As Lail guides you through the village, you decide to strike up a conversation with her. "Forgive me if I overstep my bounds, but you have been much friendlier to me than the rest of your tribe has so far. May I ask why?"
She laughs merrily in response. "Mama Eilwen would tell you that I like to collect strays. In truth, I could tell when I found you that you were lost and alone. I won't say that you present no threat to us, but I have never been in favor of killing without good reason. We Starchasers are an insular lot, but we are not evil. We just like to be left alone for the most part. So, tell me about this place you come from. Earth, you called it?"
You nod and describe the town you used to live in. Not a metropolis by any means, but you have a feeling that even a small town back on Earth would be a wonder to Lail. You leave out anything you think would go over her head like phones or computers, choosing instead to emphasize how crowded and impersonal everything is. "Honestly, I'm not too sad to be gone from there. Last night on the hill was the first time I had seen all the stars in the night sky and it changed me. I'm sure I'll miss some things from back home, but I think it was never where I was meant to be."
Lail squeezes your shoulder. "It sounds wonderful and terrible. Me, I couldn't live anywhere like that. I need to feel the wind in my hair and the soil under my hooves. Anyway, we're here." 'Here' is a wooden hut with one centaur-sized door and one narrow, high window along the side. "It doesn't look like much, and, well, it isn't," Lail admits, opening the door for you. The inside of the hut is mostly empty, containing just a few sacks of what looks like some some grain. "But at least it has a four walls, a roof, and a floor. Go ahead and make yourself as comfortable as you can inside. I'll go fetch you some food and water, and a blanket to sleep on. Please don't leave, Eilwen wasn't joking about changing her mind if you cause trouble."
Once you head inside, Lail closes the door behind you. You shrug your backpack off your shoulders and rub your back. Being bound like that for hours has made your muscles protest in entirely new and unpleasant ways. Before too long, the door to the hut opens again and Lail enters. In one hand she holds a wooden plate topped with a pile of sausage and some eggs, and in her other is a large bucket which sloshes back and forth as she walks. She has a thick cloth blanket draped across her back and once she hands you the food and water, she takes it off and hands it to you as well. You thank her for everything she's done and with one last smile, she leaves. The food is simple but delicious, and after taking a few sips of the water from your hands you take off your shirt and use it as a washcloth to scrub the worst of the dirt and grime from yourself. Then you wrap yourself in the blanket, curl up against one of the bags of grain, and fall once more into sleep.
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