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	Jack smiled, slightly amused by Theolan’s attempt at offending him. He stood thoughtfully rubbing the short stubble of his face with thumb and finger until the rider had disappeared around a bend down the road. 

Judging by the beads of dew still lingering on the tips of grass and leaves and the low angle of the sunlight breaking through the canopy of the trees, it was still early morning, while drifting aromas of food accompanied by periodic faint voices and other sounds of activity told Jack he wasn’t too far from a township of some variety, most likely in the direction Theolan had headed. Both these things were promising. Early morning meant he wasn’t pressed with time to get his shit together, and having a town nearby was convenient for quickly establishing a way to blend in. 

The most immediate concern was finding his duffel bag, if it was even around to be found at all. As much as trees and other clustered landscapes provided a decent place to lay low when arriving in a new place, it really could result in more frustration than need be when locating his belongings.

Still, searching the immediate road and forest for the bag did have its benefits. If he wasn’t previously certain about whether he was actually on Earth – and given that the majority of immediate plants and trees did show a striking resemblance to the flora found on Earth – it was stumbling upon a bizarre rat-size creature in a small clearing several meters from the road that confirmed his suspicions. He was [i]not[/i] on Earth, at [i]any[/i] time in history.  

As luck would have it, the rather cute creature which resembled a lizard in head and body shape with a bluish scaled underbelly, but soft white feathers lining its face and back and wings, was nestles somewhat snugly in the fold of his duffel bag.  

‘Get off!’