A red sun hovered just above the sea as it rose from the depths. Deep purples, bright oranges and mellow yellows swirled together against the backdrop of a dark blue sky. Fluffy clouds tinged red streaked across the horizons.
A girl sat on the edge of a jagged cliff overlooking the sea. Her feet swung back and forth four hundred meters above the glittering waves. She leaned back enjoying the sensation of the wind blowing through her red curls. Behind her, a blood-red monkey slept sprawled on the soft grass.
Tiny translucent butterflies fluttered around her humming a gentle melody of sorts. They tumbled through the air, never heading any particular direction for long. One butterfly flew straight into her chest before exploding into hundreds of little green and blue sparks. The girl giggled as the sparks floated upwards before reforming on top of her head into a butterfly.
The girl hummed swaying back and forth to the tune of the butterflies. She took a deep breath and sang in a sweet alto.
Now as the leaves begin to fall
And questions on lips linger unsolved
I leave to you my will resolved
For I can no longer head your call
Silent and gentle I shall go
Like the wind's kiss upon the snow
Listen to and remember me well
For the lessons my tale will tell
From my battles in the north
To the marches in the sky
Look there! Those scars still remain.
Of wars of past and wars of pain.
Should you find yourself needing glory
make your way to the north
footsteps soft upon the earth
body lowered footsteps sly
should you glimpse the crimson eye.
And when you meet the two tongued sphinx
Open eyes wide and don't dare blink
And should earth quake beneath your feet
while the sky runs still river blue
Pray to the gods to dare not greet
rue before day begins anew
The girl opened her mouth as though to continue. She paused. A small smile appeared on her face.
Or you'll be screwed”
The girl collapsed into a fit of giggles. The monkey behind her yawned loudly. She turned brushing red locks from the front of her face. The monkey was stretching in the grass behind her.
The girl smiled.“Momo! You're awake.” She gingerly stoop up. She teetered for a split second with both her arms up windmilling around her before regaining her balance. “Phew”
She started moving towards the monkey. Or rather to the left of the monkey. She held out both hands lowered and extended innocently palm up in front of her. She began to slowly crouch-step towards the monkey. One step. The she waited. Two steps. The monkey sat on the grass scratching itself. Three steps. The monkey looked up and his eyes widened in alarm. The girl's smile froze on her face, “Does Momo. . . want to play with me?” Momo's lip curled upwards revealing the tips of his canines before he darted away screeching angrily. The girl laughed.
“Come on Momo, give me a hug” the girl cried as she dashed forward to chase the monkey. They ran around in circles around the grassy area of the cliff. Momo ran while chittering angrily at the girl. The girl ran after him laughing, skipping and twirling in the dawn's light.
Eventually, the girl stopped running, panting heavily. Throwing an unhappy glance Momo, she stalked back to the edge of the cliff kicking loose stones in her path.
“Momo is stupid. I don't want to play anymore.” She paused mid strike of a rock and looked expectantly. Momo was already moving up a tree in the forest.
She puffed her checks wide and huffed. “Fine! I'll play by myself.” She kicked the tiny stone and watched it sail off the cliff disappearing from view.
She turned around in a small circle examining her playground. She was in a field of tall grasses. Behind her was her singing spot. And just ahead was the beginning of the Taze forest. The trees were sparse here. Twined trees spiraled up towards the sky. Their golden and red leaves waved in the breeze. She tilted her head puzzled. She looked down at the branches that had fallen off the trees and then at the trees trunks. She turned looking at the butterflies twirling in the air. She smiled.
She bent down gathering sticks, twigs and leaves in her arms. Her butterflies were still there at the spot she was singing, dozens of them fluttering about in the air. Instead of walking towards them, she went to the nearest tree and began setting up.
She started by uprooting the grass at the foot of the tree until she had a wide swath of bare dirt. Then she took the sticks in her hands setting them carefully against the trunk of the tree. She continued until she had the start of a tiny house. There was no roof, she angled the sticks making up the sides of the house to meet at a center point resting against the tree trunk. She left one side open so she could reach inside.
She continued adding twigs until she was satisfied that the house had no large cracks. She looked at the dirt underneath the twigs and frowned. Reaching around her, she uprooted more grass and started laying it down on top of the dirt to make a makeshift floor. She picked up a thick green leaf and placed it on top of the grass. A table. She tore another lighter colored leaf apart to make five seat mats which she put around her leaf table. Their ends were jagged and they were all uneven sizes, but the girl was content.
But what good is a table without food? So she stood up, brushing the grass and leaves from her skirt and headed deeper into the forest. From the trees, the monkey hesitated briefly before deciding to stay. He started picking at the bugs in his fur eating them.
