You drop into a crouch and creep closer, stopping behind trees whenever you can.   Now that you're closer, you can make out more details, and boy are these people weird.  They're even shorter up close, they'd probably only come up to your waist.  But that's the least strange thing about them.  They're skin resembles Paper-Mache, all folded over itself.  And then there's the ears, so long and pointy.  Almost as big as they are, and yet still they point straight up.  Forget whatever you thought about only humans yelling.  You must've forgotten that too, because these things are no humans.


The two biggest creatures hold down a smaller one, (perhaps that one is only a child), while the one that appears to be the leader stands and watches.  Like you thought, all but the one on the ground are clad in green cloaks, reaching nearly to their feet, with a strange symbol of something like a broken goblet embroidered on their backs in brown.  


They've nearly got the child into a big sack now, but she (he? It?) still hasn't given up.  


"Please!"  She cries, "I just wanna go home!  Let me go home!"


"We're giving you a new home."  Says the leader, "A better home!  Don't you want to help make your old home better?"


"No!  I want my papa!"


Just watching this makes you nauseous.  This has got to be stopped, there's no way you can sit by and let it happen.  Before you've even so much as thought of a plan, you're on your feet, charging the creatures with...

The lighter!

Common sense says the knife would be the better choice.  I mean, how much damage can you really do with a lighter?  It takes too long to set someone's clothes on fire; you'll be tackled from behind before you have a chance to hold the flame in place long enough.  But for some strange reason, the lighter just feels like the right tool for the job.  


Before anyone even has a chance to process the fact that you're there, you tackle one of the creatures holding the... other smaller creature down.  It's like running into a giant beach ball, except made of Paper-Mache.  You thought it would be harder to send the creature flying, but it's so light, you hardly notice the impact.  By the time the two of you hit the ground, you've already pressed the lighter to the thing's head and flicked it on.  To your amazement, it's skin goes up in flames faster than a pile of dry pine needles.  So fast, you nearly burn yourself before you manage to get far enough away from it.  These things not only look like they're made of paper, the also burn like it too. 


"What is this?"  The leader cries, "What the heck are you?"


There's no time to respond.  The other creature (not the leader), is already upon you.  It charges towards you, so fast you can barely get the lighter around in time... But you do.  The creature runs right into the flame, recoiling as if it's been stabbed.  Within seconds it's reduced to ashes, just like the first one.  


The leader stares at you and takes a few steps back.


"P-please..."  he says,  "D-don't hurt me!"


Before you have a chance to react, he's already running away, off into the forest.  He's far too fast for you, that's for sure.  By the time you get to your feet again, he's already disappeared into the trees.  


As the dust settles, the weight of your actions sets in.  You've just killed two intelligent creatures.  Even if they're not quite human, they still talked.  What if they had family?  Kids?  You had no way of knowing the lighter would kill them.  You just thought you might give them a scare, send them running.  But the way they treated that other creature... there's no way they were really worth sparing... right?  


Speaking of which, you'd better make sure that other creature is alright...