Surprise!

Jasper stood at the gates of the Unknown, arms crossed, and looking out. "Tell me again why I can't leave this place."

Next to him and a few feet back stood a creature with the black, curled horns of a ram. It had the general shape of a human being, except for that it stood at nearly eight feet tall. Where feet should have been, there were hooves. The face looked like a ram's, with a furry snout and black eyes, but the eyes held intelligence behind them. It was dressed in dark armor with a sword at it's side, it's arms also crossed. When it spoke, it's voice was gruff, as if the mouth had not been meant for human speech. "When you died, you had in your posession an item that never should have left the Unknown."

Jasper nodded. "Silence's breath, right. I still don't see-"

"You will be bound here until it is returned."

Jasper reeled to face the beast. "See, now that is where I don't understand! It makes no sense! Why keep me here when I'd be a better use looking for it out there!"

The beast gave an irritated grunt. "Out there you could live like a normal human. That's not punishment, that's a blessing."

"Yeah, right. So how, exactly, do I have any part in bringing the blade back?"

"You don't."

"....what?"

"Not directly, anyways."

"...." Jasper looked at the beast for a few moments. "Not directly? Just what does that mean?"

"Eventually, someone in posession of the blade will wander into the Unknown. At that time, you will retrieve the blade from whomever it is and return it."

Jasper blinked, but when he spoke, his tone was angry. "Eventually? Eventually? What if the person doesn't come for over a hundred years? What, am I just supposed to sit here and play patty-cake with monsters until some idiot with the sword decides to sate his curiosity and wander in here? And how would I even knoow if he has the sword? I'm not going to kill every dim-witted explorer that comes in here!"

The beast snorted. "Their fate could be worse."

"Alright, fine then. How would I find them if they did come in? I'm not just going to sit by the gate and wait for them. This place changes constantly, how the hell am I supposed to find the gate if I end up lost?"

Finally the creature uncrossed its' arms and shook it's head. "You talk too much, human. You'll figure it out, just like the rest of us. If not...ask your chakra," it said with a laugh that sounded much like a shriek. When the black haired human said nothing, it gave a shrug that jangled the armor it wore. "You'll figure it out fawn."

Jasper sighed. "Can't I just find Silence and wish myself out of here?"

The creature gave another shrieking laugh, it's voice now booming with laughter as it spoke. The laughing seemed to echo off the trees. "You can, fawn, but I can tell you this, he won't be too happy about you having lost his blade!" At that, Jasper merely grumbled.









(Reactions, comments, predictions, etc are welcome, as always. Btw, I have a plan for the blade as well. Two hints: Guardian, and the Poem.)