The girl entered the beginning of the Taze forest wandering aimlessly. Around her, birds sang with lively chirps. Bored, the girl began to spin in circles. She spun until she could spin no longer. She stumbled towards a tree and leaned against the tree trunk smiling as the world spun around her. When the world had stopped tilting, she dashed forward towards a small clearing arms strait out to her sides and began to spin again.
Again.
Again.
Again.
As she spun, she saw small red shapes the size of her thumbnail in the grass. She stopped, almost losing balance. She focused on the small red shapes for a second before her eyes widened with excitement.
Wild strawberries.
The girl darted forward towards the little fruits. But the world around her was still spinning, so she stumbled falling on her knees. “Oopsie Daisy” She got back on her feet and dashed forward. As she ran, she heard a small crack under her foot. She stopped mid stride when she heard a crunch. Picking her foot up, she saw the a green snake thinner than her pinky finger laying under her foot. The girl jumped backwards. Reaching for a nearby stick, she picked it up and began probing the lying figure. It wasn't moving. The girl sighed in relief. She poked it once more to be sure, and then dropped the stick, going to pick the strawberries.
As she was picking strawberries, the girl thought quietly to herself. The girl look backwards towards the snake curiously, carefully stacking the strawberries in her hands. Do butterflies eat snakes? The girl shook her head as she reached for another small strawberry. Snakes were too big.
The girl continued to gather the little fruits for a couple more minutes. She would search the ground meticulously, uncovering the little fruits from underneath grasses and wildflowers and pluck them from the earth. As she was scouring the ground, she also found some small acorns which she promptly put in her hands next to the strawberries. Then, satisfied with the amount of food she had gathered, she stood up intending to go back to the cliff. But she hesitated when she saw the body of the snake lying in the grass.
. . .maybe the butterflies would eat dead snakes? She walked to it. With a shrug, she cautiously picked up the snake, ready to drop it in a moments notice. But it didn't move, so she laid it carefully on top of the strawberries in her hands. She started back towards the cliff.
When she arrived back to her little house, she laid her bounty on the ground next to the tree. She popped the caps of the acorns and broke the stems, laying five of them flat on the table open side up. Next she took the tiny strawberries and put one in each of the caps. Next the snake. She picked the snake up gently with two fingers, it's body dangling from her hand, and paused. There was no real room on the table for the snake. She sighed.
As the girl was readjusting the furniture and food in the little house, the monkey jumped down from the tree. He hesitantly approached. The girl noticed, but she ignored him. It was far more important to fit the snake in the little house. She frowned as she laid the snake out in the middle of the table. She kept trying to adjust the bowls of strawberries and the snake, but it was too long. Either the tail or the head would end up curled on a chair. What would mama say about the table? Sighing, she moved the snake to the corner of the house where she curled it into a circular shape. It wouldn't fit otherwise.
Her hand hesitated after she put the snake down. She really didn't like it there. Maybe she would make the table bigger. Frowning, she withdrew her hand and looked, really looked at her handiwork. There were many gaps in the twig walls and the grass floor. There were small little bugs that ran across her grass floor. The table was bumpy and spotted. And it smelled kind of weird.
The girl smiled wide.
It was perfect.
A clawed hand reached around her back, reaching for her hands. She quickly covered the strawberries in her hand.
“Hey!” She exclaimed. She turned back to look at a started monkey.
Excited, the girl quickly got to her feet startling Momo. The monkey hissed and scooted backwards. The girl just laughed and offered her empty hand. The monkey held his hand out hesitantly before jumping on her arm with sharp claws.
“Ow! Momo, that hurts.” The girl cried as Momo's claws sunk slightly into her skin. Momo paid no heed and continued to scramble up her body until he sitting precariously on her shoulder. He wobbled back and forth as the girl walked. The girl turned her head to be face to face with the monkey. “Bad Momo.” She scolded. “That hurt.”
The monkey looked at the girl. The girl stared back. He pointedly looked down at the strawberries and then back at her face. The girl frowned. The monkey continued to stare. The girl grumbled as she rubbed at the places where Momo's claws had stabbed her. She sighed and lifted a strawberry up. His hands greedily snatched it from her. She rolled her eyes. “But you can only have one now. Because that hurt Momo” The monkey chittered happily. She tried to frown but instead laughed. And then laughed again when momo began grooming her hair. “That tickles Momo”
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Then she looked at her house. Then at the translucent butterflies still flying around the cliff. The sun had risen far above the sea and it's light reflected through the butterflies making them seem ethereal. The girl smiled and walked towards the nearest butterfly.
She reached out, cupping a butterfly in her hands.
“It must be lonely without a home.”She walked back to the makeshift house, butterfly in hand. She knelt and slowly shifted her hands so the butterfly could go into the house she had built. “That's why I made you one.”
