Water Children were not to be trusted. They had much wisdom and a long memory, she said. Yet they only helped if there was a gain or if there was a debt to be paid, then their hearts only cared for their own.

Looking at the map and trying to decide which way to go, Patz frowned. Even if he chose to go to the city of the Water Children, he would need to cross the river Eridus where it reached it maximum wide or walk all around it. If his grandmother is right, the Water Children would never help him. What could he possibly offer them? The walk around the lake looked very long, if the map was to be trusted.

Patz's other option was to walk west to where river Eridus dried out and the land of the Forest Children began. Patz looked at his walking stick and remembered how his grandmother always spoke fondly of the Forest Children. She used to say that a Flizer would always find a friend among the Forest Children.

"Eridus End", read Patz on the map. This was the name of the waterfall at the end of the river Eridus. Once reached, the path would take him around the waterfall and by turning northeast his path to Aleuta would be clear. When he finished studying the map, he neatly folded it and put it back into his travel bag. Giving the forest behind him a last look, he walked west.

Only when the darkness settled all around again, did Patz allow himself to settle for the night. It was too dangerous to walk in the darkness in such a proximity to the swamps. The ground was already getting more dump and muddy. Hidden holes covered the ground, ready to trip an unwary traveller.

He didn't notice in the night before the chillness in the air as he was too upset to pay any attention. Besides, the constant movement kept him warm. Now as he stopped to rest for the night, he felt cold and loneliness creeping on him. For the first time in his life, Patz ate dinner alone, chewing slowly and carefully. He wished Zatz was here with him. His friend had always something positive to say about everything and would surely found a way to cheer Patz up. He wondered what he was doing right now and how his Soul Tying had turned out. He did not doubt that Zatz got matched to someone. He would make any girl happy.

Thinking about his friend and his female admirers made Patz feel slightly warmer. He remembered all those times they joked about it. Tears welled in his eyes and Patz felt sorry for shouting at Zatz before leaving and hoped that his friend would understand one day why he had to go. Maybe he would even forgive him. Patz missed his friend very much but it did not shake his determination to go after Ziya. How could he stay in the Flizer forest, a place where she was no more and where her name could never be mentioned again? The thought of not being able to speak about beautiful, funny, brave Ziya cut through his heart.

That was the last thought on his mind, before tiredness got the better of him and he fell asleep.

The morning, fresh and cheerful, found Patz curled together hugging his little bundle stuffed with food. Patz quickly finished his breakfast, packed the leftovers in his bag and continued walking west. The first half of the day was quite uneventful. Patz even enjoyed the walk and the novelty of his surroundings.

There was no sight of the swamp and the green plains continued as far as he was able to see. He felt warm from the walk and his little bundle was bulging with wild onions and sweet potatoes he collected on the way. The stick was already proving its worth. He used it to test the firmness of the ground in front of him from time to time, in case the swamp did decide to appear. For all he knew, it might have dried out by now. When was the last time a Flizer ventured out here? Growing more confident, Patz began walking faster, the fresh air made him cheerful and less careful with every step.

And just when he was convinced that there was nothing to fear, one step was enough to prove him wrong.

"O-o" Patz exclaimed in surprise. Looking down at his feet, he saw his leg being swallowed by the mud. He tried to pull himself out, but he was trapped and slowly sinking.

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Note from the writer:

Sorry for the super late update. The story returned with chapters on Patz's adventures. He is a bit like a little Don Quixote minus being a bit crazy.

Hope you like the character. Let me know your thoughts. What did you like? What could have been done better? Thank you very much in advance.

If you liked the chapter, please consider voting. It is the little star below. Always much appreciated :)