I

----------------------------------------

Section one.

The sun seemed angry tonight. Its rays shone down fiercely, nearly searing the lush foliage nearby instead of nourishing them. Its energy weighed down on the grass as they tried their damndest to resist. It was nighttime, and the grasses really were being smothered. With a crunch, a foot plummeted onto a beautiful violet unknowingly, a slight glow slipping off of the flower when it sprang from under the foot.

“There’s purple flowers?” the boy asked, as he looked at the strange pedal on his foot. His makeshift torch helped him find his way in the dark, especially on moonless nights.

“Finding his way” was a complete overstatement of his situation. He was completely lost. If he were to try to find his way back to his home, he’d more likely end up at the base of a mountain.

As he walked, he tried to visualize the sight he saw above his house nights before. There, he could see deep into the distance, the star’s light glinting through the trees. He could see everything. He wanted to recreate that feeling, but he couldn’t find it.

Soon, he heard the melody of rushing water, his footsteps receding into their sound. He followed the sounds, torch in hand as its glow radiated from his form, illuminating the surrounding plant life in a warm orange.

As he approached, he heard something. Initially, he didn’t react much to it, but he soon remembered that this area wasn’t familiar to him. He was no longer home. Though he doubted that whatever made the sound was dangerous, he immediately put out his torch with a harsh exhale. Spinning the “torch” around, he took hold of his knife in a proper manner. If he kept using it like this, the hilt would soon be burnt away. Holding it carefully to avoid burns, he crouched low.

The sloshing sounds continued as they splashed along his nerves. He’d become thirsty with all of this walking, hopeful that there was only a fish that made those noises. Soon, the last blanket of leaves was pushed out of sight as a stream of water came into view. The splashing sounds had long ceased by now.

The edges of the stream faded into the darkness of the night as they boy approached, unnerved. Though there looked to be nothing here, he still chose to be careful, inching toward the water step by step.

Tightening his grasp on his knife, he peered over the boundary of the water, eager to have a taste. He couldn’t see inside as the moon wasn’t bright enough tonight, but he cupped his hands inside and began to take a drink.

“Hey!” someone shouted from close behind him.

The boy froze; his knife was no longer in his hands. He’d placed it in his bag as he drank. His knees began to buckle as they prepared to jump forward.

“I’m talking to you,” they continued, their voice closer now.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The boy noticed soon, their voice didn’t sound threatening. More so addressing him genuinely. As he turned around slowly, cold sweat covering his back, he caught sight of something. Someone.

Their face was directly in front of his as they bent their body forward, their short black hair nearly entangling with his. Their eyes stared directly into his. Frightened, the boy’s legs immediately extended, throwing him backwards into the stream. Soon enveloped by the water, he began to grasp at the sediment on the river bank, but to no avail. He felt himself being dragged away, unable to adjust his position.

Then, he felt someone grab his arm. With a firm pull, he was extricated from the stream. His bag had fallen just shy of the river bank, and he landed directly next to it. It seemed he wasn’t being dragged away at all.

The hand let go, and after a moment of watching the boy, the person continued with a confused expression. “You do know this is our water, right?” they said, their voice clear.

The boy was still catching his bearings, but managed to look up as he shook the water free of his hair. There stood a person of similar height to the boy. They were a girl, hands on her hips as she eyed the boy in dissatisfaction, subtly drying her hands on her clothes. She wasn’t dressed similarly to him, her clothes were woven in a strange way unfamiliar to him.

Confused by her question, he asked immediately, “How can anyone own a river?” Near the end of his sentences, his body began to expel any remnant river water caught in his lungs, leading to a coughing fit. When he finished, he looked up again only to see the girl rummaging through his bag.

Panicked, he reached for it, but the girl’s dark hands had already withdrawn. “I was only checking. Your knife’s quite dull,” she said as she offered him a hand.

Drenched, the boy eyed her for a moment before acquiescing to her aid. After he collected his bag, he could only stand still, unsure of what to do.

“Hello?” he said, though he felt it was a bit late for greetings.

Taken aback, the girl took on a slight smile, replying, “Hello,” continuing, “You speak our language.” As she spoke, she began analyzing his face, taking note of his complexion and facial features.

The boy didn’t respond. He knew that he could understand her and speak with her, but that was all. Taking his gaze off of the girl, he looked behind her to make sure that no one else was there. Clear of any bystanders, he looked back to the girl, seemingly forgetful of her assertion.

“You’re a native,” she stated, looking into his eyes. “I haven’t seen you around here, though. I know everyone.”

Sensing a falsity in her words, the boy answered, “No you don’t.” With a profound expression, he continued, “If you don’t know me, then you don’t know everyone.” Proud of himself, he waited for the girl to respond.

It took a while, her confusion completely going completely unnoticed.”Then, what’s your name? What brings you here?” she asked, followed by a final question shortly after. “And what’s that smell?”

The boy was beginning to feel comfortable with her presence, and answered her questions one by one. “I’m… I’m Eli,” he said, “I’m just walking around… What smell?” his eyes flickered briefly as he answered. He didn’t feel completely safe.

The girl noticed, but didn’t press. “I’m Lyra Venson,” she responded, taking particular pride in her last name. Seeing no reaction from Eli, she grew even more confused. “Lyra… Venson,” she emphasized, leaning forward. Eli hadn’t even widened his eyes, nor had he asked any further questions.

“Um… You don’t smell that? It doesn’t smell bad, just… weird. It didn’t smell like this before you came,” she said, changing the subject. “Can I see that again, it's the strongest there,” she said as she reached over to his bag.

“No!” the boy said immediately, pulling the bag away from her reach. “It’s mine.”

As they continued talking, a tree branch rustled nearby, talons gripping onto it. A raven perched here, watching the two converse in interest. As their conversation continued, the two seemed to come to an agreement and walked further along the river’s edge, taking a detour into the forest after enough time had passed.

The raven took in the scene, tilting its head as it prepared to rise with a croak. The branch lurched up along with its talons, springing up and down as the raven flew into the sky, one of its feathers dancing in the air until it glided into the rushing stream below.