She did this four more times. At the end, five butterflies fluttered freely around her house. The girl smiled. She sat, watching the little creatures spiral through the air inside the house. One of them landed on the strawberry in the acorn bowl, another landed on the snake in the corner . The monkey closed its eyes as it laid on the girl's shoulders. The girl sat unmoving, as though in a trance, memorized by the floating creatures.
“Sister?” Both monkey and girl turned their heads to look at the vague outline of person stumbling through the woods. The person startled some of the more fidgety birds into flight. They leapt from their perches with chirps of indignation. The boy and girl made eye contact. The girl hastily got to her feet, brushing the grass on her skirt. The monkey turned to look at her, and then the boy. He quickly jumped off the girl's shoulder and raced up the nearest tree.
“Momo!” She called. “Come back”
“There you are!” The boy got closer. The girl looked back towards him. He started to rush forward. A thud sounded as a cry echoed through the air. “Ouch!” He stood back up, brushing off his tunic and pants. His short, blond hair was disheveled with leaves and dirt.
The girl laughed. She quickly covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide.
The boy walked over to the girl frowning. His eyes narrowed. “And why are you still here?” He turned to glare at the monkey. The monkey looked down from the tree and rolled his eyes. The boyraised his fist threateningly, and the monkey snorted but leapt deeper into the trees. Shaking his head with disdain, the boy turned back to look at the girl.
The girl clenched her hands into fists. She kicked out hard at his shin. He stepped backwards grabbing his leg and yelped. “Hey! What are you doing?”
“Go away!”
The boy narrowed his eyes. “You shouldn't be here.”
In an instance, her fierce resistance wilted. The girl looked down at the ground. “But, brother. . .look at the friends I've found here.” She gestured behind her.
The boy scowled. “Did the monkey find another playmate?”
“What?” The girl glanced backwards. She saw the sea, and the setting sun. But her butterflies had disappeared. “But they were just here brother.”
The boy rolled his eyes.“We have to go.” He made a motion beckoning her forward and turned as though to leave.
“But-” He turned back towards her.
“Now, sister.” He grabbed her hand. She shook it off.
"No!" The girl crouched low on the ground looking up defiantly at him.
The boy shook his head disgusted. “Fine, stay. See if I care.” The boy started walking away. But he paused midstep. Because he'd be the one they'd blame. He turned back to face to crying girl.
“Look, I just want you to come back to the house with me.” He offered his hand. The girl slapped it away.
She started crying.
“You never listen to me. I hate it there! I hate you! I don't want to go back!”
The boy stiffened. “ Why is that?“ he asked incredulously.
The girl looked away refusing to meet his eyes.
“I said, why is that?” His voice was hard. His words were separated and distinct with irritation bubbling from under the surface.
The girl remained silent except for the sobs coming from beneath her hands.
“I'm waiting.” His voice conveyed his irritation. His tone caused the girl to cry harder.
“Because you hate me and mama.” she whispered and crouched low sobbing.
His eyebrows raised. “What?”
The girl glared behind tear-filled eyes. The boy flinched from the animosity conveyed in the glare.
The girl stood up and ran.
The boy stared at her figure as she ran away from him dumbfounded. “Shit.” The boy swore under his breath. The boy started running after her. Why was he the one that had to deal with this?
“Hey you, stop running” The boy called out as he ran. When they got to the edge of the cliff where the girl had been singing, the boy finally caught up. The girl was panting heavily but was frantically looking around her as though searching for a way out. The boy grabbed her arm and yanked her forward. She crouched down again with the boy holding her arm.
The boy was out of breath as well. “I believe. . .I asked you wh-. . .why you think I hate you” He wheezed.
The girl looked down at her feet tearing up again. She bit her lip trying to stop. “Because that's what you told sissy.” The girl began to get choked up again. “That you hate mama and me. It wou. . .it would be better. . .if mama had . . died. ” The girl began to sob harder.
The boy froze. As though waking up from a particularly long slumber, he then swore under his breath. “Look, I didn't . . shit. .. what I mean is I didn't mean . . .that.” The boy stared awkwardly at the girl. She didn't look up and continued to sob loudly. The boy sighed running his fingers through his hair. Rudi was always better at this stuff than he was. Why wasn't Rudi doing this instead?
“I didn't mean that. I mean, of course I like you and your- moth. .er. He seemed to choke on the word and grimaced.
The boy hesitated looking down hopefully. The girl stayed in a crouched position and cried.
“I said I don't hate you”. No response. He sighed then reached out grabbed her hand with both of his. He looked her straight into her tear-filled eyes. “What I mean is don't say you hate me. Of course I like you, . . .you...." What would Rudi say here? ". . . .you silly monkey”
“Really?” The girl sniffled. The boy sighed running his fingers through his hair. Rudi was always better at this stuff than he was.
