First, she could hear the footsteps of a massive creature echoing through the trees. Boom. Boom. Boom. Then she could feel the ground beneath her rumble with its weight. She had imagined the city would be big, but she couldn’t imagine it would be so big that you could tell it was there a day's walk away.

She gave Manny a look.

His plain wooden face turned to look at her. “We’ll rest in the trees when the time comes.”

“I’m not going into a tree.” The shadowy wolf growled.

“Of course you won’t. You don’t need to rest as much as we do.”

Then he looked back at Calla as they continued to walk. “There are a couple of things that you should know.”

“Okay.” She said quietly.

“We’re going to come across the path of rot first. There’s not much we can do about that unless we want to go the long way. Now once we get there you will see rot sprites. You mustn’t touch them. They eat the waste that comes from the city and if you touch them they will explode.”

“Why are you telling her this? Ever—” Augustus started before Manny stopped him with a raised hand.

“She’s not from here. She doesn’t know.”

“Right.” Augustus nodded and looked at Calla. “I’m sorry. I’ve never met someone not from the forest before.”

“It’s okay.” She said. She wondered for a moment if there were other forests in this world. Were there other forests in the world other than this one? She looked between Manny and Augustus. From the way they spoke, it sounded like there weren’t any other forests. “Are there other forests out there?” she asked.

“I hope so, but I’ve never seen one,” Augustus said quickly.

Manny shrugged. “Honestly I don’t know, but the fact that you’re here really lends itself as evidence to the theory that we aren’t alone in this world. You are clearly from another forest.”

She nods. “I see.” The more she spoke to the two of them the more she realized just how unlike this world was to her own.

And so they continued to walk with the echoing footsteps in the distance which grew louder the closer they got. They stopped for a few hours to rest in a tree. Though she could still hear the footsteps, she couldn’t feel it as much in the ground. She managed to fall asleep just as it grew too dark to see. Manny did something with some hanging moss and branches to hold her in place. She had never felt more secure as she slept.

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When she woke up It was light out again. She could hear a breeze singing through the leaves. She was amazed at how the leaves sounded almost like wind chimes as the wind blew through them. It wasn’t just wind chimes. It was as though there was an orchestra of wind instruments carried on the wind. There was the sound of a flute that was like birdsong, a clarinet, and even a violin could be heard in the music the wind made. It was as though the wind were putting on a concert. It was beautiful. She found herself smiling.

“Did you sleep well?” Manny asked when he noticed she was awake.

“I did.” She nodded. “Is that sound normal?”

Augustus was on the ground and he began to howl along with the sound. His voice was light and mournful and mingled with the sound of the wind. She looked down and could see that his tail was wagging happily.

“You could say it’s normal, but it’s not common,” Manny explained. Calla raised an eyebrow at that. “It’s a friend. She’s a wind sprite and she loved making music. Most of her people travel the forest looking for stories, they make sounds as they move through the trees only because there’s no not making sound at the speed they travel. Seirye though, she has always been different.”

As he finished a face appeared in the air near the branch where the two of them were sitting. It looked like it was made of clouds. A woman’s face made of clouds. The music in the leaves stopped. “Hey, Manny. How was that? Was it good? Do you think other people would like to listen to it?” She looked at him expectantly.

“It was excellent. I’m sure anyone in the forest would be glad to hear it.”

She grinned widely. “Awesome! I’m also happy that Auggie loved it too. I rarely see him this happy.”

Down on the ground Augustus stopped howling and sighed. He walked away.

“Indeed.” Manny laughed.

The cloud woman turned to Calla. “And who is this? Is this a new friend?”

“Yes. I’m helping her.”

“I’m Calla.” She said quietly. “Nice to meet you.”

The woman laughed. “The pleasure is all mine. I’m Seirye the wind sprite and it’s my job to bring song and joy throughout the forest. Everyone cries for joy when they hear my songs. Everyone looks forward to the next note of my music. Did you enjoy my song?”

Calla nodded.

Seirye somehow managed to smile wider than she had before. “Good! Manny, I think I like this new friend.”

“I’m not going to stay forever,” Calla said quietly. “I need to get home.”

“Yes, that is what I’m helping her with,” Manny added.

“That doesn’t matter.” A cloudy hand appears and waves. “Even if I was only with them for a day or two, my friends are still my friends. The wind is always changing. Tomorrow I may not even be here.”

“I hope you’re here tomorrow,” Calla said.

“I hope so too! There are so many people in the forest who need to hear my songs.”

“If you want everyone to hear your songs, you’ll be in the forest forever.”

The cloudy face smirked. “Of course, that’s my plan for immortality. By the way, I don’t know where you’re going, but can I come with you? It’s been forever since I travelled with someone. I think the last time was when we first met. The others made fun of me last time, saying that the wind doesn’t go with anyone. It can carry, but otherwise goes alone.” Her face changed as she said the last part.

She looked older somehow before returning to her normal face.

“Sure, you can come. We’re going to the Roving City.”

“Perfect. I haven’t been to the city in what feels like forever. I will provide the best music for the journey.”