The eve of the fourth day on the island...

    Volldai woke up with a start, looking about.  It was the middle of the night, and his fire had died down to a small flicker of a flame. Volldai leaped to his feet, noticing that one of the strings of leather that held his boot knife to his boot was untied.  In the distance Volldai saw a shadowy figure dart away from the fire light.  Volldai stood motionless for a small while, listening for the slightest noise. Behind him he heard a small rustle, and he spun around quickly, only to find the small lizard from earlier that night looking puzzled at him.
   "We had a guest tonight little one." Volldai spoke to the creature.
    Volldai knelt down on the ground and ran his finger along the small human like footprint in the soft ground of his camp.  It looked definitely human, heavy set too, but with long claws it seemed.
    Volldai retied the boot knife to his boot and laid back down to sleep.  It came quickly...

    The next week on the island passed with ease for Volldai.  He spent his days searching around his camp site, for food, and for traces of whatever it was that tried to take his boot knife.  The small lizard he had met had become his constant companion, always sitting on his shoulder as he moved through the brush.  Several times Volldai had walked up to the mist barrier, studying it, watching the mist move with the wind, and yet, not go anywhere.

The fifteenth day on the island

    By this time, Volldai's makeshift tent had become almost a hut, thickly woven walls of branches and rope, with a broad leaf roof. Volldai had even made a small hammock for his lizard friend to sleep in that hung from the roof.  His small lizard companion had amazed Volldai, its intelligence was profound for something so small.  Several times it had lead him to find better, more hidden sources of food, like roots and tubers.  Volldai had also just the night before finished a large, spiked
perimeter fence around his small hut, in hopes to scare off whatever it was that had tried to steal from him once more.  However, Volldai had seen hide nor hair of the creature since his brief encounter.
    "Today is the day, little one," Volldai said, reaching out his finger to his companion, "I'll make a small journey into the mist."
    The creature seemed to realize what Volldai was saying and began to dance around his arm nervously.
    "Worry not my friend, I'll be just fine, don't you worry."
    Volldai set off while the air was still brisk, and a slight dew fog still lingered in the base of the valley, where the sun had yet to shine upon.  It didn't take him long to reach the mist, already there was a well worn path to a particular area next to the mist that he had created all the previous days before.  As Volldai approached the wall of mist, his lizard companion hopped off his shoulder and onto a nearby tree, watching from a distance.
    "Very well, stay behind, I understand if a little thing like you is frightened.  Here," Volldai said, tossing a small piece of fruit at the creature, which devoured it.  "If I don't return to you, remember me fondly."
    Volldai took one step into the mist, and looked about.  He didn't feel any different, and the mist didn't seem to be very thick where he was.  He decided that he'd venture forth, using his sword to help guide him if the mist got too thick.  He'd use it much like a blind man uses his cane, to help find things in his path.
    However, only after about ten steps into the mist, Volldai began to feel very light headed, and then dizzy.  Volldai dropped to one knee and began to pant, though he tried to fight it. He knew the mist was having some sort of effect on him, and the more he breathed it in, the worse it would become, but it was too late.  His body had betrayed him, and now was in full panic mode.  His body shot adrenaline through his veins, as Volldai began to claw his way back to the safety of the cleared area of
forest.  But Volldai realized that he now had no clue which direction was which.  All the sunlight was now blocked by the mist, and he could see nothing of the cleared areas.  Volldai's limbs began to wobble and shake, now, as his strength was sapped away from him.
    Volldai collapsed where he was.

    The sixteenth day on the island.

    Volldai opened his eyes to the sensation of pain on his finger. Looking slowly at his hand, lying limp on the ground, he could see his lizard companion nipping at his finger.  When it noticed his eyes upon it, his companion chirped happily, and began to tug at his finger.
   "Y.. You know .... the way out?"
    Volldai's words meant nothing, his body did not question the little lizard.  With what little strength had, he crawled his way, following the tugging sensation of his lizard companion.  Step by step, inch by inch, every second was an agonizing eternity.  After an hour of small steps, Volldai finally pulled himself into fresh air.  His body gasped for the clean, pure air as his lizard companion happily jumped all over him, chirping.  Volldai smiled, and passed out.

    The seventeenth day on the island.

    Volldai awoke slowly, the sun was shining brightly on him.  His whole body was weak and sore, but he knew that he needed to make it back to his camp.  Slowly, surely, lead by his lizard companion, he made it to his camp by night fall, and amazingly enough, his companion started a fire.  The little creature was actually able to lift up the small shard of flint and drop it against the steel striker next to the pile of leaves.  Granted, it was nothing more than a flicker of flame, but it was enough to light Volldai's camp.
   "You never cease to amaze me little one." Volldai weakly smiled, biting into a half rotten, left over piece of fruit.  It tasted
horrible, but every piece of nutrition counted now.

    Another week passed by with little event.  This time Volldai spent his days regaining his strength, and stock piling weapons.  Home made spears, arrows, anything he could think of.  He knew that anything that could survive the mist, would be hard to kill.

The twenty third day on the island, evening.

    Volldai was relaxing against his favorite tree, listening to his lizard companion happily chirping and eating a small piece of fruit that he had shared with it.  Volldai had become quite attached to his little friend, one of the few he had in this world.  Volldai always felt more close to animals than other people, after all, animals didn't hate, didn't judge, the feelings they have for you are a reflection of the way you treat them.  And it would seem that his lizard companion was now totally devoted to the knight.
    They had even developed an evening ritual.  Volldai would relax against his tree, after harvesting the evening's meal, and he would clean the fruit and share one sixth of everything he ate with the lizard.  Granted, the lizard didn't eat near that much, but it made the little creature happy to be given so much to choose from.  After dinner, the two would talk to each other, granted, neither could understand the other, it would seem they were having two different conversations with each other at the same time.  It didn't matter if the other didn't reply to the one's questions, or laugh at the other's jokes, but they had each other.  When the fire died down enough, Volldai would put more wood on it, and the small lizard would gather leaves and toss them on the fire as well.  It did nothing for the flame, but Volldai thanked the lizard just the same.  Then Volldai would help his friend into his hammock bed, and Volldai into his, and they would fall asleep to the gently rhythm of the wind through the trees.
    However, this night was different.  Volldai heard a high pitched hum, and then distant shouting.  Volldai bolted from the hut, grabbing his lizard companion as he ran, just in time to see a huge airship bolt by over head, and into the darkened mist in the distance.  Volldai could hear the tumultuous sound of branches breaking as the airship vanished.
    "Fools..." Volldai said to himself, met by a groggy chirp and nod from his companion.  Volldai slowly walked back into his hut and tucked his friend into bed, and he as well, and went back to sleep