“Of course. I will be here with you always. And I'll protect you.”
What would Rudi say?
“. . .Because that's what older brothers do.”
She grabbed his hand. She looked up with red ringed eyes.
“Promise?”
He smiled ruefully, “Of course.”
He bent down and lifted her up so that she was standing. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt.
The boy looked down at the girl. “Let's go back.”The girl nodded and reached over and tightly grasped his hand.
Silence. The boy stopped moving.
"Are we going back now?" The girl asked quietly.
The sun fully set below the waves. The colors of the sky blended back into a bleak dark blue. The air grew colder and the wind began to whip around the pair.
“Brother? Are we going back? It's cold outside” She shivered.
His hand started to turn a green translucent color.
“Brother? Why is your hand green?”
Her hand fell through. She looked up.
“Brother!”
His face that was not his face turned and looked down at her. His green, translucent skin glowed in the darkness without the sun's rays. The corners of his mouth curved upwards into a wide hollow smile. “Yes, sister?
She started to back up. She looked frantically around her. Momo was gone. The butterflies were gone. The sunlight was gone .”Brother?
He titled his head as though puzzled and the green luminous face pulled its mucles back into a frown. He stepped forwards once. Then again.
She shoved him, two tiny hands pressing into his stomach. She quickly stepped back. When she looked up she gasped.
A dagger protruded from his chest. Blood began to leak from his body, staining the area around his wound in a deep crimson red. He looked down at his wound as though surprised to see it. Blood ran from a corner of his mouth. Blood ran from the gash from his head.
His black eyes shone with hate, “Sister”
“Bother, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry” The girl began to look around her in fear. The tall grass and twined trees became spotted black. The wind ripped through the trees stealing the leaves. The spots on the vegitation grew until they were all completely black. Not a single speck of green remained. Then they withered crumpling upon themselves like burning paper
The wind and leaves began to swirl around the two siblings. As the leaves swirled, they burst into blue and orange flames. She backed up. He advanced. Her foot caught the edge of the cliff and she looked backwards and saw the waves below her. So far below.
She jerked around to face him. He stared back with a frown. Her hands trembled as she reached for his bloody, translucent face. “Brother?” Her voice went high as her heart beat accelerated. For a spit second, he hesitated in his advance. Then his eyes narrowed and he shoved her. Hard. She stumbled backwards. Her foot caught open air.
She turned her head around in surprise. The vast dark ocean spread out before her eyes. as she tumbled down the rocky edge of the platoe. She spun in the wind.
“. . .liar. . .” the girl whispered as she tumbled stomach lurching. “YOU PROMISED! LIAR”. Her eyes overflowed with tears The sea wasn't sparkling anymore. The sun had set and the sea was now a black abyss. She hit the water hard. She sank fast, the weight of her body and dress dragging her deeper in the black abyss of water. Her hands made desperate motions in the water to no avail.No matter how hard she tried, she sank farther and farther into the murky deeps, the light fading from sight. Her arms and legs became numb from the chilling cold. Her lungs burned from the lack of oxegen. But she kept struggling. However, her body betrayed her and tried to breath. Salty water coursed through her lungs causing her to gag and inhale more water. She couldn't breath. She couldn't -
The red dragon's eyes snapped open. Her heart pounding, muscles tensed. She breathed in short gasps of air. Realizing she could breath, she starting taking deeper breaths. There was something weighing on her side, pressing into her lungs.
She lifted her head up to peer at her side. Pure white scales tinted blue by the cavern lights contrasted against her own red scales. Little black stumps of soon to be horns protruded from the scales. Hot air came out of tiny nostrils. The red dragon froze, her muscles tensing as her heartbeat accelerated.
Two yellow eyes stared back at her.
Her pupils dilated. Her heatbeat accelarted, her mucles tensed. In her eyes, the walls began to shimmer green, vines growing along the walls. The air shimmered and the walls kept changing from gray to the greens and browns of a forest. A wail echoed in the distance. The dragon held her breath. She had to be quiet. They would hear.
The white dragon yawned lifting his head from the red dragon's side. Rows of pearly white teeth came into sight. Then disapeared as he closed his mouth, laying his head back on her side. And then he closed his eyes going back to sleep.
Like they had never existed, the images in her mind vanished. Her eyes were undilated. She laid froze in fear. Within minutes her heartbeat had decelerated to a normal level. She looked around confused. She looked back at the face, but nothing came. Her thoughts were harder to think now. The dream getting harder and harder to recall. She sniffed hesitantly. Iron and embers. His smell was comforting somehow.
She had clarity for a second when she could have sat up. But her eyes were getting so heavy. So heavy. They closed for the barest beat of a heart, and then they fluttered open. And then closed. And then opened. And then they. . . .