Go through that grove of saplings, there is a stream over there. Said my annoying/helpful powers, but I didn't particularly mind at that moment.
I stumbled to the stream, bent over to drink, and saw my reflection in the water. I had never looked so tired, bedraggled, dirty, scared and angry in my life. My hair was greasy and tangled, there where shadows under my eyes, and my once lovely purple dress was in rags. How long had I wandered around in a daze? I went through all the nights I had spent in the woods. Unlike the days I had spent out there in the forest, I remembered the nights with absolute clarity. I almost laughed when I realized that I had spent a week and three days in my post traumatic stress trance. But I was alive and breathing, not in jail, not at the gallows, so to heck with how I looked. As long as I was very much not dead it was good enough for me.
I drank. A lot. Water had never tasted so good. Being alive had never felt so good. I was happy.
I stopped guzzling water. Was that...? It was. I could hear someone whimpering in the trees. It wasn't scary, it was weird. I stood, titling my head in the direction of the noise. It was coming from a large yellow birch, whoever was in it was hidden by the dense greenery.
I walked over on tip toe, careful not to startle whoever was up there. I peeked up into the thick foliage. There was a child in the tree. She looked to be about six, with bronzy cocoa colored skin and a bob of black hair. Her clothes consisted of a white tank top dress that was ragged and torn, as well as covered in dirt stains and water damage. She was curled up in a fetal position, clinging to the branches beneath her. And protruding from her back was a pair of russet colored eagle wings. They where beautiful.
"Oh..." I breathed.
At the sound of my voice the child gave a yelp, flinched away from me...and fell out of the tree. I dove underneath her, catching her before she hit the ground. I moved faster than my brain did apparently, as it took me a moment to process the fact that I had transformed into the half wind half person thing again. The child was trembling in my wind arms. Up close, you could make out the fact that her hair was in fact made of long skinny black feathers, the width of a hair strand. Her eyes startled me just a tiny bit, they looked as though they belonged to a hawk, but they were wide with terror and didn't look threatening at all.
"You aren't," She whispered, cocking her head and pulling off an amazing bird imitation. "You aren't going to lock me up, or take my feathers, or," Her eyes got even larger. "Or call me a freak?"
"Of course not." I found my self saying while trying desperately to pull my particles back into human form, and finally succeeding.
"Oh good. " She said, wiggling out of my arms and landing neatly on the ground. "You are very pretty. Your hair looks like chocolate. I have never had chocolate before but I imagine it to taste like heaven and dew. And sweet. Whatever that means, because I have never had a sweet thing before, though I would like to try one. Your eyes look like trees too. Fairy tale pine trees. The ones with soft needles, that the princesses sleep in and wake up smelling exactly like the tree."
She smiled at me, waiting for an answer. Unfortunately I had been rendered speechless by her small declaration of why I was pretty.
"I haven't freaked you out have I?" She said anxiously. "You are the first person that I have met other then the guards or the Prince that has been nice. Mia and Lina don't count because they are like me, only different."
I continued to stare at her. She stared back. I tentatively broke the silence. "Are you thirsty?"
"YES!"
"There is a stream over there you can drink from..."
She dashed over to it and bent down to drink, then froze. "Lina says I must not drink without a cup because it is bad manners. And I must not slurp because that it is bad manners, too. Do you have a cup?"
"No..."
"Then I cannot drink." She said sadly, before falling silent and staring forlornly at the stream.
I sat down beside her and scooped up some of clay that lined the streams banks. I shaped it into a vague cup shape, covered in lumps and cracks. It was very soggy.
Ok powers, please turn this into a cup. I don't know if you can do this but if you can...
And why should I do this?
Because this kid will not drink without a cup and she really wants to have some water.
There was no answer but suddenly I was holding a dry handful of clay. A clay cup to be exact. It was the most flawed ugly cup on Captera, but it was a cup.
"Here." I held it out to her.
"How..." She gasped, then leapt to her feet. "Your her! Your the Element! The Prince accidently mentioned you one day, and that we would hold you with our might and stuff like that and that he needed my feather and Lina's hair and Mia's whisker and that he was sorry but he had to and with you he could stop the war and what is a war and I ran away so he couldn't because he said that we needed to be in the circle so we could bind you and " She heaved a breath and I jumped in so I might have the chance of being heard.
"Wait, what is the Prince calling me?"
"He called you his Element." She said slowly. "Because you can control the four elements. And he calls you his because he created you with magic. Just like he created me."
"Why does he want me?" I could here the confusion in my voice.
"So he can stop the war that he started. He doesn't like it."
"Oh." I was still confused but not as much as before.
She reached out and took the cup from me, cradling it in her hands. "I don't have a name but Lina called me Aspen."
"I'm Lillian."
"I know."
"Um."
"The wind told me, because I am it. They told me like bees, buzzing in my ears." She dipped the cup the cup into the river, then brought it to her lips. She paused.
"Bzz, bzz."
I swallowed. She drank.
"I'm going to sleep now." She informed me, then curled up on a patch of moss.
I looked at the sky. It was getting dark. I lay down a few feet away from her, and watched her for a bit. Eventually, I closed my eyes.
