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A slow, rhythmic lapping of waves washed over the still body, simple tunic and pants soaked to his skin as he lay face down in the dark tan ground. White gulls floated high on the unseen breeze and dove into the sea for breakfast, a peaceful morning suddenly interrupted by choking as he pushed himself up. He supported himself with his right arm as he coughed, face caked in sand as he brushed strands of brown hair from view. Equally dark brown eyes opened to notice the beach stretching for miles in the golden gloom which poured over and through the flanking line of trees not far inland. None of this looked familiar as his dry throat was soon cleared with a spit of the last remnants of gritty earth. He leaned to his left and dipped his head into the next wave, washing off the grime and liberated himself from the mask which revealed a younger human male as he straightened and wiped his long hair backwards. To either side, the quiet beach stretched and gave no indication of homes or people.

'Not going to find anything out sitting here', he told himself, then stood and quickly noticed a bruised right thigh. Gently gliding his hand over the brown, woolen pant, he noticed no exterior damage which also meant no bleeding. One consolation he surmised and began limping towards the north.
As he walked, he tried in vain to remember anything at all: no scenes, no faces to cling to and no recollection of his own name. A realization that made him quite nervous. During his trek, he also found no wreckage of a vessel or any indication that he was even aboard a boat which sank. Maybe someone aboard thought him excess cargo and threw him off, one of too many possibilities. Hopefully someone nearby would recognize his face and help him piece together a life.

Soon, two figures emerged from the forest as they headed towards the waterline, nets in hand which they cast. Pushing out the pain of a bruised leg, he scanned the tall green wall to his right for signs of a homestead, lines of smoke from a fire ,but found none.

"Good morning," one of them called, grabbing his attention.

"Hello. I was wondering if one of you could tell me where the nearest town is," he queried.

"We're headed to Jundlyn in the morning. Where you from, friend?"

He grinned. How to answer? "I honestly don't recall. I was hoping someone nearby might be able to help with that." They both appeared in their thirties, lean but healthy as the taller of them pulled in his net, a flurry of activity within.

A chuckle from his companion. "Rough night, I take it. Ale can do that to you sometimes." With the way his leg throbbed, a fight wasn't out of the question either.

"I'm not sure," he smiled. "Are you traveling with a caravan?"

"We are," the fisherman informed as he pulled in his own net, muscles straining at the weight. "Just hoped for a catch to get us through the week long journey. Deer and rabbit gets old rather quickly."

"Don't let Percy hear you say that," his friend warned as he dragged his catch up to the beach. Deciding to make himself useful, he moved to assist. "I'm Michael by the way," the taller stated, his kind green eyes smiled as he tossed the fatter of the catch into a large basket. "And that's Robert."

"Pleasure." A long quiet moment went by as he evaluated those that Michael was keeping and tossed the smaller ones back into the sea.

Michael laughed. "That must've been some potent elixir to make you forget your own name."

An agreeing nod. "Must've been."

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Still hungry, the fish they now carried into the woods would be nice. His mouth watered, reminded by his groaning stomach which apparently hadn't been filled in a long time. Carrying the baskets between them, they navigated through the thick underbrush until soon reaching a large campsite. Men moved about, arms full of sleeping gear as well as armor and weapons.

"I told you they'd not return empty handed," a large, blonde mountain of a man stated as he dropped down from a wagon. His smile was as broad as the trio moved towards a large cookfire. "Percy, looks like you get to do some cleaning," he gazed towards an older, thin man as he set the basket down.

"Not I, they caught that mess," Percy stated, hands on hips as he glared. "Last thing we need in this hot sun is the stink of fish. You'll be smoking them, if Markus allows for the time. You know we're planning on leaving soon."

Robert removed a skinning knife from his belt and began gutting the first fish. "Don't worry, we'll be done before it's time to go."

Steel-grey eyes then rose to the newcomer. "Who's this? You catch him in your net also?"

"No, sir. I woke on the beach not far from where they were fishing," he informed, a bit embarrassed.

The large one laughed, his barotone voice echoing within the surrounding forest as Percy smiled. "Well, if you want to eat around here, you're going to have to earn it. Otherwise, you can start walking now."

"Absolutely, I'll help whereever I'm needed." At least he could secure a meal or two - hopefully soon.

"Start by digging a hole to bury those innards."

He quickly scanned the line of over ten wagons as the large one reached into the packed vehicle behind him and soon produced a shovel, turned and walked it to him. "I'm Weston by the way," his deep voice introduced as he handed over the simple tool.

"Nice to meet you," he grinned to the giant who stood nearly six-and-a-half feet.

"Pay no mind to the thin one there," he motioned to the cook. "He thinks he can threaten us with no dinner if he doesn't get his way, but I know how to cook also."

Percy huffed as he headed towards several leather packs. "Your meals would kill any normal person, the stink alone is enough."

Chuckling, he moved beyond the baskets and struck the dark ground and dug. As he excavated the shallow pit, he noticed the well organized team pack and secure their things while horses were guided to the fronts of each tall, wooden container whose dark grey walls told of long journeys. As he noted the progress of the cleaning, he realized that they would never complete the task in time.

"How long does it take to smoke the fish," he asked.

Robert kept to his task, neatly carving out the select meat. "We have a smoker on the cook's wagon," he explained as he tossed the refuse into the newly dug hole.

He nodded as brown eyes noticed an older, grey haired man in darker pants and long coat approach them. In his strong hand, he carried a small wrapped bundle which the tanned benefactor reached towards him. Blue eyes and grey van dyke held an authoritative aire about them as he received the gift.

"Eat up, it's going to be a long day and you look like you could use some energy. Water's in the barrels on the sides of the wagons," he motioned, then looked to the two fishermen. "You two need to speed up, time is money."

"Yes, sir," they replied in unison.

He unwrapped the small bundle and noted a slice of bread and cheese. "Thank you," he stated graciously.

A polite nod. "I'm Marcus, the owner of this caravan. What skills do you possess?"

Sighing, "I wish I could answer that, sir. But, I'll do whatever's required."

The merchant studied him for a long moment quietly. "Alright. You can help Percy gather firewood at our camps and whatever else he needs," he directed, then calmly walked away.

"Yes, sir." He ate hungrily and quickly noticed how empty he was as the food nearly disappeared in a flash, swallowing the last bits as he moved towards the nearest water barrel. As he went to lean the shovel against the tall barrel suspended from the framing posts for the wagon, it slipped and bounced against his right thigh. Once colliding with his pants, he heard a distinct metallic jingle in his pocket as he grabbed the handle and stood it closer to the shadow of the wooden side. Interest piqued, he reached into the pocket and felt a thin, metal strand which he pulled out. Observing the silver chain, he spied a small, round pendant which he fingered and raised it closer to notice a finely crafted message in one face.

'To Ryan with Love.'

Was that his name or had he stolen it from someone? A nervous wash cascaded down his spine as the revelation hit him. Perhaps it was best to keep his discovery to himself for now, he thought as he quickly shoved the necklace back into his pocket.