Rubyn awoke to someone probing him in the side. He opened his eyes wearily and blinked up into the face of the boy from before, Avery.

"Rise and shine." Avery said, giving him one last poke. "You slept through the night and all through yesterday and last night. Joab said it's time for you to get moving."

Rubyn looked around. He didn't recognize where he was but the surface beneath him felt nothing like the table he had been lying on before. In fact, it felt soft and comfortable, and Rubyn realized they had moved him into a bed.

"Besides," Avery went on, "Joab and some of the other villagers are leaving soon to search for more survivors and he wants to see how your new leg works for you before they leave."

Rubyn started. For a second he'd forgotten about his leg. Pulling the thick blanket off his body he looked down. He blinked. It was gone. Everything beneath his kneecap was gone. What replaced it was a wooden pegleg, shaped and painted to look like his original leg. At the bottom, there was even a wooden foot just as long as his left foot with a hinge in place of where his ankle should have been.

Avery pointed to the hinge. "They said that should help you walk better. But Joab wants you so you should probably go."

Rubyn nodded vaguely in response as the boy sauntered out of the room. Inhaling deeply, Rubyn sat up and turned himself so that his left leg and the pegleg were hanging off the edge of the bed. The wooden foot thunked against the floor as he set it down but besides that everything seemed okay. The new leg was attached by more hinges to his kneecap and he bent and straightened it experimentally, his ears picking out the slight creak as the hinges worked.

Rubyn's breath quivered slightly as he let the air leave his lungs in a long breath. He prepared to stand and focused most of his weight on his left leg. Once he was standing, he held onto the bedpost and slowly switched his weight more and more to the right side. The artificial leg held. Soon, he let go of the post and stood by himself, rocking slightly.

The woodworkers had measured the leg to his exact height and he didn't notice if there were even a centimeters difference between the length of his left leg and the right. His balance was nearly perfect. It if hadn't been for what he knew was below his kneecap, he would have felt like he was on his own leg again.

But then Rubyn took a step and realized walking was a whole different story. As he picked up the right leg, moved it forward, and set it down again, it felt to the muscles in his thigh like he was dragging a log or a stick in place of where his lower leg should have been. It was an awkward step, to say the least, and as Rubyn stepped forward with his other leg, he nearly tripped.

Despite the woodworkers thorough job, there was one issue. The foot was smooth and oval shaped and the craftwork was well done. But there was no joint or hinge to replicate the ball of a regular foot. There was nothing to rest his weight on at the end of his step and he had to hop around on his left leg to regain his balance in the right.

He ended up near the wall after balancing himself again and rested against it. His breath was labored slightly and his head spun a little bit. He closed his eyes and took three deep breaths in and out, and then tried again.

The door leading out was set in the wall ahead of him. He furrowed his eyebrows, took another deep breath, and walked purposefully toward it. He didn't progress quickly, but at last he made it and allowed himself a small smile. Taking the round door handle, he twisted and pushed. It swung open and the first thing Rubyn noticed was the staircase right ahead of him and he instantly knew where he was.

He slowly took a few steps forward and walked in front of the staircase. Not a sound emerged from the house but the smell of freshly cooked food was strong. The morning light streamed through the window above where his cot had previously been but Rubyn could see that the area outside the window was deserted.

Running his hand along the wall to help with his balance, Rubyn made his way toward the open doorway where the smell of food was coming from. He stood in the middle of the entryway and looked around. Straight ahead of him was the large table with high backed chairs placed around it and to his left was a kitchen. There was a backdoor leading outside and at least three windows set in the wall. To his right, past the table, was a large, open space holding nothing but an intricately colored rug and a bench built into the farthest wall.

On the stove sat two pots, their contents simmering at a low boil, and from inside the oven came the smell of baking bread. Obviously, nobody had gone too far or else they wouldn't have left the cooking food, Rubyn concluded. There was only one other place to look and that was outside.

Rubyn hobbled over to the back door and as soon as he opened it, he was met with the overwhelming sights and noises of the village. Men, women, and children were all about--the kids playing with any object they could get their hands on, the women chattering while they loaded wooden crates with food, and the men harnessing horses to the three wagons waiting nearest to where Rubyn stood.

In a moment one of the men noticed Rubyn staring in the doorway. He immediately dropped the heavy sack he was in the process of loading into the back of a wagon and hurried over to the boy, his eyes alight with excitement.

The man reached Rubyn in a matter of seconds and clapped a meaty hand on his shoulder. "So!" His voice was booming and Rubyn stumbled slightly. "How do you like it, my boy? That right there is one of my finest masterpieces. And the best part is, it only took four hours to make! Ha ha!" His laugh was short but just as booming as his voice. Spittle flew into Rubyn's face and he wiped it away with his sleeve, his features taking on a look of disgust.

When Rubyn looked back up at the man he saw a look of expectancy in his face. "So...?"

"Oh!" Rubyn said, looking down at the wooden contraption. "It's fine, it's good. I like it."

"Good, good! I'm sure Joab will be glad to hear that. Joab!" The giant of a man turned and bellowed over his shoulder. "The lad's awake!"

In a moment Joab was beside them too. He placed his hands on his waist and sized Rubyn up. "What do you think, son?"

Rubyn pressed his lips together in a tight line. "I'm not your son. And the leg is fine."

Joab chuckled. "Well, that's good to hear."

Rubyn gestured around at the bustling people of the village. "What's going on? Where is everyone going?"

Joab turned to survey the village people. "We're off on one last rescue search. We'll be back in a day or so, and you'll stay here and rest." He turned to face Rubyn again. "You won't try and escape again, yes?'

Rubyn continued staring out at the bustling people and nodded slightly.

"Give me your word."

Rubyn glanced at him. "Sure. I won't try and escape again."

"Good." He gestured to the wooden leg. "We don't want another accident like this happening again."

"Try it out." The other burly man said, still gazing at his handiwork admiringly. "I want to see how it suites you."

The two men moved aside and Rubyn looked ahead. He focused his eyes on one of the carts being loaded about seven yards away and squinted slightly, focusing all his energy on getting to the cart. He picked up his right leg and stepped with it, the left following close behind. His steps were slow and his gait awkward, but at last he made it to the cart and leaned against it, breathing a little heavily.

"Ha ha! It's beautiful!" Rubyn heard the large, nameless man shout, and in a second he was beside him again. "Although..." He knelt down and inspected the wooden foot. "It looks like this bit is giving you some trouble. Come with me and I'll fix it right up."

"Wait just a second, Jax." Joab said, walking towards them. "We're just about loaded up. We'll be heading out in less than half an hour."

"Won't be a problem. I can get this done in fifteen. Let's go, boy. Can your ride?" Before Rubyn could answer, Jax was gesturing for a small horse and in the next moment, Rubyn had been scooped up and was sitting atop the horse.

A/N

Shoutout to vkbloodgood who was the first to vote and to TheProphet9 who was the first to comment on the last chapter! Thank you both so much :) Chapter 9 is coming this Wednesday!