Good night.
Good night yourself.
And I was asleep.
* * * * *
The Abyss was almost gone. The last threads of her mental state where slowly dissolving, reminding her of her past body, that had long since vanished in time.
She shifted, theoretically. She had to imagine all of her movements nowadays.
Theoretically, she closed her eyes.
Theoretically, she sighed.
Theoretically, she opened her eyes again.
Theoretically, she spoke, whispering to the Prince to please, please hurry, for she
was
almost
G
O
N
E
.
To be continued
I walked over on tip toe, careful not to startle whoever was up there. I peeked up into the thick foliage. There was a child in the tree. She looked to be about six, with bronzy cocoa colored skin and a bob of black hair. Her clothes consisted of a white tank top dress that was ragged and torn, as well as covered in dirt stains and water damage. She was curled up in a fetal position, clinging to the branches beneath her. And protruding from her back was a pair of russet colored eagle wings. They where beautiful.
"Oh..." I breathed.
At the sound of my voice the child gave a yelp, flinched away from me...and fell out of the tree. I dove underneath her, catching her before she hit the ground. I moved faster than my brain did apparently, as it took me a moment to process the fact that I had transformed into the half wind half person thing again. The child was trembling in my wind arms. Up close, you could make out the fact that her hair was in fact made of long skinny black feathers, the width of a hair strand. Her eyes startled me just a tiny bit, they looked as though they belonged to a hawk, but they were wide with terror and didn't look threatening at all.
"You aren't," She whispered, cocking her head and pulling off an amazing bird imitation. "You aren't going to lock me up, or take my feathers, or," Her eyes got even larger. "Or call me a freak?"
"Of course not." I found my self saying while trying desperately to pull my particles back into human form, and finally succeeding.
"Oh good. " She said, wiggling out of my arms and landing neatly on the ground. "You are very pretty. Your hair looks like chocolate. I have never had chocolate before but I imagine it to taste like heaven and dew. And sweet. Whatever that means, because I have never had a sweet thing before, though I would like to try one. Your eyes look like trees too. Fairy tale pine trees. The ones with soft needles, that the princesses sleep in and wake up smelling exactly like the tree."
She smiled at me, waiting for an answer. Unfortunately I had been rendered speechless by her small declaration of why I was pretty.
"I haven't freaked you out have I?" She said anxiously. "You are the first person that I have met other then the guards or the Prince that has been nice. Mia and Lina don't count because they are like me, only different."
I continued to stare at her. She stared back. I tentatively broke the silence. "Are you thirsty?"
"YES!"
"There is a stream over there you can drink from..."
She dashed over to it and bent down to drink, then froze. "Lina says I must not drink without a cup because it is bad manners. And I must not slurp because that it is bad manners, too. Do you have a cup?"
"No..."
"Then I cannot drink." She said sadly, before falling silent and staring forlornly at the stream.
I sat down beside her and scooped up some of clay that lined the streams banks. I shaped it into a vague cup shape, covered in lumps and cracks. It was very soggy.
Ok powers, please turn this into a cup. I don't know if you can do this but if you can...
And why should I do this?
Because this kid will not drink without a cup and she really wants to have some water.
There was no answer but suddenly I was holding a dry handful of clay. A clay cup to be exact. It was the most flawed ugly cup on Captera, but it was a cup.
"Here." I held it out to her.
"How..." She gasped, then leapt to her feet. "Your her! Your the Element! The Prince accidently mentioned you one day, and that we would hold you with our might and stuff like that and that he needed my feather and Lina's hair and Mia's whisker and that he was sorry but he had to and with you he could stop the war and what is a war and I ran away so he couldn't because he said that we needed to be in the circle so we could bind you and " She heaved a breath and I jumped in so I might have the chance of being heard.
"Wait, what is the Prince calling me?"
"He called you his Element." She said slowly. "Because you can control the four elements. And he calls you his because he created you with magic. Just like he created me."
"Why does he want me?" I could here the confusion in my voice.
"So he can stop the war that he started. He doesn't like it."
"Oh." I was still confused but not as much as before.
She reached out and took the cup from me, cradling it in her hands. "I don't have a name but Lina called me Aspen."
"I'm Lillian."
"I know."
"Um."
"The wind told me, because I am it. They told me like bees, buzzing in my ears." She dipped the cup the cup into the river, then brought it to her lips. She paused.
"Bzz, bzz."
I swallowed. She drank.
"I'm going to sleep now." She informed me, then curled up on a patch of moss.
I looked at the sky. It was getting dark. I lay down a few feet away from her, and watched her for a bit. Eventually, I closed my eyes.
Good night.
Good night yourself.
And I was asleep.
* * * * *
The Abyss was almost gone. The last threads of her mental state where slowly dissolving, reminding her of her past body, that had long since vanished in time.
She shifted, theoretically. She had to imagine all of her movements nowadays.
Theoretically, she closed her eyes.
Theoretically, she sighed.
Theoretically, she opened her eyes again.
Theoretically, she spoke, whispering to the Prince to please, please hurry, for she
was
almost
G
O
N
E
.
To be continued
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